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Transcript of the interim report in the excerpt without attachments. |
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Unterseeboot "U-601" |
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B.Nr. Gkdos 203 At sea 12.8.1943 |
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The Führer der Unterseeboote Norwegen |
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| Interim report concerning the period from 30.7. to 12.8.1943. | |||||||||
| The explored alternative landing site on the west side of Nowaja-Sellja is very suitable, according to me and the embarked pilot Petrat. It is located at Cape Stalin-Pinegin square AT 3148. There are no difficulties for the U-boats either. Water depths of the glacier bed are 100 meters. The terrain rises steeply at the shore (See sketch). Camouflaging of the U-boats may be best in the loose ice field in front of the glacier. Aircraft can then moor on the beach on a slipway to be made from the abundant driftwood between the shore walls rising around the open square. Recognition should be impossible even when flying over. | |||||||||
| Ice conditions in the north of Kara Sea appear more favorable than in the previous year. The ice limits reported by me were formed by ice fields in dissolution. The ice reported by me on 10 August in AT 20 had in my opinion only a lifetime of at most until 14 August. The passage was only difficult for U-boats for now. For ships the ice represented little hindrance. (2-3 Bal. drift ice, in between ice fields formed by wind without freezing together). The Kara Sea west of 70°E seems to be ice free now. Concerning weather conditions see enclosed overview. | |||||||||
| Landing Place 1 north of Cape Spori-Nawolok is a a protected bay against SSE-NNE winds. Navigation: Watch house in 300°T. The boats can go up to about 200 meters towards the gently rising shore. It has proven useful to lay the U-boat on the bottom so that the upper deck has just been washed over, and then you camouflage the gun and the turret with camouflage mats. The U-boat cannot be identified as a vessel from sea and from the air. ("U-601" recognized U-Harms despite being aware first at 4 nm. Observing BV 138 and by a Russian Catalina flying past at 2000 meters). | |||||||||
| Camouflaging the BV 138 is difficult. Depending on the weather, the flying boat will be close to the conning tower. brought up to the beach to cause the typical contours to break up. | |||||||||
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Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB |
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| The darker and thicker ones brought by "U-601" from "BLACK WATCH" are better suited as camouflage mats than the light green, thin and less stable ones intended for the operation. The lookouts on land had an overview of about 20 nm. The lifeboat of the survey ship "ACADEMIC SHOKALSKIY", sunk by "U-255" (Harms), has proven itself very well. The inflatable boat is preferable in rough seas. The accommodation of the aviators does not pose any difficulties when divided into watches on board. | ||
| Radio communications present difficulties due to poor reception conditions. The best time on Ulli - 3 is from 15.00 to 21.00 hours. In the meantime there is no, or only weak, strongly fluctuating and undetectable reception. Wavelength Ulli - 3 was not always given sufficient attention by Control. Registration of Short Signals was answered only after multiple calls and reported at Volume 3-4, so completely sufficient reception, and asked to submit. Especially bad transmitters were temporarily on Very Low Frequency "ZG" . Because receiving conditions are not always favorable here, it is an avoidable burden. (An example is Radio Message 2349/7/727, between 1st and 2, keying 02.10 and 02.18 hours on 8 August. 49 letters were given differently without reporting.) It is suggested to ask the boats of the Barents Sea to pay more attention to Ulli - 3, in spite wavelength Ulli - 1 being favorable for that area, in order to be able to jump in as repeater, possibly by crossing to Ulli - 1. Ulli - 3, it seems, is the most favorable wavelength for Group "Viking". A permanent occupation by Control of Ulli - 3 (10200 kHz) for the duration of the operation (Operations Order 5 and 6) is considered expedient. Frequent wavelength changes on Ulli - 3 are requested to avoid Russian jammers (especially between 04.00 and 07.00 hours). The neglect of the Ulli - 3 wavelengths is due to the fact that the Northern Sea boats have rarely used or used or could use Ulli - 3. | ||
| I think it would be desirable if boats leaving the Kara Sea headed for Base 1 so that they could take messages from here, drop off longer Radio Messages and deliver provisions. | ||
| So far no enemy contact. No Fu.M.G.-detections. | ||
| Signed in draft. Grau. | ||
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