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 (28 Nov, 1942 - 2 Dec, 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.)
5 Jan, 1944
In the Bay of Biscay the inbound U-boat was attacked by an aircraft (unknown type or squadron) during the night but managed to fight it off. She reached port 3 days later. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 486)
7 Jan, 1944
The inbound boat was attacked four times (at 0008hrs, 0040hrs, 0104hrs, and 0120hrs) by Liberator aircraft, and replied each time with AA guns. The boat suffered no damage.
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
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.
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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Books dealing with this subject include: German U-Boat Losses During World War II, Niestle, Axel, 1998 Profile Warship 8: Kriegsmarine U-107/Submarine, Rohwer, Jürgen, 1971 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998 Wavetops At my Wingtips, Baveystock, Leslie, 1991 |
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.