U-boat patrols

Patrol info for U-573

Date lookup for 20 Apr 1942


DepartureArrival / FateDuration
20 Apr 1942Pola2 May 1942Cartagena13 days

Commander

Officers *


Kptlt. Heinrich Heinsohn
1WO

Oblt. Erwin Schwager
2WO

Ltn. Ernst-August Racky

Patrol description

The boat was ordered to operate against enemy aircraft carriers that entered the Western Mediterranean from Gibraltar to launch fighter aircraft for Malta.

On 29 April, U-573 developed engine troubles and headed east while the crew tried to repair the engine. In the afternoon on 1 May, the U-boat was bombed and badly damaged by a Hudson aircraft northwest of Ténès, Algeria. After reporting the distress, the nearby U-74 and U-375 were sent to assist and the Italian submarines Emo and Mocenigo also joined the rescue operation, while the Allies sent other aircraft from Gibraltar and detached two destroyers to intercept the crippled U-boat. Heinsohn initially thought that he had to scuttle the disabled boat, but the engineers managed to restart one of the electrical engines and so they slowly headed northwards, until they were ordered by the SKL to head for Cartagena in neutral Spain, where the boat arrived at 11.36 hours on 2 May. However, the Allied forces searching for U-573 located and sank U-74 during the afternoon.


U-573's position on 20 Apr 1942

Ships hit by U-573 on this date

General Events during this patrol

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Attacks on U-573 during this patrol

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* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.

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