German submarine U-1272 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was ordered on 23 March 1942, and was laid down on 31 May 1943, at Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack, as yard number 67. She was launched on 23 December 1943, and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Bernhard Meentzen on 28 January 1944.
German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. U-1272 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , an overall beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8-276 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-1272 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, (220 rounds), one Flak M42 and two C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and fifty-two.
On 10 May 1945, U-1272 surrendered at Bergen, Norway, after only one war patrol, which resulted in no ship damaged or sunk. She was later transferred to Loch Ryan, Scotland on 30 May 1945. Of the 156 U-boats that eventually surrendered to the Allied forces at the end of the war, U-1272 was one of 116 selected to take part in Operation Deadlight. U-1272 was towed out and sank on 8 December 1945.
The wreck now lies at .