Submarine War in the Mediterranean (World War II)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Submarine war in the Mediterranean
U 617 capsizes on September 11, 1943
U 617 capsizes on September 11, 1943
date September 21, 1941 to September 19, 1944
place Mediterranean area
output Allied victory
Parties to the conflict

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire Italy
Italy 1861Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) 

United KingdomUnited Kingdom (Naval War Flag) United Kingdom United States Australia other Allied navies
United StatesUnited States (national flag) 
AustraliaAustralia (naval war flag) 
Troop strength
A total of 62 submarines
losses

62 submarines

95 merchant ships
24 warships

As submarine warfare in the Mediterranean are several military operations of the German submarine fleet from 21 September 1941 to 19 September 1944 during the Second World War in the Mediterranean called.

Operational objectives

In the first years it was the aim of the Axis Powers to cut off the Allied supply routes through the Mediterranean Sea and to shut down Malta as a strategically located British military base. Later in the war, the German submarines were supposed to disrupt the Allied landing operations in southern Europe .

In order to achieve these goals, over 60 German submarines were sent through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean during the war . Karl Dönitz , Commander in Chief of Submarines ( BdU ), was aware of the risk for his submarines to cross the strait. Contrary to his opinion, at Adolf Hitler's personal request , the naval command pushed through that from autumn 1941 submarines from the tonnage war in the Atlantic were relocated to the Mediterranean.

Submarines from other nations

Marina Regia

In 1940, the submarine forces of the Italian Regia Marina were under Admiral Mario Falangola . The headquarters were in the port city of La Spezia . From June 1940 to September 1943 172 submarines were used, 128 of which were lost. The older, larger Italian submarines proved to be difficult to maneuver and in many cases had too bulky or extensive superstructures. Some were only used as reconnaissance or transport boats. Later boat types and improvements in older boats led to better results from 1941 onwards. During the Second World War, Italian submarines sank 132 merchant ships (665,317 GRT) and 18 warships (28,950 ts). Up to 32 Italian submarines also operated in the Atlantic from Bordeaux in the south of France .

Royal Navy Submarine Service

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, the commander of the submarines, Admiral Bertram Watson, relocated his headquarters from Gosport to Aberdour in Scotland on August 30, 1939 . At the time, the fleet owned 60 submarines. During the war, the Royal Navy Submarine Service had submarines constantly in the Mediterranean and used them both as a weapon against the Axis powers and to supply Malta, for example through HMS Rorqual. Surface units and later reinforced the Royal Air Force bore the brunt of the fighting.

United State Navy

Large parts of the US Navy were bound in the Pacific and Atlantic when the US entered the war . It was only with the beginning of Operation Torch that larger naval units were also transferred to the Mediterranean. The use of US submarines was not favored, however.

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy has no submarines. But she used several surface warships in the Mediterranean. The HMS Waterhen 1941 was the first warship loss of the Royal Australian Navy during World War II.

Before September 21, 1941

First World War

There were already submarine operations in the Mediterranean during the First World War . The greatest successes with minimal losses achieved German submarines in the Mediterranean , against both war and merchant ships. Although the price order was mostly used there, the sinking results, based on the number of submarines used, were greater than in World War II . Several hundred ships were sunk in these waters alone by U 34 , U 35 , U 38 and U 39 . The most successful commanders ( de la Perière , Forstmann , Valentiner , Steinbrinck ) sank considerably more tonnage than their successors in the Kriegsmarine , which can be attributed to the considerably improved techniques of anti-submarine combat in World War II. The last commander of the German submarines in the Mediterranean was Kurt Graßhoff .

The Austrian Navy also owned and used submarines. After three prototypes, the decision was made to build submarines to protect the war ports and the Adriatic.

Interwar years

In the interwar years, the Regina Marine built its submarine fleet into the largest in the Mediterranean. At the beginning of the war, however, this was out of date and could hardly do anything against the Allied defensive measures.

Start of war in 1939

By October 1939, Admiral Dönitz had three submarines in the Mediterranean. U 25 and U 26 , both class IA from AG Weser and U 53 , class VII B from Germania shipyard , were supposed to penetrate into the Mediterranean via Gibraltar. Only U-26 reached the destination, was able to leave the Mediterranean without confirmed sinkings and return to Wilhelmshaven on December 5, 1939. This project of the three submarines was a failure, but showed the disadvantages of a long journey and the need for bases for submarines in the Mediterranean area. During the entire war, 9 German submarines were sunk in the Strait of Gibraltar and ten others were partially badly damaged.

From September 21, 1941

23rd submarine flotilla

The 23rd U-Flotilla was founded in September 1941 to prevent the Allied forces from shipping to the coast and to cut off supplies from British troops during the siege of Tobruk . The flotilla base was on the Greek island of Salamis . From there, the submarines patrolled mainly in the eastern Mediterranean. On December 7th, command of the 23rd flotilla was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief South (OB South) Albert Kesselring . Further bases have been set up in Pula ( Croatia ) and La Spezia in northern Italy.

  • U 371 passed Gibraltar on September 21, 1941. U 371 sank 11 ships during its service and was able to damage 2. U 371 was self-scuttled by the crew on May 4, 1944 off the Algerian coast.
  • U 559 passed Gibraltar on September 26, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it sank the Australian sloop HMAS Parramatta (1,060 ts) on November 27, 1941, the British prison ship Shuntien (3,059 GRT) on December 23, 1941, and the Polish one on December 26, 1941 Freighter Warszawa (2,487 GRT) and on June 10, 1942, the Norwegian tanker Athene (4,681 GRT) and the British steamer Havre (2,073 GRT). On October 30, 1942, U 559 was sunk off the coast of Egypt by the British destroyer HMS Petard .
  • U 97 passed Gibraltar on September 27, 1941. Seven ships were sunk during the mission in the Mediterranean. On June 16, 1943 U 97 was sunk by depth charges from an Australian PBO-1 Hudson T of the RCAF -Squadron 458.
  • U 331 passed Gibraltar on September 30th. It sank in the Mediterranean on October 10, 1941 the British landing craft LCT 18 (360 ts), on November 25, 1941 the British battleship HMS Barham (31,100 ts) and on November 9, 1942 the US troop carrier USS Leedstown (9,135 GRT) . In addition, three small sailing ships of unknown nationality could be sunk by artillery fire. On November 17, 1942, U 331 was sunk off Algiers by a Fairey Albacore of the British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable .
  • U 75 passed Gibraltar on October 3, 1941. On October 12, 1941, it sank the two British landing craft HMS LCT-A 2 and HMS LCT-A 7 with 372 GRT each and on October 12 the British steamer Volo with 1,587 GRT . On December 28, 1941, U 75 was sunk off Marsa Matruh by the British destroyer HMS Kipling .
  • U 79 passed Gibraltar on October 5, 1941. U 79 sank seven ships in the Mediterranean. On June 16, 1943, U 97 was sunk west of Haifa by aircraft of RCAF Squadron 458.
  • U 205 passed Gibraltar on November 11, 1941. On June 11, 1942 it sank the British light cruiser HMS Hermione in the Mediterranean Sea . On March 17, 1943, U 205 was sunk northwest of Darna by the British destroyer HMS Paladin .
  • U 81 passed Gibraltar on November 12, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it sank 18 merchant ships and on November 13, 1941 the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal .
  • U 433 was sunk off Gibraltar by HMS Marigold (K87) on the transfer voyage into the Mediterranean. It does reach the Mediterranean, but not its destination. Therefore, when it was sunk, U 433 officially belonged to the 3rd U-Flotilla .
  • U 565 passed Gibraltar on November 16, 1941. In the Mediterranean Sea it sank the British light cruiser HMS Naiad on March 11, 1942 and the armed French troop carrier Sidi Bel Abbès and three other merchant ships on April 20, 1943 . On September 24, 1944, the boat was sunk with three depth charges due to damage from the last patrol at the Salamis base.
  • U 431 passed Gibraltar on November 24, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it damaged the Myriel with 3,560 GRT on December 13, 1941. On October 31, 1943, the boat was sunk in an air raid off Algeria.
  • U 557 passed Gibraltar on November 26th, 1941. In the Mediterranean Sea it sank the merchant ship Fjord with 4,032 GRT on December 2nd, 1941 and the light cruiser HMS Galatea on December 15th . On December 16, 1941, the boat was rammed and sunk west of the island of Crete by the Italian torpedo boat Orione.
  • U 562 passed Gibraltar on November 27, 1941. On December 22, 1942, it sank the British passenger ship Strathallan with 23,772 GRT in the Mediterranean . On February 19, 1943, the boat was sunk off Benghazi by a combined attack by a Vickers Wellington and the two destroyers HMS Hursley and HMS Isis .
  • U 95 passed Gibraltar on November 26, 1941. No sinking could be achieved in the Mediterranean. On November 28, 1941, the boat was taken by the Dutch submarine Mr. Ms. O 21 torpedoed and sunk.
  • U 652 passed Gibraltar on November 29, 1941. The French merchant ship Saint Denis sank in the Mediterranean on December 9, 1941, the Russian tanker Varlaam Avanesov on December 19, 1941, the British destroyer escort HMS Heythrop on March 20, 1942 and December 1941 the destroyer HMS Jaguar . On June 2, 1942, the boat was badly damaged by a Fairey Swordfish . U 81 was able to take over the entire crew and sank U 652 by a torpedo. Captain Georg-Werner Fraatz, commander of U 652, was in command of U 81 for this shot.
  • U 372 passed Gibraltar on December 9, 1941. It sank a total of three merchant ships with a total tonnage of 11,751 GRT and an auxiliary warship with 14,650 GRT during its service life. On August 4, 1942, the boat was badly damaged off Haifa by a combined attack by a Vickers Wellington and the four destroyers HMS Zulu , HMS Sikh, HMS Croome and HMS Tetcott and sunk by the crew themselves.
  • U 375 passed Gibraltar on December 9, 1941. The Norwegian merchant ship Hero sank in the Mediterranean on July 6, 1942, the British merchant ship Empire Kumari on August 26, 1942 and the British merchant ship St. Essylt on July 4, 1943. In addition, three smaller sailing ships were sunk and the British mine- layer HMS Manxman was damaged. The boat has been missing since July 25, 1943. Last contact with the boat was south of Sicily.
  • U 453 passed Gibraltar on December 9, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it sank a total of 9 merchant ships and the two warships HMS Quail and HMS Hebe . Two other merchant ships were damaged. On May 21, 1944, the boat was sunk northeast of Cape Spartivento by the combined attack of the destroyers HMS Termagent , HMS Tenacious and HMS Liddesdale .
  • U 374 passed Gibraltar on December 11, 1941. On December 11, 1941, it sank the British submarine hunter HMS Lady Shirley and the British patrol boat HMS Rosabelle in the Mediterranean Sea . On January 12, 1942, the boat was sunk by the British submarine HMS Unbeaten south of Sicily.
  • U 568 passed Gibraltar on December 10, 1941. It sank the British corvette HMS Salvia in the Mediterranean on December 24, 1941 . On May 28, 1942, the boat was sunk northeast of Tobruk by the combined attack of the destroyers HMS Hero , HMS Eridge and HMS Hurworth .
  • U 74 passed Gibraltar on December 15, 1941. The boat could not achieve any success in the Mediterranean. On May 2, 1942, the boat was sunk southeast of Cartagena by the combined attack of a Catalina C flying boat of the 202 / C squadron and the destroyers Wishart and HMS Wrestler .
  • U 77 passed Gibraltar on December 16, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it was able to sink a total of twelve merchant ships and damage two more. In addition, the destroyer HMS Grove was sunk and the destroyer HMS Kimberley and the sloop HMS Stork were damaged. On March 28, 1943, the boat was sunk east of Cartagena by the air raid by two PBO Hudson Squadron 48 and Squadron 233.
  • U 83 passed Gibraltar on December 18, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it was able to sink a total of four merchant ships and damage another. In addition, the Q ship HMS Farouk was sunk on June 13, 1942 . On March 4, 1943, the boat was sunk southeast of Cartagena by a British Lockheed Hudson of Squadron 500.
  • U 573 passed Gibraltar on December 18, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it was able to sink the Norwegian merchant ship Hellen with 5,289 GRT on December 21, 1941 . On April 29, 1942, the boat was attacked by a British Lockheed Hudson of Squadron 233 northwest of Algiers and badly damaged. It was able to get to Cartagena in Spain where it arrived on May 2nd, 1942. Since the boat could not be repaired there due to its severe damage, it was sold to Spain for 1,500,000 Reichsmarks and taken over by the Armada Española on August 2, 1942 as the S-01 .
  • U 451 was sunk by a British Fairey Swordfish of Squadron 812 on December 21, 1941 northwest of Tangier when entering the Strait of Gibraltar .
  • U 133 passed Gibraltar on December 21, 1941. In the Mediterranean, it sank the destroyer HMS Gurkha on January 17, 1942 . On March 14, 1942, the boat ran south of Salamis onto a German sea mine and sank.
  • U 577 passed Gibraltar on December 23, 1941. The boat could not achieve any success in the Mediterranean. On January 9, 1942, the boat was sunk northwest of Mersa by a British Fairey Swordfish from Squadron 815.
  • U 73 passed Gibraltar on January 14, 1942. In the Mediterranean, it was able to sink two merchant ships and damage three others. In addition, the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle was sunk on August 11, 1942 and the landing craft USS LCT-21 on January 1, 1943 . On December 16, 1943, the boat was sunk north of Oran by the destroyers USS Woolsey and USS Trippe .
  • U 561 passed Gibraltar on January 15, 1942. Three merchant ships were sunk and another damaged in the Mediterranean. On July 12, 1943, the boat was sunk in the Strait of Messina by the British motor torpedo boat HMS MTB-81 .

29th submarine flotilla

In December 1941 the 29th U-Flotilla was officially set up. Headquarter was the Italian La Spezia until it was moved to Toulon in August 1943 . It remained there until the flotilla was disbanded in September 1944. Other bases used were in Pola , Messina , Marseille and also in Salamis . At the end of May 1942, the 23rd U-Flotilla was finally disbanded and its last two U-Boats were assigned to the 29th Flotilla. Due to the success of the Afrikakorps in 1942 and the promising new hunting grounds off the American coast, no further submarines were delivered to the flotilla in 1942. It limited itself in its operations to intercepting supply convoys for the Egyptian coast and the further closure of Malta. A third of the submarines were always in the operational area, a third on the way to the operational area or on the march back and a third for supply, refueling and, if necessary, repairs in the home port. From the end of 1941 it became apparent that the new tactic of continuous attack by surface units on discovered submarines made them vulnerable. The first losses due to this tactic were U 372 and U 568, which could be sunk after several hours.

From September 1942

The Second Battle of El Alamein required a concentration of submarines in the western Mediterranean. Therefore, submarines were reassigned to the 29th U-Flotilla.

With the start of Operation Torch on November 8, 1942 and the feared landing of Allied troops in French North Africa , wolf packs were also formed in the Mediterranean . The Hai group consisting of the submarines U 77, U 205, U 331, U 431, U 561 and U 660 operated against Algiers and the Delphin group consisting of the submarines U 73, U 81, U 458, U 565 , U 593, U 595, U 605 and U 617 operated against Oran . Five submarines were lost in the course of these operations.

The following submarines were reassigned to the 29th U-Flotilla during this period:

  • U 605 passed Gibraltar on October 10th.
  • U 458 passed Gibraltar on October 11, 1942.
  • U 593 passed Gibraltar on October 11, 1942.
  • U 660 passed Gibraltar on October 11th.
  • U 617 passed Gibraltar on November 8, 1942.
  • U 407 passed Gibraltar on November 9, 1942.
  • U 595 passed Gibraltar on November 9th.
  • U 596 passed Gibraltar on November 9, 1942.
  • U 755 passed Gibraltar on November 9, 1942.
  • U 259 passed Gibraltar on November 11, 1942.
  • U 380 passed Gibraltar in November 1942.
  • U 443 passed Gibraltar on December 5, 1942.
  • U 602 passed Gibraltar on December 8, 1942.
  • U 301 passed Gibraltar on December 9, 1942.
  • U 224 passed Gibraltar on January 9, 1943. The boat only operated for four days in the Mediterranean and was sunk on January 13, 1943 west of Algiers by the Canadian corvette HMCS Ville de Quebec .

From April 1943

The Allies were able to record large gains in territory in North Africa and thereby also set up several air force bases. From Operation Husky and the ensuing capture of Sicily , the situation for German submarines was further exacerbated. The USAAF in particular was able to greatly expand its submarine reconnaissance. In addition, some ports were now within range of American bombers. The 29th Flotilla concentrated its submarines on convoys in the western Mediterranean and left only three boats in Salamis in order to tie up the Allied forces over a wide area. Due to the concentration in the western Mediterranean and the greater distance to the USAAF, the headquarters of the 29th Flotilla was moved from La Spezia to Toulon on August 1, 1943 .

The following submarines were reassigned to the 29th U-Flotilla during this period:

  • U 303 passed Gibraltar on April 9, 1943. The boat could not achieve any success in the Mediterranean. On May 21, 1943, the boat was sunk south of Toulon by the British submarine HMS Sickle .
  • U 414 passed Gibraltar on April 9, 1943. In the Mediterranean, it was able to damage the British merchant ship Fort Anne on May 18, 1943 and sink the armed merchant ship Empire Eve with 5,979 GRT. On May 25, 1943, the boat was sunk northwest of Ténès by the British corvette HMS Vetch .
  • U 410 passed Gibraltar on May 6, 1943. In the Mediterranean, it sank six merchant ships, the light cruiser HMS Penelope and the landing craft USS LST-348 . On March 11, 1944, the boat was sunk in the dock in Toulon during a US air raid. In August 1944, the boat fell to the armed forces of Free France. It was scrapped in 1946.
  • U 447 was sunk on May 7, 1943 west of Gibraltar during the breakthrough of Lockheed Hudson of No. 233 Squadron.
  • U 616 passed Gibraltar on May 7, 1943. In the Mediterranean Sea, May 14, 1944, it damaged the British merchant ship Fort Fidler and the British tanker GS Walden . On May 17, 1944, the boat east of Cartagena was destroyed by the destroyers USS Nields , USS Gleaves , USS Ellyson , USS Macomb , USS Hambleton , USS Rodman , USS Emmons and a British Vickers Wellington of Squadron 36 / K by the crew themselves sunk.
  • U 409 passed Gibraltar on June 5, 1943. On July 4, 1944, the British passenger ship City of Venice with 8,762 GRT sank in the Mediterranean together with the British landing craft HMS LCE-14 . On July 12, 1943, the boat was sunk near Dellys (Algeria) by the destroyer HMS Inconstant .

September 1943 to September 1944

Allied air raid on the Salamis submarine base on September 15, 1944

After the Cassibile armistice between Italy and the Allies was announced on September 8, 1943 and Italy switched to the Allied side, the situation for the German submarines became increasingly difficult. The number of Allied escorts increased steadily and the Allied aerial reconnaissance was given seamlessly. New equipment for the submarines such as B. the Torpedo TV "Wren" with acoustic self-steering or the snorkel could no longer lead to a change in the situation. As a result of Operation Dragoon in southern France and the associated general German withdrawal, all remaining submarines were sunk in Toulon itself. Thus only three German submarines remained in the Mediterranean, which were stationed on Salamis. U 407 was sunk in the Aegean Sea by British and Polish destroyers on September 19, 1944, while U 565 and U 596 sank themselves off Salamis on September 30, 1944 after being severely damaged by several air raids.

The following submarines were added to the 29th U-Flotilla during this period:

  • U 223 passed Gibraltar on September 26, 1943.
  • U 450 passed Gibraltar on November 1st, 1943.
  • U 642 passed Gibraltar on November 3, 1943.
  • U 230 passed Gibraltar on December 5, 1943.
  • U 952 passed Gibraltar on January 3, 1944.
  • U 343 passed Gibraltar on January 5, 1944.
  • U 455 passed Gibraltar on January 22, 1944.
  • U 969 passed Gibraltar on February 3, 1944.
  • U 586 passed Gibraltar on February 13, 1944.
  • U 967 passed Gibraltar on February 12, 1944.
  • U 421 passed Gibraltar on March 20, 1944.
  • U 466 passed Gibraltar on March 22, 1944.
  • U 471 passed Gibraltar on March 31, 1944.
  • U 960 passed Gibraltar on April 30, 1944.

losses

The Germans sank 95 Allied merchant ships with a total of 449,206 gross tons and 24 warships from various nations, including the carriers HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal , the battleship HMS Barham, as well as four cruisers, 12 destroyers and 5 smaller warships. The Navy lost 62 submarines. 4 of them were sunk by allied submarines:

  • HMS Eagle, listing shortly before sinking on August 11, 1942

  • HMS Ark Royal, listing shortly before sinking on November 14, 1941

  • HMS Barham, ammunition chamber explosion on November 25, 1941

literature

  • Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. Random House, New York 1996, ISBN 0-394-58839-8 .
  • Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942-1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 .
  • JC Taylor: German Warships of World War II. Doubleday & Company, New York 1966.
  • Lawrence Paterson: U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941-1944. Chatham Publishing, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-86176-290-0 .
  • Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X .
  • Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
  • Erich Gröner : Die Handelsflotten der Welt 1942 and supplement 1944. JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00552-4 (reprint of the 1942–1943 edition).
  • Erich Gröner: Search list for ship names (= The merchant fleets of the world. Supplementary volume). JF Lehmanns Verlag Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00553-2 (reprint of the 1943 edition).
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lawrence Paterson: U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941-1944. Chatham Publishing, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-86176-290-0 , pages 74-75.
  2. ↑ history history of the Regia Marina on the side of the Marina Militare. Retrieved May 23, 2019. (English)
  3. ^ Submarine service Submarine service on the side of the Royal Navy. Retrieved May 23, 2019. (English)
  4. ^ Samuel Eliot Morison: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Volume 2: Operations in North African Waters. October 1942 - June 1943. University of Illinois Press, Urbana IL 2001, ISBN 0-252-06972-2 , pp. 99-111.
  5. ↑ Feature histories History of the Royal Australian Navy on the official website. Retrieved May 23, 2019. (English)
  6. ↑ Lawrence Paterson: U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941-1944. Chatham Publishing, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-86176-290-0 , pages 19 and 182.
  7. ↑ U 371 Dates and history of U 26 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  8. ↑ Lawrence Paterson: U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941-1944. Chatham Publishing, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-86176-290-0 , pages 75 and 76.
  9. ^ Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 , pages 395-404.
  10. ^ U 371 dates and history of U 371 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  11. ^ U 559 dates and history of U 559 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  12. ^ U 97 Dates and history of U 97 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  13. ^ U 331 dates and history of U 331 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  14. ↑ U 75 dates and history of U 75 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  15. ↑ U 79 Dates and history of U 79 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  16. ↑ U 205 dates and history of U 205 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  17. ^ U 81 dates and history of U 81 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  18. ↑ U 433 data and history of U 433 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  19. ↑ U 565 data and history of U 565 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  20. ↑ U 431 data and history of U 431 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  21. ↑ U 557 data and history of U 557 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  22. ^ U 562 dates and history of U 562 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  23. ↑ U 95 dates and history of U 95 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  24. ↑ U 662 dates and history of U 662 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  25. ^ U 372 dates and history of U 372 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  26. ↑ U 375 data and history of U 375 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  27. ↑ U 453 data and history of U 453 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  28. ^ U 374 dates and history of U 374 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  29. ^ U 568 dates and history of U 568 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  30. ↑ U 74 dates and history of U 74 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  31. ↑ U 77 dates and history of U 77 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  32. ↑ U 83 dates and history of U 83 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  33. ↑ U 573 data and history of U 573 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  34. ↑ U 451 data and history of U 451 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  35. ↑ U 133 Dates and history of U 133 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  36. ^ U 577 dates and history of U 577 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  37. ↑ U 73 dates and history of U 73 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  38. ^ U 561 dates and history of U 561 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  39. ^ Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 , pages 395-404.
  40. ^ Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 , pages 81-103.
  41. ↑ U 605 dates and history of U 605 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  42. ↑ U 458 dates and history of U 458 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  43. ↑ U 593 data and history of U 593 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  44. ↑ U 660 dates and history of U 660 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  45. ↑ U 617 dates and history of U 617 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  46. ↑ U 407 data and history of U 407 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  47. ^ U 595 dates and history of U 595 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  48. ^ U 596 dates and history of U 596 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  49. ↑ U 755 data and history of U 755 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  50. ↑ U 259 dates and history of U 259 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  51. ↑ U 380 data and history of U 380 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  52. ^ U 443 dates and history of U 443 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  53. ↑ U 602 data and history of U 602 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  54. ↑ U 301 dates and history of U 301 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  55. ↑ U 224 dates and history of U 224 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  56. ^ Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 , pages 216, 217 and 412.
  57. ↑ U 303 dates and history of U 303 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  58. ^ U 414 dates and history of U 414 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  59. ↑ U 410 data and history of U 410 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  60. ↑ U 447 dates and history of U 447 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  61. ↑ U 616 dates and history of U 616 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  62. ^ U 409 dates and history of U 409 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 24, 2019. (English)
  63. ^ Clay Blair: Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Random House, New York 1998, ISBN 0-679-45742-9 , pages 518-526.
  64. ↑ U 407 data and history of U 407 on uboat.net. Accessed April 20, 2020. (English)
  65. ↑ U 565 data and history of U 565 on uboat.net. Accessed April 20, 2020. (English)
  66. ^ U 596 dates and history of U 596 on uboat.net. Accessed April 20, 2020. (English)
  67. ^ U 223 Dates and history of U 223 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  68. ↑ U 450 dates and history of U 450 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  69. ↑ U 642 dates and history of U 642 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  70. ↑ U 230 dates and history of U 230 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  71. ↑ U 952 data and history of U 952 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  72. ↑ U 343 dates and history of U 343 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  73. ↑ U 455 data and history of U 455 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  74. ^ U 969 dates and history of U 969 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  75. ^ U 586 dates and history of U 586 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  76. ↑ U 967 data and history of U 967 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  77. ↑ U 421 data and history of U 421 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  78. ^ U 466 dates and history of U 466 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  79. ↑ U 471 data and history of U 471 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)
  80. ↑ U 960 data and history of U 960 on uboat.net. Retrieved May 22, 2019. (English)