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Crippled and Doomed: The Sinking of German U-Boat U-77

#submarinehistory #worldofsubmarines #history #navyhistory #submarine #submarinelost The Sinking of U-77 (1943) – A Deadly Hunt in the Mediterranean In late March 1943, U-77, a German Type VIIC U-boat, met its fate off the coast of Cartagena, Spain, after being relentlessly pursued by Allied aircraft. Operating in the Mediterranean, U-77 had been a threat to Allied shipping, but by this stage of World War II, German U-boats were facing increasing losses due to improved Allied anti-submarine warfare tactics. On March 28, 1943, a Lockheed Hudson bomber from No. 233 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Gibraltar, spotted U-77. The U-boat attempted to crash-dive, but the aircraft quickly released depth charges, causing severe damage and forcing U-77 to surface. Struggling to stay afloat, the crew tried to save the submarine, but the next day, on March 29, a Supermarine Spitfire from No. 249 Squadron launched a second attack, raking the U-boat with machine-gun fire. With the vessel beyond saving, Commander Otto Hartmann ordered the crew to abandon ship. As seawater rushed in, U-77 slipped beneath the waves. Out of the 47 crew members, 9 perished, while the survivors were rescued by Spanish fishermen and later interned in Spain. The loss of U-77 reflected the shifting tide of the Battle of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as the once-feared U-boat menace was gradually neutralized by superior Allied air power and technology. Fact-Checked Note: This episode is based on historical records from the Kriegsmarine archives, Royal Air Force reports, and naval war diaries. The sinking of U-77 has been documented in: Blair, Clay. Hitler’s U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942-1945. Kemp, Paul. U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Royal Air Force Squadron Records, 1943. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in recounting this event.