U-572

Type

VIIC

Ordered

24 Oct, 1939

Laid down

15 Jun, 1940

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 548)

Launched

5 Apr, 1941

Commissioned

29 May, 1941

Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker

Commanders

29 May, 1941 - 18 Dec, 1942	Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker
18 Dec, 1942 - 3 Aug, 1943	Oblt. Heinz Kummetat

Career

9 patrols

29 May, 1941 - 1 Aug, 1941 3. Flottille (training)
1 Aug, 1941 - 3 Aug, 1943 3. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

6 ships sunk for a total of 19.323 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 6.207 GRT

Fate

Sunk 3 Aug, 1943 north-east of Trinidad, in position 11.35N, 54.05W, by depth charges from a US Mariner aircraft (VP-205/P-6). 47 dead (all hands lost).

See the 7 ships hit by U-572 - View the 9 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-572 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Hai (8 Jul, 1942 - 21 Jul, 1942)
   Streitaxt (24 Oct, 1942 - 1 Nov, 1942)
   Falke (31 Dec, 1942 - 22 Jan, 1943)
   Landknecht (22 Jan, 1943 - 28 Jan, 1943)
   Hartherz (4 Feb, 1943 - 7 Feb, 1943)
   Seeteufel (21 Mar, 1943 - 30 Mar, 1943)
   Lowenherz (3 Apr, 1943 - 7 Apr, 1943)

Attacks on this boat

31 Jul, 1943
The boat reported repelling an allied aircraft east of Trinidad. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 367)

3 Aug, 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:American Mariner (Sqdn VP-205/P-6)

The aircraft and the boat must have killed each other. No survivors from either side.

2 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker was condemned to death by military tribunal in 1943, charged with "Cowardice in the face of the enemy" - the only U-boat commander to suffer that fate, taking his own life on April 24th, 1943 shortly before his scheduled execution. We'll write more about this later.

Another commander, Oscar Kusch, of U-154 was also executed but for "defeatism" after he removed the mandatory picture of Adolf Hitler from the boat and his IWO reported on him.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-572 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.