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<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Most successful patrols - German U-boat Operations - uboat.net</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/media/layout/2014_06/main2017-10.css" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/media/layout/2014_06/print.css" type="text/css" media="print" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> <meta name="description" content="The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. 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Endrass returning from patrol. He did not quite make these lists though.</p> </div> <p>The most important thing for the U-boat force was the success of its boats. Since the war was a "tonnage war" designed to sink more ships than the Allies could replace the size and number of ships sunk is the most important factor in determining success.</p> <p>Below are two tables; the most successful patrols in terms of tonnage sunk or damaged and also listed by most succesful patrols in tons hit per day. A great number of ships sunk during a long war patrol is less valuable than the same number of ships sunk in much shorter patrol.</p> <p>These numbers only count ships sunk. They do include warships. Please click on "View" for each patrol for full information.</p> <div align="center"> <h1>Most successful patrols</h1> <h3>Patrols with over 45,000 tons sunk</h3> </div> <table class="table_subtle"> <tr> <td></td> <td><strong>U-boat</strong></td> <td><strong>Type</strong></td> <td><strong>Commander</strong></td> <td class="width100 right"><strong>Departure</strong></td> <td class="width100 right"><strong>End of patrol</strong></td> <td class="right"><strong>Days</strong></td> <td class="width40 right"><strong>Ships hit</strong></td> <td class="right"><strong>Tons</strong></td> <td class="width40 right"><strong>Tons a day</strong></td> </tr> <tr><td>1.</td><td><a href="/boats/u107.htm">U-107</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/hessler.htm">G眉nter Hessler</a></td><td align="right">29 Mar 1941</td><td class="seperator right">2 Jul 1941</td><td class="seperator right">95</td><td class="seperator right">14</td><td class="seperator right">86,699</td><td class="seperator right">913</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3725.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td><a href="/boats/u105.htm">U-105</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/schewe.htm">Georg Schewe</a></td><td align="right">22 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">13 Jun 1941</td><td class="seperator right">111</td><td class="seperator right">12</td><td class="seperator right">71,450</td><td class="seperator right">644</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3705.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td><a href="/boats/u103.htm">U-103</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">KrvKpt. <a href="/men/schuetze.htm">Viktor Sch眉tze</a></td><td align="right">1 Apr 1941</td><td class="seperator right">12 Jul 1941</td><td class="seperator right">102</td><td class="seperator right">13</td><td class="seperator right">65,172</td><td class="seperator right">639</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3693.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td><a href="/boats/u159.htm">U-159</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/witte.htm">Helmut Friedrich Witte</a></td><td align="right">24 Aug 1942</td><td class="seperator right">5 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">134</td><td class="seperator right">11</td><td class="seperator right">63,730</td><td class="seperator right">476</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3974.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td><a href="/boats/u158.htm">U-158</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/rostin.htm">Erwin Rostin</a> *</td><td align="right">4 May 1942</td><td class="seperator right">30 Jun 1942</td><td class="seperator right">57</td><td class="seperator right">12</td><td class="seperator right">62,536</td><td class="seperator right">1,097</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3971.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a> *</td><td align="right">22 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">17 Mar 1941</td><td class="seperator right">23</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">61,711</td><td class="seperator right">2,683</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4761.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td><a href="/boats/u172.htm">U-172</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/emmermann.htm">Carl Emmermann</a></td><td align="right">19 Aug 1942</td><td class="seperator right">27 Dec 1942</td><td class="seperator right">130</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">60,048</td><td class="seperator right">462</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4017.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td><a href="/boats/u515.htm">U-515</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/henke.htm">Werner Henke</a></td><td align="right">21 Feb 1943</td><td class="seperator right">24 Jun 1943</td><td class="seperator right">123</td><td class="seperator right">10</td><td class="seperator right">58,456</td><td class="seperator right">475</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_1140.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td><a href="/boats/u181.htm">U-181</a></td><td>IXD2</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/luth.htm">Wolfgang L眉th</a></td><td align="right">12 Sep 1942</td><td class="seperator right">18 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">128</td><td class="seperator right">12</td><td class="seperator right">58,381</td><td class="seperator right">456</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4047.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td><a href="/boats/u68.htm">U-68</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">KrvKpt. <a href="/men/merten.htm">Karl-Friedrich Merten</a></td><td align="right">20 Aug 1942</td><td class="seperator right">6 Dec 1942</td><td class="seperator right">108</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">56,330</td><td class="seperator right">522</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_483.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>11.</td><td><a href="/boats/u502.htm">U-502</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/rosenstiel.htm">J眉rgen von Rosenstiel</a> *</td><td align="right">22 Apr 1942</td><td class="seperator right">6 Jul 1942</td><td class="seperator right">75</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">54,045</td><td class="seperator right">721</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_1067.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>12.</td><td><a href="/boats/u124.htm">U-124</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/schulz.htm">Georg-Wilhelm Schulz</a></td><td align="right">23 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">1 May 1941</td><td class="seperator right">67</td><td class="seperator right">11</td><td class="seperator right">53,297</td><td class="seperator right">795</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3814.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>13.</td><td><a href="/boats/u130.htm">U-130</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">KrvKpt. <a href="/men/kals.htm">Ernst Kals</a></td><td align="right">4 Jul 1942</td><td class="seperator right">12 Sep 1942</td><td class="seperator right">70</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">51,528</td><td class="seperator right">736</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3857.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>14.</td><td><a href="/boats/u47.htm">U-47</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/prien.htm">G眉nther Prien</a></td><td align="right">3 Jun 1940</td><td class="seperator right">6 Jul 1940</td><td class="seperator right">33</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">51,189</td><td class="seperator right">1,551</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_325.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>15.</td><td><a href="/boats/u68.htm">U-68</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">KrvKpt. <a href="/men/merten.htm">Karl-Friedrich Merten</a></td><td align="right">14 May 1942</td><td class="seperator right">10 Jul 1942</td><td class="seperator right">57</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">50,774</td><td class="seperator right">891</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_482.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>16.</td><td><a href="/boats/u123.htm">U-123</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/hardegen.htm">Reinhard Hardegen</a></td><td align="right">23 Dec 1941</td><td class="seperator right">9 Feb 1942</td><td class="seperator right">48</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">50,766</td><td class="seperator right">1,058</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3798.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>17.</td><td><a href="/boats/u159.htm">U-159</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/witte.htm">Helmut Friedrich Witte</a></td><td align="right">14 May 1942</td><td class="seperator right">13 Jul 1942</td><td class="seperator right">60</td><td class="seperator right">11</td><td class="seperator right">50,505</td><td class="seperator right">842</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3973.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>18.</td><td><a href="/boats/u100.htm">U-100</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/schepke.htm">Joachim Schepke</a></td><td align="right">11 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">25 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">14</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">50,340</td><td class="seperator right">3,596</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3672.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>19.</td><td><a href="/boats/u508.htm">U-508</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/staats.htm">Georg Staats</a></td><td align="right">17 Oct 1942</td><td class="seperator right">6 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">81</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">50,265</td><td class="seperator right">621</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_1103.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>20.</td><td><a href="/boats/u177.htm">U-177</a></td><td>IXD2</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/gysae.htm">Robert Gysae</a></td><td align="right">17 Sep 1942</td><td class="seperator right">22 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">127</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">49,371</td><td class="seperator right">389</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4032.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>21.</td><td><a href="/boats/u66.htm">U-66</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/markworth.htm">Friedrich Markworth</a></td><td align="right">23 Jun 1942</td><td class="seperator right">29 Sep 1942</td><td class="seperator right">98</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">49,274</td><td class="seperator right">503</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_466.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>22.</td><td><a href="/boats/u65.htm">U-65</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/stockhausen.htm">Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen</a></td><td align="right">15 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">10 Jan 1941</td><td class="seperator right">87</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">47,794</td><td class="seperator right">549</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_459.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>23.</td><td><a href="/boats/u38.htm">U-38</a></td><td>IX</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/liebe.htm">Heinrich Liebe</a></td><td align="right">9 Apr 1941</td><td class="seperator right">24 Jun 1941</td><td class="seperator right">76</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">47,279</td><td class="seperator right">622</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_272.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>24.</td><td><a href="/boats/u162.htm">U-162</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">FrgKpt. <a href="/men/wattenberg.htm">J眉rgen Wattenberg</a></td><td align="right">7 Apr 1942</td><td class="seperator right">8 Jun 1942</td><td class="seperator right">62</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">47,181</td><td class="seperator right">761</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3990.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>25.</td><td><a href="/boats/u178.htm">U-178</a></td><td>IXD2</td><td class="seperator">Kpt. <a href="/men/commanders/533.html">Hans Ibbeken</a></td><td align="right">8 Sep 1942</td><td class="seperator right">10 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">124</td><td class="seperator right">6</td><td class="seperator right">47,097</td><td class="seperator right">380</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4036.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>26.</td><td><a href="/boats/u125.htm">U-125</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/folkers.htm">Ulrich Folkers</a></td><td align="right">4 Apr 1942</td><td class="seperator right">13 Jun 1942</td><td class="seperator right">70</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">47,055</td><td class="seperator right">672</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3825.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>27.</td><td><a href="/boats/u106.htm">U-106</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Oblt. <a href="/men/oesten.htm">J眉rgen Oesten</a></td><td align="right">26 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">17 Jun 1941</td><td class="seperator right">111</td><td class="seperator right">8</td><td class="seperator right">46,488</td><td class="seperator right">419</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3715.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>28.</td><td><a href="/boats/u552.htm">U-552</a></td><td>VIIC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/topp.htm">Erich Topp</a></td><td align="right">7 Mar 1942</td><td class="seperator right">27 Apr 1942</td><td class="seperator right">51</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">45,731</td><td class="seperator right">897</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_1276.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>29.</td><td><a href="/boats/u96.htm">U-96</a></td><td>VIIC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/willenbrock.htm">Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock</a></td><td align="right">30 Jan 1941</td><td class="seperator right">28 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">29</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">45,391</td><td class="seperator right">1,565</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4721.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>30.</td><td><a href="/boats/u181.htm">U-181</a></td><td>IXD2</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/luth.htm">Wolfgang L眉th</a></td><td align="right">23 Mar 1943</td><td class="seperator right">14 Oct 1943</td><td class="seperator right">205</td><td class="seperator right">10</td><td class="seperator right">45,331</td><td class="seperator right">221</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4048.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>31.</td><td><a href="/boats/u160.htm">U-160</a></td><td>IXC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/lassen.htm">Georg Lassen</a></td><td align="right">6 Jan 1943</td><td class="seperator right">10 May 1943</td><td class="seperator right">124</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">45,205</td><td class="seperator right">365</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3981.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"></td><td class="seperator">2,680</td><td class="seperator right">282</td><td class="seperator right">1,670,419</td><td class="seperator right">623</td></tr> </table> <p><strong>Legend</strong><br>* The U-boat was lost during this patrol.</p> <p>Kptlt. <a href="/men/schepke.htm">Joachim Schepke</a>'s patrol with his U-100 from 11 - 25 Sep 1940 was truly outstanding as he needed only <strong>3 hours</strong> to sink these seven ships - he also only spent 14 days at sea, the shortest patrol on this list.</p> <p>This list is dominated by the larger ocean-going type <a href="/types/ixc.htm">IX</a> boats as they tended to patrol more distant areas and were loaded with more torpedoes than the smaller type VII boats we see more on the table below. Many of the patrols were to South African or American waters, taking long time to reach their areas but often offered plentiful hunting opportunities.</p> <div align="center"> <h1>Most successful patrols, by tons per day</h1> </div> <table class="table_subtle"> <tr> <td></td> <td><strong>U-boat</strong></td> <td><strong>Type</strong></td> <td><strong>Commander</strong></td> <td class="width100 right"><strong>Departure</strong></td> <td class="width100 right"><strong>End of patrol</strong></td> <td class="right"><strong>Days</strong></td> <td class="width40 right"><strong>Ships hit</strong></td> <td class="right"><strong>Tons</strong></td> <td class="width40 right"><strong>Tons a day</strong></td> </tr> <tr><td>1.</td><td><a href="/boats/u32.htm">U-32</a></td><td>VIIA</td><td class="seperator">Oblt. <a href="/men/jenisch.htm">Hans Jenisch</a> *</td><td class="right">24 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">30 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">6</td><td class="seperator right">1</td><td class="seperator right">42,348</td><td class="seperator right">7,058</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_236.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a></td><td class="right">30 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">8 Nov 1940</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">42,407</td><td class="seperator right">4,712</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4759.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td><a href="/boats/u45.htm">U-45</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/commanders/347.html">Alexander Gelhaar</a> *</td><td class="right">9 Oct 1939</td><td class="seperator right">14 Oct 1939</td><td class="seperator right">5</td><td class="seperator right">2</td><td class="seperator right">19,313</td><td class="seperator right">3,863</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_302.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td><a href="/boats/u100.htm">U-100</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/schepke.htm">Joachim Schepke</a></td><td class="right">11 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">25 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">14</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">50,340</td><td class="seperator right">3,596</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3672.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td><a href="/boats/u47.htm">U-47</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/prien.htm">G眉nther Prien</a></td><td class="right">8 Oct 1939</td><td class="seperator right">17 Oct 1939</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">1</td><td class="seperator right">29,150</td><td class="seperator right">3,239</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_319.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a></td><td class="right">13 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">22 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">6</td><td class="seperator right">27,396</td><td class="seperator right">3,044</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4758.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a></td><td class="right">25 Jul 1940</td><td class="seperator right">5 Aug 1940</td><td class="seperator right">11</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">32,345</td><td class="seperator right">2,940</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4756.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td><a href="/boats/u34.htm">U-34</a></td><td>VIIA</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/rollmann.htm">Wilhelm Rollmann</a></td><td class="right">23 Jul 1940</td><td class="seperator right">3 Aug 1940</td><td class="seperator right">11</td><td class="seperator right">5</td><td class="seperator right">29,990</td><td class="seperator right">2,726</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_246.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a> *</td><td class="right">22 Feb 1941</td><td class="seperator right">17 Mar 1941</td><td class="seperator right">23</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">61,711</td><td class="seperator right">2,683</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4761.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td><a href="/boats/u99.htm">U-99</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a></td><td class="right">27 Nov 1940</td><td class="seperator right">12 Dec 1940</td><td class="seperator right">15</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">34,291</td><td class="seperator right">2,286</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4760.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>11.</td><td><a href="/boats/u47.htm">U-47</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/prien.htm">G眉nther Prien</a></td><td class="right">14 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">23 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">9</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">20,124</td><td class="seperator right">2,236</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_327.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>12.</td><td><a href="/boats/u96.htm">U-96</a></td><td>VIIC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/willenbrock.htm">Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock</a></td><td class="right">9 Jan 1941</td><td class="seperator right">22 Jan 1941</td><td class="seperator right">13</td><td class="seperator right">2</td><td class="seperator right">29,054</td><td class="seperator right">2,235</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_4720.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>13.</td><td><a href="/boats/u138.htm">U-138</a></td><td>IID</td><td class="seperator">Oblt. <a href="/men/luth.htm">Wolfgang L眉th</a></td><td class="right">10 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">26 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">16</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">34,644</td><td class="seperator right">2,165</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3898.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>14.</td><td><a href="/boats/u57.htm">U-57</a></td><td>IIC</td><td class="seperator">Oblt. <a href="/men/topp.htm">Erich Topp</a></td><td class="right">15 Jul 1940</td><td class="seperator right">20 Jul 1940</td><td class="seperator right">5</td><td class="seperator right">2</td><td class="seperator right">10,612</td><td class="seperator right">2,122</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_396.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>15.</td><td><a href="/boats/u48.htm">U-48</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/bleichrodt.htm">Heinrich Bleichrodt</a></td><td class="right">8 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">25 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">17</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">34,418</td><td class="seperator right">2,025</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_337.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>16.</td><td><a href="/boats/u32.htm">U-32</a></td><td>VIIA</td><td class="seperator">Oblt. <a href="/men/jenisch.htm">Hans Jenisch</a></td><td class="right">18 Sep 1940</td><td class="seperator right">6 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">18</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">35,782</td><td class="seperator right">1,988</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_235.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>17.</td><td><a href="/boats/u48.htm">U-48</a></td><td>VIIB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/bleichrodt.htm">Heinrich Bleichrodt</a></td><td class="right">5 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">27 Oct 1940</td><td class="seperator right">22</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">43,106</td><td class="seperator right">1,959</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_338.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>18.</td><td><a href="/boats/u558.htm">U-558</a></td><td>VIIC</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/krech.htm">G眉nther Krech</a></td><td class="right">11 Oct 1941</td><td class="seperator right">25 Oct 1941</td><td class="seperator right">14</td><td class="seperator right">4</td><td class="seperator right">26,988</td><td class="seperator right">1,928</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_1305.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>19.</td><td><a href="/boats/u37.htm">U-37</a></td><td>IX</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/oehrn.htm">Victor Oehrn</a></td><td class="right">17 Aug 1940</td><td class="seperator right">30 Aug 1940</td><td class="seperator right">13</td><td class="seperator right">7</td><td class="seperator right">24,409</td><td class="seperator right">1,878</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_259.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td>20.</td><td><a href="/boats/u123.htm">U-123</a></td><td>IXB</td><td class="seperator">Kptlt. <a href="/men/moehle.htm">Karl-Heinz Moehle</a></td><td class="right">14 Nov 1940</td><td class="seperator right">28 Nov 1940</td><td class="seperator right">14</td><td class="seperator right">5</td><td class="seperator right">25,676</td><td class="seperator right">1,834</td><td><a href="/boats/patrols/patrol_3792.html">View</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"></td><td class="seperator right">253</td><td class="seperator right">90</td><td class="seperator right">654,104</td><td class="seperator right">2,585</td></tr> </table> <p><strong>Legend</strong><br>* The U-boat was lost during this patrol.</p> <p><a href="/men/kretschmer.htm">Otto Kretschmer</a>'s achievements can clearly be seen on this list. He took his U-99 out on 8 patrols and 5 of those are on the top 10 best patrols by tons sunk per day! Jenish's score of a single 42,348 ton ship during a 6-day patrol is also impossible to beat. </p> <p>This list is dominated by the smaller type VII boats as they tended to have shorter patrols and carried much fewer torpedoes than the larger type IX boats.</p> <br> <div align="center"> <h3><a href="/ops/">U-boat Operations</a></h3> </div>  <div class="adSeperator"></div> <div id="ga_contentFooter728" align="center"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1101670507446460" data-ad-slot="7580936821"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div><br> </div>  <div id="footer"> <div id="footer_navcontainer"> <ul id="footer_navlist"> <li><a href="/" title="Front page">Front page</a></li> <li><a href="/about/" title="About uboat.net">About</a></li> <li><a href="/about/contact.htm" title="Contact us">Contact us</a></li> <li><a href="/special/faq.htm" title="Frequently Asked Questions">FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/glossary.htm" title="Glossary pages">Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="/new.htm" title="What's new at uboat.net">What's new</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="footer_copyright">  © 1995 - 2025 Guðmundur Helgason </div> </div>  </div>  </body></html>