The day before its loss,
U-197 had met with
Wolfgang Lüth's where Bartels told Lüth he intended to stay in this area and hunt the traffic Lüth had told him about. Their radio chatter had allowed the Allies to pinpoint the location, finding Bartels' boat the next day. On 20 August 1943
U-197 was attacked south of Madagascar, in position , by a British
PBY Catalina aircraft,
C of
No. 259 Squadron RAF, with six depth charges and slightly damaged. As the aircraft had no more bombs, it attempted to strafe with her machine guns, but the U-boat responded with AA fire. The aircraft then circled the U-boat at a safe distance and radioed for assistance. The U-boat remained on the surface, perhaps assuming that any support was unlikely, and that the aircraft would eventually have to abandon her vigil. Unfortunately for the German submarine, another Catalina, FP 313 of
265 Squadron, arrived.
U-197 promptly crash-dived, and the aircraft dropped three depth charges, two of which detonated to port of the U-boat, but the third hit her squarely, killing all 67 hands. The pilot, captain Ernest Robin, received the
Distinguished Flying Cross for the sinking of the vessel.
Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat, commander of , was severely criticised by the
Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) [U-boat headquarters] for his lack of support for
U-197. Bartels of
U-197 had radioed a distress signal. The correct response by any boat in the vicinity, according to orders, would have been to assist at top speed. The BdU twice ordered
U-196 to aid
U-197 before Kentrat responded, and by that time
U-197 and the entire crew were lost.
Ships attacked ==See also==