List of all U-boats
U-124
Type | IXB | |||||||||||
| Ordered | 15 Dec 1937 | |||||||||||
| Laid down | 11 Aug 1939 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 956) | ||||||||||
| Launched | 9 Mar 1940 | |||||||||||
| Commissioned | 11 Jun 1940 | Kptlt. Georg-Wilhelm Schulz (Knights Cross) | ||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 11 patrols |
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| Successes | 46 ships sunk, total tonnage 219,862 GRT 2 warships sunk, total tonnage 5,775 tons 4 ships damaged, total tonnage 30,067 GRT | |||||||||||
| Fate |
Sunk on 2 April 1943 in the North Atlantic west of Oporto, Portugal, in position 41.02N, 15.39W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Stonecrop and the British sloop HMS Black Swan. 53 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-124 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Süd (22 Jul 1941 - 5 Aug 1941)
Hecht (8 May 1942 - 18 Jun 1942)
Attacks on this boat and other events
25 Aug 1940
In late evening, the boat successfully attacked convoy HX 65A off the Isle of Lewis and then dived to evade HMS Godetia, which dropped 12 depth charges and then lost contact. This was because U-124 had lain grounded on the seabed for an hour after hitting a rock formation at a depth of 90 metres (295ft). The U-boat was not damaged by the depth charges, but the collision had damaged three of the four bow torpedo tubes, and the boat was ordered to assume weather reporting duties for the rest of the patrol.
17 Oct 1940
08.55 hrs, mid Atlantic south of Iceland: the boat encountered the British River Class submarine HMS Clyde while acting as a weather boat. Assuming the vessel to be a destroyer, U-124 dived immediately, and remained unaware that the submarine had fired three torpedoes at her at 09.06 hrs. (Sources: KTB U-124/Patrol report HMS Clyde)
9 Dec 1941
The boat was shelled by the coastal battery at Fort Thornton off the harbour of Georgetown on Ascension Island, but was undamaged.
1 Jan 1943
15.23 hrs, east of Trinidad: the boat dived when attacked by an American Catalina flying boat (VP-53 USN/P-1) . The aircraft dropped two depth charges, which caused no damage. (Sources: Rohwer/Ritschel)
4 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
The emblem of U-124, the Edelweiss, was inspired by the loss of U-64 in April, 1940 as the boats were largely manned by the same crew, including the commander and saved from the Norwegian waters by members of the German mountain troops using that same emblem.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-124 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 Edelweiss - U-124 |
 Frog |
Media links
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There was another U-124 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 28 Mar 1918 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 12 Jul 1918. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 124 during WWI.
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