In reply refer to Initials

          and No.

  
     
  Op-16-Z  
     
     
 

NAVY DEPARTMENT

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS

WASHINGTON

  
     
     
     
     
 
O.N.I. 250 – G/Serial 13
  
 
 
 
 
 

REPORT ON THE

INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM U-128

SUNK ON MAY 17, 1943

  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  9 July, 1943  
 
 
     

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
 
 
 
Chapter
I.
   INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
       
 
II.
   CREW OF U-128
       
 
III.
   EARLY HISTORY OF U-128
       
 
IV.
   FIRST PATROL OF U-128
       
 
V.
   SECOND PATROL OF U-128
       
 
VI.
   THIRD PATROL OF U-128
       
 
VII.
   FOURTH PATROL OF U-128
       
 
VIII.
   FIFTH PATROL OF U-128
       
 
IX
   SIXTH AND LAST PATROL OF U-128
       
 
X.
   SINKING OF U-128
       
 
XI.
   DETAILS OF U-128
       
 
XII.
   TECHNICAL DETAILS
       
 
XIII.
   GENERAL REMARKS ON U-BOATS
       
 
XIV.
   U-BOAT BASES
       
 
XV.
   MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
 
 
 
 

ANNEX A.

 CREW LIST OF U-128
   
ANNEX B.   U.S.N. EQUIVALENTS OF GERMAN NAVY RANKS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter I.  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
 
 
 
 
        U-128, 750 tons, was sunk off Recife, Brazil, on May 17, 1943, while in pursuit of a southbound convoy, by PBMs 74-P-5 and 74-P-6.  Two United States destroyers, Moffett and Jouett, which had been called by the patrol bombers, arrived during the last stages of the sinking.  As they came up, the U-boat commander, Oberleutnant1 Steinert, gave the order to abandon ship.
  
 
 
 
        U.S.S. Moffett was able to save 51 men out of the total complement of 54.  Four of those rescued, including the engineer officer, died aboard the destroyer.  Thus 47 men, the commander, his executive officer, two midshipmen and 43 ratings and enlisted men, were landed at Recife on May 18, 1943.
  
 
 
 
        Due to the immediate segregation of the officers, petty officers and men and to the efficient handling of the prisoners by the Fourth Fleet, the task of the preliminary interrogation was immeasurably facilitated.  This interrogation was undertaken by qualified interrogators who had been flown from the United States for further questioning.
  
 
 
 
        By and large, the security consciousness of most of the crew was somewhat less than that encountered in previous U-boat prisoners, although U-128 had its share of tight-lipped Nazis.  No doubt, however, the good treatment they had received played its part in unlimbering some of the prisoners most of whom were happy that for them the war was over.  They were, in the words of some prisoners, “very lucky”.
  
 
__________________________________________________________________________
  
  1 For U.S.N. Equivalents of German Navy Ranks, see Annex B.  
 
 
 
- 1 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter II.  CREW OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        The complement of U-128 on her last patrol was four officers, three midshipmen, 16 petty officers, and 31 enlisted men, a total of 54.  Of these, two officers, one midshipman, one petty officer, and three enlisted men did not survive.
  
 
 
 
        On the whole, the crew of U-128 was both more friendly and more polite than some of those that had proceeded her.  The majority of ratings and enlisted men had been drafted into the U-boat arm, and, although many of the enlisted men had only recently entered the service, the crew as such could not be called inexperienced.  This fact seems due mainly to the group of petty officers, 13 of whom had been in the German Navy previous to the outbreak of the war, one of them having entered in 1928 and two in 1933.
  
 
 
 
        The commanding officer, Oberleutnant Hermann Steinert, was on his first patrol as a commander.  He belongs to the 1936 term, and since most of his comrades of the same term have by now been promoted to Kapitänleutnant it may be assumed that his promotion to this rank will take place shortly.  Nothing whatever is known about his previous career except that he has been in the U-boat arm for some time, probably serving as executive officer.  His experience, however, was not such that it inspired much confidence in his crew, who considered him overcautious.  His attitude towards the interrogating officers was always correct and polite, but, as his security consciousness was somewhat exaggerated, relations were not so cordial as with his executive officer.
  
 
 
 
        Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Sterzing, executive officer on U-128, though of the same term as his commanding officer, outranked him due to a
  
 
 
 
- 2 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
promotion received on the last patrol.  It was conceded, however, that Oberleutnant Steinert had more experience on U-boats, and there was no evidence of any conflict due to the peculiar situation created by Sterzing’s promotion.  The latter was found to be a pleasant and amiable officer.  In spite of the fact that he displayed strong leanings towards the Nazi doctrines, he was able to discuss the war as well as the political situation in a matter-of-fact manor.  His level of security consciousness was high but not carried to the extreme his commanding officer’s was.  Sterzing had come to U-128 as second officer about the end of August or early September 1942, in time for the fourth patrol; he remained in this capacity on the fifth patrol and was promoted to executive officer on the sixth and last patrol.  He had previously served on minesweepers, after carrying out the usual training periods in various types of surface ships.  (O.N.I. Note: He has been reported as at Gotenhafen in April 1942.)
  
 
 
 
        The second watch officer on the last patrol was Leutnant z. S. der Reserve Hoffmann who was one of the two officer casualties.  He is not listed in the German Navy List of 1940; he was said to have served in the merchant marine and to have been an officer on a minesweeper.
  
 
 
 
        The engineer officer of U-128 was Oberleutnant (Ing.) Gustav Stutz who was the other officer casualty.  He died aboard the U.S.S. Moffett; the cause of his death was diagnosed as chlorine poisoning.  He is not listed in the German Navy List of 1940.
  
 
 
 
        As on other patrols, U-128 carried midshipman on her last patrol.  These were: Fähnrich z. S. Hermann Spathelf, Fähnrich (Ing.) Harry Ferner and Fähnrich z. S. Kreysing, the latter a casualty at the sinking.
  
 
 
 
        The first commander of U-128 was Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Heyse, about
  
 
 
 
- 3 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
36 years old, who according to a recent report has been promoted to Korvettenkapitän.  He stood by at the construction of U-128 and commander her during all patrols except the last.  After completion of the fifth patrol he was credited with a total of 98,000 tons of shipping sunk and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.  He was popular with his crew; on occasion he would sit down with the kitchen detail, whip out his pocket knife and while peeling potatoes would talk about and discuss with crew members any subject which interested them.  He also would now and then have several glasses of beer with his crew, when on shore.  No doubt, his leadership contributed to the success of U-128 while under his command; most prisoners expressed their belief that U-128 would not have met with its fate on May 17, 1943, had Heyse been its commander.  Heyse belongs to the 1930 term and, prior to his entry into the German Navy, had served on merchant ships.  To this background many of his men attribute the sympathetic attitude of Heyse toward crew members of torpedoed ships.  Foodstuff, cigarettes, and even rum, if necessary, were supplied, and in more than one instance Heyse explained that he was sorry that his duty compelled him to sink their ships.  While in the Navy, Heyse had served as executive officer on a destroyer and had made a cruise as commander pupil in another U-boat.  He is now reported to be company commander at the Gotenhafen U-boat school.
  
 
 
 
        Oberleutnant Helmut Kurrer was executive officer on U-128 from the time she was commissioned until the end of the second patrol.  He belongs to the 1935 term.  (O.N.I. Note: He is now believed to be in command of U-189 and promoted to Kapitänleutnant.
  
 
 
 
        His successor as executive officer was Oberleutnant Bahn.  (O.N.I. Note: This probably is Bahn of the 1937 naval term.)  He was executive officer for
  
 
 
 
- 4 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
only one patrol, namely the third.  He had previously been second watch officer on U-128 since the commissioning of the boat.
  
 
 
 
        Oberleutnant Hungershausen was the executive officer on the third patrol.  (O.N.I. Note: This is probably Hienz Hungershausen of the 1936 term.)
  
 
 
 
        Oberleutnant (Ing.) Dietrich Noack was engineer officer on the first four patrols of U-128.  He was said to have served previously on a U-boat commanded by Korvettenkapitän Joachim Schepke.  Noack belongs to the 1934 term.
  
 
 
 
        On the first five patrols U-128 carried a third watch officer, Leutnant Bock, who also had served in the merchant marine.  He came to the boat prior to its commissioning as quartermaster 3rd class.  Prior to the first patrol he was promoted to Quartermaster 1st , taking over the duties of a third watch officer.  On the second patrol he was again promoted, this time to warrant quartermaster and on the third patrol he was given a commission as Leutnant.  He continued to be the third watch officer until he left U-128 after the fifth patrol to become executive officer on U-124 under Kapitänleutnant Johann Mohr.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 carried some midshipmen on all her patrols.  On her first two patrols Zibulka and Jaeckel, on the third Tillmann and von Poten, the latter now reported in Pillau, underwent training.  Brunslow was on board on the fourth and fifth patrol, and Gerbitz was carried on the fifth patrol only.  (O.N.I. Notes: The names of the above midshipmen do not appear in the 1940 German Navy List.  They are spelled phonetically.)
  
 
 
 
        As mentioned before, the group of petty officers on U-128 was rather experienced, but unfortunately few of them would discuss technical maters.  Quite a few, however, revealed much of the history of U-128 in the belief that
  
 
 
 
- 5 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
this did not constitute a breach of security.  The average age of the petty officers was about 26 years.
  
 
 
 
        Among the enlisted men several were found to talk freely on most subjects.  Particularly the prisoners who had been selected by the interrogators at Recife proved most cooperative and were ready to forget the talks which they had received about security.  The average age of this group was about 19½ years, and most of them had  been drafted into the Navy in 1941 and 1942.
  
 
 
 
        Contrary to other U-boat crews recently interrogated, the members of U-128 seemed to have gotten along together very well.  There was the usual amount of grumbling against the petty officers, but on the whole the morale was good.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 6 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter III.  EARLY HISTORY OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        The exact dates of the keel laying and of the launching of U-128 could not be ascertained.  However, barring unusual delays in her construction, she was probably laid down in August or September 1940 at the Deschimag yard Bremen.  Most of her officers and the majority of her engine room personnel stood by the final stages of construction, arriving at the yard about 2 months prior to her commissioning.  Seamen followed closely, and the torpedo ratings came about three to four weeks later.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was commissioned on May 12, 1941, and two days later proceeded through the Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal to Kiel, there to undergo the usual trials under supervision of the U-boat Acceptance Command.  The tests lasted about two to three weeks.  After successful completion, U-128 moved to Warnemuende, where she engaged in torpedo firing practice.  Shortly thereafter, she was ordered into Stettin, where at the Oderwerke she received her final overhaul.  This took about three to four weeks, during which time most of the crew was given 10 days leave.
  
 
 
 
        The latter part of June or early July 1941, U-128 sailed for Oslofjord, Norway, where she was scheduled to undergo diving tests as well as to take part in tactical exercises and to be subjected to tests of the Active Service Training Group.  It will be recalled that these tests were shifted to Norwegian bases due to the outbreak of the Russo-German war.  Before reaching her destination, U-128 ran aground on an uncharted rock while proceeding at slow speed.  Her bottom was ripped open; her keel and her starboard torpedo bow caps were damaged.  Unable to get off the rock under her own power, help was summoned from Horten, and, after two days, the depot ship Odin and two tugs arrived and
  
 
 
 
- 7 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
succeeded in freeing the boat.  (O.N.I. Note: Odin has recently been reported at Hela serving as depot ship accommodating officers.)  One prisoner also stated that the German light cruiser Nürnburg took off 25 of the crew, putting them ashore at Horten to which port U-128 proceeded for emergency repairs.  These lasted four to five days.  U-128 then returned to Kiel, where at the Deutsche Werke extensive repairs lasting until mid-October were undertaken.  During this enforced rest, most of the crew again was sent on leave, and several petty officers took courses at Glückstadt.  After a short period of trials, U-128 left Kiel for the eastern Baltic to undergo the trials which originally had been scheduled to take place in Norwegian waters.  The tactical exercises were held off Gotenhafen, torpedo firing practice near Danzig, and the tests of the Active Service Training Group off Hela.  At this time a Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Muller came aboard to conduct the tests.  The latter part of November, U-128 spent an afternoon at Roenne, Bornholm, for silent running tests and then returned to the Oderwerke, Stettin, for final adjustments.  This overhaul lasted only about five or six days, and, after loading torpedoes and other supplies, U-128 sailed for Kiel.  From there, after laying over about one day, she sailed on her first patrol on the morning of December 8, 1941.
  
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 8 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter IV.  FIRST PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        U-128 departed from Kiel for her first patrol on the morning of December 9, 1942, escorted by a patrol vessel.  Kristiansand, Norway, was reached late on December 9, and about one half of the crew went ashore to spend the night in a hotel.  Only a small quantity of water was taken on at Kristiansand, and U-128 left the port early the next morning together with the patrol vessel which left her about 2 hours out of Kristiansand.  She shaped a course for the passage between the Faroes and the Shetland Islands, but shortly before reaching it, sighted a trawler at which one of the 15 electric torpedoes carried was fired.  The torpedo missed its mark, and, fearing that the trawler was a U-boat trap, the attack was abandoned.  The passage between the Faroes and the Shetlands was negotiated on the surface at night.  U-128 reached Lorient, her permanent base, shortly after noon, December 24, 1941, and made fast to one of the four hulks tied to the pier in front of the Salzwedel Kaserne.  Most of the crew celebrated Christmas Eve in the U-boat crew’s rest home; it may well be assumed that the quick trip was partially due to the desire on everybody’s part to celebrate Christmas on land.
  
 
 
 
        Prisoners stated that practically the entire passage was made on the surface and that even on the trip through the Bay of Biscay they did not submerge.  No aircraft were sighted at any time.
  
 
 
 
        It was also stated that U-128 arrived at Lorient from all of her patrols about noon though it could not be confirmed that this was a policy.  They were always met by a mine destructor vessel about 4 hours out of Lorient and escorted through the minefields.  Prisoners claimed they never had an air escort.
  
 
 
 
- 9 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
        U-128 was soon moved to a wet bunker, after giving up the torpedoes she had carried on this patrol at a pier on the opposite side of the river from the Salzwedel Kaserne.  When making ready for her second patrol, she embarked torpedoes at the same pier where she had previously given up her torpedoes.  Oil was pumped from a small oil lighter, while lying again at the pier below the Salzwedel Kaserne, and provisions were also loaded there.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was now ready for her first real war patrol.
  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 10 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter V.  SECOND PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        At 1100 on January 8, 1942, U-128 started on her second patrol, escorted as usual by a mine destructor vessel and by two patrol boats.
  
 
 
 
        After an uneventful trip across the Atlantic Ocean, passing in the vicinity of Bermuda, her operational area off the Florida Straits was reached some time in February.  Not until the end of February, however, were they able to make a successful attack.  The quarry was a tanker, supposedly British, which caught fire and burned.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been Cities Service Empire, a U.S. tanker, which was torpedoed and sunk at 0625 R on February 22, 1942, about 25 miles north of Bethel Shoals off the Florida coast.)  Soon afterwards, another large tanker, again presumed to be British, was sunk by a number of torpedoes.  She was said not to have burned.  On March 5, just as U-128 was about to start her homeward voyage, the tanker O.A. Knudsen was attacked by torpedoes and sunk by gun fire.  (O.N.I. Note: O.A. Knudsen, Norwegian tanker, 11,007 tons, was sunk in position 26.17 N., 75.50 W. on March 5, 1942.  Survivors reported the presence of two U-boats, but none of the prisoners interrogated would admit that this was the case.)  After sinking O.A. Knudsen, a prisoner reported, the U-boat commander looked up in his ship recognition book which tanker he had sunk.  Finding it was O.A. Knudsen, he remarked that she had been built in Germany which “accounted for her slow sinking”.
  
 
 
 
        Having used all his 15 torpedoes, the commander set course for Lorient, again passing close to Bermuda.  In this area U-128 was attacked by an airplane which dropped either two bombs or two shallow set depth charges.  No damage was sustained, and the U-boat reached its base about March 23, 1942.
  
 
 
 
- 11 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
(O.N.I. Note: It is probable that this was the attack delivered by two PBM planes of VP-74 at 1202 Q March 7 1942, in position 30.05 N., 65.00 W.  The first bomber released two depth charges set at 50 feet just as the stern of the U-boat disappeared, but unfortunately they were duds.  The same plane made another run later releasing two depth charges, and the other bomber dropped two more.  The assessment of the attack was “No damage”.)  The Admiral U-boats, Dönitz, was present at their reception and congratulated Kapitänleutnant Heyse on his claim of 30,000 tons of United Nations shipping sunk.
  
 
 
 
        She remained in port about four weeks and, sometime prior to her departure on her next patrol, loaded a full complement of 15 electric and eight air torpedoes.
  
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 12 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter VI.  THIRD PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        U-128’s most successful patrol started about April 23, 1942; some prisoners are inclined to believe that it might have been somewhat later, possibly as late as May 1.  She was ordered to patrol off Northern Brazil.  The trip was uneventful for the first two weeks, but about May 10 she sighted a convoy, well protected by corvettes, and traveling in southwesterly direction.  U-128 found herself pursuing it together with at least one and maybe two other U-boats, one of which was said to be U-161 under command of Korvettenkapitän Achilles, the other, U-126, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer.  Prisoners, however, were not sure that the latter boat was present.  A chase lasting several days ensued with repeated attempts on the part of the U-boats to close the attack.  The escorting vessels as well as rain squalls frustrated successful attacks until about four days after the first sighting of the convoy, when U-128 was able to fire a spread of three or four torpedoes at a steamer while attacking from the surface at night.  Counterattacks by corvettes and illumination of the entire convoy forced U-128 to dive, and it was impossible to observe the results.  Soon after firing the torpedoes, however, explosions were heard, and, as U-161 picked up a lifebelt the next day, it was decided that a steamer had been sunk.  During the counterattack, several depth charges exploded near U-161, though they must have been intended for the attacking U-boat, namely U-128.  Unfortunately, it could not be ascertained whether the attack on the convoy was planned in advance or whether the U-boats just happened on it when in the vicinity.
  
 
 
 
- 13 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
        U-128 now completed crossing the Atlantic and patrolled an area off Recief, Brazil.  She found no targets there, although she herself was attacked by a Brazilian airplane near Fortaleza.  Two bombs were dropped, but the attack was ineffective.
  
 
 
 
        Proceeding north, the U-boat found better hunting grounds off the Guianas and in the Trinidad area where she attacked and sank five independently routed ships, totaling 45,000 tons.
  
 
 
 
        The first of the ships sunk was said to have been a Norwegian tanker.  (O.N.I. Note: The Norwegian tanker M.S. South Africa, of 9,234 tons, was sunk on June 8 1942, in approximate position 12.48 N., 49.52 W.)  U-128 surfaced after the attack and supplied the survivors with bread and brandy after interrogating them briefly.  Four to five days later a freighter of about 4,000 tons was sunk early in the morning.  A few days later, in the same area, namely Barbados, a large new tanker, estimated at 14,000 tons, was sunk.  Next a freighter was torpedoed.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been the U.S. freighter Steel Engineer which was sunk on June 28, 1942, about 325 miles West by North at Cayenne, French Guiana.)  Prisoners were unable to say whether the last ship sunk was attacked prior to or after the meeting with a supply U-boat, which took place somewhat south of the Azores, early in July.  The meeting did not last long, only two to three hours, as only about ten cubic meters of fuel oil and a small amount of food were transferred.  As usual, the doctor from the supply U-boat came aboard and looked the crew over.  (O.N.I. Note: Details of an oil transfer will be found in Chapter XIII.)  The next victim of U-128 was said to have been a freighter of 5,000 tons.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been Empire Explorer which was sunk in position 11.40 N., 60.39 W. 1942.)  However, prisoners were unable to confirm this sinking although some of them recognized the “Empire” part of the
  
 
 
 
- 14 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
name; possibly, they were recollecting the name of the tanker sunk on the preceding patrol, Cities Service Empire.
  
 
 
 
        Having expended all of her torpedoes, U-128 headed home and arrived at Lorient late in July, the most probable date of arrival being July 25.  Most of her crew was given leave of about two weeks, which was taken in two turns.  She was at the base about five weeks before setting out on her next patrol.
  
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 15 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter VII. FOURTH PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        This patrol was known as the G.S.R. patrol.  The new German Search Receiver was tested on this patrol and it was claimed that U-128 had been the first U-boat to be equipped with this gear.  The patrol, according to a captured diary, lasted from September 3 to September 9, 1942, though some prisoners were under the impression that the patrol started about September 1.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was fitted with G.S.R. and five technicians were taken along on the patrol.  This extended only into the Bay of Biscay, considered the logical testing ground due to the constant presence of Allied air patrols.  The group was headed by a doctor of engineering, assisted by a radio electrician of the German Navy.  Some prisoners thought that they might have been “Silberlinge”, civilian, though uniformed, members of the German Navy.  However, none of them were seen wearing uniforms.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 relied solely on Allied planes to furnish the occasion for the G.S.R. tests; no German planes cooperated.  Apparently the gear worked satisfactorily as many enemy planes were detected.  In every case of detection by the G.S.R., the U-boat dived immediately.
  
 
 
 
        Details on the G.S.R. will be found in Chapter XI.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 returned to Lorient on completion of the trials and promptly started to fit out for the next patrol.  She had only carried six torpedoes during the G.S.R. patrol, all in her tubes, but now loaded a full complement of 23.
  
 
 
 
- 16 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter VIII.  FIFTH PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        The longest patrol of U-128 began on September 16, 1942 and lasted 121 days.  Her first operational area appears to have been the mouth of the Cape Verde Islands near the African mainland; her second lay in the vicinity of Recife Brazil.
  
 
 
 
        Little of interest happened during the early days of the patrol.  On three occasions while test-diving, the conning tower hatch was not properly closed, and each time those present in the conning tower were drenched to the skin.  The commander made his three officers practice opening and closing the hatch, an act which greatly amused most of the crew.
  
 
 
 
        No targets were encountered until November 8, when a freighter of 4,000 tons was sunk with a spread of four torpedoes as well as gunfire from the 105 mm. and 37 mm. guns.  A 10,000 ton tanker was sunk the next day.  Five torpedoes were necessary to sink her.
  
 
 
 
        Early on November 10, U-128 met a supply U-boat in approximate position 13 N., 27 W.  Another U-boat, believed to have been U-161 under Korvettenkapitän Achilles, was being supplied with oil.  U-128 was leisurely cruising around awaiting her turn when an engine room rating reported a ship bearing down on this peaceful rendezvous.  The supply U-boat and the other U-boat quietly made off on the surface, and U-128 moved to intercept the steamer which turned out to be the British freighter Start Point.  (O.N.I. Note: S.S. Start Point was torpedoed at 1305 GCT, November 10, 1942 in position 13.35 N., 27.27 W.)  U-128 sank the ship with two torpedoes.  Since the master of Start Point went down with his ship, U-128 took the Chief Officer and the Chief Engineer prisoners.  Their stay on U-128, however, was of short duration as they were ferried to the supply U-boat as soon as it
  
 
 
 
- 17 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
was met again, early in the afternoon of the same day.  While about 70 to 80 cubic meters of fuel oil were pumped from the supply U-boat, which, however, insisted that all 4 of the spare torpedoes they had be taken.  (O.N.I. Note: Description of fueling as well as the torpedo transfer will be found in Chapter XII.)  Foodstuffs were also transferred in a rubber boat.  The commander of the supply U-boat, an elderly man with the rank of Kapitänleutnant, as well as the doctor came aboard U-128.  The doctor examined the crew members as usual.  They were treated mostly for a skin condition induced by heat and excessive perspiration.  That night, according to one prisoner, all eight air torpedoes carried in the upper deck containers were taken inside the boat.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 now set course to the southwest and, passing St. Paul Rocks, patrolled in the neighborhood of the bulge of Brazil, an area already known to her from her third patrol.  Although ships were sighted, some of them reportedly neutral, it was not until the early part of December that U-128 sank the forth steamer, a British freighter, at which 5 torpedoes were fired.  The master of the ship was taken prisoner.  He was well treated and as far as could be ascertained had the run of the boat often occupying the bridge with the commanding officer or the officer on watch.  He was finally passed over to another supply U-boat which was met somewhat south of the position at which the previous rendezvous had taken place.  The supply U-boat, although also reported to have come from Brest, as did the first one, was said to have been a different one.  Both, however, resembled closely the flotilla minelayers which one prisoner had observed in Lorient.
  
 
 
 
        The exact date of the meeting could not be determined, but it may have occurred about December 16 or 17, 1942.  About noon, U-128 joined a group of other U-boats, among which were: U-126, under the command of
  
 
 
 
- 18 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer; U-172, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Emmerman; U-161, under the command of Korvettenkapitän Achilles; and U-174, commanded by Korvettenkapitän Thile, as well as a 750-ton U-boat under the command of Kapitänleutnant Helmut Witte and one or possibly two unidentified 500-ton U-boats.  Much visiting went on between the boats.  Witte and possibly Emmerman were said to have come aboard.  U-128's’commander also went visiting on another U-boat.  One rating visited the supply U-boat to have a tooth treated, after the doctor had been aboard U-128 for the routine checkup.  U-128 took over only food that afternoon.  During the night, she cruised at slow speed and the next morning took over fuel oil.  Prisoners stated that only about half the amount taken over at the first meeting, i.e., about 40 cubic meters was pumped aboard this time.  A prisoner stated that four U-boats could be fueled simultaneously, but this is considered an unlikely statement.  However, it may be assumed that provisions can be ferried to several boats at one time.
  
 
 
 
        After spending most of the day in the neighborhood of the supply U-boat, U-128 started on her homeward voyage.  For a time she traveled in company with U-161, and both of them were attacked shortly afterwards by an airplane.  U-128 did not see the plane, but when they saw U-161 dive they immediately followed her example.  Depth charges or bombs were dropped, but no harm was done to either U-boat.  At that time U-128 dived to 200 meters.  About December 26, she met an outward-bound 500-ton U-boat near the Cape Verde Islands.  To her inquiries about the weather in the Bay of Biscay, this boat replied that it was stormy.  When U-128 crossed the Bay about two weeks later, the wind was near gale velocity.  A member of the bridge watch was almost washed overboard when the strap which held him parted under a particularly vicious sea.  Despite the rough weather, U-128 was running on the
  
 
 
 
- 19 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
surface, now and then, closing the conning tower hatch to avoid shipping the water.  Prisoners felt that there was no danger crossing the Bay of Biscay on the surface, since no airplanes or destroyers would be out on patrol with the wind near gale force.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 arrived at Lorient about noon on January 15, 1943, with a claim of 25,000 tons of shipping sunk.  She brought back eleven torpedoes, one of which was said to have been useless.  It will be remembered that, when she met a supply U-boat the first time, four torpedoes were transferred to U-128, a transfer which had been dangerous and bothersome and which now had proved to be unnecessary.
  
 
 
 
        The night before U-128’s arrival at Lorient, bombers had laid waste to large parts of the base.  After reception ceremonies, in which some fifty girls from the Paris office of the Organization Todt, patron organization of U-128, participated, most of the crew went to Pont Scorff barracks.  Later in the afternoon, following obscure warnings given them by French girls of another air raid impending that night, several members returned to the boat to augment the watch which had been left.  U-128, as usual when coming into Lorient, had tied up at one of the hulks at the pier near the Salzwedel Kaserne, pending transfer to a bunker.  About 2100, the first bombs were dropped, and one of the most intensive air raids was in progress.  Soon the Salzwedel Kaserne was hit and burned out.  (O.N.I. Note: Details of the air raid damage will be found in Chapter XIV.)  Soon the pier to which U-128 was tied started to burn.  A member of the crew raced to the Officer’s Club to inform the commander or one of the officers of the danger to the boat.  It was then decided to take the boat out into the river, away from the burning pier, the flames of which had already ignited the various pennants flying on
  
 
 
 
- 20 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
the conning tower.  Seven men, including the engineer officer, a midshipman and a chief petty officer, took the boat into the middle of the river.  They were handicapped in maneuvering by the smallness of the crew aboard, as well as by the inexperience of the midshipman, who was not at home in the electric motor compartment and whose lack of skill resulted in the burning out of the clutches.  Towards midnight they made fast to a buoy where they stayed until morning.  At noon they were towed to the Keroman bunkers and were warped into a wet pen.  They remained there for about four or five days and then were moved into a dry pen.
  
 
 
 
        Soon thereafter, about February 17, 1943, Kapitänleutnant Heyse relinquished his command of U-128.  He was succeeded by Oberleutnant Steinert.  The crew was given leave in two turns, and 14 of them, after returning from leave, were included in the delegation under Oberleutnant Steinert, which visited the boat’s city of adoption, Ulm.  The men were shown a good time and after eight days they returned to Lorient, stopping over for a day at Paris, where the Paris night life was thoroughly explored under the guidance of members of the Organization Todt.
  
 
 
 
        In the meantime, U-128 was overhauled, but, even though she was in the dry pen about two months, no repairs of large extent were made.  One prisoner stated that her batteries were taken out and replaced with others, another reported that only a few cells were exchanged.  In general, however, the impression was that the long time required for the repairs was due to the damage done to the base by the two night bombing attacks.
  
 
 
 
        On March 27, 1943, U-128 left the dry bunker and in the course of the next few days carried out test dives which found everything in order.
  
 
 
 
- 21 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter IX.  SIXTH AND LAST PATROL OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        The premonition of some of the crew members, that this would be an unlucky patrol, was fulfilled later on this, the boat’s last, and the new commander’s first, patrol.  As on previous occasions, a farewell party was held at the castle and rest home of the Organization Todt.  On April 6, 1943, U-128 left Lorient in company with another 750-ton U-boat, both escorted by a destroyer and a trawler which took them through the minefields and left them about six to seven miles out of Lorient.  Again, no plane protection was provided.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 together with three other U-boats had been ordered to escort a 4,000 ton blockade runner coming from Japan.  For about 10 days, she cruised in the Bay of Biscay and off the Spanish coast, possibly as far south as Gibraltar.  During this time U-128 was pursued repeatedly and depth charged at least once by British corvettes and destroyers.  One dive went to a depth of 180 meters.  No damage was sustained from these attacks.  (O.N.I. Note: From a captured diary it may be assumed that U-128 dived five times the first day out, twice each on the third and fourth day, and thereafter stayed on the surface.)  On or about April 16, she was advised that the blockade runner had been intercepted and sunk.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been Silvaplana, intercepted by H.M.S. Adventure on April 10, 1943.)
  
 
 
 
        U-128 now set off for its operational area off the northern coast of Brazil, traveling at her most economical surface speed.  Although a few ships were sighted, the new commander did not consider them worthwhile.  About a week before her sinking, a steamer estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 tons
  
 
 
 
- 22 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
was sighted very late at night.  She was pursued; early in the morning the executive officer fired three salvoes of two torpedoes each, none of which found their mark.  The crew as well as the officers believed that new listening devices enabled the freighter to detect either the U-boat or approaching torpedoes as she zig-zagged wildly, would stop her engines, would reverse or go ahead at full speed.  The ship finally was able to elude U-128.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been the M.V. Motocarline which reported being missed by two torpedoes at 0725Z on May 8, 1943.)  A prisoner radioman stated that this attack was not reported.  It might be mentioned here that the first four of the six torpedoes fired were taken down from the upper deck and stowed in the forward torpedo compartment.
  
 
 
 
        A captured diary reveals that on May 14, U-128 was patrolling off Bahia, Brazil, trying to intercept convoys moving north and south.  Prisoners said that they were only about 10 miles off Bahia and at night were able to see the lights of the city.
  
 
 
 
        At 1450P on May 16, 1943, U-128 was sighted by a patrolling aircraft in position 10.58 S., 35.59 W.  Depth charges were dropped on her, 65 seconds after she had submerged, which, however, landed quite far away, so that no damage resulted.  That night a PBY was sent out to keep the spotted U-boat down.  As the airplane did not carry Radar, she was unable to locate the surfaced U-boat.  After spending the night on the surface, U-128 submerged at dawn and discovered the presence of a convoy with her listening gear.  (O.N.I. Note: This may have been southbound convoy TB-13.)  Having established the convoy’s
  
 
 
 
- 23 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
direction, U-128 set off in pursuit, traveling at full speed on the surface and hoping to close rapidly the estimated distance of 12 miles between her and the convoy.  They were forced by airplanes protecting the convoy to dive several times and at one time, while submerged, heard detonations which they believed to be explosions of either torpedoes of some other attacking U-boat or depth charges aimed at other attacking craft.  After surfacing from one of their dives, they found the convoy about 14 miles distant and again set out after it at full speed.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
- 24 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter X.  SINKING OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        Visibility the morning of May 17, 1943, was excellent and the lookouts were relied upon to warn of approaching planes.  The G.S.R. was not mounted partly because the commander would use radar on a clear day.
  
 
 
 
        A PBM, 74-P-6, sighted U-128 at 0830 P at a distance of 18 miles and almost simultaneously located her on the radar screen.  The approaching airplane had also been seen by the bridge watch on U-128, but when the order to crash dive came, the boat would not dive due to a failure in the high pressure manifold.  Prisoners explained that the manifold had worked satisfactorily just shortly before the attack and also mentioned that the indicator board showed that all vents were open.  After it was discovered that the vents were still closed, order was given to open them by hand and finally U-128 submerged.  Fifteen seconds later, at an altitude of 60 feet, 74-P-6 dropped six Torpex-filled Mark 44 depth charges ahead of the swirl.  All six were set at 25 feet.  They exploded around the forward part of U-128.  The pressure hull was ruptured near the forward starboard torpedo tubes, and water poured in through a four-finger wide gap and also through the forward galley hatch.  The electric motors were put out of commission, as was the gyro compass.  Diving quickly and somewhat out of control, men were rushed into the aft parts of the boat to maintain trim.  As soon as possible the dive was halted, and, realizing that his boat could not remain submerged without danger to the crew, the commander gave the order to blow.  About three minutes after the first attack U-128 surfaced.  Both diesels were started at once, and at full speed the U-boat made off in the approximate direction of the South American coast.  Immediately upon surfacing, the conning
  
 
 
 
- 25 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
tower was opened, and the course to be laid was estimated roughly by the stand of the sun.  The order was given to man the anti-aircraft guns, but the other plane in the attack, 74-P-5, had not been reckoned with.  This PBM had located the surfaced U-boat on her radar at an estimated distance of about 28 miles, when 74-P-6 had made the original contact at 18 miles.  74-P-5 now made an attack on the fully surfaced U-boat from an altitude of 100 feet, dropping six Torpex-filled Mark 44 depth charges set at 25 feet.  This attack increased the damage done to U-128 by the first depth charging, and the following twenty strafing runs made by 74-P-5 prevented an effective defense.  The second watch officer and a rating were badly wounded and the commanding officer himself crawled onto the bridge to administer morphine to the second watch officer.  Since continued strafing attacks by the planes made conning from the bridge impossible, the steering was done through the after periscope, the forward one having been damaged in the first strafing attack.  Although not yet prepared to give up the boat, it was evident to most of the crew assembled in the control room and conning tower that only a miracle could save U-128.  Some crew members now were sent up on deck taking cover from the strafing planes behind the conning tower.  One prisoner admitted that he had tried to signal the airplane that they were ready to give up, but this was apparently not noticed; similarly, another prisoner said that they were looking for a white sheet to signal surrender, but that no such sheet could be found.  At about 0930 P, the U.S.S. Moffett and U.S.S.Jouett were sighted on the horizon by the look-outs on the deck.  The order to abandon ship was now given, as was the order to scuttle.  At about 0952 P most of the crew was observed to have left the U-boat, but, since no white flag was showing, both destroyers opened fire on the U-boat.  The range was about 8500 yards for U.S.S. Jouett and about 5500 yards for U.S.S.
  
 
 
 
- 26 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Moffett.  247 rounds were expended by both destroyers, which had 74-P-5 acting for them as spotter.  Four direct hits were claimed.  At 1009 P the U-boat sank in position 11.00 S., 35.43 W.  All her vents had been opened but as far as could be ascertained no scuttling charges were set.  The commander was one of the last to leave his boat.
  
 
 
 
        It was the opinion of most prisoners that U-128 could have effected repairs to the damage done by the first depth charge attack and might even had gotten away after the second one, had not the destroyers come upon the scene.  In connection with the latter, it may be interesting to note that the executive officer of U-128 expressed surprise that neither of the two destroyers attempted to close and board the boat.
  
 
 
 
        The U.S.S. Moffett rescued 51 of her crew, four of whom died aboard her.  The engineer officer’s death was diagnosed as chlorine poisoning and it is believed that chlorine developed during the latter stages of the sinking.  A few superficial wounds from machine gun fire, as well as one inflicted by a shark, were treated on the U.S.S. Moffett, the officers and crew of which received high praise from all prisoners for the good treatment received while aboard her.
  
 
 
 
- 27 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter XI.  DETAILS OF U-128
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was a 750-ton boat, Type IX-C.  She was built at the Deschimag yard, Bremen, and was one of the series of 750-ton U-boats numbered from U-122 to U-131.
  
 
 
 
DEVICES.
  
 
 
 
  1) White Horse.  This device was carried on both sides of the conning tower.  It stemmed from the adoption of U-128 by the Organization Todt, which had a song about a white horse.
  2) Coat of arms of the city of Ulm.  Ulm was the city which had adopted U-128 and which had entertained some of her crew between the fifth and sixth patrols.
  3) Olympic Rings.  This device was painted on the conning tower when Oberleutnant Steinert succeeded Kapitänleutnant Heyse in February 1943.  (O.N.I. Note: The Olympic Rings are the device of several U-boat commanders of the 1936 term.)
  4) Gray U-boat with streak of lightning across it.  This is the flotilla device of the second flotilla at Lorient.
 
 
 
 
DIESELS.
  
 
 
 
        Two M.A.N. 9-cylinder single-acting four-cycle diesels of 2,000 h.p. each .  Maximum speed given as 450 r.p.m. giving a surface speed of about 17 knots.  Port diesel was called “HH” (“Haw”), starboard diesel was called “Hott” (“Gee”). Buecchi supercharger was fitted.
  
     
  FUEL CAPACITY.  
     
          Stated to be about 200 cubic meters.  
 
 
 
- 28 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
ELECTRIC MOTORS.
  
 
 
 
        Two Siemens-built motors of 500 h.p. each.  They were said to have journal bearings, not ball or roller bearings.  They were reservoir ring lubricated.
  
 
 
 
ELECTRIC MOTOR SPEEDS
  
 
 
 
        Stated to be as follows:
  
 
 
 
Dead Slow (K.F.)
74
   r.p.m.
Slow (L.F.)
110
   r.p.m.
Half Speed (H.F.)
140
   r.p.m.
3/5 Speed (2 x H.F.)
184
   r.p.m.
3/4 Speed (G.F.)
218
   r.p.m.
 
 
 
 
        One prisoner also stated that 3/4 speed would be judged by amperage used, namely, that they would use about 600 amps.  Full speed (A.K.) was said to use about 900 amps.
  
     
  UNDERWATER SPEED.  
     
          Normal Full Speed was believed to be about 6 knots, although in an emergency a speed up to nine knots was stated to be possible.  
     
 
DIESEL-ELECTRIC DRIVE.
  
 
 
 
        When on passage to her operational area, U-128 traveled on diesel-electric drive in order to save fuel oil.  Her most economical speed was about six to seven knots.  At this speed one diesel would turn up about 250 r.p.m. and one electric motor about 150 r.p.m.
  
 
 
 
DIESEL AND ELECTRIC DRIVE.
  
 
 
           In order to get a short spurt of additional speed for the surface pursuit of ships, the propulsion motors were said to be operated off the  
     
 
- 29 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
batteries in tandem with the Diesels, giving an increase of 100 r.p.m. above the top speed of the Diesels, with the motors being set at their top speed.  Under no conditions, however, would the batteries be discharged below a safe reserve level for diving.
 
 
 
 
BATTERIES.
  
 
 
 
        Stated to be of the lead-acid type with hard rubber cases.  One prisoner was under the impression that, after the fifth patrol, the old batteries were exchanged for new ones in steel cases, but this is extremely doubtful.  The batteries were said to have a capacity of 12,500 ampere-hours.  Hydrometers were not built in; specific gravity was tested with hand hydrometer.  The filler openings in cells were closed with screw plugs.  No non-spilling ball check in vents; however, filters are placed in vents of batteries which tend to prevent spilling.  One prisoner stated that electrolyte would not spill at 450 diving angle.
  
 
 
 
ARMAMENT.
  
 
 
 
        Four torpedo tubes forward, two tubes aft.  One 105-mm. (4.1-inch) gun forward of conning tower, one 37-mm. (1.5-inch) anti-aircraft gun abaft the conning tower, one 20-mm. anti-aircraft cannon on after part of the bridge, four demountable C-38 machine guns on bridge, one on each end and side.
  
 
 
 
TORPEDOES.
  
     
          23 were usually carried, 15 of which were electric torpedoes and 8 were air torpedoes.  The electric torpedoes were stowed as follows: six in tubes, four below and two above floor plates in the forward torpedo compartment, two below and one above floor plates in the after torpedo compartment; eight air  
 
 
 
- 30 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
torpedoes in upper deck containers.
  
 
 
 
MINES.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was not fitted for mines and never carried any.
  
 
 
 
RADAR.
  
 
 
 
        Not fitted.
  
 
 
 
G.S.R.
  
     
           Fitted.  
     
  RADIO TRANSMITTER.  
     
 
        One transmitter said to have an output of 5 Kw.  Power is supplied by a motor generator supplying 6 Kw., current being 220-volt, AC, 50 cycles.
  
 
 
 
LISTENING GEAR.
  
 
 
 
        G.H.G. was fitted.  Some prisoners stated that K.D.B. had been fitted on earlier patrols but had been taken out in favor of the G.H.G.
  
 
 
  CALL LETTERS.  
     
          One prisoner stated they were UI.  
     
  S.B.T.  
     
          Fitted, but according to most prisoners never used.  Few of those interrogated knew various of the conversational names of this gear.  Some stated that S.B.T. had only been fitted on the last two patrols.  It was said to have been located on the starboard side of the electric motor compartment.  The ammunition was kept in an air-and-water-tight container in the after torpedo compartment.  
     
 
- 31 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
DEPERMING.
  
 
 
 
        It was stated that U-128 was depermed prior to each patrol except the fourth and the sixth.  It was suggested that the failure to do this before leaving on the last patrol was due to damage sustained by the deperming range from air raids on Lorient.  A prisoner stated that they called this process “Schleifen”
  
 
 
 
PRESSURE HULL.
  
 
 
 
        This was stated to have a thickness of 22mm. (0.88 inches).
  
 
 
 
DIVING DEPTHS.
  
 
 
 
        A prisoner stated that U-128 once dived to 200 meters.  He had heard however, that a sister ship, U-126, had once dived to 275 meters without bad effects.
  
     
  CRASH DIVES.  
     
          According to a prisoner, the time it takes to take the U-boat down to periscope depth depends entirely on the coordination of the bridge watch.  He said that his watch was able to crash dive the boat in 46 seconds, implying that better time could be made.  
     
 
DEPTH GAGES.
  
 
 
 
        In addition to the depth gage in the control room, there was one in the bow and one in the stern compartments.  The depth gages in the crews quarters were not supposed to be working and were to be used only in an emergency.  The crew, however, liked to know how deep they were and would let air into the gages.  The officers were not supposed to know about this.  The gages were graduated to 200 meters and were of the dial type.
  
 
 
 
- 32 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
WATCHES.
  
 
 
 
        The crew, with exception of the seamen, stood watches of four hours during the day, six hours at night.  The seamen were on eight hour watches, having eight hours off during which time, however, they were supposed to clean the boat.
  
 
 
 
LOOK-OUTS.
  
 
 
 
        Usually four: one officer, one petty officer, and two ratings.  Each covered a 900 sector.
  
 
 
 
FIELD POST NUMBER.
  
 
 
 
        The field post number of U-128 was M 41096.
  
     
  FRESH-WATER DISTILLING UNIT.  
     
          The capacity of the fresh-water distilling plant was given as 200 to 250 liters per day.  The cook mentioned that he was allowed 300 liters per day for cooking.  
     
 
AUXILIARY MOTORS.
  
 
 
 
        Direct current service for auxiliary motors is 130 volt.
  
 
 
 
GALLEY RANGE.
  
 
 
          The load of the galley range is 20 to 30 amp. at 130 volt.  
     
  REFRIGERATORS.  
     
          The galley refrigerator has a capacity of about two and one half cubic meters.  Another smaller refrigerator is located in the control room.  It is used mainly for meat storage.  
     
  PERISCOPES.  
     
          The operation of the periscope hydraulic raising gear was seriously  
     
 
- 33 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
hampered on the last patrol by impurities in the oil.  Although the oil had been changed during their last stay at the base, it was found to contain either dust or sand.  One prisoner volunteered that this might have been due to sabotage.  The periscopes were said to be six power.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 34 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Chapter XIII.  TECHNICAL DETAILS
  
 
 
 
IMPROVED ELECTRIC TORPEDO.
  
 
 
 
        This is said to carry two charges, the first to carry it into the ship, the second explodes after the torpedo is within the ship.  The explosive charge is stated to be much heavier and more destructive than the charge used in the standard electric torpedo.  The new type electric torpedo is distinguished by a green stripe about six inches long and one half inch wide.  It is not believed to be a convoy-type torpedo.  U-128 carried four of the new electric torpedoes.
  
 
 
 
CHARGING OF TORPEDOES.
  
 
 
 
        Torpedoes in tubes and above floor plates were charged every two to three days.  The electric and air torpedoes carried in the bilges were serviced about once every ten days.
  
 
 
 
TORPEDO FIRING.
  
     
          It was stated that the U-boat commander fires all torpedoes while submerged, the executive officer all those shot from the surface.  The after torpedo tubes were used only when it was necessary to administer the coup-de-grace to an already crippled ship.  
     
          It is interesting to note that about 60 torpedoes were needed by U-128 to sink 12 to 13 ships, an average of slightly more than four torpedoes per ship.  Prisoners stated that they always fired more than one torpedo, mostly spreads of three or more.  The average distance from the targets was about 880 yards.  
     
 
TRANSFER OF TORPEDOES.
  
 
 
 
        At the first meeting of U-128 with a supply U-boat, about November
  
 
 
 
- 35 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
10, 1942, four air torpedoes were transferred from the supply U-boat to U-128.  Two torpedoes were carried in the forward compartment and two torpedoes in the after compartment of the supply U-boat.  After the torpedoes were brought on deck, the crew of the supply U-boat wrapped about 10 life preservers around each and lowered it into the water.  It was then towed to the U-boat.  A small collapsible crane (Querstand), which is kept under the deck grating when not in use, hauls the torpedo out of the water onto the partially submerged forward part of the U-boat and loads it on the tipped torpedo loading dolly.  After being leveled, the dolly is then pushed to the designated forward or aft torpedo hatch. The transfer of one torpedo from the supply U-boat into the loading hatch was said to take about two hours.
  
 
 
 
105 MM. GUN.
  
 
 
 
        As usual on 750-ton U-boats, the 105-mm. gun was mounted forward of the conning tower about breast high on a one-legged base.  Its barrel was stated to be three meters (9 feet, 10 inches) long.  The utmost range was estimated by prisoners to be about 14,000 meters (15,300 yards), although it may be assumed that effective range would be considerably less.  The gun mounted on U-128 could not be used for anti-aircraft purposes.
  
 
 
 
        The gun is not automatically ejected when the breach is opened.  The firing is done by a hand lever.  The gun is equipped with a sight stated to give range and elevation.  No electric range finder is used.  Usually, however, the gun is trained by eye and correction is made after each round.  Prisoners said that it might take them up to four shots to find the proper range.
  
 
 
 
- 36 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
Whereas it is easy to elevate the gun, it is more difficult to turn it in the desired direction, since no mechanical equipment is provided for this purpose.  All parts of the gun are lubricated with a pressure grease gun at various intervals averaging about two weeks.  The gun can be demounted by turning it until the corresponding tongues and slots match.
  
 
 
 
        The crew necessary to man the gun totals usually 13 men.  The second watch officer is in charge of all gunnery aboard.  A petty officer is the gun captain and Number One man.  Number Two man is the gun pointer; Number Three operates the breech mechanism, number four fires the gun.  Numbers five and Six are called “Ladenummer”, and they load the gun.  The rest of the gun crew passes ammunition from the ammunition locker in the control room up the conning tower and onto the deck.  No ammunition hoist is provided.
  
 
 
 
        A prisoner stated that U-128 carried only incendiary shells for the 105-mm. gun; they were said to carry a red stripe.  Each shell was estimated as weighing about 110 pounds and to be about three to four feet long.  It is protected by a watertight metal container in which it is stored in the ammunition locker; it is taken out of the container prior to being brought on deck.  150 rounds were carried aboard U-128.  It was stated that the emergency ammunition locker, which is located just in front of the conning tower on deck, contains only three shells.
  
 
 
 
37-MM. GUN.
  
 
 
 
        It was said to be in many ways similar to the 105-mm. gun, except that its original purpose was for use against aircraft since it could be elevated up to almost 90 degrees.  On U-128, however, it was never used as such but was brought to bear only on ships together with the 105-mm. gun.
  
 
 
 
        This gun is equipped with the same sight as the 105-mm. gun, but
  
 
 
 
- 37 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
again the training is done mainly by eye.  The recoil of the barrel is said to be about 4 inches.
  
 
 
 
        The gun crew for the 37-mm. gun consists of six men including two who pass ammunition.  Each shell was stated to weigh about 32 pounds, and 25 were packed in a watertight container.  Usually, one of these containers was brought out on deck, and one man would carry several shells to the gun in a sort of an apron.  The entire ammunition was said to consist of HE shells.
  
 
 
 
QUADRUPLE MOUNTED 20-MM. CANNON.
  
 
 
 
        A prisoner stated that U-128 was to have been equipped with more potent anti-aircraft defenses upon its return to base.  The conning tower was to be lengthened by about two meters, and quadruple mounted 20-mm. cannon were to be installed thereon.  He went on to say that on 500-ton U-boats a similar additional gun platform was to be installed, on which twin-mounted 20-mm. cannon were to be set up.
  
 
 
 
        Apart from the increased fire power of the new cannon, the prisoner stated that the main reason for discontinuing the 37-mm. gun was the long time required for loading.
  
 
 
 
CRASH DIVE WITH GUN CREW ON DECK.
  
     
          If and when the order might be given to cease firing and dive as fast as possible, the immediate gun crew would only straighten the guns and then rush for the conning tower.  If necessary, several shells might be dumped overboard.  Although prisoners believed that only very little time would be required for the gun crew to reach the conning tower, it is natural that a slight delay of about one half minute would be inevitable.  
 
 
 
- 38 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
 
 
 
SECURING OF GUNS PRIOR TO DIVING.
  
 
 
 
        After firing the guns, and providing there is no rush to submerge, the gun crews take their time about cleaning and securing.  Muzzles and breeches are made watertight by screwing plugs into them, thus keeping the barrels free of water.
  
 
 
 
GERMAN SEARCH RECEIVER.
  
 
 
 
        U-128 was believed by prisoners to have been the first U-boat to be equipped with G.S.R. (O.N.I. Note: See Chapter VII.)
  
 
 
 
        The aerial fitted on her fourth and fifth patrols was said to have been arranged differently from the type installed on the last patrol, though its outward form, the familiar diamond shaped wooden form, known as the “Southern Cross”, was the same.  On neither aerial, however, did prisoners observe “jam jars”.  In the first aerial, the wires were said to have run both along the frame as well as vertically and horizontally across.  In the newer aerial, however, the wires were arranged in two 900 triangles which filled the upper half of the frame only and which backed against the vertical axis of the cross.  A transverse hollow bar, said to have been about four inches square, was seen by prisoners.  Neither of the aerials fitted was permanently installed on the bridge; they had to be taken down prior to each dive.
  
 
 
 

        It was claimed that the first aerial installed had to be turned about once every five minutes and that the new one was turned once every minute and a half.  Some prisoners stated that it was satisfactory to give the aerial just a slight twist, maybe 10 or 15 degrees, though another prisoner said that it was turned either in the direction of the boat’s bow or athwartships.  The aerial was fitted in a socket on the starboard side of the bridge.

  
 
 
 
- 39 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 

        It could not be ascertained whether U-128 was equipped with a new type G.S.R. apparatus as well as the new aerial, when setting out on her last patrol.  The set was stated to be directional, but would not give range. 

 
     
          The radio man on watch operates the G.S.R. and he is the one who gives the diving alarm, when radar from patrolling planes is intercepted.  Prisoners stated that G.S.R. had been particularly helpful in the Bay of Biscay, and that it was usually mounted at night.  During the daytime, however, unless the cloud cover was low, lookouts were relied upon.  It will be remembered that, when U-128 was first detected by a patrol plane on the day of her sinking, her G.S.R. was not mounted.  
     
  COMMUNICATIONS.  
     
          U-128 used her radio transmitters sparingly when patrolling off the South American coast.  A radio operator claimed that they were making only the so-called “Afrika Schaltung”.  It is more probable, however, that either the “Afrika Schaltung” or the “Amerika Schaltung” was used, depending on the ease of reception, since this is the determining factor.  A “Sud-Amerika Schaltung” was claimed not to exist.  
     
          Radio messages are given to the operator in plain language.  They are coded through the enigma machine only once, and no code tables or books are used.  It was stated that all messages are addressed to the U-boat’s commander, and that outgoing messages are signed with his name.  The address was not to be included in the “Kenngruppen” (groups at the beginning or the ending of an enigma message).  The signature of the commander’s name is shortened in an Alpha or a Beta message by different methods.  
     
          A prisoner radio operator intimated that only once on all their patrols did they send a weather signal.  This prisoner also stated that  
     
 
- 40 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  they did not listen to the airplanes’ voice frequency the morning they were attacked and sunk.  
     
  BATTERIES.  
     
          Prisoners estimated the life of U-boat batteries at about four years under wartime conditions.  During the last overhaul of U-128, after its 121 day patrol, the batteries were removed for testing, but only a few cells were replaced.  It was believed by some of those questioned, that after the sixth patrol new batteries would be installed, as the present ones were not considered at top efficiency.  Prisoners said that batteries were filled about every six weeks.  
     
  FUEL TRANSFER.  
     
          U-128 was supplied three times with fuel oil from supply U-boats; once on her third patrol, when only about 10 cubic meters were taken over; twice on her fifth patrol, when about 80 cubic meters and 40 cubic meters of oil, respectively, were supplied to her.  The transfers were all alike, in that the supply U-boat and U-128 lay motionless on a parallel heading.  The distance between them was estimated at about 50 meters (about 165 feet).  The oil hose was supported by eight to ten balls or floats, having an approximate diameter of 50 cm. (20 inches); they may have been made of cork.  The balls were spaced every four or five meters (13 – 17 feet).  
     
          Prisoners were under the impression that the transfer of 80 cubic meters of fuel oil took about four hours.  
     
  MOISTURE ABSORBING CARTRIDGES.  
     
          A hygroscopic agent consisting of a calcium compound and contained in cartridges is placed behind gage glasses to absorb moisture and prevent sweating and fogging.  The cartridges are baked in the galley oven to reactivate them.  
     
 
- 41 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
Chapter XIII.  GENERAL REMARKS ON U-BOATS
  
     
          A prisoner from U-128, who had gone aboard the supply U-boat met on the fifth patrol, gave the following details about this type U-boat:  
     
          Tonnage – 1,200 tons.  
     
          Armament – 105-mm. gun forward of conning tower; 37-mm. anti-aircraft gun abaft the conning tower; 20-mm. cannon on bridge, also four demountable machine guns.  No torpedo tubes were observed.  
     
          Interior arrangement – Forward of control room, port: commander’s cabin, officers’ cabin, doctor’s cabin and office, petty officers’ space; starboard: unidentified, though probably radio and listening room, officers’ cabin, petty officers’ space.  These cabins were separated port and starboard by a gangway through the middle of the forward part of the boat.  The forward compartment extended through the entire width of the U-boat and was used to store foodstuffs etc.  Aft of the control room was the galley, then the diesel engine compartment, which was followed by the electric motor compartment.  The prisoner stated that he was surprised to find the diesels mounted below the normal level.  
     
          This supply U-boat, from which U-128 took over oil, also supplied the four torpedoes transferred to U-128 at the first meeting on the fifth patrol.  The prisoner further stated that this supply U-boat was similar in details to the two U-boat minelayers which he had seen in Lorient some time in September 1942.  He was also of the opinion that each flotilla has at least one minelayer, and that the 2nd Flotilla in Lorient had two of these boats attached to it.  (O.N.I. Note: His statements seem to be in harmony with other reports that U-boat minelayers are being converted wholly or partially into supply U-boats.)  
     
 
- 42 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
          It was generally stated by prisoners that the 2nd Flotilla at Lorient consists of more boats than the 10th, at the same base.  The 2nd Flotilla was believed to comprise about 28 U-boats, and the 10th Flotilla about 18 boats.  
     
          Several 500-ton U-boats believed to have been attached to the flotillas at Brest were stated to have been in the bunkers at Lorient while U-128 was in port during her fifth and sixth patrols.  
     
          One prisoner claimed to have attended a lecture at Pont Scorff, in which an engineer officer of a 1600-ton supply U-boat was said to have made the statement that the pressure hull of his boat was 38 mm. (1.5 inches) thick.  The prisoner further said that he thought he remembered that the depth gage on the 1600-ton supply boat was graduated to 330 meters (1,100 feet).  (O.N.I. Note: This statement is entirely unsupported by other evidence.)  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
- 43 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
Chapter XIV.  BASES
  
     
  BREDA.  
     
          The commander of the 1st company of the Ships’ Manning Depot at Breda in early 1942 was Oberleutnant Wechsler.  The recruits are divided into 4 companies of 300 men each, and are housed in Dutch barracks outside of Breda.  
     
  BUXTEHUDE.  
     
           The commandant of the Ships’ Manning Depot at Buxtehude near the end of 1941 was Kapitänleutnant Peters, (O.N.I. Note: now Korvettenkapitän), and the commander of the 2nd company was Kapitänleutnant Friedrichs.  In April 1941 Oberleutnant Thilo was commander of the 5th company.  (O.N.I. Note: There is no Oberleutnant Thilo in the 1940 G.N.L.)  
     
  GOTENHAFEN.  
     
          Kapitänleutnant Heyse, formerly in command of U-128, is now a company commander at the U-boat training center in Gotenhafen.  
     
  MISDROY  
     
          The regular course in the A.A. gunnery school in Misdroy was stated to last four weeks.  
     
  LORIENT.  
     
          On January 15, 1943, U-128, just returned from its long cruise, was tied up to one of the hulks in front of the Salzwedel barracks.  The watch aboard consisted of seven men.  When the air raid set fire to the wharf to which the hulk was fast, and their boat became endangered, they took her out  
     
 
- 44 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  to a point of relative safety in the river.  Two steamers anchored in the mouth of the Scorff were both sunk during the attack.  The officers’ quarters in the Prefecture were devastated by the explosion of 50 torpedoes in a nearby depot at the Place D’Armes.  When the skeleton crew safely berthed the boat at the Keroman the next morning, they found that their quarters in the Salzwedel Kaserne were a roofless ruin; the U-Heim was partially destroyed; the cafes and brothels were destroyed.  However, more distressing to the crew was the loss of promotion orders which had just recently arrived in Lorient.  From now on, U-boat crews in Lorient were to be accommodated in new buildings which had been prepared for the expected destruction of Lorient.  
     
  All U-boat personnel, including officers and men of the 2nd Flotilla and the Personnel Reserve, now spend the greater part of their time at the base in Lager Lemp near Pont Scorff, 16 miles north of Lorient.  This new center, started before the intensive air raids, has been greatly extended since.  It provides complete living and recreational facilities for officers and men of the 2nd and 10th Flotillas, as well as the Personnel Reserve of the base.  Hundreds of French workers are now reported to be engaged on the construction of 30 to 40 new buildings, some of concrete, some of wood, on the high ground behind the officers’ quarters.  The post is well wooded and carefully camouflaged, particularly the pond 400 meters wide and 800 meters long.  The one-story wooden barracks are painted green.  A.A. protection is said to be weak, and, in April, 1943, air raid shelters were practically non-existent.  
     
          The relation of Lager Lemp to the village of Pont Scorff 1¼ miles away is shown in the accompanying Sketch 1 and the arrangement of the buildings at the camp is roughly shown in Sketch 2.  
     
 
- 46 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
 
     
     
 
 
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
          U-boat crews now stay in Lorient for only two or three days before sailing.  The attached Sketch 3 shows the location of the group of buildings near the Porte du Morbihan.  These include: the bunker on the Cours Chazelles, containing living quarters for the officers of both flotillas, the 10 wooden barracks for the 10th Flotilla men, the large four-story concrete building containing mess halls and living quarters, and the common air raid shelter.  Men of the 2nd Flotilla stay in the two air raid shelters in the court yard of the Salzwedel barracks.  The original barracks of the 10th Flotilla, Hundius Kaserne, formerly the Music School (see Sketch 3 #4), are reported still to be used to a limited extent.  Although damaged in the air raids, they were not completely destroyed.  
     
          The U-boat shelters sustained little damage in aerial attacks.  The three big bunkers at Keroman are apparently in full and uninterrupted operation, as is the old Scorff bunker near the Caudan bridge.  Undamaged also are the pyramid-shaped bunkers alongside the Keroman work bunkers and the storage bunkers built in two semicircles near the abandoned U-Heim in Keroman.  Ammunition and torpedoes are stored there, and there is some evidence that torpedoes are assembled in one of these shelters.  The pyramidal bunkers are said to rely for protection more on their shape than on the thickness of their concrete.  
     
          The frequent visits of U-boats from other bases indicate that the Keroman bunkers offer the last word in repair facilities.  It apparently takes about 20 minutes for a boat to make the journey from the entrance slip, up the covered marine railway, across the transfer table, and into its dry pen in the work bunker.  One prisoner reported that the boat is moved from pen to pen for each specialized repair, but the preponderance of the evidence points to the  
     
 
-46 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
     
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  conclusion that, once berthed in its dry pen, the boat remains stationary, and that the various parts are removed and taken for repair to the individual shops located in the rear of the bunkers.  
     
          Steel doors, operating from the side, completely close the entrance to the dry pens from the open transfer table.  There is evidence that armored doors have already been fitted to the seven wet pens in the new Keroman bunker.  The entrance to the old Scorff bunker, on the other hand, is completely open to the river.  There is no evidence of nets in front of any of the wet pens.  The pens at Keroman are numbered, and each bunker is given a letter designation.  
     
          Some sort of an air raid shelter for the technical workers has been added on the seaward side of the dry bunkers.  
     
          Military supplies are moved into the base mostly by truck, even when distances are considerable.  
     
          The deperming range is evidently still located just above the Caudan bridge.  For some reason, U-128 was not depermed before her last patrol.  
     
          Korvettenkapitän Kals, the commander of the 2nd Flotilla and former U-boat commander in this flotilla, was appointed to this position around the first of February, 1943.  He succeeded Korvettenkapitän Vikter Schutze.  
     
          Korvettenkapitän Friedrichs, the adjutant to Kals, was formerly in command of the 5th company of the U-boat training center at Pillau.  Friedrichs is also in command of the guard company at Lorient.  
     
  HENNEBONT.  
     
          The castle at Hennebont, between six and seven miles northeast of  
     
 
- 47 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  Lorient, houses the guard company and serves as military prison for the base.  Infantry and artillery units are quartered in the town.  The clothing depot for the entire base is also located at Hennebont.  
     
  CARNAC.  
     
          A Carnac, 37½ miles from Lorient, is the Naval Convalescent Center, consisting of 15 to 20 large four-story buildings along the ocean front.  This center is luxuriously appointed and has full recreational facilities.  Railway guns of very heavy caliber are said to be located here.  
     
  NANTES.  
     
          Factories at Nantes are engaged in assembling new and replacement parts for most of the detachable units in submarines.  Diesels, electric motors, periscopes, instruments, etc., are said to be assembled here and transported to the bases by truck.  Units requiring extensive repairs are also sent to Nantes.  
     
  PILLAU.  
     
          The following information regarding the 1st U-boat Training School at Pillau applies to the period December 1941 to April 1942.  
     
          Kapitän zur See Schmidt: commanding officer of the school.  
     
          Korvettenkapitän (Ing.) Schmidt: head of seaman’s division.  
     
          Korvettenkapitän Zerpka: head of technical division. (Zerpka still held this position in April 1943 and remained as unpopular as ever with all hands.)  
     
          The 3,000 trainees in the school were quartered on the Robert Ley.  
     
          For administrative purposes the school was divided into two divisions, one of which was organized as follows:  
     
 
- 48 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
          1st Company for engine room ratings was commanded by Oberleutnant (Ing.) Nachtweide.  (Not in G.N.I.)  
     
          2nd Company for engine room ratings was commanded by Oberleutnant (Ing.) Gerkin.  (Not in G.N.L.)  (O.N.I. Note: Gerkin was previously reported as C.O. of 9th Company of the 2nd Division.)  
     
          3rd Company for seamen was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wendech.  (Not in G.N.L.)  
     
          4th Company for engine room ratings was commanded by Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Stulfaust. (Not in G.N.L.)  
     
          5th Company for seamen was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Friedrichs (O.N.I. Note: At present Korvettenkapitän and Adjutant at Lorient; Friedrichs had previously been reported as C.O. of 3rd Company of the 1st Division).  
     
          6th Company for engine room ratings was commanded by Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Hanzing.  (Not in G.N.L.)  
     
          7th Company for Seamen, commander not known.  
     
          8th Company for engine room ratings was commanded by Oberleutnant (Ing.) Warren.  (Not in G.N.L.)  
     
           9th Company for torpedo men, commander not known.  
     
          The seamen companies were made up of about 250 trainees.  The engine room companies were considerably smaller.  The torpedo mens’ company consisted of only 90 men.  
     
          Seamen received all the class room instruction aboard the Robert Ley, while the engine room ratings and torpedo men had their classes in the barracks near the railway station.  
     
          After a month and a half in the school the upper five men from each company were assigned as crew members of school boats.  A great majority of  
     
 
- 49 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  enlisted men never made a cruise in a school boat, and had to content themselves with periodic visits to the boats at the wharf during the evening hours.  
     
          Midshipmen, who were quartered on the Pretoria, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Schuhart, were naturally given ample opportunity to make trips in school boats.  (O.N.I. Note: Kapitänleutnant Schuhart was probably Otto Schuhart of the 1929 naval term.)  
     
          The school flotilla, under the command of Korvettenkapitän von Stockhausen, consisted of 250-ton boats.  They were berthed alongside the quay in the inner harbor behind the depot ship Donau on which the school boat crews lived.  
     
          The 26th Flotilla, in which were new boats working up practice gunnery and torpedo firing, was berthed in the U-boat harbor.  It consisted exclusively of 500 ton boats.  Crews lived on the depot ship Kamerun.  
     
          There were no U-boat shelters in Pillau.  All repairs were made at the wharf.  
     
          All naval personnel in Pillau used the underground tunnels in the Citadel as an air raid shelter.  
     
          Estimates of the social life in Pillau varied wildly.  One young prisoner observed disgustedly that, “You could still hear the wolves howling”, while another found the social situation wholly to his liking, particularly when the “Fleischzug” (“Meat train”) pulled in daily bringing girls from Konigsberg, who were headed for a swim.  The beaches and the café are located north of the north mole.  The most popular rendezvous in town are the hotels in Pillau I: The Hotel zum Goldenen Anker on the waterfront next to the Robert Ley. Hotel zur Traube a few blocks to the northwest, and the Hotel Stadt Wien on the Adolf Hitler Place.  In Pillau II  
     
 
- 50 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
  there is the large modern Hotel zum Schmeisser.  The amusement park is widely patronized by the U-boat crews, generally in company with girls from the work service camp.  Prisoners stated that there was no need for brothels in Pillau.  
     
  ORGANIZATION TODT.  
     
          Personnel of the Organization Todt in Lorient are housed at Lager Caudan, three or four miles from Lager Lemp and approximately 8½ miles from Lorient.  
     
 

        As Kapitänleutnant Heyse was a friend of Todt, U-128 had been adopted by the O.T.  The crew had the privilege of visiting the pleasant rest home of the Organization in the castle of Pongalec (phonetic spelling).  This castle is five stories in height and is reported to be situated about 18 miles southeast of Hennebont.  It is built on a level clearing in the forest and is said not to be camouflaged.  The crew of U-128 had their farewell party here before sailing on their last cruise.  It is now said to be used by other U-boat crews.

  
     
     
     
     
     
 
- 51 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
Chapter XV.  MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
  
     
          A midshipman prisoner of the October 1941 term stated that he had served four months as a seaman in Ship’s Manning Division at Stralsund.  Thereupon he served on various sailing vessels in the Baltic.  He was then sent to the Naval academy at Flensburg as cadet and after 5 months was graduated as Midshipman.  He stated that in addition to a number of cadets training for engineering duties, there were about 300 to 400 in his term at the Academy.  
     
          In explanation of the fact that the commanding officer of U-128 was outranked by his executive officer, it was pointed out that Sterzing was the only line officer left when U-128’s commander, Kapitänleutnant Heyse, was transferred to a shore job and her executive officer, Oberleutnant Hungershausen, was sent to the U-boat commander’s school at Memel.  Sterzing was not considered experienced enough to take over the command of U-128 and therefore, Oberleutnant Steinert, though outranked by Oberleutnant Sterzing who had been promoted to executive officer, was put in command of this U-boat.  It was evidently considered important to retain at least one officer who had made previous patrols in U-128 and who was therefore familiar with her.  Sterzing was promoted to Kapitänleutnant while U-128 was on its last patrol.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
- 52 -
  
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
Annex A.  CREW LIST OF U-128
  
     
 
  Name Rank U.S.N. Equivalent
Age
       
1
   Steinert, Hermann Oberleutnant Lieutenant (j.g.)
26
1
   Sterzing, Siegfried Kapitänleutnant Lieutenant
25
*
   Hoffman Leutnant z. S. der Reserve Ensign (Reserve)
--
*
   Stutz, Gustaf Oberleutnant (Ing.) Lieutenant (j.g.) Eng. duties
--
  Spathelf, Hermann Fähnrich Midshipman
20
*
   Kreysing Fähnrich Midshipman
--
  Ferner, Harry Fähnrich (Ing.) Midshipman, Eng. duties
20
  Duschl, Josef Obersteuermann Warrant quartermaster
35
  Stein, Alfred Bootsmann Boatswain’s mate 1cl.
27
  Engelkes, Johan Obermaschinist Warrant machinist
30
  Schubert, Alfred Obermaschinist Warrant machinist
29
  Puller, Fritz Obermaschinenmaat Machinist’s mate 2cl.
27
  Schintag, Heinrich Obermaschinenmaat Machinist’s mate 2cl.
28
*
   Wirthschaft, Fritz Obermaschinenmaat Machinist’s mate 2cl.
--
  Zirkler, Heins Obermaschinenmaat Machinist’s mate 2cl.
23
  Lunk, Erwin Oberfunkmaat Radioman 2cl.
25
  Sturm, Helmut Oberfunkmaat Radioman 2cl.
24
  Bohme, Walter Oberbootmaat Boatswain’s mate 2cl
26
  Grossmann, Hermann Bootsmann Coxswain
26
  Krauss,Wilhelm Mechanikermaat Torpedoman’s mate 2cl.
23
  Gembus, Hans Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl.
25
  Hess, Gerhardt Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl.
21
  Mast, Friedrich Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl.
23
  Reitter, Otto Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 1cl.
20
*
   Winkler, Hans Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 1cl.
--
  Wischnowski, Gerdt Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 1cl.
20
  Batschke, Walter Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
22
  Becher, Werner Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
22
  Buck, Herbert Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
22
  Erben, Josef Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
20
  Hohmann, Hans Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
20
*
   Kiel Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
--
  Lehmann, Rudi Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
19
  Roller, Hans Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
22
  Schwendler, Herbert Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl.
23
  Kernberger, Walter Funkgefreiter Seaman 2cl.
20
  Nieke, Erich Funkgefreiter Seaman 2cl.
23
  Ossadnik, Heins Mechanikergefreiter Seaman 2cl.
20
  Riegert, Otto Mechanikergefreiter Seaman 2cl.
19
  Hemmer, Josef Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
19
  Hirten, Egon Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
18
  Kubek, Paul Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
22
  Lebich, Werner Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
18
  Linder, Gerhard Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
21
 
     
  _________________________________________________________________________  
     
 
1   Steinert, Hermann – Commander of U-128; Sterzing, Siegfried, Executive Officer of U-128.
*   Denotes casualties.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
  Name Rank U.S.N. Equivalent
Age
  Otto, Walter Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
21
  Pytlik, Heinrich Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl.
19
  Bayer, Erich Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
23
  Fuchs, Herbert Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
21
  Lesch, Willi Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
19
*
   Neukirch, Hans Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
--
  Specht, Karl Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
19
  Wagner, Heins Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl.
20
  Maag, Alfred Matrose Apprentice seaman
19
  Mellinghoff, Johan Matrose Apprentice seaman
19
 
  __________________________________________________________________________  
  * Denotes Casualties  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
Annex B.  U.S.N. EQUIVALENTS OF GERMAN NAVY RANKS
  
     
 
Kapitän zur See
----------
 Captain
Korvettenkapitän
----------
 Lieutenant Commander
Kapitänleutnant
----------
 Lieutenant
Oberleutnant zur See
----------
 Lieutenant (j.g.)
Leutnant zur See
----------
 Ensign
Fähnrich
----------
 Midshipman
 
 
(Ing.) denotes engineering duties only.
(V) denotes administrative duties only.
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
     
 

 
     
 
OTHER U-BOATS
  
     
  U-BOATS IDENTIFIED BY NUMBERS  
     
 
U-3 In Pillau as a school boat April 1942.
   
U-9 Seen in Pillau during the summer and fall of 1941, along with 10 to 12 other boats, some of which were 300-tonners.  (O.N.I. Note: Since then, U-9 has been reported sunk in the Black Sea, while on a special mission.
   
U-14 Stated to have been in Pillau in April 1942.  Her commanding officer was a Leutnant.  (O.N.I. Note: Recent information indicated that U-14 was probably in the Black Sea in early 1943.
   
U-37 While U-128 was being overhauled at the Oderwerke, Stettin, during June 1941, U-37 came into port.  The latter was said to have been the oldest boat of the 2nd Flotilla, which is based at Lorient.  She has since been reported to be a school boat at Pillau.
   
U-38 U-38 was seen returning to Stettin from an unsuccessful patrol at the end of November 1941.  Her commander was said to have been Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe.  She is now believed to be a school boat.  (O.N.I. Note: According to other sources the commander at that time was Korvettenkapitän Schuch who succeeded Liebe as commanding officer of U-38.  Since then U-38 has been reported sunk.
   
U-43 U-43 returned to Lorient April 2, 1943, under an Oberleutnant
 
     
 
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  Schütte who claimed from 32,000 to 38,000 tons sunk.  Her former commander was a Kapitänleutnant who had received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.  (O.N.I. Note: It is known that Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Lüth was formerly the commanding officer of U-43 and that he was succeeded by Oberleutnant Schwantke.  Prisoner of war correspondence indicates that Schwantke had Lüth’s former boat as late as February 1943.)
   
U-44 The sinking of this boat (commanding officer, Kapitänleutnant Mathes) was said to have taken place in 1940 near the Shetlands, not, as had been reported, in the Norwegian campaign.
   
U-48 In April 1942, U-48 was seen in Pillau.  She is used only as an exhibit, not as a school boat.
   
U-67 A prisoner said that, according to rumors, U-67 was scheduled to undertake a trip to Japan in February of 1943.  It was believed that this boat is a 750-tonner.  (O.N.I. Note: U-67 was under repairs at Lorient from December 21, 1942, until February, 1943.  She was reported to have left in February, 1943 on her first patrol under Oberleutnant Siegfried Keller.  It appears doubtful that her cruise to Japan was actually carried out.)
   
U-68 U-68’s former commander, Korvettenkapitän Mertin, was said to have left her after claiming more than 200,000 tons of shipping sunk.  Since then she is believed to have received a new commander.  It was reported that this boat returned to Lorient in March, 1943 claiming a total of 28,000 tons (one prisoner said 38,000 tons) of allied shipping sunk.  (O.N.I. Note: Korvettenkapitän Mertin was
 
     
 
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  still believed to be the commander of U-68 in February 1943, when he took part in an attack on a convoy 300 miles east of Newfoundland.)
   
U-69 Late in 1941 or early in 1942, U-69 was seen in Lorient.  Her commanding officer at that time was Korvettenkapitän Zahn.
   
U-106 After leaving LORIENT IN August 1942, U-106 returned three days later following a fight with an aircraft.  Her executive officer, a coxswain, and two ratings had been killed.  (O.N.I. Note: This same incident was reported previously as having occurred on the first patrol under Rasch in February 1942.  Rasch was wounded in the leg in this attack.  However, it was stated at that time that the loss of the bridge watch was due to a heavy sea.)  Around the end of December 1942 or the beginning January 1943, U-106 under Kapitänleutnant Rasch was observed coming into Lorient.  Although she had only sunk 5,000 tons on this patrol, her commander was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and transferred to the staff of Admiral von Friedburg.  U-106 belongs to the 2nd Flotilla.
   
U-107 The commander of U-107 is Kapitänleutnant Gelhaus who took
 
     
 
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  over after her previous commander, Kapitänleutnant Hessler, was transferred to a shore job.  U-107 was said to have left Lorient about August 19, 1942 for an operational area in the vicinity of South Africa.  She returned from this patrol about December 15, 1942 with a claim of 38,000 tons.  She left Lorient again about February 4, 1943 and returned April 2nd claiming 28,000 tons of shipping and one airplane shot down.  On this trip the boat was said to have made 105 crash dives.  She was scheduled to leave on her next patrol April 20, 1943.  Gelhaus was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and the engineer officer as well as the warrant quartermaster ( the latter having 17 patrols to his credit) received the “Deutsches Kreuz in Gold”.  The main device of U-107, which the crew wore on their caps, was reported to be four aces.  A secondary device, a cat, was also carried.
   
U-123 It was reported that U-123 sailed from Lorient late March or early 1943, with Oberleutnant Dietrich von Schroeter, her
 
     
 
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  former executive officer, in command.  The device was said to be a U-boat with a streak of lightning through it which would indicate that U-123 is attached to the 2nd Flotilla.
   
U-124 U-124 (Korvettenkapitän Mohr) was seen near the Cape Verde Islands shortly before November 10, 1942.  U-124, a 750-ton, type IX-C boat, was believed to have been on the way back to her base, Lorient, where she was due to arrive about December 29, 1942.  Shortly before her next sailing on April 2, 1943, Grossadmiral Dönitz made a special trip to Lorient to participate in the farewell party held in honor of her commanders.  The celebration took place before the whole of the 2nd Flotilla.  Mohr had already declined a post as adjutant to Dönitz (an Oberleutnant from U-424 had been selected to succeed him on U-124), preferring to retain his command.  Mohr is known as the “convoy specialist”.  Among his innovations are the method of attacking a convoy from the inside (developed on Dönitz’ recommendation) and the new convoy torpedo.  He has been given credit for 270,000 tons of shipping sunk.  The executive officer on U-124 was reported to be Leutnant Klaus Bock, formerly third watch officer under Kapitänleutnant Heyse on U-128.  He did not leave U-128 until after the fifth patrol starting April 2, 1943.
   
U-125 One prisoner from U-128 had participated in seven patrols on U-125.  His first patrol was the last of that boat under Korvettenkapitän Kuhnke.  The next six were made under Oberleutnant Folkers who claimed 88,000 tons sunk during that time.  The prisoner left
 
     
 
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  U-125 sometime in January or February, 1943.
   
U-126 U-126 (750 tons, type IX-C), under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer, was said to have been present when U-128 and U-161, under Korvettenkapitän Achilles, attacked a convoy about May 10, 1942 in the neighborhood of the Canary Islands.  Other prisoners, however, claimed that U-161 was the only boat there.  U-128 and U-126 met again about December 16, 1942 at a rendezvous in the vicinity of St. Paul Rocks.  On her way back to Lorient from this patrol U-126 was attacked by aircraft and was said to have dived to a depth of 275 meters (about 900 feet).  She arrived shortly before Christmas and probably left again early in March 1943.  One prisoner stated that Bauer was no longer in command of U-126 and that he had been transferred to Dönitz’ staff.
   
U-127 One of the prisoners of U-128 had been a member of the crew which stood by during the final stages of construction of U-127, which took place early in 1941 at the Deschimag Yard, Bremen.  She was said to have been launched in early March 1941 and was sunk on her first patrol.  Her commander was Kapitänleutnant Hansmann.
   
U-129 U-129, 750 tons, type IX-C, was said to have been launched during early May 1941 at the Deschimag Yard, Bremen.  She was reported in Kiel during October 1941 and was apparently in Lorient in August or September 1942, since her commander at the time, Oberleutnant Nike Claussen, was seen there.  The device of U-129 was not known to U-128 prisoners but they denied the “umbrella” device previously reported for this boat.
 
     
 
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U-130 U-130, also a 750 ton, type IX-C boat, was under the command of Korvettenkapitän Kals until he became chief of the 2nd Flotilla about February 5, 1943.  Her new commander is unknown.
   
U-151 U-151 was reported in Pillau in March 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant Janssen.  (O.N.I. Note: Oberleutnant Janssen was believed to have been succeeded by Oberleutnant Eichmann in October 1941.
   
U-154 Korvettenkapitän Köelle is no longer in command of U-154, according to prisoners of war of U-128; she is now commanded by an Oberleutnant.  U-154 was said to have left Lorient sometime prior to April 6, 1943, probably in February or March.  She does not belong to the 2nd Flotilla.  (O.N.I. Note: U-154 was previously reported in Lorient.  If she does not belong to the 2nd she is probably attached to the 10th Flotilla.
   
U-159 U-159 was seen somewhere in the South Atlantic south of the Cape Verde Islands sometime between November 10 and mid-December, 1942.  She is said to belong to the 2nd Flotilla and is a 750 ton boat.
   
U-161 U-161 is said to have been present at a convoy attack about Mat 10, 1942 in the neighborhood of the Canary Islands together with U-128 and possibly U-126.  Prisoners of U-128 also saw U-161 when they met at a rendezvous with a supply U-boat in the South Atlantic on November 10, 1942 and again about December 16 of the same year.  About four days later, U-161 and U-128, traveling together,
 
     
 
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  were unsuccessfully attacked by an airplane.  Around Christmas of 1942, U-161 sighted and attacked a convoy while proceeding back to her base in Lorient.  One and possibly two ships were sunk.  Achilles sighted another convoy on his way back to the base but was unable to pursue it due to a shortage of fuel.  U-128 was in the vicinity but still too far away to attack the convoy.  U-161 arrived in Lorient sometime prior to U-128 which put in on January 15, 1943.
   
U-172 It was stated by prisoners that U-172 is a 750 ton boat and belongs to the 2nd Flotilla.  She operated in the Capetown area under the command of Kapitänleutnant Emmermann.  This boat was present at the rendezvous when U-128 was supplied about December 16, 1942 and returned to her base at Lorient prior to U-128’s return on January 15, 1943.  One prisoner stated that when U-172 returned from a patrol in the vicinity of South America a claim of 59,000 tons was made.  This total included a steamer of 23,000 tons which, according to Hamburger Fremdenblatt, was the “Orcades”, 23,456 tons.  It was also reported by one prisoner that Emmermann has received the Oak Leaves and is no longer in command of U-172.
   
U-174 U-174 was one of the boats which met near St. Paul Rocks about December 16, 1942.  At that time Korvettenkapitän Thile was still her commander.  She is a 750 ton boat.
   
U-176 U-176 is believed to belong to the 2nd Flotilla.
   
U-191 One prisoner stated that this boat was not under the
 
     
 
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  command of Kapitänleutnant Nike Clausen and that Clausen now has a shore job.  (O.N.I. Note: Clausen is believed to command U-191, having formerly been in command of U-129.)
   
U-303 On her first patrol, U-303 claims to have sunk a munitions ship near Iceland and another ship in the vicinity of Ireland.  Although she was depth charged, no damage was sustained.  Following this patrol, she came into Lorient as a guest boat, actually belonging to the 9th Flotilla at Brest.  She left on her second patrol about April 4, 1943.  The crew of U-303 wear a “Mickey Mouse” device on their caps.
   
U-333 This boat, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Cremer was said to have returned a second time severely damaged.  Half the conning tower was shot away; the executive officer, a coxswain and three ratings, i.e. the entire bridge watch, were killed.  Cremer was badly wounded, shot in the lungs or shoulders.  The helmsman was said to have saved the boat.  (O.N.I. Note: This may refer to the gun duel in which U-333 engaged in the Bay of Biscay prior to her arrival at La Pallice on October 22, 1942.)  One prisoner stated that Cremer’s executive officer is reported to be a Leutnant Grumschied.  (O.N.I. Note:  Oberleutnant Schamong who was under Cremer was known to have taken command of U-333 following Cremer’s hospitalization in October 1942 and to have been given a new Germania-built boat since then.  Leutnant Grumschied may be executive officer under her present commander, an Oberleutnant Krummstat.
 
     
 
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U-404

An officer prisoner of U-128 confirmed the statement by prisoners from U-203 that the radio message sent by Korvettenkapitän von Bulow on the occasion of the alleged sinking of the aircraft carrier Ranger did not contain an actual claim to the sinking  .  It was said to have stated only the fact that hits were obtained on an aircraft carrier but that the sinking was not observed.  The same prisoner was also of the opinion that von Bulow had not mentioned the name of the carrier in his message.
   
U-504 U-504 returned to Lorient from a patrol about April 1, 1943.  She had shot 11 torpedoes at a convoy and missed with all of them, made 135 crash dives, and had been damaged severely by airplanes near Gibraltar.  One of her diesels was out of order and her hull had been damaged fore and aft.  Her commander was said to be Korvettenkapitän Poske.  She belongs to the 10th Flotilla.  (O.N.I. Note: This would contradict previous information that U-504 was sunk in 1942.
   
U-505 U-505 returned to Lorient from a patrol around December 18 or 21, 1942 and was in bad condition.  Her bow and stern were damaged and her 105 mm. gun blown off.  Prisoners believe that she will remain in the dry bunkers for repairs until about September 1943.  Her commander at the time was Kapitänleutnant Axel Olaf Loewe who, according to prisoners, has been awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.  (O.N.I. Note: Lowe was believed to have a shore job late 1942.
 
     
 
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U-522 This boat was lost in an attack on a convoy in December 1942.  Her commanding officer was Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schneider of the 1934 naval term.
   
U-D3 This boat was seen in Lorient, probably early in 1943.
 
     
  U-BOATS IDENTIFIED BY COMMANDERS  
     
 
U-Eckelmann This boat belonged to the 2nd Flotilla.
   
U-Hartenstein A boat commanded by Korvettenkapitän Hartenstein left on patrol about January 15 or 16, 1943 from Lorient.  Hartenstein’s boat belongs to the 2nd Flotilla.  It was still out, when U-128 left on her last patrol April 6, 1943.  (O.N.I. Note: Korvettenkapitän Hartenstein is believed to command U-156.)
   
U-Hoeckner This U-boat belonged to the 2nd Flotilla.  (O.N.I. Note: Hoeckner is believed sunk on his first patrol.
   
U- Hungershausen Oberleutnant Heins Hungershausen, who had been executive officer on U-128 on her fourth and fifth patrols, left her soon after arrival in Lorient on January 15, 1943.  He had about 10 days leave during which time he was married and then went to the commanding officers’ school at Memel.  He is said now to command a 750 ton boat which was probably on patrol in June 1943.  Prisoners did not believe it to be attached to the base at Lorient.  (O.N.I. Note: Hungershausen has recently been reported as commanding officer of a U-boat.)
 
     
 
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U-Kentrat This boat is said to belong to the 2nd Flotilla and may be lost.  (O.N.I. Note: Korvettenkapitän Kentrat formerly commanded U-74 which was lost in the Mediterranean in April, 1942 under his successor, Oberleutnant Friedrichs.  This information may apply to another boat now commanded by Kentrat.
   
U-Kurrer Oberleutnant Kurrer was executive officer of U-128 on her first two patrols.  He left the boat about May 1942.  Prisoners believe he was given command of a U-boat about a year ago, which would indicate that he took over his new command about June 1942.  (O.N.I. Note: Oberleutnant Kurrer has been reported in command of U-189.)
   
U-Lassen This boat is said to be attached to the 10th Flotilla.  She claimed 38,000 tons on one and 62,000 tons on another patrol.  Prisoners stated that they saw this boat go out twice while they were in port.
   
U-Liebe Prisoners stated that they had seen U-Liebe in Lorient prior to U-128’s fifth patrol.  This might place it in August or September 1942.  (O.N.I. Note: Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Liebe was in command of U-516 at that time.  She left on her first patrol from Kiel on August 12, 1942.)
   
U-Lesser This boat is attached to the 3rd Flotilla at La Pallice.  (O.N.I. Note: Lesser is believed to be commander of U-373.)
   
U-Lüdden This boat is said to belong to the 2nd Flotilla at Lorient.  (O.N.I. Note: Lüdden is believed to command U-188.)
 
     
 
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U-von Rosenstiel The loss of U-von Rosenstiel was confirmed by several prisoners.  (O.N.I. Note: von Rosenstiel is believed lost in U-502, July 1942.)
   
U-Schamong This boat was seen in Lorient; its device is said to be a “sawfish”.
   
U-Staats U-Staats is said to be a 750 ton boat built at the Deutsche Werft, Hamburg.  Her yard device was two white bars.  Before passing the UAK tests, she was frozen in at Hamburg during the winter of 1941-42.  Her first patrol was said to have started about August 1942 and to have lasted eight weeks, during which 20,000 tons were claimed sunk from convoys.  Her executive officer was reported to be Oberleutnant Mäder of the 1936 term, her engineer officer Oberleutnant (Ing.) Heuss also of the 1936 term.
   
U-Witte The number of U-Witte is said to be in the 500's.  She returned from a patrol in September 1942 with a claim of 70,000 tons sunk.  About December 7, 1942 she sank a 700 ton sailing vessel and took off cigarettes and cloth.  She met U-128, when both were supplied in the St. Paul Rocks area about December 16, 1942.  U-Witte arrived in Lorient about Christmas 1942 and was believed to have operated in the Capetown area.  She is a 750 ton boat.
   
U-BOATS IDENTIFIED BY DEVICE
   
Gray Mammoth One prisoner stated that a supply U-boat met by U-128 had a gray mammoth painted on the conning tower.
 
     
 
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UNIDENTIFIED U-BOATS
   
  Two 500 ton boats, belonging to the 9th Flotilla, left Lorient March 28 or 29 on patrol.
   
  A 500 ton U-boat, said to be based at Brest, came into Lorient about April 3, 1943.  She had operated in the Mediterranean and had shot down two airplanes.  Her commander was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
   
ITALIAN U-BOATS
   
Barbarige This Italian submarine under the command of Grossi was said to have arrived at Bordeaux about October 5, 1942.
   
Leonardo Da Vinci  A prisoner stated that a German broadcast announced that this submarine under the command of Gazzana had sunk the Empress of Canada.
   
U-BOAT OFFICER (GERMAN)
   
Damerow This officer is thought to be the Damerow of the 1937 B naval term.  He may be executive officer on a boat, probably a 750 tonner, which arrived in Lorient about March 27, 1943.
   
U-BOAT OFFICER (ITALIAN)
   
Lorenzini, Roselli  This commander is said to have participated with U-81 under Guggenburger in the attack on the Ark Royal.
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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