U-boat fates

U-boats Bombed in Safe Waters

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.


U-711, along the depot ship Black Watch, being sunk by British Avenger aircraft at Kilbotn, Norway. 4 May 1945.

This list can be sorted by U-boat or date.

DateBoatCommanderTypeNotes
20 Aug 1944U-9Oblt. Heinrich KlapdorIIB
11 Mar 1940U-31Kptlt. Johannes HabekostVIIA58 dead
3 May 1945U-56IIC
9 Jan 1944U-81Oblt. Johann-Otto KriegVIIC2 dead
30 Mar 1945U-96VIIC
11 Apr 1944U-108Oblt. Matthias BrünigIXB
14 May 1943U-235Oblt. Klaus-Helmuth BeckerVIIC2 dead
14 May 1943U-236Oblt. Reimar ZiesmerVIIC
14 May 1943U-237Kptlt. Hubert NordheimerVIIC
4 Apr 1945U-237Kptlt. Karl-Heinz MenardVIIC1 dead
30 Apr 1945U-326Kptlt. Peter MatthesVIIC/4143 dead
30 Mar 1945U-348Oblt. Hans-Norbert SchunckVIIC2 dead
30 Mar 1945U-350Oblt. Erich NiesterVIIC
11 Mar 1944U-380Kptlt. Albrecht BrandiVIIC1 dead
20 Mar 1945U-382Oblt. Günther SchimmelVIIC
11 Mar 1944U-410Oblt. Horst-Arno FenskiVIIC
29 Apr 1944U-421Oblt. Hans KolbusVIIC
30 Mar 1945U-429Oblt. Martin KuttkatVIIC
30 Mar 1945U-430Oblt. Ulrich HammerVIIC2 dead
19 Aug 1944U-466Kptlt. Gerhard ThäterVIIC
6 Aug 1944U-471Kptlt. Friedrich KloevekornVIIC
24 Sep 1944U-565Kptlt. Fritz HenningVIIC5 dead
5 Jul 1944U-586Oblt. (R) Hans GötzeVIIC
24 Sep 1944U-596VIIC1 dead
24 Jul 1943U-622Kptlt. Horst-Thilo QueckVIIC
5 Jul 1944U-642Kptlt. Herbert BrünningVIIC
9 Apr 1945U-677Oblt. Gerhard AdyVIIC
11 Mar 1945U-682Oblt. (R) Sven ThienemannVIIC
4 May 1945U-711Kptlt. Hans-Günther LangeVIIC40 dead
28 Dec 1944U-735Oblt. Hans-Joachim BörnerVIIC39 dead
5 May 1945U-747VIIC
4 Apr 1945U-749Friedrich HuisgenVIIC2 dead
29 Jan 1945U-763Oblt. Karl-Heinz SchröterVIIC
15 Oct 1944U-777Oblt. Günter RupertiVIIC
30 Mar 1945U-870KrvKpt. Ernst HechlerIXC/40
10 Aug 1944U-872IXD21 dead
5 Jul 1944U-952Kptlt. Oskar CurioVIIC
6 Aug 1944U-969Oblt. (R) Max DobbertVIIC
9 Apr 1945U-982Oblt. Curt HartmannVIIC
4 Oct 1944U-993Oblt. Karl-Heinz SteinmetzVIIC2 dead
30 Mar 1945U-1131Oblt. Günther FiebigVIIC
24 Jul 1944U-1164Kptlt. Hans WengelVIIC/41
30 Mar 1945U-1167Oblt. Karl-Hermann BortfeldtVIIC/411 dead
3 Apr 1945U-1221Oblt. Paul AckermannIXC/407 dead
30 Mar 1945U-2340Oblt. Emil KlusmeierXXIII
8 Apr 1945U-2509KrvKpt. Rudolf SchendelXXI
8 Apr 1945U-2514Kptlt. Rolf-Birger WahlenXXI
17 Jan 1945U-2515XXI
9 Apr 1945U-2516Oblt. (R) Fritz KallipkeXXI
17 Jan 1945U-2523Kptlt. Hans-Heinrich KetelsXXI
31 Dec 1944U-2530Kptlt. Max BokelbergXXI
3 Apr 1945U-2542Oblt. Otto HübschenXXI
4 Apr 1945U-3003Oblt. Ludo KregelinXXI
24 Feb 1945U-3007Kptlt. Helmut ManseckXXI1 dead
3 Apr 1945U-3505Oblt. Horst WillnerXXI1 dead
4 Mar 1945U-3508Kptlt. Detlef von LehstenXXI
8 Apr 1945U-3512Kptlt. Hans HornkohlXXI
57 boats bombed in safe waters. 211 dead.

Map showing locations of bombing attacks

This map shows positions of U-boats bombed in harbours. The map is clickable and zoom-able (with the mouse-wheel).


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.

DateBoatTypeShipyard (werk)LaunchedCancelled
29 Jul 1943U-395VIICHowaldtswerke, Kiel (27)16 Jul 1943
14 May 1943U-474VIICDeutsche Werke, Kiel (305)17 Apr 1943
30 Mar 1945U-882IXC/40AG Weser, Bremen (1090)29 Apr 1944
U-902VIICVulcan, Stettin (15)24 Dec 194322 Jul 1944
31 Dec 1944U-906VIICHC Stülcken, Hamburg (803)1 Apr 1944
U-908VIICHC Stülcken, Hamburg (805)
31 Dec 1944U-2532XXIBlohm & Voss, Hamburg (2532)7 Dec 1944
31 Dec 1944U-2537XXIBlohm & Voss, Hamburg (2537)22 Dec 1944
11 Mar 1945U-2547XXIBlohm & Voss, Hamburg (2547)9 Mar 1945
11 Mar 1945U-2549XXIBlohm & Voss, Hamburg (2549)
11 Mar 1945U-2550XXIBlohm & Voss, Hamburg (2550)
30 Mar 1945U-3036XXIAG Weser, Bremen (1195)27 Jan 1945
U-3538XXIF. Schichau, Danzig (1683)
13 incomplete boats bombed in shipyards.