German submarine U-306

German submarine U-306 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 16 September 1941 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as 'werk' 306, launched on 29 August 1942 and commissioned on 21 October under the command of Kapitänleutnant Claus von Botha.

During her career, the U-boat sailed on five combat patrols, sinking one ship and damaging two others, before she was sunk in October 1943 in mid-Atlantic, northwest of the Azores by British warships.

She was a member of three wolfpacks.

Service history
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in October 1942. She was then transferred to the 1st flotilla for operations on 1 March.

1st patrol
The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Kiel on 25 February 1943. On 24 April she sank the Amerika south of Cape Farewell, Greenland. The next day she damaged the Silvermaple. She arrived in Brest in occupied France, on 9 May.

2nd and 3rd patrols
U-306's second foray was relatively uneventful; starting in Brest, it took her as far south as Guinea-Bissau. Off the Gambia, she damaged the Kaipara on 16 July 1943. The boat then docked in Lorient on 11 August.

Her third sortie was rather brief, lasting between 23 and 24 September 1943.

4th patrol
On her fourth patrol, she sailed along the French Atlantic coast toward St. Nazaire.

5th patrol and loss
The boat was sunk northwest of the Azores by depth charges dropped from the British destroyer HMS Whitehall and the corvette HMS Geranium on 31 October 1943.

Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.