Type: VII-C
Built by: Germania Werft (Kiel)
Launched: 15 January 1942
Commissioned: 7 March 1942
Feldpost Nr: M44194
Sunk: 19 November 1943
Sunk by: RAF 179 Squadron
Location sunk: off Azores
Position sunk: 40º 15’N x 19º 18’W (All hands lost – 54 men)

The only Skipper of U-211 was Kapitänleutnant Karl Hause who was killed when the boat was lost. He had no previous commands.

U-211 was initially with the 8 th U-Bootflottille based in Danzig for her working up trials, then posted to the 9 th U-Bootflottille based at Brest as a frontboot.

Her conning tower emblem was the little Viking boat that many U-Bootfahrer would view their boat.

U-211 conducted five Feindfahrten (war patrols) in the North Atlantic and she was retrofitted as a Flak boot.

On 27 Aug 1942, she helped form the “Vorwarts” Group in the eastern Atlantic and on the night of 11/12 September she attacked Convoy ON.127 and damaged two ships for 20,646 tons, both of which were later sunk by U-608. In mid-month, she refueled at sea and the regrouped east of the Newfoundland Bank where she sank one ship then made an unsuccessful attack on Convoy SC.100.

She helped form the “Panther” Group in the central Atlantic on 29 November but was reformed into the “Raufbold” Group west of Ireland on 15 December and on the night of the 16 th , she attacked Convoy ON.153 sinking the RN destroyer HMS FIREDRAKE.

In February of 1942, she was damaged by aircraft while crossing the Bay of Biscay. Beginning 1 June 1943, she began operating southwest of the Azores as part of the “Trutz” Group but without success and on 2 July she became part of the “Geier 2” Group but still without success.

After this patrol, she was outfitted as a Flak Boot (AA trap) and was formed into the “Schill” Group beginning 25 October. She was sunk by a Wellington bomber equipped with a Leigh Light.

EDITOR NOTE – The Leigh Light, named for its inventor, was a 75,000 candlepower light mounted beneath the wing so as not to blind the aircrew. The plane would use its radar to stalk the submarine, cut the engines and glide in after it and at the right moment, switch on the engines and the light. In an instant, the U-Boat crew went from safe and quite darkness into stark daylight and with bombs quickly following. They usually had no chance.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-211 UNDER HAUSER
09.12.42	ESSO WILLIAMSBURG	Amer tnkr	11,237 GRT
This was a fairly new tanker, built in 1941. She was owned by WSA and operated by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. Her speed and draft are unknown, but she was carrying 110,043 barrels of special Navy fuel oil. Under Master John Tweed, she was armed with one 5 inch gun, one 3 inch gun, two .50 cal and two .30 cal machine guns. She departed Standard’s Lago Refinery on the island of Aruba in the Dutch West Indies, bound for Reykjavik, Iceland. She was about 500 miles south of Cape Farewell, Greenland when she was attacked. Hauser fired two torpedoes which struck portside. It was dark and the tanker temporarily got away but the submarine dived and used her listening gear to find the direction the tanker was headed. Some ten hours later, U-211 had the tanker in sight and fired one torpedo into her starboard side, causing the ship to burst into flames. At 0105 hours, U-221 fired one last torpedo into the stricken tanker causing an explosion that sent flames some 500 feet into the air and breaking her in two. The still blazing halves sank quickly. U-211 noted in her KTB that the tanker sent a weak distress signal and a shore station received the call. An extensive air and sea search found no one. All hands on the tanker perished.
12.17.42	HMS FIREDRAKE	Brit DD	1,350 GRT
SHIPS DAMAGED BY U-211 UNDER HAUSER
09.12.42	HEKTORIA	Brit whaler	13,797 GRT
09.12.42	EMPIRE MOONBEAM	Brit stmr	6,849 GRT
(Both these ships were later sunk by U-608)