List of all U-boats

U-311

Type

VIIC

 
Ordered5 Jun 1941
Laid down21 Mar 1942 Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 311)
Launched20 Jan 1943
Commissioned23 Mar 1943Oblt. Joachim Zander
Commanders
23 Mar 1943 - 22 Apr 1944  Kptlt. Joachim Zander
Career
2 patrols
23 Mar 1943-30 Nov 1943  8. Flottille (training)
1 Dec 1943-22 Apr 1944  1. Flottille (active service)
Successes1 ship sunk, total tonnage 10,342 GRT
Fate

Sunk on 22 April 1944 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 52.09N, 19.07W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS Matane and HMCS Swansea. 51 dead (all hands lost). (FDS/NHB, April 1986).

Loss position

See the 1 ships hit by U-311 - View the 2 war patrols

Previously recorded fate

  • Sunk 24 April, 1944 southwest of Ireland, in position 50.36N, 18.36W, by depth charges from a Canadian Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn. 423/A). (Postwar assessment)
    Notes. This attack was in fact against U-672 inflicting severe damages.

Wolfpack operations

U-311 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Coronel (7 Dec 1943 - 8 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 1 (8 Dec 1943 - 14 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 2 (14 Dec 1943 - 17 Dec 1943)
   Amrum (18 Dec 1943 - 23 Dec 1943)
   Rügen 5 (23 Dec 1943 - 2 Jan 1944)
   Rügen 4 (2 Jan 1944 - 7 Jan 1944)
   Rügen (7 Jan 1944 - 19 Jan 1944)
   Preussen (19 Mar 1944 - 22 Mar 1944)

Attacks on this boat and other events

12 May 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British B-17 Flying Fortress (RAF Sqdn 206)

12 Mar 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down: British Halifax HX225 (RAF Sqdn 58/L)

01.20 hrs, Bay of Biscay, outbound: U-311 shot down the Halifax (misidentified as a Flying Fortress) after being strafed and depth charged. The crew of eight were all lost.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

19 Mar 1944
Despite being hunted for hours by the escorts of the large tanker convoy CU 17, U-311 penetrated the defences and sank the large US steam tanker Seakay in the Atlantic west of Lands End, eluding the escorts afterwards. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 506)

3 recorded attacks on this boat.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-311 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

U-boat Emblems

We have 1 emblem entry for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.


Fish surfacing

Media links


German U-Boat Losses During World War II

Niestle, Axel


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

Wynn, Kenneth


Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II

Blair, Clay


HMCS Swansea

McKee, Fraser M.




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