Book of the Week
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
U-559 at her base in the Mediterranean
From Sept 1941 to May of 1944 Germany managed to send 62 U-boats into the Mediterranean. All these boats had to navigate the dreaded British-controlled Straits of Gibraltar where 9 U-boats where sunk while attempting passage and 10 more had to break of their run due to damages. No U-boats ever made it back into the Atlantic and all were either sunk in battle or scuttled by their own crews.
The Mediterranean was a very dangerous arena for the U-boats, all around it were dozens of allied air base from which hundreds of radar-equipped aircraft hunted them. The Mediterranean is very clear and calm body of water which made escape more difficult for the U-boats.