U-763
Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 15 Aug 1940 | |||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 21 Jan 1941 | Kriegsmarinewerft (KMW), Wilhelmshaven (werk 146) | ||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 16 Jan 1943 | |||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 13 Mar 1943 | Oblt. Ernst Cordes | ||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
| |||||||||||||||||
| Career 4 patrols |
| |||||||||||||||||
| Successes | 1 ship sunk for a total of 1,499 GRT | |||||||||||||||||
| Fate | Scuttled 29 Jan, 1945 in Köningsberg at the Schichau shipyard, in position 54.42N, 20.32E, after being damaged by Soviet bombs. | |||||||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-763 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Rügen 3 (28 Dec 1943 - 31 Dec 1943)
Attacks on this boat
4 Feb 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
British Liberator BZ795 (53 Sqdn RAF/F, pilot Sgt T.A. Patey)
At 08.21 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by the Liberator north-northwest of Cape Finisterre. The aircraft was hit by AA fire during the attack run and crashed into the sea, killing the 7 crew members aboard. Depth charges were dropped, but did no damage.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)5 Feb 1944
At 01.35 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by the British Liberator aircraft BZ815 (53 Sqdn RAF/D, pilot P/O L.L. Esler, RCAF) in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft was damaged in the tail by AA fire during the attack run and its depth charges missed. The boat had picked up the radar signals with Naxos and released Aphrodite decoys after the attack, effectively distracting the crew of the aircraft. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
5 Feb 1944
At 02.15 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by the British Wellington aircraft HF282 (172 Sqdn RAF/M, pilot F/O C.S. Rowland) in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft was hit in both wings, the fuselage and the tail by AA fire and was forced to return to base due to the damages, while the depth charges fell astern of the boat without damaging it. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
5 Feb 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
British Halifax (502 Sqdn RAF/R, pilot F/O F.T. Culling-Mannix, RNZAF)
At 22.05 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by the Halifax west of Bordeaux. The aircraft was hit repeatedly by AA fire during the attack run and crashed, killing all 8 crew members.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)5 Jul 1944
The boat, having attacked convoy ETC 26, was hunted for 30 hours by a hunter-killer group dropping incredible 550 depth charges before she managed to slip away. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 587)
24 Sep 1944
The attack by a British B-24 Liberator (RAF 224/A) on 24 Sept, 1944 in position 61.00N, 04.07E formerly credited with sinking U-855 was instead against the U-763 inflicting medium damage. (Sources: 1987-09-01, FDS/NHB)
6 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
23 Aug 1944. Ltnt. Kurt Braun, as Commander in deputise, brought U-763 from La Pallice in France via Bergen, Norway to Flensburg in Germany. He left La Pallice on 23 Aug, 1944, 4 days before his 21st birthday!
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in April 1944. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-763 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
 | We have emblem entries for this boat! You can view the emblems here. (The emblem on the left is not the emblem for this boat). |
Buy this title at amazon.com See more sellers |
Books dealing with this subject include:
|
