German submarine U-208

German submarine U-208 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 5 August 1940 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as 'werk' 637, launched on 21 May 1941 and commissioned on 5 July under the command of Oberleutnant Alfred Schlieper.

She was sunk in December 1941 by ships of the British Royal Navy.

Operational career
Part of the 1st U-boat Flotilla, U-208 carried out two patrols in the North Atlantic.

1st patrol
U-208's first patrol began when she left Kiel on 29 September 1941. She travelled to the Barents Sea before turning about and headed for the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She then crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Labrador and followed the coast south to Newfoundland. She sank the Larpool about 250 mi east southeast of Cape Race (Newfoundland). Turning east, she sailed for the Bay of Biscay, arriving at Brest in occupied France, on 12 November.

2nd patrol and loss
The boat's second patrol took her south of Spain. She was attacked and sunk by depth charges dropped by the British destroyers HMS Hesperus and Harvester west of Gibraltar on 7 December 1941. Forty-five men died; there were no survivors.

Afternote
U-208 was previously thought to have been sunk by the corvette HMS Bluebell on 11 December 1941, west of Gibraltar.