List of all U-boats

U-333

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered23 Sep 1939
Laid down11 Mar 1940 Nordseewerke, Emden (werk 205)
Launched14 Jun 1941
Commissioned25 Aug 1941Kptlt. Peter Erich Cremer (Knights Cross)
Commanders
25 Aug 1941 - 6 Oct 1942  Kptlt. Peter-Erich Cremer (Knights Cross)
6 Oct 1942 - 9 Oct 1942  Ltn. Helmut Kandzior
9 Oct 1942 - 22 Nov 1942  Kptlt. Lorenz Kasch
22 Nov 1942 - 17 May 1943  Oblt. Werner Schwaff
18 May 1943 - 19 Jul 1944  KrvKpt. Peter-Erich Cremer (Knights Cross)
20 Jul 1944 - 31 Jul 1944  Kptlt. Hans Fiedler
Career
12 patrols
25 Aug 1941-31 Dec 1941  5. Flottille (training)
1 Jan 1942-31 Jul 1944  3. Flottille (active service)
Successes7 ships sunk, total tonnage 32,107 GRT
1 ship damaged, total tonnage 8,327 GRT
1 warship damaged, total tonnage 925 tons
Fate

Sunk on 31 July 1944 in the North Atlantic west of the Isles of Scilly, in position 49.39N, 07.28W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Starling and the British frigate HMS Loch Killin. 45 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 9 ships hit by U-333 - View the 12 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-333 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Ziethen (17 Jan 1942 - 22 Jan 1942)
   Blücher (14 Aug 1942 - 18 Aug 1942)
   Iltis (6 Sep 1942 - 23 Sep 1942)
   Falke (28 Dec 1942 - 19 Jan 1943)
   Landsknecht (19 Jan 1943 - 28 Jan 1943)
   Dränger (14 Mar 1943 - 20 Mar 1943)
   Seewolf (21 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
   Schill (25 Oct 1943 - 16 Nov 1943)
   Schill 1 (16 Nov 1943 - 19 Nov 1943)

Attacks on this boat and other events

1 Jan 1942
The boat was attacked by an enemy aircraft. No damage.

6 Oct 1942
The boat fought an epic battle with the British corvette HMS Crocus off the coast of Sierra Leone, west Africa on 6 Oct. 1942. The U-boat lost three men (including the IWO) and several men were wounded, including the commander, Peter Erich Cremer. The boat was heavily damaged and limped back to base with the help of a replacement WO, Kptlt. Lorenz Kasch, from U-107. The doctor from the milch cow boat U-459 tended the wounded. Cremer then spent three months in hospital. [Oberleutnant zur See Bernhard Hermann, Bootsmaat Heinz Kurze, Maschinenobergefreiter Erwin Levermann].

21 Oct 1942
The former U-570 (captured 27 Aug. 1941) on her first patrol in British service as HMS Graph, commanded by Lt Cdr Peter Marriot, fired a spread of torpedoes at the heavily damaged inbound U-333 north of Cape Ferrol, Spain. Alert lookouts spotted the tracks and U-333 took successful evasive action. It only became apparent after the war that this attack was by the former U-boat. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 69)

4 Mar 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Wellington Mk.VIII MP505 (RAF Sqdn 172/B, pilot F/O G.D. Lundon)

21.31 hrs, Bay of Biscay, outbound: the Wellington caught the lookouts unawares, but when the aircraft switched on the Leigh Light, it was brought down by flak and crashed in flames after passing over the boat, killing the six aircrew. Two of the four depth charges dropped actually hit U-333, but one broke up without detonating and the other bounced off, causing only light damage.The same aircraft and crew had sunk U-268 on 19 Feb.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

4 Nov 1943
While hunting a KMS convoy bound for Gibraltar, U-333 surfaced in heavy fog and soon found the convoy, but was driven under by a destroyer and heavily depth charged. Once again, she escaped. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 447)

18 Nov 1943
U-333 collided with an Allied escort for the third time in her career when attacking the combined convoys MKS 30 and SL 139. The British frigate HMS Exe rammed the boat, breaking off the periscope, and then with other escorts (and an aircraft) depth charged the boat for eight hours, but once again U-333 escaped. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 459)

21 Mar 1944
The boat was sighted west of Tiree in the Hebrides by Allied aircraft which in brought in the famous Support Group 2 (Cpt. Walker), which then hunted the boat aggressively. KL Cremer bottomed the boat at a depth of 40m (131 ft) for ten hours and despite considerable problems "unsticking" from the muddy seabed, U-333 managed to surface and again escaped. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 496)

10 Jun 1944
An Australian Sunderland flying boat (Sqdn 10, pilot H. A. McGregor) attacked the boat causing severe damage, but accurate flak repelled the aircraft. The boat was attacked again the next day. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 583)

11 Jun 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Sunderland flying boat (RAF Sqdn 228/U, pilot M. E. Slaughter)

Severe damage to U-boat. U-333 had already been hit by Australian Sunderland Y/10 the day before. Further damage from this attack forced her to return to La Pallice, France.

(Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 583)

12 Jun 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Sunderland flying boat S for Sugar, RAF Sqdn 201

Bay of Biscay south of Brest. This is a possible match. Either this Sunderland or U Uncle from 228 Sqdn were shot down by U-333 on this day. (According to the book Wavetops at My Wingtips, it was 201/S, its demise being witnessed by the crew of a Canadian Catalina flying boat).

(Sources: "Wavetops at My Wingtips", Flt Lt Leslie Baveystock)

10 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

6 Oct 1942
The boat fought an epic battle with the British corvette HMS Crocus off the coast of Sierra Leone, west Africa on 6 Oct. 1942. The U-boat lost three men (including the IWO) and several men were wounded, including the commander, Peter Erich Cremer. The boat was heavily damaged and limped back to base with the help of a replacement WO, Kptlt. Lorenz Kasch, from U-107. The doctor from the milch cow boat U-459 tended the wounded. Cremer then spent three months in hospital. [Oberleutnant zur See Bernhard Hermann, Bootsmaat Heinz Kurze, Maschinenobergefreiter Erwin Levermann].

  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.


3 Little Fishes

Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


Different Battles

Johnson, Rody


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

Wynn, Kenneth


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


Hitler's U-boat War

Blair, Clay


U-Boat Commander

Cremer, Peter




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