The U-boat war in Maps

The English Channel

The first U-boat lost in the Channel were the U-12, U-16 and U-40 in 1939. From then on U-boats avoided the Channel for the most part due to fear of large allied minefields there.

The last boats to be sunk here were U-1063, U-1195, U-275 and U-772 in Dec 44 - April 1945.

U-boats lost in the English Channel

Legend

1939. 1944. 1945.

Click on any marker to see the boat's number. Left double-click to zoom-in. Right double-click to zoom-out.

This map shows 34 of 38 U-boat losses in or near the English Channel during WWII. The exact position where the English Channel ends and the Bay of Biscay starts is a matter of some guesswork.

Missing from this map
U-683 (Kptlt. G�nter Keller), U-1055 (Oblt. Rudolf Meyer) and U-1191 (Oblt. Peter Grau) are listed as missing in or near the English Channel. U-12 (Kptlt. Dietrich von der Ropp) was sunk by a mine near Dover in an unknown position on 8 Oct 1939. These boats are included in the figure of lost boats.

U-boats lost in June - Aug 1944 against D-Day landings

Legend

1944.

Click on any marker to see the boat's number. Left double-click to zoom-in. Right double-click to zoom-out.

From June 6 to the end of August 1944 15 U-boats were lost in the Channel when trying to attack the Allied landings at Normandy against overwhelming odds (over 1,200 Allied warships).



Silent warriors

Ron Young and Pamela Armstrong


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Books dealing with this subject include

HMCS Haida: Battle Ensign Flying. Gough, Barry M., 2001.
Maritime Is Number Ten - The Sunderland Era 1939-45. Baff, K.C. (Flight Lieutenant), 1983.
S-Boote: les vedettes rapides de la Kriegsmarine 1939-1945. Dallies-Labourdette, Jean-Philippe, 2003.
S.S. Leopoldville Disaster. Andrade, Allan, 1999.
Silent warriors. Ron Young and Pamela Armstrong, 2009.
U. S. Navy PB4Y-1 (B-24) Liberator Squadrons in Great Britain during WWII. Carey, Alan C., 2003.
We Fought Them in Gunboats. Hichens, Robert Peverell, 1957.


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