U-572

Type

VIIC

Ordered

24 Oct 1939

Laid down

15 Jun 1940

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 548)

Launched

5 Apr 1941

Commissioned

29 May 1941

Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker

Commanders

29 May 1941	-	18 Dec 1942		Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker
18 Dec 1942	-	3 Aug 1943		Oblt. Heinz Kummetat

Career
9 patrols

29 May 1941	-	1 Aug 1941	3. Flottille (training)
1 Aug 1941	-	3 Aug 1943	3. Flottille (active service)

Successes

6 ships sunk, total tonnage 19,323 GRT
1 ship damaged, total tonnage 6,207 GRT

Fate

Sunk on 3 August 1943 in the North Atlantic north-east of Trinidad, in position 11.35N, 54.05W, by depth charges from a US Mariner aircraft (VP-205 USN/P-6). 47 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 7 ships hit by U-572 - View the 9 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-572 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Brandenburg (15 Sep 1941 - 1 Oct 1941)
   Störtebecker (5 Nov 1941 - 19 Nov 1941)
   Gödecke (19 Nov 1941 - 26 Nov 1941)
   Hai (3 Jul 1942 - 21 Jul 1942)
   Streitaxt (20 Oct 1942 - 2 Nov 1942)
   Schlagetot (9 Nov 1942 - 16 Nov 1942)
   Falke (28 Dec 1942 - 19 Jan 1943)
   Landsknecht (19 Jan 1943 - 28 Jan 1943)
   Hartherz (3 Feb 1943 - 7 Feb 1943)
   Seeteufel (21 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
   Löwenherz (1 Apr 1943 - 10 Apr 1943)

Attacks on this boat and other events

31 Jul 1943
The boat reported repelling an attack by an Allied aircraft east of Trinidad. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 367)

3 Aug 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:American Mariner flying boat (VP-205 USN/P-6)

The aircraft and the U-boat must have destroyed each other. No survivors.

2 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

24 Apr 1943. Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker took his own life on April 24th 1943 shortly before he was due to be executed for "cowardice in the face of the enemy" - the only U-boat commander to be tried on that charge. (We'll write more about this later.)

Oscar Kusch, commander of U-154, was executed, but for "defeatism", after his IWO reported him for removing the boat's mandatory photograph of Adolf Hitler.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-572 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.