German submarine U-213

German submarine U-213 was a Type VIID mine-laying U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Training
Laid down on 1 October 1940 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel as 'werk' 645, the boat was launched on 24 July 1941 and commissioned on 30 August with Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff in command. She trained with the 5th U-boat Flotilla until 31 December 1941; on 1 January 1942 she was assigned to the 1st U-boat Flotilla. On 1 May 1942 she was assigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla and spent the rest of her career with that unit.

Operational history
U-213 carried out three war patrols during her career, ranging into the North Atlantic. One of them included the landing of an Abwehr agent, Alfred Langbein, on the Canadian coast near St. Martins, New Brunswick on 14 May 1942. The mission was termed Operation Grete; Langbein was instructed to report on the sailing of convoys. He failed to accomplish this, and surrendered to the authorities in September 1944 after running out of money. He was released after the end of the war. U-213 was a member of three "wolfpacks" during the war, as part of 'Schlei' from 1 February until 12 February 1942, 'Westwall' from the 2nd until 12 March, and 'Pfadfinder' from the 2nd until 27 May. During this period she suffered two attacks, one on 7 February 1942 from the escorts of convoy ON-63, which she was attempting to attack, which left the U-boat slightly damaged after attacks by depth charges; another was when the boat was surprised on the surface by a destroyer in bad weather in the Gulf of Maine, and was again slightly damaged by depth charges on 15 May.

U-213 was sunk on 31 July 1942, while in the North Atlantic, east of the Azores, in a depth charge attack by the British sloops HMS Erne (U03), Rochester and Sandwich. Her entire crew of 50 were lost with her.