1 submarine sunk 1 merchant sunk 3-7 other vessels sunk by mines, 2 damaged
16 submarines sunk
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1941 was launched by the Soviet Navy at the early stage of Operation Barbarossa. The offensive was hampered by the quick German ground advance and the retreat of Soviet naval vessels from the main Baltic harbors.
At the beginning of the conflict the Soviet Navy operated a formidable force on paper, consisting of 75 submarines. However, only 35 submarines were operational: 15 of them were located in the Latvian port of Liepāja and were ordered to retreat to Tallinn due to the rapid German ground advance. During this redeployment the submarine S-3 was intercepted and sunk in surface action by German S-boats. Another 5 submarines were scuttled in the harbor, including the two former Latvian Ronis-class submarines. At the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German Navy at first operated only a relatively small force of vessels including five submarines; (U-140, U-142, U-144, U-145 and U-149); engaging the Soviet ones in anti-submarine hunts.[1]
Engagements
On 23 June, German submarine U-144 torpedoed and sunk Soviet submarine M-78 off Liepāja.[2]
On 27 June, German submarine U-149 torpedoed and sunk Soviet submarine M-99 east of Dagö Island.[3]
On 28 June, Soviet submarine S-10 was lost, most likely mined in the Irben Straits.[4]
On 1 July, Soviet submarine M-81 was lost, mined off Vormsi, Estonia.[5]
On 21 July, German submarine U-140 torpedoed and sunk Soviet submarine M-94.[6]
On 2 August, Soviet submarine S-11 hit a mine and sank off Hiiumaa Island, Estonia. 3 crewmembers managed to survive, coming out from the wreck and swimming to surface (boat was at 11 metres of depth).[7]
On 6 August, Soviet submarine S-6 went missing: wreck discovered in Swedish waters off Öland in 2012, loss due to mine.[8]
On 28 September, Soviet submarine ShCh-319 was possibly the boat responsible for a failed torpedo attack reported on German cruiser Leipzig off Sworbe.[12]
On 23 September, Soviet submarine M-74 sunk by German aircraft in Kronstadt. Raised in 1942 but deemed not worth repairing.[13]
after 29 September, Soviet submarine ShCh-319 was lost by unknown reason but most likely mined.[14]
On 11 October, Soviet submarine ShCh-322 was likely lost due mines.[15]
On 13 October, Soviet submarine ShCh-323 attempted to attack the German cruiser Koln, escorted by torpedo boats off Estonia, but she is spotted and the attack is broken off.[16]
On 16 October, Soviet submarine ShCh-323 torpedoed and sunk German merchant "Baltenland" (3724 GRT) off the Swedish coast. It was the only merchant vessel directly sunk with torpedo by Soviet submarines in the Baltic during this campaign.[17][18]
On 5 November, last communication from Soviet submarine ShCh-324, most likely sunk by mines near Tallinn.[19]
On 14 or 15 November, Soviet submarine M-98 sunk by mine in the Gulf of Finland.[20]
Minelaying Operations
Apart from the early loss of submarine L-2 before she could lay the intended minefield in enemy waters, and the decommissioning of L-1 in August 1941, all the available Soviet submarines with minelaying capabilities were actively engaged. Due to the German defensive and offensive minelaying and subsequent British aerial mining, the success scored can't be confirmed.
On 27 June, Submarine L-3 laid mines off Memel.[21] These mines hit the following ships:
On 1 October, former Latvian merchant Kaija (1876 GRT), sunk.
On 19 November, merchant Henny (764 GRT), sunk.
On 22 November, Swedish tanker Uno (430 GRT), sunk. It is also possible she sunk on German defensive barrage.
On 26 November, German merchant Engerau (1142 GRT), sunk.
Submarine L-3 laid another field on 19 July, off Brusterort, but it was unsuccessful.
Frauenburg by A. J. Jansen
On 12 August, Submarine Kalev laid mines off Uzava, Latvia.[22] It is possible that on this field were lost:
On 26 September, German tender Mosel I (796 GRT), sunk.
On 7 November, German merchant Frauenburg (2111 GRT), sunk.
On 17 August, Submarine Lembit laid mines west of Bornholm.[23] On 1942 these mines hit the following ships:
On 26 February 1942, Swedish ferry Starke (2459 GRT), damaged.
On 30 May 1942, German merchant Orkan (1905 GRT), sunk. More likely aerial-dropped RAF mine.
On 13 July 1942, German merchant Kathe O (1854 GRT), damaged.
Submarine Lembit laid another minefield on 5 November, in the Bjork Sound. Some Finnish ships were later damaged in the area, but Soviet mines were probably not responsible.
On early November, was likely lost the Soviet submarine Kalev off Hanko, due mines.[24]
On 14 November, Soviet submarine L-2 struck three different mines before sinking off Keri island. 3 survivors. The boat was departing to lay mines in Danzig Bay.[25]
Outcome
In the end, the Soviet offensive submarine operations in 1941 failed to achieve a significant success (like other naval operations) apparently due to early poor command and organization, in addition to losses due to mines:[26] the rapid ground advance of the Germans surprised the Soviets and further hampered naval operations with the loss of harbors.[27]
Another problem for Soviet submarines was operating in shallow waters, making little room for depth maneuvers in addition to the risk of mines and air attack.[28] The German ground advance forced all the Soviet vessels operating from Tallinn to retreat as part of the bloody Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, among the vessels lost there were the submarines S-5 and ShCh-301.
German submarine U-31 was a Type VIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 1 March 1936 as yard number 912, launched on 25 September and commissioned on 28 December 1936.
German submarine U-481 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 6 February 1943 at the Deutsche Werke yard in Kiel, launched on 25 September 1943, and commissioned on 10 November 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Ewald Pick.
German submarine U-625 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 July 1941 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg, launched on 15 April 1942, and commissioned on 4 June 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans Benker.
German submarine U-255 was a Type VIIC U-boat that served in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 December 1940 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 8 October 1941 and commissioned on 29 November 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Reinhart Reche.
German submarine U-30 was a Type VIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served during World War II. She was ordered in April 1935 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, which prevented the construction and commissioning of any U-boats for the German navy, and as part of the German naval rearmament program known as Plan Z. She sank the liner SS Athenia (1922) on 3 September 1939, under the command of Fritz-Julius Lemp. She was retired from front-line service in September 1940 after undertaking eight war patrols, having sunk 17 vessels and damaging two others. U-30 then served in a training role until the end of the war when she was scuttled. She was later raised and broken up for scrap in 1948.
The Kalev class consisted of two mine laying submarines built for the Estonian Navy.
EML Lembit is one of two Kalev-class mine-laying submarines built for the Republic of Estonia before World War II, and is now a museum ship in Tallinn. She was launched in 1936 at Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness, and served in the Estonian Navy and the Soviet Navy. Until she was hauled out on 21 May 2011, Lembit was the oldest submarine still afloat in the world. Her sister ship, Kalev, was sunk in October 1941. Lembit is named for Lembitu, an Estonian ruler who resisted the Livonian Crusades.
German submarine U-214, was a Type VIID mine-laying U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The Black Sea Campaigns were the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces.
German submarine U-203 was a German Type VIIC submarine U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.
German submarine U-242 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1941 primarily involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and Bulgarian warships. These engagements were a part of the naval Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
The Soviet Navy launched the Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1942 to harass the strategic iron-ore traffic from neutral Sweden to Nazi Germany during World War II. The Soviet Union and the German Reich fought each other on the Eastern Front (1941-1945) during the war. The Allies also launched other operations - especially involving the Royal Navy - against the traffic.
The Gulf of Finland U-boat campaign lasted in the Gulf of Finland during the World War II against the Soviet Union between summer 1944 and spring 1945. During the campaign Finland switched sides and joined the Allies.
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1943 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass the strategic iron ore traffic from neutral Sweden to Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during the WWII. Other operations were launched by Allies, especially by the Royal Navy. The offensive was a repetition of the previous campaign in 1942 but resulted in a failed outcome.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1942 involved engagements between primarily submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and German naval warships. These engagements were a part of the Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1943 involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and German naval warships, as well as and German U-boats attacking Soviet merchants on the eastern Black Sea. These engagements were a part of the Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1944 involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen, defended by Romanian and German naval warships, as well as German U-boats and Romanian submarines attacking Soviet merchants on the eastern Black Sea. Before the conclusion of the campaign, Romania joined the Allies after King Michael's Coup. These engagements were a part of the naval Black Sea campaigns.
The Soviet submarine Baltic Sea campaign in 1944 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass enemy shipping and naval military assets of the Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during World War II.
The Soviet naval Baltic Sea campaign in 1945 was launched by the Soviet Navy to harass enemy shipping and naval military assets of Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front during World War II. Both submarines and surface units of the Soviet Navy were employed. The campaign scored successes during Operation Hannibal.
References
↑ Poul Grooss (2017). The Naval War in the Baltic 1939 -1945.
↑ Donald A Bertke,Don Kindell,Gordon Smith (2012). World War II Sea War, Vol 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies. p.311.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Captain John F. O'Connell (2011). Submarine Operational Effectiveness in the 20th Century: Part Two (1939 - 1945). p.188.
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