German submarine U-199 was a Type IXD2 U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

 of the German

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

 Kriegsmarine

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. U-199 was sunk off the Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian coast in 1943 by a combination of attacks by Brazilian and American planes.

The submarine was laid down on 10 October 1941 at the AG Weser

AG Weser

Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...

 yard at Bremen

Bremen

The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

, launched on 11 July 1942, and commissioned on 28 November 1942. After training with 4th U-boat Flotilla at Stettin

Szczecin

Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....

, U-199 was transferred to 12th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service from 1 May 1943.

U-199 was commanded by Ritterkreuz

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 owner Kapitänleutnant  Hans-Werner Kraus

Hans-Werner Kraus

Hans-Werner Kraus was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Kraus served as 1st watch officer on from January 1940 until November 1940 having replaced Engelbert Endrass. He later commanded and...

, who had previously successfully commanded and .

Service history

U-199 was sailed from Kiel

Kiel

Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...

 on 13 May 1943 on her first and only operational patrol, crossing the Equator on 10 July, to target ships in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South America. Operating off the Brazilian coast, U-199 torpedoed and damaged the Brazilian armed merchant ship Bury, which returned fire and managed to escape. After a few days, the submarine was spotted on the surface by the small fishing boat Changri-Lá. The Brazilian boat was sunk with the loss of all hands by cannon fire. On 25 July U-199 had her first and only significant success, sinking the British merchant ship Henzada.

On 31 July U-199 was found on the surface, off Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil, in position 23°54′S 42°54′W, by two Brazilian aircraft, a PBY Catalina

PBY Catalina

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...

 and a Lockheed Hudson

Lockheed Hudson

The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...

, and an American PBM Mariner

PBM Mariner

The Martin PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. A total of 1,366 were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.-Design and...

. The Brazilian Catalina, codenamed Ärará, hit U-199 with depth charges, sinking her. The pilot of the Catalina was 2º Ten.-Av. (2nd Lt.) Alberto M. Torres. Forty-nine of the crew were killed, though twelve Germans managed to escape, including the captain. This was possible due to the Catalina’s crew, who threw a lifeboat to the survivors. They were rescued by the and taken to Brazil, and then on to captivity in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.