The Type IXA class had eight U-boats, all of which were built by AG Weser of Bremen. After being commissioned and deployed, the Type IXA submarines were initially stationed in the German port city of
Wilhelmshaven. sinking 53 merchant ships for a total of , along with two warships during eleven war patrols from August 1939 to March 1941. In spite of these victories,
U-37 was later withdrawn from combat service and was used for training submarine crews until the end of the war. On 8 May 1945, the crew of
U-37 scuttled the U-boat in Sonderburg Bay off Flensburg to keep her from falling into the hands of the Allies.
U-38 The keel for
U-38 was laid down on 15 April 1937 and after over a year and a half of construction she was commissioned on 24 October 1938 with
Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Liebe in command. Upon commissioning,
U-38 was assigned to the 6th U-boat Flotilla. During these patrols she managed to sink or damage over 30 enemy vessels. Like
U-37,
U-38 ranks as one of the most successful U-boats of World War II, holding 10th place.
U-39 The keel for
U-39 was laid down on 2 June 1937. She was commissioned over a year later on 10 December 1938 with
Kapitänleutnant Gerhard Glattes in command as a member of the 6th U-boat Flotilla. On 14 September 1939, just days after she began her first war time patrol,
U-39 was hunted down by the British destroyers , , and and disabled with depth charges after she attempted to sink the British aircraft carrier . All of her crew members survived and were captured by the British.
U-40 U-40 was ordered for construction on 29 July 1936 and her keel was laid down on 1 July 1937. She was launched from Bremen on 9 November 1938 and commissioned on 11 February 1939 with
Kapitänleutnant Werner von Schmidt in command.
U-40 conducted only two war patrols during her career, both while part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla. During her short war-time service,
U-40 sank no ships. She sank on 13 October 1939 after hitting mines in the
English Channel while attempting a short cut to a rendezvous with other U-boats.
U-42 U-42 was ordered by the
Kriegsmarine on 21 November 1936. Her keel was laid down on 21 December 1937 by AG Weser of Bremen as yard number 947. She was launched on 16 February 1939 and commissioned on 15 July 1939 with
Kapitänleutnant Rolf Dau in command of the vessel.
U-42 had a very short career, being sunk while still on her first war patrol. During her service with the
Kriegsmarine,
U-42 conducted only one training patrol and one war patrol, during which she damaged one enemy vessel of . Both of
U-42s patrols were as a member of the 6th U-boat Flotilla. On 13 October 1939,
U-42 was sunk southwest of Ireland by the British warships and . Out of a crew of 46, twenty survived and 26 went down with the submarine. Between November 1939 and July 1943 the U-boat conducted 14 combat patrols as a member of the
6. Unterseebootsflottile and later the
2. Unterseebootsflottile, sinking 21 merchant ships for a total of , damaging one ship of and another of , enough for it to be declared a total loss.
U-43 was sunk on 30 July 1943 southwest of the
Azores by a
torpedo dropped by a United States Navy aircraft from the
escort carrier ; all 55 hands were lost. During her service in the
Kriegsmarine,
U-44 conducted only two war patrols (one as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla and another as a member of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla) and sank a total of eight enemy vessels for a loss of . On 13 March 1940,
U-44 struck a mine that was located in Minefield Number 7 off the north coast of the Netherlands. All 47 of
U-44s crew members went down with the submarine. ==See also==