Peter Cundy Wing Commander Peter John Cundy DSO AFC RAF ( 3 October 1916 – 4 August 2005 ) was a British pilot credited as one of the top U - boat killers of the Second World War . At RAF Coastal Command he was involved in new techniques for locating and destroying enemy submarine s - among these air to sea radar and weapons . Early life . One of twin sons of a brewer , Peter John Cundy was born on 3 October 1916 at Bognor and educated at Eastbourne College . He was commissioned into the Middlesex Regiment in July 1937 and three years later transferred to the Royal Artillery . Seconded to the RAF . He was seconded to the RAF in August and trained as a pilot , joining No 53 Squadron to fly Bristol Blenheim s with RAF Coastal Command , attacking U - boat bases along the French Atlantic coast . In 1941 Cundy joined No 120 Squadron , with the new long - range American - built B - 24 Liberator . On 11 January 1942 while on patrol over the Bay of Biscay when he saw a twin - engine seaplane , and manoeuvred his aircraft so his gunners could bring their fire to bear > The seaplane escaped into cloud with an engine on fire . On 22 May 1941 Cundy sighted a U - boat refuelling alongside a large tanker . Cundy immediately attacked both craft with depth charges and machine gun fire . The submarine ( U - 373 ) was damaged but dived , leaving a large patch of surface oil . Cundy was then attacked by an enemy Heinkel He 115 seaplane but the Liberator ' s gunners drove it away damaged . As a result of this patrol Cundy was awarded an immediate DFC . In May 1942 he and his crew were detached to America to assist in the development of a new air - to - surface radar . They then joined No 224 Squadron in October 1942 , flying the maritime version of the B - 24 Liberator from St Eval in Cornwall on patrols in over the Bay of Biscay . U - boat encounters . On 26 February 1943 the crew were on patrol when they spotted U - 437 on the surface . The U - boat crash - dived as Cundy dropped depth charges without any visible effect . The Liberator continued its patrol and shortly afterwards saw a second submarine which was attacked with the remaining depth charges . The crew soon saw the submarine ' s bows appear almost vertically , and sink below the surface . Cundy and his crew saw the U - boat surface and sail away some time later . U - 508 had been damaged and was forced to return to Lorient . On patrol on 3 July 1943 , Cundy sighted a U - boat on the surface several miles ahead . With his gunners opening fire with machine guns , he dived to attack and dropped the Hedgehog anti - submarine weapon onto the submarine , U - 628 . He made a second attack despite his aircraft suffering serious damage from return fire . Cundy then dropped four depth charges which straddled the submarine . Cundy made a further attack as the submarine settled low in the water . As he circled after his third attack , it was seen that the U - boat had sunk and crewmen were in the water . Cundy nursed his aircraft back to St Eval on three engines ; there was also damage to the fuel tanks and the aircraft ' s tail , but he made a safe landing . Awarded DSO . He was later awarded the DSO for attacking and sinking U - 628 which had recently left Brest on its fourth cruise . It had been the first occasion of the use of the Hedgehog anti - submarine weapon from an aircraft . Command HQ service . In November 1943 , following three years of constant operations , Cundy was rested and served at the Coastal Command HQ on staff and planning duties . During this period he also flew tests evaluating the Leigh Light , a powerful searchlight carried on the wing of an anti - submarine aircraft . For this work he was awarded the Air Force Cross and in September 1945 was granted a permanent commission . He flew Dakota transport aircraft before becoming an instructor . After three years as an instructor with the Air Training Wing in Rhodesia , Cundy returned as an instructor at No 236 Operational Conversion Unit equipped with the Avro Lancaster . In May 1951 he assumed command of No 210 Squadron , operating the Lancaster in the maritime reconnaissance role from Ballykelly in Northern Ireland . Post - military career . Cundy became personnel manager for a market research company before taking up property management . In 1995 he was met the surviving crew members of U - 373 , who had escaped his attack in January 1942 and was invited to Bavaria as guest of honour at their annual reunion , where he met the captain , Joachim Jaworski . He attended every reunion for 10 years . Cundy retired to East Anglia , where he enjoyed fishing and shooting . Cundy died on 4 August 2005 . He married Section Officer Sheila Frost , WAAF , in 1945 . She died six days before her husband , and they are survived by three sons and a daughter .