List of all U-boats

U-91

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered25 Jan 1939
Laid down12 Nov 1940 Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 295)
Launched30 Nov 1941
Commissioned28 Jan 1942Kptlt. Heinz Walkerling
Commanders
28 Jan 1942 - 19 Apr 1943  Kptlt. Heinz Walkerling
20 Apr 1943 - 26 Feb 1944  Kptlt. Heinz Hungershausen
Career
6 patrols
28 Jan 1942-31 Aug 1942  5. Flottille (training)
1 Sep 1942-26 Feb 1944  9. Flottille (active service)
Successes4 ships sunk, total tonnage 26,194 GRT
1 warship sunk, total tonnage 1,375 tons
Fate

Sunk on 26 February 1944 in the North Atlantic west of Ireland, in position 49.45N, 26.20W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Affleck, HMS Gore and HMS Gould. 36 dead and 16 survivors.

Loss position

See the 5 ships hit by U-91 - View the 6 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-91 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Vorwärts (25 Aug 1942 - 26 Sep 1942)
   Natter (6 Nov 1942 - 8 Nov 1942)
   Westwall (8 Nov 1942 - 12 Dec 1942)
   Knappen (19 Feb 1943 - 25 Feb 1943)
   Burggraf (4 Mar 1943 - 5 Mar 1943)
   Raubgraf (7 Mar 1943 - 17 Mar 1943)
   Without name (5 May 1943 - 10 May 1943)
   Lech (10 May 1943 - 15 May 1943)
   Donau 2 (15 May 1943 - 26 May 1943)
   Rossbach (6 Oct 1943 - 9 Oct 1943)
   Schlieffen (14 Oct 1943 - 22 Oct 1943)
   Siegfried (22 Oct 1943 - 27 Oct 1943)
   Igel 2 (3 Feb 1944 - 17 Feb 1944)
   Hai 1 (17 Feb 1944 - 22 Feb 1944)
   Preussen (22 Feb 1944 - 26 Feb 1944)

Attacks on this boat and other events

1 Sep 1942
The target of an attack by an American Catalina flying boat (Sqdn. VP-73) in the Atlantic in position 58.08N 27.33W, previously credited with sinking U-756, was in fact U-91, which escaped with minor damage.

(Sources: 1987-09-01, FDS/NHB)

12 Sep 1942
An escort from convoy ON 127 fired on U-91, causing minor damage. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 31.)

21 Feb 1943
While attacking a convoy the boat was hit by a "rain of aircraft bombs and depth charges from surface ships" and forced to give up the attack to repair damage. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 186)

27 Mar 1943
22.45 hrs, Bay of Biscay, inbound: a British Wellington bomber (RAF Sqdn 172/M) made a Leigh Light attack. The boat escaped undamaged, but had dived with three men still on the bridge. It resurfaced immediately and found two still in place, but the PO who had fired the AA gun until the last moment was missing. [Oberbootsmaat Heinrich Hollenborg] (Sources: Ritschel)

26 Oct 1943
The target of the depth charge attack on 26 Oct. 1943 in the Atlantic in postion 50.49N 41.01W by a Canadian B-24 Liberator (RCAF Sqdn. 10/A), formerly credited with sinking U-420, was in fact U-91, which escaped unscathed. U-91 was searching for U-584 to supply her with fuel.

(Sources: 1996-01-01, Axel Niestle)

31 Oct 1943
Avengers from the USS Card found U-91 refuelling U-584 and called in other aircraft. After initially repelling them with flak, U-91 dived while U-584 stayed on the surface. U-584 was sunk with all hands by Fido homing torpedoes when she attempted to dive. U-91 escaped unscathed and escaped the subsequent search. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 438)

6 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

27 Mar 1943
22.45 hrs, Bay of Biscay, inbound: a British Wellington bomber (RAF Sqdn 172/M) made a Leigh Light attack. The boat escaped undamaged, but had dived with three men still on the bridge. It resurfaced immediately and found two still in place, but the PO who had fired the AA gun until the last moment was missing. [Oberbootsmaat Heinrich Hollenborg]

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

U-boat Emblems

We have 1 emblem entry for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


White Horse with Motto

Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1

Wynn, Kenneth


Hitler's U-boat War

Blair, Clay

There was another U-91 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 14 Apr 1917 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 17 Sep 1917. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 91 during WWI.




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