German submarine U-338
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-338 |
Ordered | 21 November 1940 |
Builder | Nordseewerke, Emden |
Yard number | 210 |
Laid down | 4 April 1941 |
Launched | 20 April 1942 |
Commissioned | 25 June 1942 |
Nickname(s) | Wildesel ("Wild Donkey") |
Fate | Sunk on 20 September 1943[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[2][3] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 06 256 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-338 was a
Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).
Service history
U-338 was nicknamed Wildesel ("Wild Donkey") after an incident on the day of its launch, when the U-boat broke free from its moorings and struck a small tug boat, sinking it.
First patrol
U-338 sailed from Kiel on 23 February 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Manfred Kinzel, and out into the north Atlantic where she joined the wolfpack 'Stürmer' on 11 March for an attack on Convoy SC 122.[5] On 17 March at 03:05, U-338 fired two torpedoes at the convoy southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland and hit and sank two British merchant ships; the 4,898 GRT Kingsbury,[6] and the 5,072 GRT King Gruffydd.[7] After a minute, two more torpedoes were fired, one of which struck the 7,886 GRT Dutch merchantman Alderamin, which later sank.[8] A single torpedo was then fired from the stern tube aimed at the Alderamin, but it missed and struck the 7,134 GRT British merchant ship Fort Cedar Lake. The ship, badly damaged, fell behind the convoy and was sunk by U-665 around noon.[9] U-338 attacked the convoy again at 14:52 with another salvo of torpedoes, one of which hit the 4,071 GRT Panama-registered American ship Granville, which broke in two amidships and sank within 15 minutes.[10]
On 22 March 1943, U-338 was in the Bay of Biscay, heading for its new home port of Saint-Nazaire in France, when it was attacked by a British Halifax bomber from No. 502 Squadron RAF. Anti-aircraft fire from the submarine hit the starboard outer engine and fuselage of the aircraft, causing its bombs to fall wide and cause only slight damage to the U-boat. The aircraft was seen to crash into the sea some distance away, killing all but one of the eight-man crew, who was picked up by U-338 and taken prisoner.[2] Two days later, on 24 March, the U-boat arrived at St. Nazaire.[3]
Second patrol
U-338 sailed from St. Nazaire on 15 June 1943, but the patrol was cut short when she was attacked on the 17th by a
Third patrol and loss
U-338 sailed from St. Nazaire again on 25 August 1943 into the mid-Atlantic, joining the wolfpack '
Previously recorded fate
U-338 was originally thought to have been sunk on 20 September 1943 southwest of Iceland at position 57°40′N 29°48′W / 57.667°N 29.800°W by a homing torpedo from a British B-24 Liberator of Squadron 120/F. This attack was actually against U-386, inflicting no damage.[citation needed]
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[14] |
---|---|---|---|---|
17 March 1943 | Alderamin | Netherlands | 7,886 | Sunk |
17 March 1943 | Fort Cedar Lake | United Kingdom | 7,134 | Damaged |
17 March 1943 | Granville | Panama | 4,071 | Sunk |
17 March 1943 | King Gruffydd | United Kingdom | 5,072 | Sunk |
17 March 1943 | Kingsbury | United Kingdom | 4,898 | Sunk |
References
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 146.
- ^ a b c d e Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC U-boat U-338". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-338". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-338 from 23 February 1943 to 24 March 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Kingsbury". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "King Gruffydd". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Alderamin". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Fort Cedar Lake". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Granville". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-338 from 15 Jun 1943 to 21 Jun 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-338 from 25 Aug 1943 to 20 Sep 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 : U-338" (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-338". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-338". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 338". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.