List of all U-boats
U-103
Type | IXB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 24 May 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 6 Sep 1939 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 966) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 12 Apr 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 5 Jul 1940 | Korvkpt. Victor Schütze (Knights Cross/Oak Leaves) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 11 patrols |
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| Successes | 46 ships sunk, total tonnage 238,944 GRT 3 ships damaged, total tonnage 28,158 GRT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Decommissioned on 13 March 1944 at Memel and later used as training hulk at Gotenhafen. In January 1945 transferred to Hamburg-Finkenwerder and used as power generating plant. Transferred to Kiel in April 1945. Scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel. Wreck broken up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss position | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-103 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Störtebecker (5 Nov 1941 - 7 Nov 1941)
Streitaxt (29 Oct 1942 - 2 Nov 1942)
Schlagetot (9 Nov 1942 - 21 Nov 1942)
Westwall (21 Nov 1942 - 16 Dec 1942)
Robbe (16 Feb 1943 - 12 Mar 1943)
Wohlgemut (12 Mar 1943 - 19 Mar 1943)
Amsel 4 (4 May 1943 - 6 May 1943)
Rhein (7 May 1943 - 10 May 1943)
Elbe 2 (10 May 1943 - 14 May 1943)
Attacks on this boat and other events
9 Oct 1940
U-103 sighted convoy SC 6 in the morning of this day in 1940. After a successful attack at 2200 hrs the boat was depth charged by a convoy escort.
11 Nov 1940
On 11 Nov, 1940, NW of Ireland in position 56.28N, 14.13W, the British corvette HMS Rhododendron depth charged a German U-boat. This attack was thought to have sunk U-104, but the target was actually U-103, which escaped unscathed.
21 Nov 1940
During an attack on convoy OB 244 NW of Ireland in which two ships were sunk, one of the convoy vessels turned to ram the surfaced U-103. U-103 fired a torpedo at the vessel, which missed, and just managed to evade ramming. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 208)
27 Apr 1943
00.05 hrs, Bay of Biscay, outbound: Wellington bomber M for Mother from 172 Sqn RAF located U-103 on radar and made a Leigh Light attack, but the boat was warned by the radar detector, and dived in time to evade six depth charges which exploded harmlessly ahead of her. The Wellington circled the area and then approached a second radar contact which proved to be U-566, left unable to dive by an earlier air attack. The aircraft had no depth charges left and returned to base after an exchange of gunfire. (Sources: KTBs/ADM 199-1784)
22 May 1943
14.48 hrs, Bay of Biscay NW of Finisterre, inbound: British Whitley bomber Z9440 (RAF OTU 10/N, pilot F/S D.W. Brookes) was prevented from dropping depth charges by heavy and accurate flak on its initial approach. U-103 dived and escaped unscathed. Damage to the Whitley (misidentified as a Halifax) was slight, and it reached base and landed without incident. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
5 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-103 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
U-boat Emblems
We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 The Snorting Bull - U-47 |
 Schütze S - U-103 |
Media links
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There was another U-103 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 9 Jun 1917 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 15 Jul 1917. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 103 during WWI.
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