Events on this day
20 April
This is a run-down from several databases on our site. It's meant to give a clear picture of events on this date, all year round.
U-boat Shipyard report
| Ordered (0) | Laid down (4) | Launched (4) | Commissioned (2) |
| No U-boat orders on this date | 1940: U-68 1942: U-963, U-964 1943: U-930 | 1940: U-121 1942: U-338 1944: U-1057, U-1105 | 1940: U-120 1944: U-1172 |
| These are commissioned boats. For more see our Shipyard pages. | |||
Allied Ships hit on this date
| U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Country | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | |||||||
| U-73 | Rosenbaum |  | Empire Endurance | 8,570 |  br | ||
| U-73 | Rosenbaum | HMS ML-1003 | 46 | br | |||
| U-73 | Rosenbaum | HMS ML-1037 | 46 | br | |||
| 1942 | |||||||
| U-109 | Bleichrodt | | Harpagon | 5,719 | br | ||
| U-154 | Kölle | | Vineland | 5,587 |  ca | ||
| U-572 | Hirsacker | Empire Dryden | 7,164 | br | |||
| U-654 | Forster | | Agra | 4,569 |  sw | ||
| U-654 | Forster | | Steel Maker | 6,176 |  am | ||
| 1943 | |||||||
| U-565 | Franken | | Michigan | 5,594 | am | UGS-7 | |
| U-565 | Franken | | Sidi-Bel-Abbès | 4,392 |  fr | UGS-7 | |
| 1945 | |||||||
| U-218 [Mine] | Stock | Ethel Crawford | 200 | br | |||
| 48,063 | |||||||
| * Unless otherwise noted the ships listed here were sunk. (d) = damaged See all Allied ships hit by U-boats during WWII. | |||||||
Attacks on this day
1944
U-970. U-970 was attacked in the Bay of Biscay. Damage minor.
U-boats lost
No U-boats were lost on this date, 20 April.
- For more information on U-boat losses check out our Fates section.
U-boat Men Lost or Wounded
There were no men lost from U-boats on this date, 20 April.
- For more information on Men lost from U-boats check out this page.
Personnel Information
The following men were born on this day:
Karl-Heinrich Jenisch (1910), Johann-Friedrich Loos (1921), Wolfgang Schreiner (1917), Joachim Zander (1917).
The following men died on this day:
Rudolf Baltz (2008), Leopold Koch (1945), Gerhard Nolte (1945).
See the entire U-boat commander listing showing all U-boat commanders.
We might include more officers (Allied and Axis) at a later date.
U-boat departures and arrivals on 20 April
This section shows the U-boat departures and arrivals from bases on this day of the year. Current country names shown with harbour names. Boats entering port display days at sea during that patrol.
1940
U-boats entering base:
To Kiel, Germany: U-21 (5 days), U-48 (18 days)
1941
Sailed:
From Kiel, Germany: U-138
1942
Sailed:
From Kristiansand: U-251
From Pola: U-573
From St. Nazaire, France: U-593
U-boats entering base:
To Bergen, Norway: U-209 (14 days)
To Kiel, Germany: U-563 (2 days)
To Kirkenes U-376 (14 days), U-378 (14 days), U-436 (14 days), U-454 (13 days), U-456 (14 days), U-589 (13 days)
To La Pallice U-71 (57 days)
1943
Sailed:
From Bordeaux, France: U-459
From Brest, France: U-218
From La Pallice: U-638 (lost 16 days later)
From Narvik, Norway: U-212
From St. Nazaire, France: U-461
U-boats entering base:
To Bergen, Norway: U-636 (4 days)
To La Pallice U-615 (62 days)
To Trondheim, Norway: U-302 (3 days)
1944
Sailed:
From Kiel, Germany: U-742, U-853, U-861
From La Pallice: U-198 (lost 115 days later)
From Narvik, Norway: U-387
U-boats entering base:
To La Pallice U-333 (67 days)
1945
Sailed:
From Kiel, Germany: U-991
U-boats entering base:
To Bergen, Norway: U-2511 (4 days)
To Horten, Norway: U-287 (6 days), U-539 (8 days), U-977 (8 days), U-1231 (8 days)
To Kristiansand U-1165 (3 days)
To Narvik, Norway: U-427 (12 days)
To Trondheim, Norway: U-978 (55 days)
U-boats at sea on 20 April
Boats entering port on this day are not counted, but boats departing for patrol are. (+) indicates the boat was lost during this patrol.
1940
U-7, U-9, U-10, U-14, U-17, U-19, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-26, U-30, U-34, U-38, U-43, U-46, U-47, U-51, U-52, U-56, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-61, U-62, U-65.
26 boats at sea.
1941
U-38, U-52, U-65 (+), U-73, U-75, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110 (+), U-123, U-124, U-143, U-147, U-552, U-553, UA.
21 boats at sea.
1942
U-66, U-69, U-81, U-83, U-84, U-86, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-106, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-130, U-136, U-154, U-160, U-162, U-201, U-202, U-203, U-251, U-333, U-352 (+), U-402, U-403, U-435, U-453, U-455, U-459, U-505, U-506, U-507, U-552, U-553, U-558, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, U-566, U-571, U-572, U-573, U-575, U-576, U-582, U-588, U-592, U-593, U-594, U-654, U-751, U-752, U-754, UA.
57 boats at sea.
1943
U-9, U-19, U-68, U-71, U-84, U-92, U-97, U-105 (+), U-108, U-117, U-123, U-125 (+), U-126 (+), U-128 (+), U-129, U-134, U-154, U-155, U-159, U-160, U-161, U-168, U-174 (+), U-176 (+), U-177, U-178, U-180, U-181, U-182 (+), U-183, U-185, U-186 (+), U-188, U-189 (+), U-191 (+), U-192 (+), U-195, U-196, U-197 (+), U-198, U-203 (+), U-209 (+), U-212, U-217 (+), U-218, U-223, U-226, U-231, U-251, U-255, U-257, U-258 (+), U-260, U-262, U-264, U-266 (+), U-267, U-269, U-270, U-306, U-358, U-359, U-371, U-377, U-378, U-381 (+), U-382, U-383, U-386, U-403, U-404, U-413, U-415, U-438 (+), U-448, U-453, U-454, U-455, U-459, U-461, U-462, U-466, U-467, U-468, U-487, U-506, U-509, U-514, U-515, U-516, U-518, U-525, U-528 (+), U-530, U-531 (+), U-532, U-533, U-552, U-565, U-569 (+), U-571, U-584, U-586, U-593, U-598, U-601, U-610, U-613, U-614, U-616, U-618, U-628, U-629, U-630 (+), U-631, U-634, U-638 (+), U-639, U-646, U-648, U-650, U-662, U-703, U-706, U-707, U-709, U-710 (+), U-711, U-732, U-954 (+).
130 boats at sea.
1944
U-18, U-19, U-23, U-66 (+), U-92, U-123, U-129, U-154, U-155, U-170, U-178, U-181, U-188, U-190, U-196, U-198 (+), U-214, U-218, U-230, U-262, U-267, U-276, U-277 (+), U-289, U-307, U-311 (+), U-315, U-354, U-361, U-365, U-385, U-387, U-407, U-488 (+), U-505, U-518, U-537, U-541, U-543 (+), U-546, U-548, U-552, U-565, U-596, U-636, U-667, U-672, U-674 (+), U-703, U-731 (+), U-736, U-739, U-740, U-741, U-765 (+), U-802, U-843, U-852 (+), U-859 (+), U-860 (+), U-861, U-955 (+), U-967, U-969, U-970, U-993, U-1060, U-1061, U-1222 (+).
69 boats at sea.
1945
U-190, U-218, U-234, U-244, U-245, U-249, U-278, U-286 (+), U-293, U-294, U-295, U-307 (+), U-312, U-313, U-315, U-320, U-325 (+), U-326 (+), U-363, U-481, U-485, U-510, U-516, U-518 (+), U-530, U-532, U-541, U-546 (+), U-636 (+), U-711, U-739, U-776, U-805, U-825, U-826, U-853 (+), U-857 (+), U-858, U-873, U-879 (+), U-881 (+), U-889, U-901, U-956, U-979 (+), U-997, U-1009, U-1010, U-1017 (+), U-1023, U-1055 (+), U-1105, U-1107 (+), U-1109, U-1163, U-1202, U-1228, U-1305, U-2322, U-2324, U-2326, U-2329.
62 boats at sea.
General Events on 20 April
1940
U-9 fired torpedoes at the Polish destroyer ORP Blyskawica, which missed.
1945
The following A.P. report was released to the newswires: The Elbe front took on the flavor of naval warfare for a while today. When British tanks drove up to the Elbe, a German submarine in the river opened fire.
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