The REAL U-52!

The following pages account for all the research I have been doing on this specific boat, this is may not have every bit of information available out there but I certainly want to make this page the best and most informative source about this boat, enjoy!

Picture of the U-52 in its pre-war period with the other original Type VIIb U-boats in its class. You can clearly see the boat with its large "52" number marking on the conning-tower, along side the U-52 are the U-47 and the U-51.

Before starting, here are some quick stats on the boat:

Boat Name:

U-52

U-boat Type:

Type VIIb ocean-going attack U-boat

Nationality:

Germany

Era

WWII

Boat dimensions (all Type VIIb have the same dimensions.)

Length: 66.5m

Beam: 6.20m

Height: 9.50m

Total displacement: 1040 tons

U-boat successes:

Total sinkings: 13 ships sunk for a total of over 50 000 tons.

Fate:

U-52 was hit at sea and transfered to Kiel in Germany, she was later scuttled being part of the few Type VIIb U-boats that were not lost in battle.

Source: U-boat.net

U-52's Captains and Commanders

During her life at sea, U-52's crews experienced many changes in command just like other U-boats in WWII. The bottom list represent all the changes in command accounted for this boat, some captains sunk more ships than others, some did not have any successes and ships sunk. I have also listed the other U-boats captained by the commanders during the war.

Note: the U-boat commands listings might not be in order as certain commander informations could not be found.

Commissioning Captain (Febuary 4th, 1939): Oberleutnant Wolfgang Barten

Feb 4, 1939- Sept 17, 1939:

Oberleutnant Wolfgang Barten: U-52, U-40

Nov 14, 1939- Jun 9, 1941:

Kapitanleutnant Otto Salman: U-52, U-7

Mar 20, 1941- Apr 15, 1941:

Kapitanleutnant Helmut Mohlmann: U-52, U-143, U-571

Jun 10, 1941- Jul 6, 1941:

Kapitanleutnant Wolf Rudiger von Rabenau: U-52, U-702

Jul 7, 1941- Jan 13, 1942:

Oberleunant Walter von Freyberg: U-52, U-610

Jan 16, 1942- Jul 24, 1942:

Oberleutnant Friedrich Mumm: U-52, U-594

Jul 25, 1942- May 31, 1943:

Oberleutnant Hermann Rossmann: U-52, U-273

April 1, 1943- Oct 22, 1943:

Oberleutnant Ernst-August Racky: U-52, U-429, U-3019

Source: U-boat.net, Ubootwaffe.net

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