List of all U-boats

U-4

Type

IIA

 
Ordered2 Feb 1935
Laid down11 Feb 1935 Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 239)
Launched31 Jul 1935
Commissioned17 Aug 1935Oblt. Hannes Weingärtner
Commanders
17 Aug 1935 - 29 Sep 1937  Kptlt. Hannes Weingaertner
30 Sep 1937 - 28 Oct 1938  Kptlt. Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky
29 Oct 1938 - 16 Jan 1940  Kptlt. Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt
17 Jan 1940 - 7 Jun 1940  Oblt. Hans-Peter Hinsch
8 Jun 1940 - 28 Jul 1940  Oblt. Heinz-Otto Schultze (Knights Cross)
29 Jul 1940 - 2 Feb 1941  Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche (German Cross in Gold)
3 Feb 1941 - 8 Dec 1941  Oblt. Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck
9 Dec 1941 - 15 Jun 1942  Oblt. Wolfgang Leimkühler
16 Jun 1942 - 23 Jan 1943  Oblt. Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld
24 Jan 1943 - 31 May 1943   Joachim Düppe
1 Jun 1943 - 22 Aug 1943  Oblt. Paul Sander
23 Aug 1943 - May, 1944  Oblt. Herbert Mumm
May, 1944 - 9 Jul 1944  Oblt. Hubert Rieger
Career
4 patrols
1 Aug 1935-1 Sep 1939  U-Bootschulflottille (school boat)
1 Sep 1939-1 Oct 1939  U-Bootschulflottille (active service)
1 Oct 1939-1 Feb 1940  U-Bootschulflottille (school boat)
1 Mar 1940-1 Apr 1940  U-Bootschulflottille (active service)
1 May 1940-30 Jun 1940  U-Bootschulflottille (school boat)
1 Jul 1940-31 Jul 1944  21. Flottille (school boat)
Successes3 ships sunk, total tonnage 5,133 GRT
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 1,090 tons
Fate

Decommissioned 31 July 1944 in Gotenhafen (today Gdynia, Poland) and cannibalized for spare parts. In early 1945 hulk was towed west to Stolpmünde (today Ustka, Poland) and captured there by Soviet forces on 9 March 1945.

Scuttled in late 1945 in Stolpmünde harbor by Russians after being inspected by the Tripartite Naval Commission (TNC) on 28 August 1945. Raised by the Polish harbor authority in 1950 and broken up in 1951.

See the 4 ships hit by U-4 - View the 4 war patrols

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-4 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.


Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs
Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1
Wynn, Kenneth


German U-Boat Losses During World War II
Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War
Blair, Clay

There was another U-4 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 18 May 1909 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 1 Jul 1909. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 4 during WWI.




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