U-203

Type

VIIC

Ordered

23 Sep, 1939

Laid down

28 Mar, 1940

Germaniawerft, Kiel (werk 632)

Launched

4 Jan, 1941

Commissioned

18 Feb, 1941

Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg (Oak Leaves)

Commanders

18 Feb, 1941 - 11 Sep, 1942	Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg (Knights Cross)
11 Sep, 1942 - 20 Sep, 1942	Hans Seidel
21 Sep, 1942 - 25 Apr, 1943	Kptlt. Hermann Kottmann

Career

11 patrols

18 Feb, 1941 - 1 May, 1941 1. Flottille (training)
1 May, 1941 - 25 Apr, 1943 1. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

21 ships sunk for a total of 94.296 GRT
3 ships damaged for a total of 17.052 GRT

Fate

Sunk 25 April, 1943 south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 55.05N, 42.25W, by depth charges from Swordfish aircraft off the British escort carrier HMS Biter (Sqdn 811/L) and by the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder. 10 dead and 38 survivors.

See the 24 ships hit by U-203 - View the 11 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-203 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Streitaxt (24 Oct, 1942 - 1 Nov, 1942)
   Raufbold (15 Dec, 1942 - 22 Dec, 1942)
   Spitz (24 Dec, 1942 - 31 Dec, 1942)
   Lerche (11 Apr, 1943 - 13 Apr, 1943)
   Meise (20 Apr, 1943 - 25 Apr, 1943)

Attacks on this boat

28 Jul, 1941
The boat was depth charged by British corvettes HMS Rhododendron and HMS Fleur de Lys but escaped without damages. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 329)

22 Oct, 1941
An aircraft dropped two bombs on U-203 in the North Atlantic; the boat survived but suffered some damage.

11 Nov, 1941
At 14.15 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by a British Hudson aircraft (RAF Sqdn 53/D) in the Bay of Biscay. Four depth charges were dropped on the crash-diving U-203, which limped into Brest the next day. One engine and the aft diving planes had been damaged by the explosions. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

11 Sep, 1942
The commander of U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg) died in a unique incident on 11 Sept. He allowed his crew to swim in the sea and when he was about to dive from the tower the boat moved and he hit the saddle tank being badly wounded. He died the next day.