Hi everybody,

Does anybody know what type of rounds and fuses a type IXC would have had onboard for the 105mm gun in March 1942?

I am researching U-126 and the crew of one of the ships she attacked (a tanker) mentioned incendiary rounds being fired at their ship. Both the 20mm and 37mm guns were used in addition to the 105mm gun (according to the KT and at first I assumed they must have been talking about tracers from the two smaller guns. Bauer mentions he had no tracers for the 105mm gun the day before when he sunk the SS Cardonia. He complained of it because he couldn't see where his 105mm rounds were hitting at first (he was chasing the Cardonia at the time and she was making smoke). Now I think they were correct and they had some incendiary rounds for the 105mm gun because I noticed that one U-boat described on Captain Mason's site [www.uboatarchive.net] had nothing but incendiary rounds for it's deck gun. I can't remember which U-boat it was but it was later in the war.

Also According to the reports of the crew of another ship sunk by U-126 a 105mm round entered on one side of their ship and went all the way through and exploded on the other side. This is also a possible explanation for something that happened on the Cardonia as well. Would time-delay fuses normally have been carried on that type of U-boat during that time of the war?

Additionally, does anyone have a suggestion where I could find an inventory of the munitions U-126 carried on that patrol? I am also interested in the type of torpedoes she carried. I don’t think it’s in the KTB and so far the U-Boot-Archiv in Cuxhaven has not had the U-126 info I have asked for. It seems to be one of the few U-boats they have little or nothing on.

Also, is there a book (in English) that goes into detail about the type of munitions that would have been carried on that patrol?


Thanks in advance.

Ken Dunn