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Crisis in the Pacific
The Battles for the Philippine Islands by the Men Who Fought Them
Astor, Gerald
Allied Warships
Check out our new extensive section on all the Allied Warships during WWII in all theatres of the war.Over 21,000 ships
1941
U-boats that made it into the Mediterranean
During 1941 32 U-boats were sent towards the Straits of Gibraltar in an attempt to enter the Mediterranean. 27 of those managed to complete their passage while 2 were sunk at Gibraltar and 4 more sustained damage and had to return to their French bases.
At the end of 1941 Germany had managed to get 26 U-boats in the Mediterranean. Also, at that time they had 21 U-boat in various stages of operations as 5 (U-75, U-79, U-95, U-433 and U-557) had already been sunk, U-95 and U-433 both within a week after arrival into the region.
| U-boat | Entry date | Notes | Date of loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-371 | 21 Sep 1941 | 4 May 1944 | |
| U-97 | 26 Sep 1941 | 16 Jun 1943 | |
| U-559 | 26 Sep 1941 | 30 Oct 1942 | |
| U-331 | 29 Sep 1941 | 17 Nov 1942 | |
| U-75 | 3 Oct 1941 | 28 Dec 1941 | |
| U-79 | 5 Oct 1941 | 23 Dec 1941 | |
| U-205 | 11 Nov 1941 | 17 Feb 1943 | |
| U-81 | 12 Nov 1941 | 9 Jan 1944 | |
| U-433 | 15 Nov 1941 | 16 Nov 1941 | |
| U-565 | 16 Nov 1941 | 24 Sep 1944 | |
| U-431 | 24 Nov 1941 | 21 Oct 1943 | |
| U-95 | 26 Nov 1941 | 28 Nov 1941 | |
| U-557 | 26 Nov 1941 | 16 Dec 1941 | |
| U-562 | 27 Nov 1941 | 19 Feb 1943 | |
| U-652 | 28 Nov 1941 | 2 Jun 1942 | |
| U-96 | 1 Dec 1941 | Severely damaged in passage, retured to France. | |
| U-558 | 2 Dec 1941 | Damaged during passage, retured to France. | |
| U-208 | 7 Dec 1941 | Sunk while attempting passage | |
| U-372 | 9 Dec 1941 | 4 Aug 1942 | |
| U-375 | 9 Dec 1941 | 25 Jul 1943 | |
| U-453 | 9 Dec 1941 | 21 May 1944 | |
| U-568 | 10 Dec 1941 | 28 May 1942 | |
| U-374 | 11 Dec 1941 | 12 Jan 1942 | |
| U-74 | 16 Dec 1941 | 2 May 1942 | |
| U-77 | 16 Dec 1941 | 29 Mar 1943 | |
| U-432 | 17 Dec 1941 | Damaged while in passage, aborted. | |
| U-83 | 18 Dec 1941 | 4 Mar 1943 | |
| U-573 | 20 Dec 1941 | 2 May 1942 | |
| U-202 | 21 Dec 1941 | Damaged while in passage, aborted. | |
| U-451 | 21 Dec 1941 | Sunk while attempting passage. | |
| U-133 | 23 Dec 1941 | 14 Mar 1942 | |
| U-577 | 23 Dec 1941 | 15 Jan 1942 |
U-boats lost in the Mediterranean in 1941
U-75. Type VIIB. Launched on 18 Oct 1940 and commissioned on 19 Dec 1940.
Sunk on 28 December 1941 in the Mediterranean north-west of Mersa Matruh, in position 31.50N, 26.40E, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Kipling.
-Arrival in Mediterrananean: 3 Oct 1941. Days in the Mediterranean: 86.
U-79. Type VIIC. Launched on 25 Jan 1941 and commissioned on 13 Mar 1941.
Sunk on 23 December 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea north of Sollum, in position 32.15N, 25.19E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Hasty and HMS Hotspur.
-Arrival in Mediterrananean: 5 Oct 1941. Days in the Mediterranean: 79.
U-95. Type VIIC. Launched on 18 Jul 1940 and commissioned on 31 Aug 1940.
Sunk on 28 November 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea south-west of Almeria, in position 36.24N, 03.20W, by a torpedo from the Dutch submarine HrMs O 21.
-Arrival in Mediterrananean: 26 Nov 1941. Days in the Mediterranean: 2.
U-433. Type VIIC. Launched on 15 Mar 1941 and commissioned on 24 May 1941.
Sunk at 2155hrs on 16 November 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea east of Gibraltar, in position 36.13N, 04.42W, by depth charges and gunfire from the British corvette HMS Marigold.
-Arrival in Mediterrananean: 15 Nov 1941. Days in the Mediterranean: 1.
U-557. Type VIIC. Launched on 22 Dec 1940 and commissioned on 13 Feb 1941.
Sank on 16 December 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea west of Crete, in position 35.31N, 23.19E, after erroneous ramming by the Italian torpedo boat Orione.
-Arrival in Mediterrananean: 26 Nov 1941. Days in the Mediterranean: 20.
5 U-boats lost in the Mediterranean in 1941.