German submarine U-373

German submarine U-373 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out thirteen patrols before being sunk by a British aircraft in June 1944 in the Bay of Biscay.*

She was a member of 16 wolfpacks.

She sank three ships.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 8 December 1939 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft at Kiel as 'Werk 3, launched on 5 April 1941 and commissioned on 22 May under the command of Kapitänleutnant'' Paul-Karl Loser.

1st patrol
The boat's first patrol was preceded by short trips between Kiel in Germany and Horten and Trondheim in Norway in July and August 1941. Her first patrol proper commenced with her departure from Trondheim on 4 September. Negotiation of the 'gap' separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands was followed by sweeps southeast of Greenland. The submarine then docked at Brest in occupied France on 2 October.

2nd - 5th patrols
U-373's initial patrols were fairly routine. All that changed on the second part of her fourth sortie when she sank the Mount Lycabettus off the eastern United States/Canadian coast on 17 March 1942. On the 22nd, she sank the Thursobank east of Chesapeake Bay. The surviving Chinese crewmen from this ship were arrested for mutiny immediately after landing. It was alleged that they had denied the British officers a share of the food and warm clothing.

She then sank the John R. Williams on 26 June 1942 with a mine laid on the 11th off Cape May.

6th, 7th and 8th patrols
U-373 was unsuccessfully attacked by HNoMS Acanthus in mid-Atlantic on 25 August 1942. The Norwegian corvette dropped five depth charges, but the U-boat was not damaged.

The boat's seventh foray was uneventful, but on her eighth she was bombed by a B-24 Liberator of the USAAF on 2 March 1943. Damage was moderate; after repairs, U-373 continued with her patrol.

9th patrol
On 24 July 1943, the submarine was attacked west of Madeira by Avenger and Wildcat aircraft from the escort carrier USS Santee. Two men were killed, another seven were wounded. The boat was damaged by a FIDO homing torpedo, but was able to carry-on with her patrol.

10th and 11th patrols
During the third part of a three-part patrol on 10 November 1943, a lookout broke his arm while the submarine fought bad weather.

U-373 had a lucky escape when she was attacked by a British Vickers Wellington of No. 612 Squadron RAF on 3 January 1944 in the Bay of Biscay. A second aircraft, a Liberator of 224 Squadron joined in. On tying up in Brest, two unexploded depth charges were discovered lodged in the conning tower. The boat was compelled to put to sea once more to jettison her unwanted extra 'cargo' in another hazardous operation.

12th and 13th patrols and loss
The boat left Brest for the last time on 7 June 1944. The following day, she was sunk by a British Liberator of 224 Squadron in the Bay of Biscay.* The same aircraft sank U-441 20 minutes later.

Four men died in U-373; there were 47 survivors.

Summary of raiding history
* The source's map shows the attack location to be in the Bay of Biscay. (west) However, the text mentions Cadiz, which is many miles to the south.