German submarine U-72 was a Type VIIC submarine of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
U-72 was launched on 22 November 1940 and commissioned on 4 January 1941. U-72 served with the 21st U-boat Flotilla (a training unit), then with the 24th U-boat Flotilla (also a training unit), and again with the 21st U-boat Flotilla. She was used throughout the war as a training boat until being sunk in a daylight American bombing raid on 30 March 1945.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-72 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 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-72 was fitted with two torpedo tubes at the bow, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.