During the war the Allies sent thousands of bombers over the major German cities to, among other things, destroy the German war machine. Hamburg, being a major port and industrial center, was hit hard for example. There was a constant battle between the British Coastal Command and the more powerful Bomber Command over strategy. Coastal Command wanted to destroy the boats at sea but Bomber Command wanted to hit the bases and cities. The strategy of hitting the boats at sea proved to be greatly more effective. Until mid 1944 few U-boats were lost in friendly ports.
This list can be sorted by U-boat or date.
Date | Boat | Commander | Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
11 Mar 1940 | U-31 | Kptlt. Johannes Habekost | VIIA | 58 dead |
14 May 1943 | U-235 | Oblt. Klaus-Helmuth Becker | VIIC | 2 dead |
14 May 1943 | U-237 | Kptlt. Hubert Nordheimer | VIIC | |
14 May 1943 | U-236 | Oblt. Reimar Ziesmer | VIIC | |
24 Jul 1943 | U-622 | Kptlt. Horst-Thilo Queck | VIIC | |
9 Jan 1944 | U-81 | Oblt. Johann-Otto Krieg | VIIC | 2 dead |
11 Mar 1944 | U-410 | Oblt. Horst-Arno Fenski | VIIC | |
11 Mar 1944 | U-380 | Kptlt. Albrecht Brandi | VIIC | 1 dead |
11 Apr 1944 | U-108 | Oblt. Matthias Brünig | IXB | |
29 Apr 1944 | U-421 | Oblt. Hans Kolbus | VIIC | |
5 Jul 1944 | U-586 | Oblt. (R) Hans Götze | VIIC | |
5 Jul 1944 | U-642 | Kptlt. Herbert Brünning | VIIC | |
5 Jul 1944 | U-952 | Kptlt. Oskar Curio | VIIC | |
24 Jul 1944 | U-1164 | Kptlt. Hans Wengel | VIIC/41 | |
6 Aug 1944 | U-471 | Kptlt. Friedrich Kloevekorn | VIIC | |
6 Aug 1944 | U-969 | Oblt. (R) Max Dobbert | VIIC | |
10 Aug 1944 | U-872 | IXD2 | 1 dead | |
19 Aug 1944 | U-466 | Kptlt. Gerhard Thäter | VIIC | |
20 Aug 1944 | U-9 | Oblt. Heinrich Klapdor | IIB | |
24 Sep 1944 | U-596 | VIIC | 1 dead | |
24 Sep 1944 | U-565 | Kptlt. Fritz Henning | VIIC | 5 dead |
4 Oct 1944 | U-993 | Oblt. Karl-Heinz Steinmetz | VIIC | 2 dead |
15 Oct 1944 | U-777 | Oblt. Günter Ruperti | VIIC | |
28 Dec 1944 | U-735 | Oblt. Hans-Joachim Börner | VIIC | 39 dead |
31 Dec 1944 | U-2530 | Kptlt. Max Bokelberg | XXI | |
17 Jan 1945 | U-2515 | XXI | ||
17 Jan 1945 | U-2523 | Kptlt. Hans-Heinrich Ketels | XXI | |
29 Jan 1945 | U-763 | Oblt. Karl-Heinz Schröter | VIIC | |
24 Feb 1945 | U-3007 | Kptlt. Helmut Manseck | XXI | 1 dead |
4 Mar 1945 | U-3508 | Kptlt. Detlef von Lehsten | XXI | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-682 | Oblt. (R) Sven Thienemann | VIIC | |
20 Mar 1945 | U-382 | Oblt. Günther Schimmel | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-429 | Oblt. Martin Kuttkat | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-430 | Oblt. Ulrich Hammer | VIIC | 2 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-870 | KrvKpt. Ernst Hechler | IXC/40 | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-1167 | Oblt. Karl-Hermann Bortfeldt | VIIC/41 | 1 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-2340 | Oblt. Emil Klusmeier | XXIII | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-96 | VIIC | ||
30 Mar 1945 | U-348 | Oblt. Hans-Norbert Schunck | VIIC | 2 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-350 | Oblt. Erich Niester | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-1131 | Oblt. Günther Fiebig | VIIC | |
3 Apr 1945 | U-1221 | Oblt. Paul Ackermann | IXC/40 | 7 dead |
3 Apr 1945 | U-2542 | Oblt. Otto Hübschen | XXI | |
3 Apr 1945 | U-3505 | Oblt. Horst Willner | XXI | 1 dead |
4 Apr 1945 | U-749 | Friedrich Huisgen | VIIC | 2 dead |
4 Apr 1945 | U-3003 | Oblt. Ludo Kregelin | XXI | |
4 Apr 1945 | U-237 | Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Menard | VIIC | 1 dead |
8 Apr 1945 | U-2509 | KrvKpt. Rudolf Schendel | XXI | |
8 Apr 1945 | U-2514 | Kptlt. Rolf-Birger Wahlen | XXI | |
8 Apr 1945 | U-3512 | Kptlt. Hans Hornkohl | XXI | |
9 Apr 1945 | U-677 | Oblt. Gerhard Ady | VIIC | |
9 Apr 1945 | U-982 | Oblt. Curt Hartmann | VIIC | |
9 Apr 1945 | U-2516 | Oblt. (R) Fritz Kallipke | XXI | |
30 Apr 1945 | U-326 | Kptlt. Peter Matthes | VIIC/41 | 43 dead |
3 May 1945 | U-56 | IIC | ||
4 May 1945 | U-711 | Kptlt. Hans-Günther Lange | VIIC | 40 dead |
5 May 1945 | U-747 | VIIC | ||
57 boats bombed in safe waters. 211 dead. |
Map showing locations of bombing attacks
U-237 was sunk twice by bombs, both times in Kiel, first in 1943 and then finally on 4 April 1945.
Hamburg, in northern Germany, was among the hardest hit cities in Germany during the Allied bombing. Over 70 serious raids took place during the war, including the infamous "Battle of Hamburg" from 24 Jul to 3 Aug 1943 with over 50,000 dead and a million homeless. During that raid only one U-boat, U-622, was lost (U-boats were not the target). On 30 Mar 1945 4 U-boats were destroyed in Hamburg; U-348, U-350, U-1167 and U-2340.
Toulon, in southern France, was bombed 12 times from Nov 1943 to August 1944 in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the Allied landings in Southern France. The base was the home of the 29th U-boat flotilla and lost the following boats; U-380, U-410, U-421, U-586, U-642, U-952, U-967, U-471 and U-969.
Unfinished U-boats destroyed in air raids
There were several uncompleted boats not in commission destroyed by air raids in the war.
This list can be sorted by U-boat or date.
Date | Boat | Type | Shipyard (werk) | Launched | Cancelled |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U-908 | VIIC | HC Stülcken, Hamburg (805) | |||
U-902 | VIIC | Vulcan, Stettin (15) | 24 Dec 1943 | 22 Jul 1944 | |
U-3538 | XXI | F. Schichau, Danzig (1683) | |||
14 May 1943 | U-474 | VIIC | Deutsche Werke, Kiel (305) | 17 Apr 1943 | |
29 Jul 1943 | U-395 | VIIC | Howaldtswerke, Kiel (27) | 16 Jul 1943 | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-2532 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2532) | 7 Dec 1944 | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-2537 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2537) | 22 Dec 1944 | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-906 | VIIC | HC Stülcken, Hamburg (803) | 1 Apr 1944 | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-2547 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2547) | 9 Mar 1945 | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-2549 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2549) | ||
11 Mar 1945 | U-2550 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2550) | ||
30 Mar 1945 | U-882 | IXC/40 | AG Weser, Bremen (1090) | 29 Apr 1944 | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-3036 | XXI | AG Weser, Bremen (1195) | 27 Jan 1945 | |
13 incomplete boats bombed in shipyards. |