Selected Book
Bismarck
A Minute by Minute Account of the Final Hours of Germany's Greatest Battleship
Zetterling, Niklas
Allied Warships
Check out our new extensive section on all the Allied Warships during WWII in all theatres of the war.Over 11,300 ships
1942
U-boats that made it into the Mediterranean
| U-boat | Date of entry | Notes |
| U-73 | 14 Jan 1942 | |
| U-561 | 15 Jan 1942 | |
| U-572 | 15 Jan 1942 | Failed to make the passage during Jan 15-20, aborted. |
| U-458 | 9 Oct 1942 | Wolfgroup "Tümmler" |
| U-605 | 9 Oct 1942 | Wolfgroup "Tümmler" |
| U-660 | 10 Oct 1942 | Wolfgroup "Tümmler" |
| U-593 | 11 Oct 1942 | Wolfgroup "Tümmler" |
| U-595 | 7 Nov 1942 | |
| U-617 | 8 Nov 1942 | |
| U-755 | 8 Nov 1942 | |
| U-596 | 9 Nov 1942 | |
| U-259 | 10 Nov 1942 | |
| U-407 | 10 Nov 1942 | |
| U-380 | 11 Nov 1942 | |
| U-443 | 5 Dec 1942 | |
| U-602 | 8 Dec 1942 | |
| U-258 | 8 Dec 1942 | Failed to make the passage during Dec 8-10, aborted. |
| U-301 | 9 Dec 1942 |
During 1942 17 U-boats were sent towards the Straits of Gibraltar in an attempt to enter the Mediterranean. 15 of those managed to complete their passage while 2 failed to do so and turned away.
At the end of 1942 Germany had successfully put 42 U-boats into the Mediterranean. On Jan 1, 1942 there were 21 U-boats available for operations and 15 new boats came through Gibraltar that year.
However, losses in 1942 were 14 boats (133, 259, 301, 331, 371, 372, 374, 559, 568, 573, 595, 605, 652 and U-660) so the operational strength at the end of 1942 was not increased and stayed at 23 boats. Damages and maintenance then further reduced that number somewhat.