U-52

Type

VIIB

 
Ordered15 May 1937
Laid down 9 Mar 1937 F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 587)
Launched21 Dec 1938
Commissioned4 Feb 1939Kptlt. Wolfgang Barten
Commanders
4 Feb 1939 - 17 Sep 1939  Oblt. Wolfgang Barten
14 Nov 1939 - 9 Jun 1941  Kptlt. Otto Salman
20 Mar 1941 - 15 Apr 1941  Kptlt. Helmut Möhlmann (Knights Cross)
10 Jun 1941 - 6 Jul 1941  Kptlt. Wolf-Rüdiger von Rabenau
7 Jul 1941 - 13 Jan 1942  Oblt. Freiherr Walter von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen
16 Jan 1942 - 24 Jul 1942  Oblt. Friedrich Mumm
25 Jul 1942 - 31 Mar 1943  Oblt. Hermann Rossmann
1 Apr 1943 - 22 Oct 1943  Oblt. Ernst-August Racky
Career8 patrols 4 Feb 1939 - 31 Aug 1939  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Sep 1939 - 31 Dec 1939  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan 1940 - 31 May 1941  7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jun 1941 - 31 Mar 1942  26. Flottille (training)
1 Apr 1942 - 30 Sep 1943  24. Flottille (training)
1 Oct 1943 - 21 Oct 1943  23. Flottille (training)
Successes13 ships sunk for a total of 56,333 GRT
Fate

Stricken at Danzig in October 1943. Transferred to Kiel. Scuttled there on 3 May, 1945. Broken up in 1946-47.

See the 13 ships hit by U-52 - View the 8 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-52 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Without name (1 Dec 1940 - 3 Dec 1940)

Attacks on this boat

4 Aug 1940
The boat was severely damaged by depth charges from British escorts requiring 4 months of repairs. Date given here may be an approximate. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 178)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-52 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.



U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2
Wynn, Kenneth


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Books dealing with this subject include:

German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Niestle, Axel, 1998.
Hitler's U-boat War. Blair, Clay, 1996.
Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II. Blair, Clay, 1998.
Kafbátahernaður. Schopka, Julius, 1928.
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.


There was another U-52 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 8 Dec 1915 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 16 Mar 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 52 during WWI.