were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-338 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder superchargeddiesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at. U-338 was fitted with five torpedo tubes, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history
U-338 was nicknamed Wildesel after an incident on the day of its launch, when the U-boat broke free from its moorings and struck a small tug boat, sinking it. After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla at Danzig, U-338 was transferred to the 7th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 March 1943.
1st patrol
U-338 sailed from Kiel on 23 February 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Manfred Kinzel, and out into the north Atlantic where she joined the wolfpack 'Stürmer' on 11 March for an attack on Convoy SC 122. On 17 March at 03:05, U-338 fired two torpedoes at the convoy southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland and hit and sank two British merchant ships; the 4,898 ton Kingsbury, and the 5,072 ton King Gruffydd. After a minute, two more torpedoes were fired, one of which struck the 7,886 ton Dutch merchantman Alderamin, which later sank. A single torpedo was then fired from the stern tube aimed at the Alderamin, but it missed and struck the 7,134 ton British merchant shipFort Cedar Lake. The ship, badly damaged, fell behind the convoy and was sunk by around noon. U-338 attacked the convoy again at 14:52 with another salvo of torpedoes, one of which hit the 4,071 ton Panama-registered American ship Granville, which broke in two amidships and sank within 15 minutes. On 22 March 1943, U-338 was in the Bay of Biscay, heading for its new home port of Saint-Nazaire in France, when it was attacked by a British Halifax bomber from No. 502 Squadron RAF. Anti-aircraft fire from the submarine hit the starboard outer engine and fuselage of the aircraft, causing its bombs to fall wide and cause only slight damage to the U-boat. The aircraft was seen to crash into the sea some distance away, killing all but one of the eight-man crew, who was picked up by U-338 and taken prisoner. Two days later, on 24 March, the U-boat arrived at St. Nazaire.
2nd patrol
U-338 sailed from St. Nazaire on 15 June 1943, but the patrol was cut short when she was attacked on the 17th by a B-17 Flying Fortress from No. 206 Squadron RAF. The U-boat was damaged, the Obersteuermann killed, and three men were wounded. The U-boat returned to port on 21 June.
3rd patrol
U-338 sailed from St. Nazaire again on 25 August 1943 into the mid-Atlantic, joining the wolfpack 'Leuthen' on 15 September. The U-boat was lost on 20 September during an attack on Convoy ON 202. After being spotted by a B-24 Liberatorpatrol aircraft, the Canadian corvette approached at speed firing her 4-inch gun. The U-boat dived, and was located by Drumhellers ASDIC. As the corvette prepared to attack with depth charges she observed a large underwater explosion. No further contact with U-338 was made, and it is assumed that she was destroyed as a result of damage caused by Drumhellers shell fire.
