Tirpitz (1941) | Timeline

Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy), the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and her hull was launched two and a half years later. Work was completed in February 1941, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Like her sister ship, Bismarck, Tirpitz was armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. After a series of wartime modifications she was 2000 tonnes heavier than Bismarck, making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy. (Intro from Wikipedia)

June 14, 1936 - Battleship "Tirpitz" is ordered

November 2, 1936 - Wilhelmshaven, Germany - "Tirpitz" is laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven

April 1, 1939 - Wilhelmshaven - "Tirpitz" is launched and christened, with Adolf Hitler in attendance

February 3, 1941 - Wilhelmshaven - "Tirpitz" is commissioned, with Käpitan zur See Karl Topp in command =(START)

March 9, 1941 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs Wilhelmshaven for Kiel

March 10, 1941 - Brunsbüttel - Anchors at Brunsbüttel, to enter the Kiel Canal on the next day

March 13, 1941 - Kiel - Departs Kiel for Gotenhafen

March 14, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Arrives in Gotenhafen

March 20, 1941 - Off Gotenhafen - Sea trials

May 5, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Hitler and Wilhelm Keitel visit the "Bismarck" and the "Tirpitz" in Gotenhafen

May 22, 1941 - Kiel - Returns to Kiel to complete her outfitting

May 27, 1941 - While in Kiel - Sister-ship "Bismarck" is sunk in the North Atlantic Ocean

July 21, 1941 - Kiel - Drydocked at Deutsche Werke Kiel

August 2, 1941 - Kiel - Undocked

September 23, 1941 - Off Öland Island, Sweden - A naval force under command of Vizeadmiral Otto Ciliax sails to prevent possible sorties of the soviet fleet from Leningrad. Battleship "Tirpitz", heavy cruiser "Admiral Scheer", light cruisers Emden, Köln, Leipzig and Nürnberg, 3 destroyers and 4 torpedo boats remain in patrol off the swedish island of Öland.

September 27, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Returns to Gotenhafen

November 1, 1941 - Kiel - Drydocked at Deutsche Werke Kiel

November 30, 1941 - Kiel - Undocked

December 21, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Returns to Gotenhafen

January 11, 1942 - Kiel - Returns to Kiel

January 12, 1942 - Kiel - Departs Kiel for Wilhelmshaven

January 14, 1942 - Wilhelmshaven - Arrives in Wilhelmshaven. Departs Wilhelmshaven for Norway at night for "Operation Polarnacht", escorted by 4 destroyers

January 16, 1942 - Trondheim, Norway - Arrives in Trondheim, Norway

January 30, 1942 - Trondheim - Seven British Stirlings and nine Halifaxes attempt to attack the "Tirpitz" in Fættenfjord but fail to locate the battleship

February 24, 1942 - Trondheim - Vizeadmiral Otto Ciliax and his staff embarks "Tirpitz"

March 6, 1942 - Trondheim - Departs Trondheim to intercept British convoys QP8 and PQ12 in the Arctic

March 8(?), 1942 - Off Narvik(?) - The convoys are warned and the ships scatter. Ciliax cancels "Operation Polarnacht" and returns to Trondheim

March 9, 1942 - Bogen Bay, near Narvik, Norway - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 12 Albacore torpedo biplanes from aircraft carrier "Victorious". The german battleship avoids all torpedoes and shoots down two albacores before anchoring in Bogen Bay, near Narvik

March 13, 1942 - Trondheim, Norway - Returns to Trondheim

March 30, 1942 - Trondheim - 33 RAF Halifax bombers attempt to attack "Tirpitz" in Fættenfjord without success. Six bombers are lost in the attack

April 27, 1942 - Trondheim - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 29 RAF Halifax and 11 Lancaster bombers in Fættenfjord without success. Five bombers are lost in the attack

April 28, 1942 - Trondheim - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 23 RAF Halifax and 11 Lancaster bombers in Fættenfjord without success. Two bombers are lost in the attack.

May 31, 1942 - Trondheim - Grand Admiral Erich Raeder visits the battleship and spends the night aboard

July 2, 1942 - Trondheim - Departs Trondheim under command of Admiral Otto Schniewind to attack the convoy PQ17, together with "Admiral Hipper", 4 destroyers and 2 torpedo boats

July 4, 1942 - Kåfjord, near Alta, Norway - The group joins "Admiral Scheer" in Kåfjord

July 5, 1942 - Off North Cape, Norway - Battleship "Tirpitz", Heavy cruisers "Admiral Scheer", "Admiral Hipper", the destroyers "Friedrich Ihn", "Richard Beitzen", Z24, Z27, Z28, Z29, Z30, and the torpedo boats T7 and T15 depart Kåfjord. Later, the Soviet submarine "K-21" attacks "Tirpitz" with torpedoes but obtains no hits. Schniewind cancels their mission and returns home with the battle group. Although the battle group does not engage the enemy, the Luftwaffe and the U-boats manage to sink 22 merchantmen carrying 430 tanks, 210 planes, 3,350 vehicles and over 99,000 tons of material.

July 8, 1942 - Bogen Bay, near Narvik, Norway - The group anchors in Bogen Bay, near Narvik

October 23, 1942 - Bogen Bay - Departs Bogen and sails to Trondheim

October 24, 1942 - Trondheim - Begins a refit in Trondheim

February 24, 1943 - Trondheim - Kapitän zur See Hans Meyer takes command of the ship

March 22, 1943 - Bogen Bay - Steams to Altafjord with "Scharnhorst" and "Lützow", escorted by 3 destroyers and 4 torpedo boats

March 24, 1943 - Kåfjord, near Alta, Norway - "Tirpitz", "Scharnhorst" and "Lützow" are transfered to Kåfjord, near Alta. Trials until July

April 1(?), 1943 - Bear Island, Arctic Ocean - Scharnhorst, Tirpitz and 9 destroyers conduct a training mission to Bear Island

April 12(?), 1943 - Kåfjord - Returns to Kåfjord. Fuel shortages prevent major operations for the next months

September 6, 1943 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz", "Scharnhorst" and 9 destroyers depart Altafjord to attack the allied installation on the Island of Spitzbergen

September 8, 1943 - Off Spitzbergen - The group bombards Spitzbergen and destroys the port

September 9, 1943 - Kåfjord - Returns to Altafjord

September 22, 1943 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by the British midget submarines X-5, X-6, and X-7 in Kåfjord. After passing through the protective torpedo nets, X-6 places two mines of two tons each under the battleship's keel, and X-7 another one. The three midget submarines are sunk but the damage sustained is important and the battleship is out of action for the next six months.

November 1(?), 1943 - Kåfjord - Repairs begin in the "Tirpitz" (until February 1944)

February 12, 1944 - Kåfjord - Attacked by 4 soviet bombers without success

April 3, 1944 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 40 bombers from the carriers "Victorious", "Furious", "Emperor", "Searcher", "Fencer", and "Pursuer". The ship is hit by 10 bombs of 225 kg and 4 of 775 kg. The damage is heavy and casualties amount to 122 dead and 316 wounded. Later, a second wave has no success.

May 1, 1944 - Kåfjord - Kapitän zur See Wolf Junge takes command of the ship

July 1, 1944 - Kåfjord - Begins trials with escorting destroyers

July 17, 1944 - Kåfjord - 44 Barracudas lift off from the British aircraft carriers Formidable, Indefatigable and Furious, however, the Germans are alerted and establish shore-based smoke screen, thwarting the attack

August 1, 1944 - Kåfjord - Finishes trials

August 22, 1944 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 32 Barracudas from british carriers "Indefatigable", "Furious", "Formidable", "Nabob", and "Trumpeter", with no success.

August 24, 1944 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 33 Barracudas from british carriers "Indefatigable", "Furious", and "Formidable". Two bombs hit the ship, causing 8 dead and 13 wounded.

August 29, 1944 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 26 british Barracudas, with no success.

September 15, 1944 - Kåfjord - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 27 british Lancasters from Yagodnik near Archangel. The battleship is hit on the forecastle by a 5.4-ton "Tallboy" bomb. The damage is severe and the battleship requires extensive repairs

October 15, 1944 - South of Håkøya Island, W. of Tromsø, Norway - After temporary repairs in the bow, the Tirpitz leaves Kåfjord/Altafjord and sails at 8 knots to Tromsø where she anchors off Håkøya Island to remain there as a floating battery.

October 29, 1944 - South of Håkøya Island - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 32 british Lancasters of the famous 617th Dam Buster Squadron, without success.

November 4, 1944 - South of Håkøya Island, W. of Tromsø - Kapitän zur See Robert Weber takes command of the ship

November 12, 1944 - South of Håkøya Island, W. of Tromsø, Norway - "Tirpitz" is attacked by 32 british Lancaster bombers. The battleship is hit by two "Tallboy" bombs on the port side amidship and  capsizes, causing 971 dead =(END)

Bismarck (1940) | Timeline

Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power. (Intro from Wikipedia)

November 16, 1935 - Battleship "Bismarck" is ordered

July 1, 1937 - Hamburg, Germany - "Bismarck" is laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard

February 14, 1939 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" is launched and christened, with Adolf Hitler in attendance

June 23, 1940 - Hamburg - Drydocked for installation of the propellers

July 14, 1940 - Hamburg - Undocked

August 24, 1940 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" is commissioned, with Käpitan zur See Ernst Lindemann in command =(START)

September 15, 1940 - Hamburg - "Bismarck" departs Hamburg for sea trials in Kiel Bay

September 17, 1940 - Kiel - Arrives in Kiel

September 28, 1940 - Gotenhafen (today Gdynia, Poland) - Escorted to Gotenhafen, via Cape Arkona (Island of Rügen) for trials in the Gulf of Danzig

December 5, 1940 - Gotenhafen - Grand Admiral Raeder visits the "Bismarck"

December 9, 1940 - Hamburg - Returns to Hamburg, via Kiel Canal

March 9, 1941 - Kiel - "Bismarck" reaches Kiel. A coat of "dazzle paint" is applied to camouflage her

Bismarck, March 9th, 1941

March 12, 1941 - Kiel - British bombers attack Kiel harbour without success

March 17, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Battleship "Schlesien" escorts "Bismarck" to Gotenhafen

May 5, 1941 - Gotenhafen - Hitler and Wilhelm Keitel visit the "Bismarck" and the "Tirpitz" in Gotenhafen

May 19, 1941 - Gotenhafen - "Bismarck" leaves Gotenhafen, bound for the North Atlantic. She is joined by the cruiser "Prinz Eugen" and three destroyers

May 20, 1941 - Kattegat (between Denmark and Sweden) - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" are shadowed by swedish cruiser "HSwMS Gotland"

May 21, 1941 - Bergen, Norway - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" reach Bergen and anchor at Grimstadfjord

May 22, 1941 - Off Trondheim, Norway - The three escorting destroyers return to Germany, while "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" turn to the Denmark Strait to attempt the break-out into the open Atlantic

May 23, 1941 - Denmark Strait - "Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" reach the Denmark Strait

May 24, 1941 - SW of Denmark Strait - Battle of the Denmark Strait. "HMS Hood" is sunk, following a catastrophic explosion when hit by the "Bismarck". 1,415 officers and men are killed. Only three men survive. Before the end of the day, "Bismarck" and the "HMS rince of Wales" engage in a brief artillery duel, but neither score a hit. Swordfish torpedo-bombers from the aircraft carrier "HMS Victorious" attack "Bismarck", but only one of nine torpedoes hit the german battleship, slowing her down for a few hours. "Prinz Eugen" receives orders to detach from "Bismarck"

May 25, 1941 - SW of Iceland - Lütjens increases speed and manoeuvers "Bismarck" to the west and then north. About an hour later, the german battleship turns to the SE and sails to Saint-Nazaire behind her persuers, who loose contact with "Bismarck"

May 26, 1941 - 690 nmi NW of Brest - "Bismarck" is spotted by a US Navy Catalina, some 690 nmi (1,280 km; 790 mi) NW of Brest. The only option for the british was the use of Swordfish torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier "HMS Ark Royal". Two air attacks are launched. On the second, a torpedo strikes "Bismarck" in her stern on the port side, near the port rudder shaft. With the port rudder jammed, Lütjens reports that the ship is unmanoeuvrable

May 27, 1941 - SW of Ireland and NW of Spain - "Bismarck" is attacked by the british battleships "HMS King George V" and "HMS Rodney" and heavy cruisers "HMS Dorsetshire" and "HMS Norfolk". The german battleship manages to hit some of his attackers but begins suffering heavy damage, including a direct hit on the command superstructure that might have killed Lindemann and Lütjens among hundreds of sailors. The battleship is devastated but the hull is virtually undamaged under the waterline. The germans abandon the ship, open the ship's watertight doors and prepare demolition charges so that the british would not board the battleship. When the charges detonate, "Bismarck" capsizes slowly and sinks by the stern, being also hit by a torpedo from "HMS Dorsetshire". 115 of a 2,221-man crew survive =(END)

Wolfgang Lüth | Timeline

Kapitän zur See (Captain) Wolfgang August Eugen Lüth (15 October 1913 – 14 May 1945), was the second most successful German U-boat ace of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total displacement of 225,204 gross register tons (GRT), was second only to that of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) Otto Kretschmer, whose 47 sinkings totaled 273.043 GRT. (Intro from Wikipedia)

October 13, 1913 - Riga - Wolfgang Lüth is born
August 1(?), 1914 - Breslau - Lüth family leaves Riga because of World War 1
January(?) 1(?), 1927 - Riga - Lüth family returns to Riga
January(?) 1(?), 1929 - Riga - Wolfganf gets his "Reifezeugnis" (high-school diploma)
January(?) 1(?), 1931 - Riga - Enters the prestigious Gottfried Herder Institute to study Law
April 1, 1934 - Stralsund - Lüth joins the Reichsmarine, as a Offiziersanwärter (officer candidate)
June(?) 30(?), 1933 - Stralsund(?) - Transfers to the training Ship Gorch Fock
September 23, 1933 - ? - Lüth attains the rank of Seekadett
September 24, 1933 - Kiel - Starts serving aboard the light cruiser "Karlsruhe"
October 14, 1933 - Kiel - Lüth starts a 9-month training tour around the world in the light cruiser "Karlsruhe" =(START)
October 24, 1933 - Palermo - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Palermo
October 25, 1933 - Syracusa - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Syracuse
November 4, 1933 - Port Said - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Port Said
November 12, 1933 - Aden - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Aden
November 24, 1933 - Trincomalee, Ceylon - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Tincomali
December 6, 1933 - Calcutta - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Calcutta
December 21, 1933 - Padang, Sumatra - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Padang
December 31, 1933 - Surabaya, Java - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Surabaya
January 18, 1934 - Brisbane - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Brisbane
February 1, 1934 - Apia, Samoa - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Samoa
February 17, 1934 - Honolulu, Hawaii - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Honolulu
March 15, 1934 - Tacoma - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Tacoma
March 27, 1934 - San Diego - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in San Diego
April 12, 1934 - Amapala, Honduras - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Amapala
April 20, 1934 - Balboa, Panamá - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Balboa
April 25, 1934 - Santa Barbara (de Samaná), Dominican Republic - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Santa Barbara
May 12, 1934 - Boston - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Boston
June 2, 1934 - Caraminal, Spain - The "Karlsruhe" arrives in Caraminal
June 27, 1934 - Kiel - Lüth returns from his training tour around the World
July 1, 1934 - Kiel - Promoted to Fähnrich zur See
March 22, 1936 - ? - Serves for an year aboard the light cruiser "Königsberg"
October 1, 1936 - ? - Promoted to Leutnant zur See
February 1(?), 1937 - ? - Transfers to the U-boat service
June 1, 1938 - ? - Promoted to Oberleutnant zur See
July 3, 1938 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for patrol on Johannes Franz's U-27, as 2nd watch officer
October 23, 1938 - Wilhelmshaven - U-27 returns to port
April 13, 1939 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for patrol on the U-boat tender "Erwin Wassner"
May 18, 1939 - Wilhelmshaven - The "Erwin Wassner" returns to port

Lüth as officer of the watch

August 19, 1939 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs on patrol in Heinrich Liebe's U-38
September 6, 1939 - Off Lisbon, Portugal - U-38 sinks the "Manaar"
September 18, 1939 - far West(W) of Brest - U-38 sinks the "Inverliffey"
December 30, 1939 - Kiel - Receives the command of U-9
January 16, 1940 - Kiel - Departs for patrol No.1
January 18, 1940 - NW Texel (latitude of Manchester) - The U-9 sinks the "Flandria"
January 19, 1940 - NW Texel (latitude of Manchester) - The U-9 sinks the "Patria"
January 22, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Arrives to port from patrol No.1
February 5, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for patrol No.2
February 10, 1940 - SW Stavanger - U-9 lays mines (will sink the San Tiburcio in early May)
February 11, 1940 - between Aberdeen and Bergen - The U-9 sinks the "Linda"
February 14, 1940 - Helgoland - Arrives to port from patrol No.2
February 17, 1940 - Helgoland --> Wilhelmshaven - Departs for Wilhelmshaven
March 14, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for Patrol No.3
March 16, 1940 - W of Aalborg - daily position
March 17, 1940 - W of Aalborg (further into North Sea) - daily position
March 20, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Arrives to port from patrol No.3
April 4, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for Patrol No.4
April 5, 1940 - W of Aalborg - daily position
April 14, 1940 - Off Bergen - daily position
April 17, 1940 - NW of Trondheim - daily position
April 20, 1940 - Off Norway - The U-9 torpedoes a destroyer
April 23, 1940 - Northern Tip of Denmark - daily position
April 24, 1940 - Kiel - Arrives to port from patrol No.4
May 4, 1940 - SW Stavanger (While Lüth is in Kiel) - The "San Tiburcio" is sunk by a mine laid by U-9 on 10-2-1941
May 5, 1940 - Kiel - Departs for Patrol No.5
May 9, 1940 - NW Texel (latitude of Liverpool) - U-9 sinks the submarine "Doris"
May 11, 1940 - N of Dunkerque - U-9 sinks the "Tringa" and the "Viiu"
May 15, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Arrives to port from patrol No.5
May 16, 1940 - Wilhelmshaven - Departs for Patrol No.6
May 23, 1940 - NE of Dunkerque - The U-9 sinks the "Sigurd Faulbaum"
May 29, 1940 - Brunsbüttel? (Kiel channel) - daily position
May 30, 1940 - Kiel - Arrives to port from patrol No.6

Lüth, Topp and Bleichrodt

June 27, 1940 - Kiel - Lüth takes command of U-138
September 10, 1940 - Kiel - Departs for Patrol No.7
September 12, 1940 - Gothemburg - daily position
September 13, 1940 - SW-W Kristiansand - daily position
September 15, 1940 - NE Shetland Islands - daily position
September 18, 1940 - NW Outer Hebrides - daily position
September 20, 1940 - N of Derry, Northern Ireland - U-138 sinks the "New Sevilla", the "Boka" and the "City of Simla"
September 21, 1940 - N of Derry, Northern Ireland - U-138 sinks the "Empire Adventure"
September 23, 1940 - W-SW of Cork - daily position. Lüth receives the Knights Cross
September 26, 1940 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.7
October 8, 1940 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.8
October 10, 1940 - S of Ireland - daily position
October 13, 1940 - W-SW Outer Hebrides - U-138 torpedoes the "Dagrun" but misses
October 15, 1940 - W-SW Outer Hebrides - U-138 sinks the "Bonheur" and the "British Glory"
October 17, 1940 - SW Ireland - daily position
October 19, 1940 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.8
October 21, 1940 - Lorient - Transfered to the ocean-going submarine U-43
November 10, 1940 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.9
November 18, 1940 - W of La Rochelle - daily position
November 24, 1940 - W-NW Ireland (open ocean) - daily position
December 2, 1940 - S of Iceland (latitude of Glasgow) - U-43 sinks the "Pacific President" and the "Victor Ross"
December 6, 1940 - S of Iceland (latitude of Liverpool) - U-43 sinks the "Skrim"
December 13, 1940 - S of Iceland (latitude of Cornwall) - U-43 damages the "Orari"
December 15, 1940 - W of Brest (open ocean) - daily position
December 17, 1940 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.9
January 1, 1941 - Lorient - Promoted to Kapitänleutnant
May 11, 1941 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.10
May 13, 1941 - W of Brest (open ocean) - daily position
May 15, 1941 - SW of ireland and NW of Galiza - U-43 sinks the "Notre dame du Chatelet"
May 20, 1941 - Between Greenland and Ireland - daily position
May 27, 1941 - W-SW Ireland - daily position
June 6, 1941 - S of Greenland, E of St.John's - U-43 sinks the "Yselhaven"
June 17, 1941 - W-SW of Ireland - U-43 sinks the "Cathrine"
June 20, 1941 - Closer to Ireland than Terra Nova - daily position
July 1, 1941 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.10
August 2, 1941 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.11
August 5, 1941 - W of Brest (open ocean) - daily position
August 10, 1941 - W of Brest (open ocean) - daily position
August 15, 1941 - Closer to Greenland than Ireland - daily position
August 20, 1941 - Between Greenland and Outer Hebrides - daily position
August 30, 1941 - S-SW Iceland - daily position
September 15, 1941 - Between Ireland, Iceland and Greenland - daily position
September 20, 1941 - SW Ireland - daily position
September 23, 1941 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.11
November 10, 1941 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.12
November 12, 1941 - N of A Coruña, Spain - daily position
November 15, 1941 - Closer to Brest than Terra Nova - daily position
November 23, 1941 - E of Terra Nova (open ocean) - daily position
November 29, 1941 - 250km N of Faial Island, Azores - U-43 sinks the "Thornliebank"
November 30, 1941 - 150km SW of Pico Island - U-43 sinks the "Ashby"
December 2, 1941 - 125km SE Santa Maria Island - U-43 sinks the "Astral"
December 10, 1941 - W Coast of Sagres, Portugal - daily position (on patrol for 2 or 3 days)
December 14, 1941 - A Coruña - daily position
December 16, 1941 - Lorient - Arrives to port from patrol No.12
December 30, 1941 - Lorient - Departs for Patrol No.13
January 12, 1942 - 400km SW Iceland - U-43 sinks the "Yngaren"
January 14, 1942 - 200km S of Iceland - U-43 sinks the "Chepo" and the "Empire Surf"
January 22, 1942 - Kiel - Arrives to port from patrol No.13

Lüth after his 205 day patrol with
the FdU West Kapitän z. S. Rösing (left)
and the commander of the 12th Flotilla
Fregkpt. Klaus Scholtz (right)

May 9, 1942 - Stettin - Lüth is given the command of a long-range u-boat, the U-181
September 12, 1942 - Kiel - Departs for Patrol No.14
September 13, 1942 - Off Gothemburg - daily position
September 14, 1942 - S Coast of Norway - daily position
September 15, 1942 - W-NW Bergen - daily position
September 16, 1942 - W of Aalesund - daily position
September 17, 1942 - E of Faroe Islands - daily position
September 18, 1942 - SSE Faroe Islands - daily position
September 21, 1942 - W Outer Hebrides (open ocean) - daily position
September 24, 1942 - W Ireland (open ocean) - daily position
October 1, 1942 - NE São Miguel Island - daily position
October 5, 1942 - W Canaries Islands - daily position
October 9, 1942 - W Cape Verde Islands - daily position
October 15, 1942 - Closer to Liberia than Brasil - daily position
October 20, 1942 - SE Ascension Island - daily position
October 24, 1942 - SW Santa Helena Island - daily position
November 1, 1942 - W of Cape Town - daily position
November 3, 1942 - 500km SW Cape Town - U-181 sinks the "East Indian"
November 8, 1942 - S-SE Port Elizabeth - U-181 sinks the "Plaudit"
November 10, 1942 - 200km SE of East London - U-181 sinks the "K.G.Meldahl"
November 13, 1942 - S of Kwazulu Natal - U-181 sinks the "Excello" - Lüth awarded the Knights Cross with Oak leaves
November 19, 1942 - SE of Zavora, Mozambique - U-181 sinks the "Gunda"
November 20, 1942 - NE Inhaca, Mozambique - U-181 sinks the "Corinthiakos"
November 22, 1942 - S-SE Maputo - U-181 sinks the "Alcoa Pathfinder"
November 24, 1942 - 150km E-SE Maputo - U-181 sinks the "Dorington Court" and the "Mount Helmos"
November 28, 1942 - SE Xai-Xai - U-181 sinks the "Evanthia"
November 30, 1942 - E of Zavora - U-181 sinks the "Cleanthis"
January 2, 1943 - SE of Swaziland - U-181 sinks the "Amarylis"
January 5, 1943 - W of Mauritania/W Sahara frontier - daily position
January 10, 1943 - NW Canaries Islands - daily position
January 11, 1943 - W of Madeira Island - daily position
January 13, 1943 - Between Lisbon and São Miguel Island - daily position
January 15, 1943 - W of Pontevedra - daily position
January 18, 1943 - Bordeaux - Arrives to port from patrol No.14
January 31, 1943 - "Wolfsschanze", Ranstenburg - Lüth and other Kriegsmarine officers travel to the Wolfsschanze to receive the oak leaves to their Knights Crosses

Oak leaves ceremony
Merten, Lüth, Guggenberger and Töniges

March 23, 1943 - Bordeaux - Departs for Patrol No.15
March 26, 1943 - W of A Coruña, Spain - daily position
March 29, 1943 - E of São Miguel Island - daily position
April 1, 1943 - W of Canaries Islands - daily position - Promoted to Korvettenkapitän
April 5, 1943 - SW coast of Cape Verde Islands (Mindelo) - daily position
April 11, 1943 - 600km SE Sierra Leone - U-181 sinks the "Empire Whimbrel". New 37mm AA cannon explodes, killing Matrosengefreiter Wilhelm Williger
April 15, 1943 - E-NE Ascencion Island - Receives news that he was awarded the Knights Cross with oak leaves and Swords
April 20, 1943 - S of Santa Helena Island - daily position
April 27, 1943 - W of Cape town (open ocean) - daily position
May 1, 1943 - S of Cape Town (open ocean) - daily position
May 5, 1943 - SE of Port Elizabeth (open ocean) - daily position
May 11, 1943 - SW of Xai-Xai - U-181 sinks the "Tinhow"
May 27, 1943 - Zavora (coast or harbour) - U-181 sinks the "Sicilia"
June 7, 1943 - SE of Swaziland - U-181 sinks the "Harrier"
June 21, 1943 - East of Mauritius - U-181 rendezvoused with supply ship "Charlotte Schliemann" to refuel
July 2, 1943 - N of Réunion - U-181 sinks the "Hoihow"
July 15, 1943 - Between Réunion and Madagascar - U-181 sinks the "Empire Lake"
July 16, 1943 - Between Réunion and Madagascar - U-181 sinks the "Port Franklin"
August 4, 1943 - Between Réunion and Mauritius - U-181 sinks the "Dalfram"
August 7, 1943 - W Mauritius Coast - U-181 sinks the "Umvuma"
August 9, 1943 - SW of Réunion - Awarded the Knights Cross with oakleaves, swords and diamonds
August 12, 1943 - SW of Réunion - U-181 sinks the "SS Clan Macarthur"
August 15, 1943 - S of Madagascar - daily position
August 20, 1943 - S of Madagascar (open ocean) - daily position
August 25, 1943 - E of East London / S of Madagascar - daily position
August 30, 1943 - SE of East London (open ocean) - daily position
September 5, 1943 - W-SW of Cape Town - daily position
September 16, 1943 - W Santa Helena Island - daily position
September 25, 1943 - SW Cape Verde Islands - daily position
October 2, 1943 - SW Canaries Islands - daily position
October 5, 1943 - E-NE São Miguel Island, Azores - daily position
October 10, 1943 - A Coruña - daily position
October 14, 1943 - Bordeaux - Lüth arrives to port from patrol No.15

Lüth at Flensburg-Mürwik

January 1(?), 1944 - Gotenhafen - Takes command of 22nd U-boat flotilla (training unit for u-boat commanders)
July 1(?), 1944 - Flensburg-Mürwik - Takes command of the 1st department of Marineschule Mürwik
August 1, 1944 - Flensburg-Mürwik - Promoted to Fregattenkapitän
September 1(?), 1944 - Flensburg-Mürwik - Promoted to Kapitän zur See. Lüth becomes Commander of the entire Marineschule
May 5, 1945 - Flensburg-Mürwik - City is ocupied by the british
May 14, 1945 - Flensburg-Mürwik - Lüth is shot and killed by a german sentry on the night of 13/14 May =(END)

Wolfgang Lüth's state funeral. Karl Dönitz in front