Unterseeboot 262
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-262 was a Type VIIC 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 It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine.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.
The submarine was laid down on 29 May 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan
Bremer Vulkan AG was a great German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement....
yard at Bremen-Vegesack
Bremen-Vegesack
-Geography:Vegesack is located at the mouth of the river Lesum, beside the Weser River . Abutting the district of Vegesack to the northwest is the district of Blumenthal, in the southeast the district of Burglesum...
, launched on 10 March 1942, and commissioned on 15 April 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Schiebusch.
1st and 2nd patrols
U-262s first two patrols took her from KielKiel
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...
to Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
via Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in late September/early November 1942.
3rd patrol
The U-boat sailed from Narvik on 5 November 1942, now under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinz FrankeHeinz Franke
Heinz Franke was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, and headed out to the waters east of Newfoundland.
On 18 November, as part of wolf pack Kreuzotter, she attacked the Convoy ONS-144
ON convoys
The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:...
firing a spread of three torpedoes, one of which hit the Norwegian Flower class corvette
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
, fatally damaging the vessel. The commander ordered the crew to abandon ship, and U-262 hit her with another torpedo, breaking the ship in two.
On 26 November, she sank the 7,178 ton British cargo ship Ocean Crusader, a straggler from Convoy HX-216
HX convoys
The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...
. U-262 arrived at her new home port of La Pallice on 9 December 1942.
4th patrol
The U-boat departed La Pallice on 16 January 1943 for a patrol out into the mid-Atlantic. On 6 February she fired five torpedoes at a tanker and a steamer, sinking the 2,864 ton Polish cargo ship Zagloba, a straggler of Convoy SC 118Convoy SC 118
Convoy SC-118 was the 118th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool.-Prelude:...
. U-262 returned to La Pallice on 15 February.
5th patrol
U-262 sailed again on 27 March 1943 and headed across the Atlantic to Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
to pick up German POW's
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
that were to escape from their camp (Operation Elster). On 15 April, while shadowing Convoy HX-233, the U-boat was attacked by depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s and gunfire by the convoy escorts, forcing her to break off the attack. The U-boat then completed her mission, but no escaped POWs showed up at the rendezvous. She returned to La Pallice on 25 May.
6th patrol
U-262 left La Pallice once again on 24 July 1943, commanded by the newly-promotedKapitänleutnant Heinz Franke
Heinz Franke
Heinz Franke was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, and headed across the Atlantic. On 8 August U-262 was waiting to refuel from while was being supplied, when an Avenger
TBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
/Wildcat
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
team from the carrier located the boats and attacked U-262. When attempting to drop depth charges the Avenger was hit by flak, and caught fire, but managed to drop two charges severely damaging U-262, before ditching into the sea. The Wildcat was also shot down by U-262 during a strafing run. The damage received forced the U-boat to abort her patrol, and she returned home on 2 September.
7th patrol
The U-boat sailed on 14 October 1943 for the waters north-east of the AzoresAzores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. There she was involved in attacks on three Allied convoys.
On 31 October during the attack on Convoy SL 138/MKS 28
Convoy SL 138/MKS 28
Convoys SL 138/MKS 28 were two Allied convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.SL 138 was part of the of the OS/SL series, between Britain and the South Atlantic, and MKS 28 one of the KMS/MKS series between Britain and the Mediterranean.They were sailing together on the...
, she sank the Norwegian 2,968 ton merchant ship Hallfried,. Francke's actions in this patrol were marked by efficient shadowing and determined attacks, for which awarded the Knights Cross.
U-262 returned to La Pallice on 7 December.
8th and 9th patrol
Under a new commander, Oblt. Helmut Wieduwilt, on 3 February 1944 U-262 sailed for the waters south-west of IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, but had no success, returning home on 29 April after 87 days at sea. U-262s next patrol was similarly uneventful, lasting only 10 days from 6–15 June. She returned to La Pallice to be fitted with Schnorchel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
underwater-breathing apparatus.
10th patrol
After an air raid killed three and wounded one of her crew, the U-boat sailed from La Pallice on23 August 1944, and sailed north to the waters south of Iceland, before heading east and south through the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
to Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, arriving on 5 November.
Damage and disposal
While at GotenhafenGdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
in December 1944 the U-boat was again damaged by bombing. Struck from the active list at Kiel on 2 April 1945, she was broken up in 1947.
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats