U-boat Archive - U-boat KTB - U-203 5th War Patrol

U - 203

5th War Patrol

Excerpt of the Radio Log

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Radio messages to us, from us and heard from other boats.

1105/25/80	Request Radio Beacon "Belleile" and "Pledejeu" for tonight.
	- Bigalk - Heard with Volume 5

Beta-Beta	My position is square Bruno Fritz 41. - Mützelburg - Sent 26 December 21.03 hours

2127/26/20	Position report from Mützelburg from naval square Bruno Fritz 31 is received.

1027/26/3	Occupy as attack area "Uphoff" square Otto Paul 96 Ulli Victor 54 to 56. "Flachsenberg" strip at the level of square Ulli Victor 5870, 8210, 8240 east to 91 right edge. "Topp" strip in same level to the east adjoining to 93 right edge, focal point square 6972. "Mützelburg" strip at the level of square 7370, 76 to the east to 85 right edge. "Eife" square Victor Otto 98, 99, square Willi Emil 97. "Möhlmann" square Willi Emil 72, 75, 78. "Löser" Hans Max 98, 99. En-route radio silence except for tactically important reports.

1512/27/135	Flaschenberg, Uphoff, Mützelburg, Topp, Möhlmann, Löser, Elfe, form Group "Seydlitz".

0125/28/147	To "Seydlitz". Officer-Only Hans.

1635/28/170	To "Seydlitz". In attack area no traffic in accordance with Operations Order No. 46 Paragraph Roman Numeral 3, 20.

2123/28/178	To Group "Seydlitz". 1.) No own traffic in attack area, 2.) No incidents with neutrals.

2209/2/113	Topp, Mützelburg and Uphoff square Zet Nanni 00 objective. Particular attention is called to attack limitations in accordance with Operations Order 46 Paragraph Roman Numeral 4 Arabic 2 d and Radio Message from 28 December. Möhlmann occupy Topp up to now attack area

1738/3/137	Topp, Mützelburg and Uphoff on 4 January 08.00 hours switch to Greenland Circuit.

1435/4/285	For information: 1.) Approximate position of medium boats: Degen and Cremer square Otto Karl 60, Prätorius and Berger square Anton Anton 20, Thurmann square Emil Ysop 90. Named boats head for square Karl Toni 84. Schug square Willi Cäsar 70 and heads for Karl Toni 86. Topp, Mützelburg and Uphoff located approximately square Jota Emil 70 and head for square Zet Nanni 00.

Signal	My fuel is still 72 tons. U-87
	Heard with Volume 5.

Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB

- 2 -

1315/7/275	Occupy the following attack area as Group "Ziethen". Schug squares 93 and 96, Mützelburg squares 98 and 99, Uphoff squares 22 and 23, Pratorius squares 25 and 26 [BB 68 & 69], Berger squares 28 and 29. Topp free to maneuver in all named squares. All squares are disguised squares in the large square that lies west of Willi Ysop. For Schug: disguised square UK 9382 probably still assembly place for convoys. Here in November there were still peacetime-like traffic. Bleichrodt occupy square Nanni Dora 77 and 01, Kals square Cäsar Sophie 04 and 07.

1337/7/276
	To Group Ziethen and Paukenschlag. Officer-Only Cäsar.

Signal	Have sank one steamer up to now. - Lüth - Heard with Volume 2.

0220/11/296	Square Max Otto 3336 dissolved convoy. Steams against the sea. For three days no weapons use possible due to Sea State. Since noon forced to submerged. Just now missed shot. No contact. Return transit at new moon. Heard with Volume 2.

1001/11/296	To Group Ziethen and Paukenschlag. If transmitting for other reasons report fuel.

0432/21/230	First 18 January in operations area. All dimmed, otherwise situation as with Hardegen. 18000 GRT. 135 cbm. Serial No. 42, 44. 90 Richard Paragraph 43. - Zapp - Heard with Volume 3.

1136/21/237	Thurmann and Forster free to maneuver in entire coastal area to square Jota Dora 0960. Mützelburg report situation.

0231/22/259	Out of torpedoes. 1 Ato. 3 ships 18000 GRT. With unexplained miss on U-boat trap a patrol vessel probably sunk. Return transit. Weapons use strongly limited by weather. Successes in shelter of the coast off "Cape Race". Air and destroyer surveillance. - Mützelburg -

0119/23/282	To Ziethen: The American steamer torpedoed 22 January 04.45 hours in Karl Paula 9676 still floats and attempts to reach the nearest harbor.

2115/23/204	Richard Emil 9455 large freighter, course west 12 knots, W 4, 7/10, Sea 4.
	- Mützelburg -

0530/24/216	Beacon at Cape Race burn. Traffic mostly dimmed, directly off the coast. Suspected U-boat trap was 6000 ton steamer as lure with lights for maneuvering and stopped. At the coast Willi Gustav 9624 dimmed patrol vessels all around.

- 3 -

0435/25/242	Departure route a patrol vessel, no air reconnaissance. Return transit. Position square Willi Nanni 0217. 109 cbm.
	U-352.

2034/25/262	1. Mützelburg, Zetsche and Rathke on 26 January between 01.00 and 05.00 hours report weather by Short Signal. 2.) Topp, Berger, Kröning, Ites, Vogel, Zetsche, Bülow, Borchert, Ulrich and Rehwinkel on 26 January 08.00 hours switch to Ireland Circuit.

WW WW	47°N 28°W, steady, 1005 mb, +15°C, 10/10, drizzle, Vis. 7 nm, SW 5, high SW-Swell.
	- Mützelburg -

0420/27/297	16 cbm, position square Willi Quatsch 7212, W 3, +9°C, 1004 mb, overcast, rain showers, medium Swell, Vis. 3 nm. Volume 1.
	- Prätorius -

2217/27/217	1.) Mannstein, Löwe, Gysae, Heinicke on 28 January between 01.00 and 05.00 hours report weather. 2.) Heinicke, Müller, Rosenstiel, Hartenstein on 28 January 08.00 hours switch to Greenland Circuit. Mützelburg, Prätorius Ireland Circuit.

Beta Beta	Am 36 hours off return harbor. - U-203 -
	Sent on 28 January at 02.20 on Ireland, at 02.36 on Norddeich, at 03.07 on Ireland. Confirmed there.

02.56/28/46	Mützelburg will be on 29 January 14.00 hours off Brest.

1016/28/53	Mützelburg from 1. U-Flottille.
	29 January 09.30 hours Point 30 be at for convoy intake.

2121/28/66	1. U-Flottille to U-203. Officer-Only Otto.

1219/28/56/189/230
	Return harbor for Mützelburg and Uphoff is Brest, for Hardegen and Zapp Lorient, for Thurmann, Mannstein and Degen St. Nazaire, and for Cremer, Pallice. Entry route Lorient still Point Tanne and Ceder, Route Bogenlampe still blocked.