U-763

Type

VIIC

Ordered

15 Aug, 1940

Laid down

21 Jan, 1941

Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven (werk 146)

Launched

16 Jan, 1943

Commissioned

13 Mar, 1943

Oblt. Ernst Cordes

Commanders

13 Mar, 1943 - 31 Oct, 1944	Kptlt. Ernst Cordes
Aug, 1944 - Oct, 1944	Kurt Braun
1 Nov, 1944 - 24 Jan, 1945	Oblt. Karl-Heinz Schröter

Career

4 patrols

13 Mar, 1943 - 31 Oct, 1943  8. Flottille (training)
1 Nov, 1943 - 30 Sep, 1944  3. Flottille (front boat)
1 Oct, 1944 - 31 Oct, 1944  33. Flottille (front boat)
1 Nov, 1944 - 29 Jan, 1945  24. Flottille (training)

Successes

1 ship sunk for a total of 1.499 GRT

Fate

Scuttled 29 Jan, 1945 in Köningsberg at the Schichau shipyard, in position 54.42N, 20.32E, after being damaged by Soviet bombs.

See the 1 ships hit by U-763 - View the 4 war patrols

Attacks on this boat

4 Feb, 1944
At 08.21 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by a British Liberator aircraft (RAF Sqdn 53/F, BZ795, pilot Sgt T.A. Patey) north-northwest of Cape Finisterre. The aircraft was hit by AA fire during the attack run and crashed into the sea, killing the 7 crew members aboard. Depth charges were dropped, but did no damage. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

5 Feb, 1944
At 22.05 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by a British Halifax aircraft (RAF Sqdn 502/R, pilot F/O F.T. Culling-Mannix, RNZAF) west of Bordeaux. The aircraft was hit repeatedly during the attack run and crashed, killing all 8 crew members. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

5 Feb, 1944
At 01.35 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by a British Liberator aircraft (RAF Sqdn 53/D, BZ815, pilot P/O L.L. Esler, RCAF) in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft was damaged in the tail by AA fire during the attack run and its depth charges missed. The boat had picked up the radar signals with Naxos and released Aphrodite decoys after the attack, effectively distracting the crew of the aircraft. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

5 Feb, 1944
At 02.15 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by a British Wellington aircraft (RAF Sqdn 172/M, HF282, pilot F/O C.S. Rowland) in the Bay of Biscay. The aircraft was hit in both wings, the fuselage and the tail by AA fire and was forced to return to base due to the damages, while the depth charges fell astern of the boat without damaging it. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

5 Jul, 1944
The boat, having attacked convoy ETC 26, was hunted for 30 hours by a hunter-killer group dropping incredible 550 depth charges before she managed to slip away. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 587)

24 Sep, 1944
The attack by a British B-24 Liberator (RAF 224/A) on 24 Sept, 1944 in position 61.00N, 04.07E formerly credited with sinking U-855 was instead against the U-763 inflicting medium damage. (Sources: 1987-09-01, FDS/NHB)

6 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

Ltnt. Kurt Braun, as Commander in deputise, brought U-763 from La Pallice in France via Bergen, Norway to Flensburg in Germany. He left La Pallice on 23 Aug, 1944, 4 days before his 21st birthday!

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in April 1944. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-763 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.