German submarine U-439
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-439 |
| Ordered | 5 January 1940 |
| Builder | Danzig |
| Yard number | 1490 |
| Laid down | 1 October 1940 |
| Launched | 11 October 1941 |
| Commissioned | 20 December 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk on 4 May 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 43°32′N 13°20′W / 43.533°N 13.333°W after colliding with U-659 . |
| 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[1] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 47 968 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-439 was a
.She carried out four patrols. She sank no ships.
She was a member of six wolfpacks.
She was sunk after a collision with another U-boat on 4 May 1943.
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
The submarine was
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 20 December 1941 for training and the 1st flotilla from 1 November 1942 for operations.
First patrol
U-439's first patrol was from
Second and third patrols
For her second sortie, she barely got out of the Bay of Biscay.
Her third foray took her into the middle of the North Atlantic.
Fourth patrol and loss
Having left Brest on 27 April 1943, she, along with U-659, were both shadowing a southbound convoy on 4 May in preparation for an attack on the surface when the two U-boats collided. Both boats sank.[3]
Forty men went down with U-439; there were nine survivors.[4][1]
Wolfpacks
U-439 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:
- Panzer (23 November – 11 December 1942)
- Raufbold (11 – 15 December 1942)
- Neuland (4 – 6 March 1943)
- Ostmark (6 – 11 March 1943)
- Stürmer(11 – 19 March 1943)
- Drossel (29 April – 4 May 1943)
References
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-439". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ISBN 9781861762900, p. 136.
- ^ Kemp 1999, pp. 112–113.
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). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs – The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. p. 189. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- 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-439". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
