Hello Everyone

I continue with my clearing up of UC 61's victims. In his KTB for the morning of 3 May 1917, commander George Gerth claims two French fishing boats sunk by gunfire in separate incidents near the Ar-Men lighthouse. Both are cursory mentions. They are also both recorded in first-hand reports in French in ADM 137/3988.

The second appears to be in no doubt: Fils du Progrès, skipper Jospeh Menelec from Carnaret-sur-Mer, looking for skate. As UC 61 appeared, the master recalled his dinghy, made to cut his nets, and got ready to flee with his three remaining crew. UC 61 shouted them to the stern and fired three rounds from 100 metres at the bow of the boat which sank within five minutes. There were no casualties. The incident was witnessed by a fishing boat from Douarnenez which cut its nets and fled. The sinking is in uboat.net's UC 61 victim list.

The first fishing boat, the Victorine Helène, also after skate, was two miles southwest of the Ar-Men earlier the same morning; a group of fishing boats were two miles to the east. I cannot find this boat in any uboat.net listing. I can, however, find both Fils du Progrès and Victorine Helène, mentioned together and named, in a signal from Brest to the Admiralty as both sunk (ADM 137/4120).

However, Victorine Helène was not sunk. She was attacked without warning. After passing astern, the u-boat fired a 'dozen shots and then four mortars' which all hit. Three men were killed and two wounded and the interior of the boat destroyed. The three survivors claimed the u-boat had two cannons.They hid in the bottom of the boat and found after fifteen minutes that the u-boat had moved away. The men tacked towards home with an oar.

So, we have Gerth claiming two fishing boats at the right time and the right place. Victorine Helène is not found in any list. There is the question of two cannon. And, at the bottom of the Fils du Progrès report, there is this comment:

'It seems that these two attacks were made by the same submarine. However, it is to be noted all the same that in the case of Fils du Progrès the Germans behaved relatively humanely. When they approached to approximately 100 metres, the commander of the submarine shouted to the fishermen. The men who were in the little dinghy setting the nets were not worried ... In the case of [Victorine Helène] from Audierne, the Germans showed an appalling ferocity, killing three men and wounding two other grievously. This difference in treatment would seem to indicate that there were two submarines around the Île de Sein at the same time.'

Comments anyone?

Best wishes
Chris Heal