Statistics

 

This page provides significant statistical date relevant to the U-Boat service and will be regularly added to.

There are many statistics available, some of which are given here, which amply illustrate the sacrifices and achievements of the men of the U-Boot Waffe. One statistic however, more than any other, serves to bring home the sheer scale of the sacrifices made by Dönitz's "Grey Wolves"

Of the 40,000 men who went to sea in U-Boats of the Kriegsmarine during World War Two- 30,000 lost their lives!

 

"Those who did not share our hardships will never know the strength of the bonds which tie us together" Kurt Baberg

"The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril"

Winston S Churchill

 

Sinkings of Allied shipping by German U-Boats

 

1939 -----------------------------------------0.8 million tons

1940 -----------------------------------------4.4 million tons

1941 -----------------------------------------4.4 million tons

1942------------------------------------------8.3 million tons

1943------------------------------------------3.6 million tons

1944------------------------------------------1.4 million tons

1945------------------------------------------0.5 million tons

 

 

Sinkings of German U-Boats by allied ships/aircraft.

 

1939--------------------------------------------9 boats lost

1940--------------------------------------------22 boats lost

1941--------------------------------------------35 boats lost

1942--------------------------------------------85 boats lost

1943--------------------------------------------287 boats lost

1944--------------------------------------------241 boats lost

1945--------------------------------------------153 boats lost

 

Knights Cross Awards to U-Boat personnel compared to other Naval Recipients

 

....................................................Knights Cross .....Oakleaves..........Swords.......Diamonds

Naval Command .............................18..........................3

Battleships/Cruisers........................44..........................5

Destroyers/Torpedo Boats.............44..........................9

U-Boats............................................145......................28....................5.........................2

Minesweepers/Escorts....................37..........................4

Coastal Security................................9 ..........................1

Coastal Artillery.................................14.........................3

Merchant Navy....................................1

The Most Successful U-Boat Aces

 

Kapitänleutnant Lothar Arnauld de la Perriere (Kaiserliche Marine) ...........453,700 tons

Kapitänleutnant Walther Forstmann (Kaiserliche Marine)............................384,300 tons

Kapitänleutnant Max Valentiner (Kaiserliche Marine)...................................299,300 tons

Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer (Kriegsmarine).......................................263,300 tons

Kapitänleutnant Otto Steinbrink (Kaiserliche Marine)....................................231,614 tons

Korvettenkapitän Wolfgang Lüth (Kriegsmarine)...........................................228,400 tons

Korvettenkapitän Hans Rose (Kaiserliche Marine).......................................213,900 tons

Fregattenkapitän Victor Schutze (Kriegsmarine)..........................................212,000 tons

Korvettenkapitän Erich Topp (Kriegsmarine)................................................184,200 tons

Kapitänleutnant Walther von Schwieger (Kaiserliche Marine).....................183,800 tons

 

 

The most successful U-Boats

 

U-35 (Kaiserliche Marine)................................................................................535,900 tons

U-39 (Kaiserliche Marine)................................................................................398,500 tons

U-48 (Kriegsmarine)..........................................................................................318,100 tons

U-38 (Kaiserliche Marine)................................................................................292,200 tons

U-34 (Kaiserliche Marine)................................................................................258,900 tons

U-99 (Kriegsmarine).........................................................................................244,600 tons

U-103 (Kriegsmarine).......................................................................................231,100 tons

U-124 (Kriegsmarine).......................................................................................218,200 tons

U-107 (Kriegsmarine).......................................................................................217,700 tons

U-53 (Kaiserliche Marine)................................................................................217,500 tons