U-107
Type | IXB | |||||||||
| Ordered | 24 May 1938 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 6 Dec 1939 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 970) | ||||||||
| Launched | 2 Jul 1940 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 8 Oct 1940 | Kptlt. Günther Hessler | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career | 14 patrols | 8 Oct 1940 - 31 Dec 1940 2. Flottille (training) 1 Jan 1941 - 18 Aug 1944 2. Flottille (front boat) | ||||||||
| Successes | 37 ships sunk for a total of 207,375 GRT 2 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 10,411 GRT 3 ships damaged for a total of 17,392 GRT 1 auxiliary warship damaged for a total of 8,246 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 18 Aug, 1944 in the Bay of Biscay west of La Rochelle, in position 46.46N, 03.49W, by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn 201/W). 58 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
See the 43 ships hit by U-107 - View the 14 war patrols
Wolfpack operations
U-107 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Eisbär (23 Aug 1942 - 29 Aug 1942)
Iltis (9 Sep 1942 - 23 Sep 1942)
Hartherz (4 Feb 1943 - 7 Feb 1943)
Robbe (16 Feb 1943 - 13 Mar 1943)
Amsel I (4 May 1943 - 6 May 1943)
Elbe 2 (11 May 1943 - 13 May 1943)
Attacks on this boat
28 Jul 1943
While sailing with another boat from Lorient the boats were attacked by aircraft but managed to repell them without damages. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 387.)
4 Jan 1944
At 19.34 hours, the inbound boat fought off a four-engined aircraft in the Bay of Biscay. No bombs dropped, one crewman slightly wounded by strafing. (Sources: Ritschel)
7 Jan 1944
Between 00.08 and 01.20 hours, the inbound boat was attacked four times by aircraft identified as Liberators and replied each time with its AA guns, while the nearby U-621 fired on an aircraft without being attacked herself at 00.10 hours. All bombs missed U-107 astern and the boat suffered no damage.
Probably three aircraft attacked U-107 that night, a Canadian Wellington (407 Sqdn RCAF/J, pilot F/O Jordan), a British Halifax (502 Sqdn RAF/F, pilot F/O J.H. Spurgeon) and a second Halifax (53 Sqdn RAF, pilot F/L E.B.A. Le Maistre, RCAF) which was badly damaged by AA fire after hits in the bomb bay and the control surfaces. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
29 Mar 1941. U-107 under Kptlt. Günther Hessler put out from Lorient, France at 19:30 on 29 March, 1941 for what would become the most successful patrol of the entire war against allied merchant shipping. She left the base along with U-94 commanded by Kptlt. Kuppisch but then U-107 headed southwards.
Her operational area was around the Canary Islands and nearby Freetown where she sank 14 ships for a total of 86,699 tons, starting with the British merchant SS Eskdene which required some 2 torpedoes and 104 rounds from the heavy 105mm fast firing deck cannon. The largest ship sunk during that patrol was the British Calchas of 10,305 tons. On 1 June, 1941 they sank the British U-boat-trap Alfred Jones of 5,013 tons.
On 3 and 4 of May U-107 refuelled from the German support ship Nordmark. There they also met U-105. Five days later they took on board 14 torpedoes and some food, fuel and water from the support ship Egerland. The boat returned to Lorient on 2 July 1941.
Kptlt. Hessler married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula, in November 1937. At that time Hessler was serving on the torpedo boats but in April 1940 he joined the U-boat force. Because Hessler was his son-in-law Dönitz had trouble giving Hessler his deserved Knights Cross and eventually Grand Admiral Raeder signed the papers.
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in May 1944 but it was of course installed prior to that date. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-107 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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There was another U-107 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 28 Jun 1917 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 18 Aug 1917. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 107 during WWI.