List of all U-boats
U-629
Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||
| Ordered | 15 Aug 1940 | |||||||||||||
| Laid down | 23 Aug 1941 | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 605) | ||||||||||||
| Launched | 12 May 1942 | |||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 2 Jul 1942 | Oblt. Hans-Helmuth Bugs | ||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 11 patrols |
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| Successes | No ships sunk or damaged | |||||||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 7 June, 1944 in the English Channel west of Brest, in position 48.34N, 05.23W, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 53/L). 51 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, March 1997). | |||||||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||||||
Previously recorded fate
- Sunk 8 June, 1944 in the English Channel west of Brest,
in position 48.27N, 05.47W, by depth charges from a British B-24 Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 224/G). (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack actually sank the U-441.
Wolfpack operations
U-629 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Nordwind (24 Jan 1943 - 28 Jan 1943)
Nordwind (31 Jan 1943 - 2 Feb 1943)
Taifun (2 Apr 1943 - 4 Apr 1943)
Coronel (4 Dec 1943 - 8 Dec 1943)
Coronel 1 (8 Dec 1943 - 14 Dec 1943)
Coronel 2 (14 Dec 1943 - 17 Dec 1943)
Amrum (18 Dec 1943 - 23 Dec 1943)
Attacks on this boat
4 Jan 1944
U-629 rendezvoused with U-284 southeast of Greenland to embark her crew on Dec 21 when 284 was scuttled due to sea damage. U-629 was thus returning to base with approx 100 men on board when she was strafed and depth charged in the Bay of Biscay by Polish-crewed Wellington HF185 (RAF Sqdn 304/2B, pilot F/O Hieronim Czyzun). Despite the six depth charges dropped causing severe damage, the overloaded boat managed to reach Brest the next day after summoning assistance.
12 Mar 1944
06.05 hrs, Bay of Biscay, outbound: after illuminating the boat with the Leigh Light, the British Wellington bomber (RAF Sqdn 612/C, pilot F/S D. Bretherton) dropped four depth charges. Flak damaged the aeroplane tail, but the tail gunner had a lucky escape because he was not at his station during the attack, and later discovered that a round had passed through the empty turret from bottom to top. U-629 was severely damaged and had to abort her patrol. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
7 Jun 1944
Aircraft attack SW of Ushant, aircraft shot down:A British B-24 Liberator (Sqdn 53/M). May also have been U-441 or U-740.
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
On 21 December, 1943 the crew of U-629 saved the crew of U-284 and brought them to Brest on 5 January, 1944.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-629 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
Media links
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