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CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES OF WORLD WAR 2

GERMAN U-BOATS AT WAR, Part 6 of 6

1945


Captured German U,2513 off US coast in 1946 (US, click to enlarge)

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1945

JANUARY 1945

Atlantic

Monthly Loss Summary
- 5 British, Allied and neutral ships of 29,000 tons in the Atlantic from all causes
- 1 U-boat by USN in mid-Atlantic

Europe

British Isles Inshore Campaign - As the campaign continued, there were losses on both sides: 15th/16th - Off the Clyde, Scotland on the 15th, "U-482" torpedoed a merchantman and badly damaged escort carrier "THANE" (not repaired and laid up) ferrying aircraft from Northern Ireland. After a long hunt the U-boat was sunk next day by frigate "Loch Craggie" and sloops "Amethyst", "Hart", "Peacock" and "Starling" of the 22nd EG. 21st - After torpedoing a merchant ship from a Thames/ Bristol Channel convoy, "U-1199" was sunk close to Lands End by escorting destroyer "lcarus" and corvette "Mignonette". 26th - "U-1172" severely damaged frigate "MANNERS" (constructive total loss) off the Isle of Man and was sunk in the counter-attack by sister ships "Aylmer", "Bentinck" and "Calder" of the 4th and 5th EGs. 27th - Further south in St George's Channel, and after attacking Halifax/UK convoy HX322, "U-1051" was sunk by frigates "Bligh", "Keats" and "Tyler" of the 5th EG. One U-boat was lost in UK waters, possibly mined off the Moray Firth, and others were destroyed and damaged in air-raids on Germany.

Merchant Shipping War - E-boats and small battle units continued operating out of Holland against Allied shipping in the North Sea and English Channel, and were now joined by Seehunde midget submarines. The new craft enjoyed some success, but mines remained the biggest problem for the Allies at sea.

Monthly Loss Summary
12 British, Allied and neutral ships of 47,000 tons in UK waters.

FEBRUARY 1945

Atlantic

Russian Convoys - There was still no let up for the Russian convoys. Although JW64 reached Kola Inlet safely on the 13th with all 26 merchantmen, the arriving corvette "DENBIGH CASTLE" was torpedoed by "U-992" and became a total loss. Four days later on the 17th return RA64 was ready to set out. Just off Kola Inlet "U-425" was sunk by sloop "Lark" and corvette "Alnwick Castle", but later that day "LARK" was damaged by "U-963" and also became a total loss. Corvette "BLUEBELL" was then torpedoed by "U-711" and blew up with only one man surviving.

22nd - In operations against convoys south of Portugal, "U-300", one of a small number of U-boats scattered across the North Atlantic was sunk by escorting minesweepers "Recruit" and "Pincher".

Monthly Loss Summary
- 6 British, Allied and neutral ships of 39,000 tons in UK waters, 3 escorts
- 3 U-boats including 1 by US and French escorts off Morocco

Europe

British Isles Inshore Campaign - U-boats still took a steady toll of shipping in the inshore campaign and sank two corvettes, but a number were lost, mainly to the Royal Navy: 3rd - Frigates "Bayntun", "Braithwaite", "Loch Dunvegan" and "Loch Eck" of the 10th Escort Group patrolling north of the Shetland Islands shared in the sinking of three U-boats (1-3) in the next two weeks. The first was "U-1279" (1) on the 3rd. 4th - Off the north coast of Ireland "U-1014" was accounted for by 23rd EG frigates "Loch Scavaig", "Loch Shin", "Nyasaland" and "Papua". 9th - Submarine "Venturer" on patrol off Bergen, Norway sank another U-boat when she torpedoed "U-864". The first was "U-771" in November 1944. 14th - The same four frigates of 10th EG sank "U-989" (2) north of the Shetlands. 16th - Attacking Scottish coastal convoy WN74 off the Moray Firth, "U-309" was lost to Canadian frigate "St John" of 9th EG. 17th - The third sinking of the month by 10th EG north of the Shetlands was "U-1278" (3). 20th - "U-208" attacked convoy HX337 in St George's Channel between SE Ireland and Wales, and sank escorting corvette "VERVAIN". The U-boat was then hunted down and destroyed by sloop "Amethyst" of 22nd EG. 22nd - Off Falmouth, Bristol Channel/Thames convoy BTC76 was attacked by "U-1004" and Canadian corvette "TRENTONIAN" was sent to the bottom of the English Channel. 24th - "U-927" was lost in the western Channel area to a RAF Wellington of No 179 Squadron. 24th - During the inshore campaign, 10 U-boats were sunk in the Lands End area, three in February. On the 24th "U-480" sank a merchant ship from coastal convoy BTC78 and was then hunted down and finished off by frigates "Duckworth" and "Rowley" of the 3rd EG. 27th - Three days later "U-1018" attacked BTC81 to be sunk by frigate "Loch Fada" of the 2nd EG. On the same day "U-327" was detected by a USN liberator and sunk by "Loch Fada" again, working with "Labuan" and "Wild Goose". Two more U-boats were lost off Norway, one by accident and the other mined.

Monthly Loss Summary
19 British, Allied and neutral ships of 49,000 tons in UK waters.

MARCH 1945

Atlantic

Russian Convoys - As Russian convoy JW65 approached Kola Inlet with 24 merchant ships on the 20th, waiting U-boats sank two and "U-716" sank sloop "LAPWING" of the escort.

Monthly Loss Summary
- 4 British, Allied and neutral ships of 27,000 tons in the Atlantic from all causes, 1 sloop
- 1 U-boat by USN off Nova Scotia

Europe

British Isles Inshore Campaign - The inshore campaign continued: 7th - "U-1302" successfully attacked Halifax/UK convoy SC167 in St George's Channel, but after a long search off the coast of western Wales was sunk by Canadian frigates "La Hulloise", "Strathadam" and "Thetford Mines" of the 25th EG. 10th - Deep minefields laid by the Royal Navy to protect UK inshore waters from the U-boats claimed two victims. On the 10th, "U-275" was lost in the English Channel off Beachy Head. 12th - Two days later, the deep minefields damaged "U-260" off Fastnet Rock, southern Ireland, and she had to be scuttled. 12th - Between now and the 29th, three more U-boats went down close to Lands End, starting with "U-683" to frigate "Loch Ruthven" and sloop "Wild Goose" of the 2nd EG. 14th - South African frigate "Natal" on passage off the Firth of Forth, Scotland in the North Sea sank "U-714". 21st - Two U-boats were lost off the north coast of Ireland. The first was "U-1003" damaged by Canadian frigate "New Glasgow" of the 26th EG and later scuttled. 22nd - "U-296" was also sunk off the north coast of Ireland - by RAF aircraft of No 120 Squadron. 26th - The second loss off Lands End was "U-399", sunk by frigate "Duckworth" and other ships of 3rd EG. The same Group accounted for the third U-boat off Lands End on the 29th. 27th - The frigates of 21st EG were split into two divisions, and sank three U-boats in the Hebrides area. On the 27th, "U-965" was sunk by Hedgehog off the northern end of the islands by the 'first' division - "Conn", accompanied by "Deane" and "Rupert". The same day further south, "U-722" went down to the 'second' division - "Byron", "Fitzroy" and "Redmill". 29th - "U-246" torpedoed and badly damaged Canadian frigate "TEME" (constructive total loss), but was then hunted down and sunk by "Duckworth" and the 3rd EG off Lands End. 30th - Frigates "Conn", "Deane" and "Rupert", the 'first' division of 21st EG and still off the northern end of the Hebrides, sank "U-1021". One more U-boat was lost to US aircraft in southern UK waters and two to the RAF on Northern Transit Area patrols, but now the Allied air-raids were really starting to bite. In Germany around 12 U-boats, completed or in service, were destroyed in the month mainly by the USAAF on the night of the 30th.

APRIL 1945

Atlantic

Russia/UK Convoy RA66, the Last Convoy Battle of the War - Kola Inlet bound convoy JW66 (22 ships) arrived safely on the 25th with escort carriers "Premier" and "Vindex", cruiser "Diadem", Home Fleet destroyers and the 8th and 19th EGs all under the command of Rear-Adm A. E. Cunninghame-Graham. Return convoy RA66 (24 ships) set out on the 29th with JW66s escort, some of which went ahead to clear the 14 U-boats waiting off the Inlet. Frigates "Anguilla", "Cotton", "Loch lnsh" and "Loch Shin" of the 19th EG accounted for "U-307" followed by "U-286", the last U-boats sunk by warships of the Royal Navy. In the action, frigate "GOODALL" of the 19th EG was torpedoed by "U-968" and went down with heavy loss of life. She was the last major warship of the Royal and Dominion Navies lost in the war against Germany. RA66 arrived safely in the Clyde on 8th May

Monthly Loss Summary
- 5 British, Allied and neutral ships of 32,000 tons in the Atlantic from all causes, 1 frigate and 1 US destroyer off the Azores
- 9 U-boats including 7 by USN off east coast of USA, off the Azores and in mid-Atlantic

Europe

U-boat Campaign - Throughout the month over 40 U-boats were lost in and around the waters of northwest Europe. The Royal Navy was directly involved in 12 of the sinkings: 5th - "U-1169" went down off the southeast coast of Ireland in a deep-laid minefield in St George's Channel. Two U-boats were sunk in English Channel operations: 6th - The first, "U-1195" sank a ship from a convoy off the Isle of Wight, and was lost to old escorting destroyer "Watchman". 15th - The second U-boat sunk in Channel operations was "U-1063". Attacking a convoy off Start Point, she was sent to the bottom off Land's End by frigate "Loch Killin" of 17th EG.

Four more U-boats went down to the south and southwest of Ireland, two of them on the 8th: 8th - Frigates "Byron" and "Fitzroy" of 21st EG sank "U-1001", and "Bentinck" and "Calder" of 4th EG accounted for "U-774". 10th - Two days later "U-873" sailing from still uncaptured St Nazaire attacked a UK-out convoy and fell victim to escorting destroyer "Vanquisher" and corvette "Tintagel Castle". 15th - The last U-boat loss off Ireland was "U-285" sunk by frigates "Grindall" and "Keats" of the 5th EG.

Two more were lost in the Irish Sea northwest of Anglesey, Wales: 12th -"U-1024" was disabled by the Squid of frigate "Loch Glendhu" of 8th EG. Boarded by "Loch More", she was taken in tow but foundered. 30th - The second loss in the Irish Sea was "U-242" detected by a RAF Sunderland of No 201 Squadron and sunk by destroyers "Havelock" and "Hesperus" of the 14th EG.

There were other losses due to the Royal Navy: 12th - Home Fleet submarines gained another success when "Tapir" sank outward-bound "U-486" off Bergen, Norway. 16th - "U-1274" attacked Forth/Thames convoy FS1784 off St Abbs Head, SE Scotland, sinking one ship, but was then lost to destroyer "Viceroy" of the escort. 21st - Frigates of the 4th EG, "Bazely", "Bentinck" and "Drury" sank "U-636" northwest of Ireland.

Other U-boats lost were: 6 to RAF and US aircraft in and around the British Isles; 1 by accident and 2 more missing, cause of loss unknown, during the inshore campaign; 5 in the Skagerrak and Kattegat, 3 by rocket-firing Mosquitoes of RAF Coastal Command; around 17 completed boats in air-raids on Germany.

Monthly Loss Summary
14 British, Allied and neutral ships of 50,000 tons in UK waters.

MAY 1945

Atlantic

Russian Convoys - One last convoy sailed each way soon after the German surrender. Since August 1941, 78 convoys had sailed in both directions and passed through nearly 1,400 merchant ships for the loss of 85 - a loss rate of 6 percent. Millions of tons of vital cargo and thousands of tanks and aircraft had been delivered to the Russians. The cost to the Royal Navy included one escort carrier severely damaged, two cruisers, six destroyers, and eight other escorts sunk in the cold and often stormy waters of the Arctic. The Germans lost "Scharnhorst" and indirectly "Tirpitz", three big destroyers, over 30 U-boats.

 

Battle of the Atlantic - Conclusion

Just 68 months before, northwest of the British Isles liner "Athenia" was torpedoed by "U-30" and 11 days later "U-39" sunk by Royal Navy destroyers. Since then, tens of thousands of lives, thousands of ships and hundreds of U-boats had been lost in the battle to sustain Britain as the base without which the liberation of Europe would had been impossible.

 

As the United States took over from Britain the mantle of the world's most powerful navy, so the last merchantmen and U-boats of the Battle of the Atlantic went to the bottom in American waters and involving American ships. 6th - "U-881" was sunk by the US Navy south of Newfoundland. On the same day, "U-853" torpedoed freighter "Black Point" off New York, was hunted down and sunk by US destroyer escort "Atherton" and frigate "Moberley".

Monthly Loss Summary
- 1 merchant ship of 5,000 tons in the Atlantic
- 2 German U-boats

Europe

End of the U-boats - Right to the end of the war there was no let-up in the struggle against the U-boats, especially faced with the threat from the new and dangerous Types XXI and XXIII. Between the 2nd and 6th, 23 U-boats of all types were destroyed by the Typhoons, Beaufighters, Mosquitoes and Liberators of the RAF and Allied Tactical Air Forces. As the German fighter defences crumbled, Allied aircraft roamed the Kattegat and nearby waters catching many of the U-boats in the Baltic or sailing for Norway. One more was lost by unknown causes off Scotland. Two others represented respectively, the last U-boat destroyed by the Royal Navy and the final sinking of the European war. While much of this was happening, steps were taken to arrange for the surrender of Germany's still formidable submarine fleet.

4th - A Royal Navy task force consisting of escort carriers "Queen", "Searcher" and "Trumpeter" with cruisers and destroyers and under the command of Vice-Adm R. R. McGrigor returning from Murmansk, launched strikes against shipping off Norway, and "U-711" was sunk near Narvik. The same day Adm Doenitz ordered his U-boats to stop operations and return to base. Many crews preferred to scuttle their boats.

7th - U-boats gained their last success when Type XXIII coastal boat "U-2336" sank merchantmen "Avondale Park" and "Sneland" off the Firth of Forth. Further north, to the west of Bergen, a RAF Catalina of No 210 Squadron on Northern Transit Area patrol destroyed "U-320", the very last U-boat casualty.

8th - Operational U-boats were ordered to surface and sail for Allied ports flying a black flag of surrender. Most made for the UK, although a few reached the US.

9th - The first of over 150 surrendered U-boats started to arrive, but more than 200 were scuttled. Of those surrendering, a quarter were taken over by the Allied powers and in Operation 'Deadlight', the rest sunk by the Royal Navy in the Atlantic off Northern Ireland through to January 1946.

DEFENCE OF TRADE - June 1944 to May 1945

Total Losses = 210 British, Allied and neutral ships of 942,000 tons ( 78,000 tons per month)

By Location

Location

Number of British, Allied, neutral ships

Total Gross Registered Tonnage

North Atlantic

31

177,000 tons

South Atlantic

5

28,000 tons

UK waters

135

500,000 tons

Mediterranean

5

7,000 tons

Indian Ocean

21

134,000 tons

Pacific Ocean

13

96,000 tons

 By Cause

Causes* in order of tonnage sunk
(1. 4. ... - Order when weapon first introduced)

Number of British, Allied, neutral ships

Total Gross Registered Tonnage

1. Submarines

120

629,000 tons

2. Mines
4. Aircraft
5. Other causes
7. Coastal forces
3. Warships
6. Raiders

50
14
15
11
-
-

162,000 tons
96,000 tons
28,000 tons
27,000 tons
-
-

 

TOTAL MERCHANT SHIP LOSSES
SEPTEMBER
1939 to AUGUST 1945

Summarised here in all its immensity is the losses in ships suffered by Britain, its Allies and neutral countries throughout the war. Of the grand totals that follow, Britain's losses amounted to around 50% of tonnage, with a similar percentage applying to sinkings in the North and South Atlantic. Both figures point to the critical importance of the Battle of the Atlantic and to the price Britain paid for keeping open the sea-lanes. In concentrating on losses, it should not be overlooked that taking the war as a whole, well over 99% of merchantmen reached their destination safely. On the other side of the balance sheet, more than 30,000 officers and men of the British Merchant Navy did not come home plus the many men of Allied and Neutral nations. Axis losses were comparable.

Total Losses = 5,150 British, Allied and neutral ships of 21,570,000 tons (300,000 tons per month)

By Location

Location

Number of British, Allied, neutral ships

Total Gross Registered Tonnage

North Atlantic

2,232

11,900,000 tons

South Atlantic

174

1,024,000 tons

UK waters

1,431

3,768,000 tons

Mediterranean

413

1,740,000 tons

Indian Ocean

385

1,790,000 tons

Pacific Ocean

515

1,348,000 tons

 By Cause

Causes* in order of tonnage sunk
(1. 4. ... - Order when weapon first introduced)

Number of British, Allied, neutral ships

Total Gross Registered Tonnage

1. Submarines
(all Axis, but mainly German)

2,828

14,686,000 tons

4. Aircraft
2. Mines
5. Other causes
6. Raiders
3. Warships
7. Coastal forces

820
534
632
133
104
99

2,890,000 tons
1,406,000 tons
1,030,000 tons
830,000 tons
498,000 tons
230,000 tons

 
 

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revised 9/7/11