U-Boat Operations

U-256	Type VIIC
Feldpost Number	M 47 855
Construction Yard	Vulkan Vegesack Werft, Bremen
Yard Number	21
Ordered	23rd Dec 1939
Keel laid	15th Feb 1941
Launched	28th Oct 1941
Commissioned	18th Dec 1941
Baubelehrung	Baubelehrung U-Boote Nordsee, Bremen / Kriegsschiffbaulehrabteilung für Unterseeboote Nordsee, Bremen / 6.KLA, Bremen
Training, Flotillas and Duties
12.41 - 07.42	8.U-Flottille, Königsberg & Danzig Ausbildungsboot (under training)
07.42 - 11.42	9.U-Flottille, Brest Frontboot (operational)
11.42 - 08.43	Decommissioned
08.43 - 10.44	9.U-Flottille, Brest Frontboot (operational)
Commanders
12.41 - 11.42	OL Odo Loewe see also: U-954
08.43 - 08.44	OL Wilhelm Brauel see also: U-92 U-3530 U-975
09.44 - 11.44	KK Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock see also: U-8 U-5 U-96

Operations information for U-256
28.07.1942 - 03.09.1942 First Sailing - active patrol U-256 left Kiel under the command of Odo Loewe on 28th Jul 1942 and arrived at Lorient on 3rd Sep 1942 after over five weeks.
22.09.1942 - 23.09.1942 Second Sailing On the 22nd Sep 1942, U-256 left Lorient under the command of Odo Loewe and after one day arrived at Brest on 23rd Sep 1942.
04.10.1943 - 17.11.1943 Third Sailing - active patrol U-256 departed under Wilhelm Brauel from Brest on 4th Oct 1943 and arrived back at Brest on 17th Nov 1943 after over six weeks on patrol.
25.01.1944 - 22.03.1944 Fourth Sailing - active patrol U-256 left Brest under the command of Wilhelm Brauel on 25th Jan 1944 and returned just over eight weeks later to Brest on 22nd Mar 1944. Wilhelm Brauel hit one ship on this patrol from convoy ON-224. On 20th Feb 1944 he sank the British 1,300 ton HMS Woodpecker, sailing with convoy ON-224.
06.06.1944 - 08.06.1944 Fifth Sailing - active patrol On the 6th Jun 1944, U-256 left Brest under the command of Wilhelm Brauel and arrived back at Brest two days later on 8th Jun 1944.
04.09.1944 - 17.10.1944 Sixth Sailing - active patrol U-256 departed under Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock from Brest on 4th Sep 1944 and after just over six weeks arrived at Bergen on 17th Oct 1944.

Notes for U-256

We have 52 crew names for this boat. click here for crew names of U 256
You can perform other crew searches here. Note that the number of names we give possibly includes prior crew members.

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We have extra information on
2 relevant ships here:

STARLING HMS

WOODPECKER HMS

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