In the April addition of World War II magazine, the table (pg 48) in the article, “Gloves Off,” – if accurate – indicates that at the end of the war the Germans had over 400 serviceable U-boats. Where did they go? Why didn't they raise hell with Allied operations in France in 1944? Dana L. read more
There were 375 U-boats operational on the morning of May 4, 1945, when Dönitz sent the order to “Stop all hostile action against Allied shipping,” but only 64 were at sea, of which 56 subsequently surrendered in Allied or neutral ports. read more
That is a good question. I would say that 98% of German U-boats in April and May 1945 were either: Scuttled by their German crews; Captured by the Russians; Captured by the Americans and the British; Vessels captured by the Russians were probably revamped and made a part of the Russian Navy, being used well into the 1950s. read more
U-boats after World War Two These are the German U-boats that surrendered at the end of World War Two and were spared from Operation Deadlight for one reason or another. They include the U-boats that were stationed in the Far East when the war in Europe ended and were taken over by the Imperial Japanese Navy in May 1945. read more