U-629

Type

Sunk on 7 June 1944 in the Celtic Sea north-west of Ushant, in position 48.34N, 05.23W, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (53 Sqn RAF/L). 51 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, March 1997).

Loss position

View the 11 war patrols

Previously recorded fate

Sunk 8 June, 1944 in the English Channel west of Brest, in position 48.27N, 05.47W, by depth charges from a British B-24 Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 224/G). (Postwar assessment)
Notes. This attack actually sank the U-441.

Wolfpack operations

U-629 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Nordwind (24 Jan 1943 - 28 Jan 1943)
   Nordwind (31 Jan 1943 - 2 Feb 1943)
   Taifun (2 Apr 1943 - 4 Apr 1943)
   Coronel (4 Dec 1943 - 8 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 1 (8 Dec 1943 - 14 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 2 (14 Dec 1943 - 17 Dec 1943)
   Amrum (18 Dec 1943 - 23 Dec 1943)

Attacks on this boat and other events

4 Jan 1944
U-629 rendezvoused with U-284 southeast of Greenland to embark her crew on Dec 21 after 284 was scuttled due to sea damage. U-629 was thus returning to base with approx 100 men on board when she was strafed and depth charged in the Bay of Biscay by Polish Wellington bomber HF185 (304 Sqn RAF/2B, pilot F/O Hieronim Czyzun). Despite the six depth charges dropped causing severe damage, the overloaded boat managed to reach Brest the next day after summoning assistance.

12 Mar 1944
06.05 hrs, Bay of Biscay, outbound: after illuminating the boat with the Leigh Light, British Wellington bomber (612 Sqn RAF/C, pilot F/S D. Bretherton) dropped four depth charges. Flak damaged the aeroplane tail, but the tail gunner had a lucky escape because he was not at his station during the attack, and later discovered that a round had passed through the empty turret from bottom to top. U-629 was severely damaged and was forced to return to base. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

7 Jun 1944
Aircraft attack SW of Ushant, aircraft shot down: British B-24 Liberator (53 Sqn RAF/M). Could also have been U-441 or U-740.

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

On 21 December, 1943 the crew of U-629 saved the crew of U-284 and brought them to Brest on 5 January, 1944.

Men lost from the boat

15 Oct 1942
Two crew members were washed overboard while trying to repair a leakage about 6nm north of Rixhöft at 1037hrs and drowned. The U-boat on transfer from Gotenhafen to Kiel searched in vain for them until 1248hrs. [Leutnant (Ing.) Gerhard Helmholz, Maschinengefreiter Wilhelm Köhl]

16 Dec 1943
A lookout broke his arm during a severe storm.

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