List of all U-boats

U-154

Type

IXC

 
Ordered25 Sep 1939
Laid down21 Sep 1940 AG Weser, Bremen (werk 996)
Launched21 Apr 1941
Commissioned2 Aug 1941Korvkpt. Walther Kölle
Commanders
2 Aug 1941 - 7 Oct 1942  KrvKpt. Walther Kölle
7 Oct 1942 - 8 Feb 1943  KrvKpt. Heinrich Schuch
8 Feb 1943 - 21 Jan 1944  Oblt. Oskar-Heinz Kusch
22 Jan 1944 - 3 Jul 1944  Oblt. Gerth Gemeiner
Career
8 patrols
2 Aug 1941-31 Jan 1942  4. Flottille (training)
1 Feb 1942-3 Jul 1944  2. Flottille (active service)
Successes10 ships sunk, total tonnage 49,288 GRT
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 15,771 GRT
1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 8,166 GRT
Fate

Sunk on 3 July 1944 in the North Atlantic north-west of Madeira, Portugal, in position 34.00N, 19.30W, by depth charges from the US destroyer escorts USS Inch and USS Frost. 57 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 13 ships hit by U-154 - View the 8 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-154 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Südwärts (24 Oct 1942 - 26 Oct 1942)

Attacks on this boat and other events

3 Nov 1943
U-154 was engaged by an unidentified Catalina off the mouth of the Amazon, Brazil, but fought it off without suffering any damage. The action did however prevent the boat from attacking a convoy. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 461)

22 Nov 1943
The boat was attacked twice during the night in the Atlantic north of French Guiana (French overseas territory bordering Brazil). No damage. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 461)

13 Mar 1944
An escort from a small convoy the boat was attacking, possibly the patrol craft PC 469, attacked the boat, causing minor damage. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 564)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

12 May 1944. Oblt. z.S. Oskar Kusch was condemned to death by court martial on 26 January 1944 and executed on 12 May 1944 after being denounced by his former IWO for alleged "Wehrkraftzersetzung" (sedition and defeatism).

Oskar Kusch was one of only two U-boat commanders to be sentenced to death by court martial, the other being Heinz Hirsacker of U-572, who was convicted of cowardice and committed suicide on 24 April 1943, shortly before his scheduled execution.

Men lost from the boat

12 May 1944
U-154s commander, Oblt. Oskar Kusch, was executed on 12 May "for his anti-Hitler views" after his IWO, Oblt. Ulrich Abel,* reported him for sedition. He was convicted in late January. His photo is to the right.

* The former lawyer went down with U-193 as captain when the boat was lost with all hands on 24 April 1944.

  Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -

U-boat Emblems

We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


Black Star

Swimming Cow firing Torpedoes from both ends

Media links


U-Boats in the Bahamas

Eric Wiberg


amazon.com
($ 37.95)

amazon.co.uk
(£ 35.95)


USS Frost

Kerrigan, Warren J.


U-Boat Adventures

Wiggins, Melanie


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1

Wynn, Kenneth


Hitler's U-boat War

Blair, Clay

There was another U-154 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 10 Sep 1917 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 12 Dec 1917. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 154 during WWI.




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