During the war the Allies sent thousands of bombers over the major German cities to, among other things, destroy the German war machine. Hamburg, being a major port and industrial center, was hit hard for example. There was a constant battle between the British Coastal Command and the more powerful Bomber Command over strategy. Coastal Command wanted to destroy the boats at sea but Bomber Command wanted to hit the bases and cities. The strategy of hitting the boats at sea proved to be greatly more effective. Until mid 1944 few U-boats were lost in friendly ports.
This list can be sorted by U-boat or date.
Date | Boat | Commander | Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 Aug 1944 | U-9 | Oblt. Heinrich Klapdor | IIB | |
11 Mar 1940 | U-31 | Kptlt. Johannes Habekost | VIIA | 58 dead |
3 May 1945 | U-56 | IIC | ||
9 Jan 1944 | U-81 | Oblt. Johann-Otto Krieg | VIIC | 2 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-96 | VIIC | ||
11 Apr 1944 | U-108 | Oblt. Matthias Brünig | IXB | |
14 May 1943 | U-235 | Oblt. Klaus-Helmuth Becker | VIIC | 2 dead |
14 May 1943 | U-236 | Oblt. Reimar Ziesmer | VIIC | |
14 May 1943 | U-237 | Kptlt. Hubert Nordheimer | VIIC | |
4 Apr 1945 | U-237 | Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Menard | VIIC | 1 dead |
30 Apr 1945 | U-326 | Kptlt. Peter Matthes | VIIC/41 | 43 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-348 | Oblt. Hans-Norbert Schunck | VIIC | 2 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-350 | Oblt. Erich Niester | VIIC | |
11 Mar 1944 | U-380 | Kptlt. Albrecht Brandi | VIIC | 1 dead |
20 Mar 1945 | U-382 | Oblt. Günther Schimmel | VIIC | |
11 Mar 1944 | U-410 | Oblt. Horst-Arno Fenski | VIIC | |
29 Apr 1944 | U-421 | Oblt. Hans Kolbus | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-429 | Oblt. Martin Kuttkat | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-430 | Oblt. Ulrich Hammer | VIIC | 2 dead |
19 Aug 1944 | U-466 | Kptlt. Gerhard Thäter | VIIC | |
6 Aug 1944 | U-471 | Kptlt. Friedrich Kloevekorn | VIIC | |
24 Sep 1944 | U-565 | Kptlt. Fritz Henning | VIIC | 5 dead |
5 Jul 1944 | U-586 | Oblt. (R) Hans Götze | VIIC | |
24 Sep 1944 | U-596 | VIIC | 1 dead | |
24 Jul 1943 | U-622 | Kptlt. Horst-Thilo Queck | VIIC | |
5 Jul 1944 | U-642 | Kptlt. Herbert Brünning | VIIC | |
9 Apr 1945 | U-677 | Oblt. Gerhard Ady | VIIC | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-682 | Oblt. (R) Sven Thienemann | VIIC | |
4 May 1945 | U-711 | Kptlt. Hans-Günther Lange | VIIC | 40 dead |
28 Dec 1944 | U-735 | Oblt. Hans-Joachim Börner | VIIC | 39 dead |
5 May 1945 | U-747 | VIIC | ||
4 Apr 1945 | U-749 | Friedrich Huisgen | VIIC | 2 dead |
29 Jan 1945 | U-763 | Oblt. Karl-Heinz Schröter | VIIC | |
15 Oct 1944 | U-777 | Oblt. Günter Ruperti | VIIC | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-870 | KrvKpt. Ernst Hechler | IXC/40 | |
10 Aug 1944 | U-872 | IXD2 | 1 dead | |
5 Jul 1944 | U-952 | Kptlt. Oskar Curio | VIIC | |
6 Aug 1944 | U-969 | Oblt. (R) Max Dobbert | VIIC | |
9 Apr 1945 | U-982 | Oblt. Curt Hartmann | VIIC | |
4 Oct 1944 | U-993 | Oblt. Karl-Heinz Steinmetz | VIIC | 2 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-1131 | Oblt. Günther Fiebig | VIIC | |
24 Jul 1944 | U-1164 | Kptlt. Hans Wengel | VIIC/41 | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-1167 | Oblt. Karl-Hermann Bortfeldt | VIIC/41 | 1 dead |
3 Apr 1945 | U-1221 | Oblt. Paul Ackermann | IXC/40 | 7 dead |
30 Mar 1945 | U-2340 | Oblt. Emil Klusmeier | XXIII | |
8 Apr 1945 | U-2509 | KrvKpt. Rudolf Schendel | XXI | |
8 Apr 1945 | U-2514 | Kptlt. Rolf-Birger Wahlen | XXI | |
17 Jan 1945 | U-2515 | XXI | ||
9 Apr 1945 | U-2516 | Oblt. (R) Fritz Kallipke | XXI | |
17 Jan 1945 | U-2523 | Kptlt. Hans-Heinrich Ketels | XXI | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-2530 | Kptlt. Max Bokelberg | XXI | |
3 Apr 1945 | U-2542 | Oblt. Otto Hübschen | XXI | |
4 Apr 1945 | U-3003 | Oblt. Ludo Kregelin | XXI | |
24 Feb 1945 | U-3007 | Kptlt. Helmut Manseck | XXI | 1 dead |
3 Apr 1945 | U-3505 | Oblt. Horst Willner | XXI | 1 dead |
4 Mar 1945 | U-3508 | Kptlt. Detlef von Lehsten | XXI | |
8 Apr 1945 | U-3512 | Kptlt. Hans Hornkohl | XXI | |
57 boats bombed in safe waters. 211 dead. |
Map showing locations of bombing attacks
U-237 was sunk twice by bombs, both times in Kiel, first in 1943 and then finally on 4 April 1945.
Hamburg, in northern Germany, was among the hardest hit cities in Germany during the Allied bombing. Over 70 serious raids took place during the war, including the infamous "Battle of Hamburg" from 24 Jul to 3 Aug 1943 with over 50,000 dead and a million homeless. During that raid only one U-boat, U-622, was lost (U-boats were not the target). On 30 Mar 1945 4 U-boats were destroyed in Hamburg; U-348, U-350, U-1167 and U-2340.
Toulon, in southern France, was bombed 12 times from Nov 1943 to August 1944 in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the Allied landings in Southern France. The base was the home of the 29th U-boat flotilla and lost the following boats; U-380, U-410, U-421, U-586, U-642, U-952, U-967, U-471 and U-969.
Unfinished U-boats destroyed in air raids
There were several uncompleted boats not in commission destroyed by air raids in the war.
This list can be sorted by U-boat or date.
Date | Boat | Type | Shipyard (werk) | Launched | Cancelled |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 Jul 1943 | U-395 | VIIC | Howaldtswerke, Kiel (27) | 16 Jul 1943 | |
14 May 1943 | U-474 | VIIC | Deutsche Werke, Kiel (305) | 17 Apr 1943 | |
30 Mar 1945 | U-882 | IXC/40 | AG Weser, Bremen (1090) | 29 Apr 1944 | |
U-902 | VIIC | Vulcan, Stettin (15) | 24 Dec 1943 | 22 Jul 1944 | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-906 | VIIC | HC Stülcken, Hamburg (803) | 1 Apr 1944 | |
U-908 | VIIC | HC Stülcken, Hamburg (805) | |||
31 Dec 1944 | U-2532 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2532) | 7 Dec 1944 | |
31 Dec 1944 | U-2537 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2537) | 22 Dec 1944 | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-2547 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2547) | 9 Mar 1945 | |
11 Mar 1945 | U-2549 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2549) | ||
11 Mar 1945 | U-2550 | XXI | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (2550) | ||
30 Mar 1945 | U-3036 | XXI | AG Weser, Bremen (1195) | 27 Jan 1945 | |
U-3538 | XXI | F. Schichau, Danzig (1683) | |||
13 incomplete boats bombed in shipyards. |