Patrol info for U-73
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 22 Dec 1942 | La Spezia | 13 Jan 1943 | La Spezia | 23 days |
Commander | Officers * | |
 Oblt. Horst Deckert |
1WO Oblt. Heinz Bentzien |
2WO Ltn. Detlev Fritz |
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-73
We have daily positions for all 23 days on this patrol.
Departure from La Spezia on 22 Dec 1942.
23 Dec 1942 - 24 Dec 1942 - 25 Dec 1942 - 26 Dec 1942 - 27 Dec 1942 - 28 Dec 1942 - 29 Dec 1942 - 30 Dec 1942 - 31 Dec 1942 - 1 Jan 1943 - 2 Jan 1943 - 3 Jan 1943 - 4 Jan 1943 - 5 Jan 1943 - 6 Jan 1943 - 7 Jan 1943 - 8 Jan 1943 - 9 Jan 1943 - 10 Jan 1943 - 11 Jan 1943 - 12 Jan 1943 -
Arrival at La Spezia on 13 Jan 1943.
Ships hit by U-73 during this patrol
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | Map | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1943 | U-73 | Horst Deckert | USS LCT-21 [Trans.] | 255 |  | am | UGS-3 | A | |
| 1 Jan 1943 | U-73 | Horst Deckert | Arthur Middleton | 7,176 | | am | UGS-3 | B | |
| 7,431 | |||||||||
2 ships sunk (7,431 tons). Legend | |||||||||
General Events during this patrol
1943
1 Jan 1943. U-73 was damaged when the torpedoed ship Arthur Middleton exploded.
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Attacks on U-73 during this patrol
27 Dec 1942
07.15 hrs, NW of Algiers: British Wellington bomber LA971 (RAF Sqdn 179/T, pilot F/L A.H. Comfort) attacked using the Leigh Light following radar contact, but the boat, forewarned by Metox, immediately opened fire with the AA guns, scoring hits on the port engine. Four depth charges dropped missed, and the Wellington (misidentified as a Beaufort) was forced to make for the coast, reaching Tafaraoui only after jettisoning all loose equipment. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
27 Dec 1942
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
British Hudson bomber AM638 (RAF Sqdn 500/M, pilot P/O J.R. Pugh)
08.17 hrs, Mediterranean, NW of Algiers: flak hits to the cockpit area and starboard engine during the initial strafing run caused four depth charges dropped by the aircraft to fall wide by 80 to 250m (87 -273 yds), causing only light damage. The aircraft attempted to reach the coast some 50 miles (80 km) distant, but had to ditch only three minutes after the attack. The crew of four were rescued from their dinghy in the afternoon of the same day by a Walrus flying boat (700 Sqdn FAA, pilot Sub Lt Neil Fuller) escorted by Hudsons from 500 and 608 Sqdns RAF).
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)About this data
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See all patrols for U-73
* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.