List of all U-boats
U-135
Type | VIIC | ||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 7 Aug 1939 | ||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 16 Sep 1940 | Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack (werk 14) | |||||||||||||||
| Launched | 12 Jun 1941 | ||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 16 Aug 1941 | Oblt. Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius | |||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 7 patrols |
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| Successes | 3 ships sunk, total tonnage 21,302 GRT 1 ship damaged, total tonnage 4,762 GRT | ||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Sunk on 15 July 1943 in the North Atlantic east of Canary Islands, in position 28.20N, 13.17W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Rochester, the British corvettes HMS Mignonette and HMS Balsam and a US Catalina aircraft (VP-92 USN/P-6). 5 dead and 41 survivors. | ||||||||||||||||
| Loss position | |||||||||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-135 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Ziethen (6 Jan 1942 - 20 Jan 1942)
Westwall (2 Mar 1942 - 12 Mar 1942)
York (12 Mar 1942 - 25 Mar 1942)
Pfadfinder (21 May 1942 - 27 May 1942)
Lohs (17 Aug 1942 - 20 Sep 1942)
Panzer (23 Nov 1942 - 11 Dec 1942)
Raufbold (11 Dec 1942 - 19 Dec 1942)
Pfeil (3 Feb 1943 - 8 Feb 1943)
Neptun (18 Feb 1943 - 28 Feb 1943)
Trutz 2 (22 Jun 1943 - 29 Jun 1943)
Attacks on this boat and other events
10 Aug 1942
18.25 hrs, north of Cape Ferrol, Spain, outbound: the boat was strafed by a Czech-crewed Wellington (RAF Sqdn 311/H, pilot F/O J. Nývlt) which also dropped four depth charges. The boat returned fire with the 20mm AA gun during the first attack, and survived six more depth charges dropped after diving.
U-135 sustained only minor damage, but one man was killed by gunfire and another died from wounds an hour after the attack. [Matrosenobergefreiter Emil Hafner, Matrosenobergefreiter Erhard Pömpner]
24 Aug 1942
01.51 hrs, mid-Atlantic: the boat was chasing convoy ONS 122 when she was suddenly illuminated by star shells and forced to dive by gunfire from HNoMS Potentilla. The corvette and HMS Viscount had been depth charging U-705 in the same area for an hour when they detected U-135 on radar. They then dropped 57 depth charges on both U-boats over the next two hours, the final attack being made by HMS Viscount, using a new weapon, Hedgehog. U-135 suffered only minor damage. (Sources: ADM reports, KTB U-135)
8 Feb 1943
14.45 hrs, Atlantic, west of Cornwall: the boat was attacked near convoy SC 118 by a British B-24 Liberator (RAF Sqdn 120/K, pilot Bryan W. Turnbull) which dropped four depth charges. Although taken by surprise, U-135 fought off the first attack and then dived. Damage was repaired, and the boat continued its patrol, but other leaks were found later that forced a return to Lorient, arriving 28 February. (Sources: Rohwer/Ritschel)
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from the boat
10 Aug 1942
18.25 hrs, north of Cape Ferrol, Spain, outbound: the boat was strafed by a Czech-crewed Wellington (RAF Sqdn 311/H, pilot F/O J. Nývlt) which also dropped four depth charges. The boat returned fire with the 20mm AA gun during the first attack, and survived six more depth charges dropped after diving.
U-135 sustained only minor damage, but one man was killed by gunfire and another died from wounds an hour after the attack. [Matrosenobergefreiter Emil Hafner, Matrosenobergefreiter Erhard Pömpner]
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.
 The Snorting Bull - U-47 |
Media links
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There was another U-135 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 8 Sep 1917 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 20 Jun 1918. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 135 during WWI.
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