General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: June 18, 2001 02:55PM
<HTML>Hi Walt,
The KTB’s being referred to here are not really KTB’s. @#$%& calls their newsletter a KTB and that is what is being sold here, just their newsletters. Anyone thinking of joining @#$%& might first want to look at one of their KTB’s to see what they will be getting for their money.
In addition to writing to the National Archives for price & availability of a particular U-boat KTB as Captain Duffy mentioned, you can e-mail your request to inquire@arch2.nara.gov. They reply by snail mail so be sure and include your postal address. They usually reply within 10 working days. For KTBs send them an e-mail asking for information on how to purchase a KTB on microfilm and identify the U-boat you are interested in. They will reply in writing with the cost ($34.00 inside the U.S. & $39.00 outside the U.S. last time I looked) and the forms to fill out. The microfilm roll number will already be on the form so you just add the shipping instructions and payment & send the forms back. They don’t have all KTBs but I think they do have most of them.
What you get for your money is a roll of microfilm that has the KTBs you requested on it plus the KTBs for perhaps 3 or 4 more U-boats. Note that the KTB was turned in to U-boat Command at the end of each patrol so there may be several for a given boat. In the case of U-126, there were 4 or 5 and they were all on the roll I purchased. I did notice, however that the last KTB on the roll (which was not for the U-126) was incomplete. My guess is that they started it over on the next roll of microfilm but if they didn’t, You might have to purchase more than one roll of microfilm.
Also note that they are not perfect copies. Some mistakes were made when they were microfilmed after the war. Some text is chopped off, some is so light or dark it is very hard to read. In a lot of cases, I found the e’s and a’s were filled in and looked like o’s. Sometimes there is bleed through from the next page, etc.
Of course, the KTB for the patrol on which a U-boat was sunk will not be there as it is still in the U-boat. However, I have heard that under certain circumstances U-boat Command reconstructed a sunken U-boat’s KTB from the radio traffic. I have no idea if these are available or if they ever existed. Perhaps someone else can help with that.
Also, there is more than just the KTB on the roll. For each KTB there may be portions of a hand drawn map for the patrol, a detailed map of a given attack (just when the target was sunk by gunfire, I think) showing every course correction, and sometimes, torpedo reports. A torpedo report contains the info (torpedo type, detonator type, inputs to the torpedo firing computer, etc. plus a hand drawn sketch showing the position of the U-boat and the position of the target, etc) for each torpedo attack. If multiple torpedoes were fired at the same time (a spread) they will all be on the same torpedo report. The torpedo reports only show up sometimes. There were none for U-126 but some of the other U-boats on that reel had a couple.
The U-boat KTB’s are fascinating to read however, they are in German. As I don’t read German, I am very fortunate to have friends that were kind enough to translate the parts I needed to read. Translating them is not easy either. Just being fluent in German is not really enough. The translator needs to also understand U-boat technical terms and jargon of the time. There are abbreviations, acronyms, etc galore. For example, you may find ATOS, UZO, BOLD, etc. Another example: “Schuß. Vg 12 E 400. Lage 90†translates to “Torpedo fired, target speed 12 knots, angle on the bow 90 degrees, distance to the target 400 metersâ€.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
</HTML>
The KTB’s being referred to here are not really KTB’s. @#$%& calls their newsletter a KTB and that is what is being sold here, just their newsletters. Anyone thinking of joining @#$%& might first want to look at one of their KTB’s to see what they will be getting for their money.
In addition to writing to the National Archives for price & availability of a particular U-boat KTB as Captain Duffy mentioned, you can e-mail your request to inquire@arch2.nara.gov. They reply by snail mail so be sure and include your postal address. They usually reply within 10 working days. For KTBs send them an e-mail asking for information on how to purchase a KTB on microfilm and identify the U-boat you are interested in. They will reply in writing with the cost ($34.00 inside the U.S. & $39.00 outside the U.S. last time I looked) and the forms to fill out. The microfilm roll number will already be on the form so you just add the shipping instructions and payment & send the forms back. They don’t have all KTBs but I think they do have most of them.
What you get for your money is a roll of microfilm that has the KTBs you requested on it plus the KTBs for perhaps 3 or 4 more U-boats. Note that the KTB was turned in to U-boat Command at the end of each patrol so there may be several for a given boat. In the case of U-126, there were 4 or 5 and they were all on the roll I purchased. I did notice, however that the last KTB on the roll (which was not for the U-126) was incomplete. My guess is that they started it over on the next roll of microfilm but if they didn’t, You might have to purchase more than one roll of microfilm.
Also note that they are not perfect copies. Some mistakes were made when they were microfilmed after the war. Some text is chopped off, some is so light or dark it is very hard to read. In a lot of cases, I found the e’s and a’s were filled in and looked like o’s. Sometimes there is bleed through from the next page, etc.
Of course, the KTB for the patrol on which a U-boat was sunk will not be there as it is still in the U-boat. However, I have heard that under certain circumstances U-boat Command reconstructed a sunken U-boat’s KTB from the radio traffic. I have no idea if these are available or if they ever existed. Perhaps someone else can help with that.
Also, there is more than just the KTB on the roll. For each KTB there may be portions of a hand drawn map for the patrol, a detailed map of a given attack (just when the target was sunk by gunfire, I think) showing every course correction, and sometimes, torpedo reports. A torpedo report contains the info (torpedo type, detonator type, inputs to the torpedo firing computer, etc. plus a hand drawn sketch showing the position of the U-boat and the position of the target, etc) for each torpedo attack. If multiple torpedoes were fired at the same time (a spread) they will all be on the same torpedo report. The torpedo reports only show up sometimes. There were none for U-126 but some of the other U-boats on that reel had a couple.
The U-boat KTB’s are fascinating to read however, they are in German. As I don’t read German, I am very fortunate to have friends that were kind enough to translate the parts I needed to read. Translating them is not easy either. Just being fluent in German is not really enough. The translator needs to also understand U-boat technical terms and jargon of the time. There are abbreviations, acronyms, etc galore. For example, you may find ATOS, UZO, BOLD, etc. Another example: “Schuß. Vg 12 E 400. Lage 90†translates to “Torpedo fired, target speed 12 knots, angle on the bow 90 degrees, distance to the target 400 metersâ€.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Tom Caramela | 06/18/2001 12:05AM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Der Teddy Bär | 06/18/2001 06:04AM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Walt | 06/18/2001 10:17AM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Capt. George W. Duffy | 06/18/2001 01:17PM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Steve | 06/18/2001 03:54PM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Ken Dunn | 06/18/2001 02:55PM |
|
RE: KTB @#$%& mags for sale!
|
Ray | 06/18/2001 03:17PM |
|
tom check ur email
|
ray schwartz | 06/18/2001 03:35PM |
|
RE: tom check ur email
|
Tom Caramela | 06/18/2001 04:03PM |
|
RE: tom check ur email
|
Walt | 06/18/2001 07:42PM |
|
RE: tom check ur email
|
Thomas Caramela | 06/19/2001 02:26AM |