U-563

Type

VIIC

Ordered

24 Oct 1939

Laid down

30 Mar 1940

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 539)

Launched

5 Feb 1941

Commissioned

27 Mar 1941

Oblt. Klaus Bargsten (Knights Cross)

Commanders

27 Mar 1941	-	15 Mar 1942	Oblt. Klaus Bargsten (Knights Cross)
1 Apr 1942	-	16 May 1943	Kptlt. Götz von Hartmann
21 May 1943	-	31 May 1943	Oblt. Gustav Borchardt

Career
8 patrols

27 Mar 1941	-	1 Jul 1941	1. Flottille (training)
1 Jul 1941	-	31 May 1943	1. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

3 ships sunk for a total of 14,689 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 1,870 tons
2 ships damaged for a total of 16,266 GRT

Fate

Sunk 31 May, 1943 in the Bay of Biscay south-west of Brest, in position 46.35N, 10.40W, by depth charges from 2 British and 1 Australian Handley Page Halifax and Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn 58/R, 228/X, RAAF 10/E). 49 dead (all hands lost).

See the 6 ships hit by U-563 - View the 8 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-563 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Grönland (10 Aug 1941 - 23 Aug 1941)
   Kurfürst (23 Aug 1941 - 2 Sep 1941)
   Seewolf (2 Sep 1941 - 7 Sep 1941)
   Breslau (4 Oct 1941 - 29 Oct 1941)
   Panther (11 Oct 1942 - 16 Oct 1942)
   Puma (16 Oct 1942 - 29 Oct 1942)
   Falke (28 Dec 1942 - 5 Jan 1943)
   Löwenherz (1 Apr 1943 - 10 Apr 1943)
   Lerche (10 Apr 1943 - 16 Apr 1943)

Attacks on this boat

5 Oct 1941
At 10.30 hours, the outbound boat was attacked by a Blenheim (1404 Met Flt RAF/A, pilot P/O Jack Coleman) in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft carried out a dive bomb attack, but had to circle to lose height and by mistake only dropped one instead of both 250lb A/S bombs on the crash-diving U-563, causing no damages. The Blenheim then proceeded to patrol ahead of the original course of the U-boat, but located and attacked U-565 instead. (Sources: KTB U-563/ADM 199-1782)

25 Oct 1941
While preparing to attack convoy HG-75 the boat was attacked by one of its escorts, the British corvette HMS Heliotrope (K 03). The boat was driven under but the depth charge attack by the corvette was unsuccessful and the boat escaped unharmed. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 393)

30 Nov 1941
While outbound from Brest, France the boat was attacked by a British Whitley aircraft (Sqdn 502, pilot W. W. Cave) dropping six depth charges that damaged to boat so much that she was unable to dive. The aircraft then strafed the boat wounding the commander in the shoulder.The boat was able to reach Lorient, France on 3 Dec but was so badly damaged she had to be sailed by its crew to Germany for rebuilding. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 401)

22 Mar 1943
The boat was attacked by a Beaufighter aircraft in the North Atlantic and suffered slight damages.

7 Apr 1943
A British B-24 Liberator (Sqdn 86) attacked the boat with 3 depth charges. The U-boat was only slightly damaged but during the crash dive 2 men were lost overboard. [Oberbootsmaat Christian Wieland, Matrosengefreiter Rudolf Schädlich]

5 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

7 Apr 1943
A Liberator RAF Sqdn 86) attacked the boat with 3 depth charges. The U-boat was only slightly damaged but during the crash dive 2 men were lost overboard. [Oberbootsmaat Christian Wieland, Matrosengefreiter Rudolf Schädlich]

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