U 343
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U 343 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
|
|---|---|
| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | 50 232 |
| Shipyard: | North Sea Works , Emden |
| Construction contract: | January 20, 1941 |
| Build number: | 163 |
| Keel laying: | April 1, 1942 |
| Launch: | December 21, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | February 18, 1943 |
| Commanders: |
Wolfgang Rahn |
| Flotilla: |
8th U-Flotilla |
| Calls: | 3 activities |
| Sinkings: |
no ships sunk or damaged |
| Whereabouts: | in the Mediterranean off Sardinia ( 38 ° 7 ′ 0 ″ N , 9 ° 41 ′ 0 ″ E ) |
U 343 was a German submarine from the Type VII C , which by the German Navy during the U-boat campaign of World War II in the North Atlantic and in the Mediterranean was used. U 343 was sunk less than a year after commissioning.
history
U 343 was launched on December 21, 1942, and entered service on February 18, 1943 . From February 18, 1943 to October 31, 1943, the boat was assigned to the 8th U-Flotilla as a training boat and stationed in Danzig . During this time, Commander Rahn undertook training trips in the Baltic Sea to retract the boat and train the crew. On October 14, Rahn ran with the U 343 from Kiel made his first company with this boat.
Ventures
After provisions and fuel takeover in Trondheim , the boat drove to the assigned operational area off Newfoundland . On this venture, U 343 was assigned to two submarine groups, which were supposed to seek combat with Allied convoys in the North Atlantic according to the pack tactics developed by Karl Dönitz . Without having sunk or damaged a ship, Commander Rahn entered La Pallice with U 343 on November 26, 1943 . On November 1, the boat was assigned to the 3rd U-Flotilla stationed here . From here, Rahn ran out again with U 343 on December 26th. During a so-called "Gibraltar breakthrough", the boat passed the Strait of Gibraltar , which was secured by strong British naval forces. On January 19, U 343 reached Toulon , the base of the 29th U-Flotilla , to which the boat was placed in early February.
From here U 343 left for its last venture on March 6, 1944.
Sinking
U 343 was sunk on March 10, 1944 by the British trawler Mull under Lt RR Simpson through massive use of depth charges. None of the 51 strong crew survived the attack. The wreck of U 343 has not yet been lifted and is still in the Mediterranean off Sardinia today ( 38 ° 7 ′ 0 ″ N , 9 ° 41 ′ 0 ″ E ).
literature
- Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars . Translated from the English by Alfred P. Zeller, Urbes-Verlag, Gräfelfing vor München 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 , p. 183.
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
Map with all coordinates: