U-109 first enters Lorient 23 May, 1941. Type: IX-B
Built by: AG Weser (Bremen)
Date Launched: 14 August, 1940
Date Commissioned: 5 December, 1940
Feldpost Nr.: M15099
Date sunk: 4 May, 1943
Sunk by: RAF A/C
Location sunk: S of Ireland
Position sunk: 47.22N x 22.40W (All hands lost, 52 men)

Commanders include KK Hans-Georg Fischer; Kplt Heinrich Bleichrodt from 31 May 1941; Oblt zS Joachim Schramm from 24 January 1943.

Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt

U-109 was assigned to the famous 2nd U-Boot-Flotille based at Lorient, France as a FrontBoot and she carried out patrols west of Gibraltar in August 1941; off Nova Scotia and New England as part of Operation PAUKENSCHLAG in January 1942; along the American east coast from Cape Hatteras to Florida over April-May 1942; off Freetown (Africa) and in the Gulf of Guinea over August-September 1942 during which patrol they captured the Skipper of the British tanker VIMEIRA on 11 August; she also operated off French and British Guinea in December 1942 and of course, there were many operations against convoys in the North and Central Atlantic.

U-109 took on fuel from the German supply tanker THALIA in Cadiz on 22 July, 1941; and she provided escort for the prize ship SILVERPLANA from 10 through 16 November 1941 through the North Atlantic.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-109 UNDER FISCHER
20.05.41	MARCONI	Brit stmr	7,402 GRT
SHIPS SUNK BY U-109 UNDER BLEICHRODT
19.01.42	EMPIRE KINGFISHER	Brit mtrshp	6,082 GRT
23.01.42	THIRLBY	Brit stmr	4,887 GRT
(Bleichrodt reported in error that this was the Greek ship SS ANDREAS of 6,566 GRT. B-Dienst corrected the report.)
01.02.42	TACOMA STAR	Brit stmr	7,924 GRT
05.02.42	MONTROLITE	Cana tnkr	11,308 GRT
06.02.42	HALCYON	Pana stmr	3,531 GRT
20.04.42	HARPAGON	Brit stmr	5,719 GRT
01.05.42	LA PAZ	Brit mtrshp	6,548 GRT
LA PAZ sank in shallow water, but she was later salvaged and repaired so Bleichrodt was technically given credit for a damaged ship.
01.05.42	WORDEN	Nicr mtrshp	555 GRT
03.05.42	LAERTES	Neth stmr	5,825 GRT
07.08.42	ARTHUR W. SEWALL	Norw tnkr	6,030 GRT
(Ship was torpedoed with acoustic torpedoes at 2147 hours on 7 August but the ship didn't sink until sometime on 8 August)
11.08.42	VIMEIRA	Brit tnkr	5,728 GRT
(The Skipper of VIMEIRA was taken prisoner on board U-109)
03.09.42	OCEAN MIGHT	Brit stmr	7,173 GRT
06.09.42	TUSCAN STAR	Brit mtrshp	11,440 GRT
(After sinking TUSCAN STAR, Bleichrodt cruised alongside the lifeboats and told the survivors 'Tell your government you were sunk with the compliments of U-109.' Then he gave German bread to the men in the boats.)
17.09.42	PETERTON	Brit stmr	5,221 GRT

On the bridge of U-109

On the bridge of U-109, from the left OBERFUNKMAAT WOLFGANG HIRSCHFELD (34-1984); Kapitanleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt, Funkmaat F. Hagen.