Patrol info for U-39
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 19 Aug 1939 | Wilhelmshaven | 14 Sep 1939 | Lost | 27 days |
Commander | Officers * |
 Kptlt. Gerhard Glattes |
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-39
We have 5 daily positions for the 27 days U-39 was at sea.
Departure from Wilhelmshaven on 19 Aug 1939.
20 Aug 1939 - 21 Aug 1939 - 22 Aug 1939 - 23 Aug 1939 - 24 Aug 1939 - 25 Aug 1939 - 26 Aug 1939 - 27 Aug 1939 - 28 Aug 1939 - 29 Aug 1939 - 30 Aug 1939 - 31 Aug 1939 - 1 Sep 1939 - 2 Sep 1939 - 3 Sep 1939 - 4 Sep 1939 - 5 Sep 1939 - 6 Sep 1939 - 7 Sep 1939 - 8 Sep 1939 - 9 Sep 1939 - 10 Sep 1939 - 11 Sep 1939 - 12 Sep 1939 - 13 Sep 1939 -
Sunk on 14 Sep 1939.
Ships hit by U-39 during this patrol
General Events during this patrol
1939
14 Sep 1939. U-39 was the first U-boat sunk in the war, following an unsuccessful attack against the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (91) (premature magnetic-pistol torpedo detonation). KTB/SKL * reported on 22 Sept. 1939: n c) U-Bootskrieg Atlantik: U 53, U 32 Rückmarsch angetreten. Es stehen daher nur noch 2 U-Boote (U 31, U 35) im Operationsgebiet. Von U 39 liegen keine Nachrichten vor. Boot müsste planmässig bereits in die Heimat zurückgekehrt sein: das Fehlen jeglicher Nachricht von U 39 (Kommandant Kapitänleutnant- Glattes ) trotz mehrfacher Standortnachfrage gibt zu ernsten Besorgnissen Anlass. Im Zusammenhang mit dem Schicksal des Bootes verdient eine englische Rundfunknachricht über Eintreffen der ersten gefangenen deutschen Mari- neangehörigen auf einem Londoner Bahnhof Beachtung. U-boat-war Atlantic: U-53, U-32 heading back. Only two U-boats (U 31, U 35) remain in the operational area. There has been no word from U-39. According to plan, this U-boat should have returned home by now; the lack of response from U-39 (Commander Kapitänleutnant Glattes) in spite of multiple requests to transmit location is cause for grave concern. The fate of the U-boat may well be linked to a British radio transmission regarding the arrival of the first German Navy prisoner at a London railway station. * SKL = Seekriegsleitung = German Supreme Naval Command
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Attacks on U-39 during this patrol
We have no recorded attacks on U-39 duing this patrol (prior to its loss).
If you believe we have omitted an attack on U-39 please let us know.
See all patrols for U-39
* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.