List of all U-boats

U-61

Type

IIC

 
Ordered21 Jul 1937
Laid down1 Oct 1938 Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 260)
Launched15 Jun 1939
Commissioned12 Aug 1939Oblt. Jürgen Oesten (Knights Cross)
Commanders
12 Aug 1939 - 28 Jul 1940  Oblt. Jürgen Oesten (Knights Cross)
28 Jul 1940 - 5 Nov 1940  Kptlt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler
5 Nov 1940 - 4 May 1941  Oblt. Willy Mattke
5 May 1941 - 15 Jan 1942  Oblt. Hans Lange
16 Jan 1942 - 9 Nov 1942  Oblt. Horst Geider
10 Nov 1942 - 15 Sep 1943  Oblt. Wolfgang Ley
16 Sep 1943 - 1 Dec 1944  Oblt. Rudolf Schultze
2 Dec 1944 - 27 Mar 1945  Ltn. Werner Zapf
Career
10 patrols
12 Aug 1939-31 Oct 1939  5. Flottille (training)
1 Nov 1939-31 Dec 1939  5. Flottille (active service)
1 Jan 1940-14 Nov 1940  1. Flottille (active service)
15 Nov 1940-27 Mar 1945  21. Flottille (school boat)
Successes5 ships sunk, total tonnage 19,668 GRT
1 ship damaged, total tonnage 4,434 GRT
Fate

Decommissioned on 27 March 1945 at Wilhelmshaven.

Scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven, western entrance to Raederschleuse. Wreck broken up.

Final location

See the 6 ships hit by U-61 - View the 10 war patrols

Attacks on this boat and other events

21 Jul 1940
At 0419 hrs, the boat was attacked with two bombs by a British Hudson aircraft (269 Sqn RAF/G) northeast of the Shetland Islands. No damage.

1 recorded attack 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-61 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

U-boat Emblems

We have 4 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


Gent with a Pact
Sword with Circle on Shield
Two Brushes
Horse-like creature

Media links


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-61 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 22 Jul 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 2 Dec 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 61 during WWI.




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