General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: U10, U 565, U 621. Post #3.
Posted by:
vito
()
Date: April 19, 2013 05:50PM
Uwe Rottcher's U 565 additional info:
Again regarding the "torpedoed island" on the 15th patrol.....
[misc.ussleahy.com]
This episode was also described in Helmut Jackusch book U-565:
[misc.ussleahy.com]
["Instead submarine torpedoed an island".
An enemy ship crosses our way, I.WO Honel begins a hunt. From a good position: "Torpedo los (fired)." Hurrah a hit! Joy is great. We wants it to sink but the "steamer" is not what it appears to be - what is wrong with this ship? The answer, it turns out, it was an island - all ahead port. For that shot, Honel was awarded a sinking pennant with the inscription,"Errare humanum est" ["to err is human"] was set at periscope.]
From Jerry Mason at www.uboatarchive.net:
...I looked through the KTB and while there is no mention of hitting an island, one of the torpedo firing reports mentions that the target was a shadow that was apparently a rock. I presume this is the incident that the pennant refers to. The date of the attack was 19 November 1943....
[misc.ussleahy.com]
[So our I.WO Honel returned from patrol to Salamis, we all enjoyed the country life to the fullest. This included a thrill not to return to the curfew in the base. One day came, "Camillo" Meyer, Heinz Zyzik associated with „Schlagseite", each riding on a donkey (finally we were members of the donkey - Flotilla). Just before the entrance of the service base, who do we run into? Our I.WO Honel! We were prepared for a thunderstorm, or even worse! But what happened? Honel said to us, "come with me." - We then landed at his room what we did there - we rehearsed with growing enthusiasm, to the sound of his guitar, the "grouse" song??. Again and again it sounded from our throats "Hori duri duh - when the grouse mates". There was not much and we could do when the "courtship" starts. - Thus, from an embarrassing event - a fun outcome, thanks Honel.
[misc.ussleahy.com]
U 565 emblem:
[misc.ussleahy.com]
[misc.ussleahy.com]
U 565 had one of the longest unbroken careers of any U-Boat in the Mediterranean, serving in this theatre from November 1941 until September 1944. Separating those of Jebsen and Kptlt Fritz Henning, the tenure of Kptlt Wilhelm Franken lasted from March 1942 to October 1943 during which two steamers and a sailing vessel were sunk in addition to HMS Partridge, together with three ships damaged. These successes combined with a number of claims for which there is no corroboration in Allied sources, sufficed to earn Franken a Knight's Cross in April 1943. In October 1943 he joined the staff of B.d.U. but perished in the same fire that claimed Siegfried Ludden in the accommodation ship Daressalam at Kiel on 13 January 1945.
Successes were meager for U 565 during the tenure of her third commander, Fritz Henning, though it was long believed that he had added HMS/m Simoom to her tally on 15 November 1943.
However,recent research suggests that Simoom was probably lost in a minefield in the Aegean ten days earlier. U 565's career ended off Skaramangas, Greece during a USAAF raid on 19 September 1944. Five men were killed and the damage such that U 565 had to be scuttled at Salamis five days later.
-- Regards,
Ken Deshaies
Newton, New Hampshire
Again regarding the "torpedoed island" on the 15th patrol.....
[misc.ussleahy.com]
This episode was also described in Helmut Jackusch book U-565:
[misc.ussleahy.com]
["Instead submarine torpedoed an island".
An enemy ship crosses our way, I.WO Honel begins a hunt. From a good position: "Torpedo los (fired)." Hurrah a hit! Joy is great. We wants it to sink but the "steamer" is not what it appears to be - what is wrong with this ship? The answer, it turns out, it was an island - all ahead port. For that shot, Honel was awarded a sinking pennant with the inscription,"Errare humanum est" ["to err is human"] was set at periscope.]
From Jerry Mason at www.uboatarchive.net:
...I looked through the KTB and while there is no mention of hitting an island, one of the torpedo firing reports mentions that the target was a shadow that was apparently a rock. I presume this is the incident that the pennant refers to. The date of the attack was 19 November 1943....
[misc.ussleahy.com]
[So our I.WO Honel returned from patrol to Salamis, we all enjoyed the country life to the fullest. This included a thrill not to return to the curfew in the base. One day came, "Camillo" Meyer, Heinz Zyzik associated with „Schlagseite", each riding on a donkey (finally we were members of the donkey - Flotilla). Just before the entrance of the service base, who do we run into? Our I.WO Honel! We were prepared for a thunderstorm, or even worse! But what happened? Honel said to us, "come with me." - We then landed at his room what we did there - we rehearsed with growing enthusiasm, to the sound of his guitar, the "grouse" song??. Again and again it sounded from our throats "Hori duri duh - when the grouse mates". There was not much and we could do when the "courtship" starts. - Thus, from an embarrassing event - a fun outcome, thanks Honel.
[misc.ussleahy.com]
U 565 emblem:
[misc.ussleahy.com]
[misc.ussleahy.com]
U 565 had one of the longest unbroken careers of any U-Boat in the Mediterranean, serving in this theatre from November 1941 until September 1944. Separating those of Jebsen and Kptlt Fritz Henning, the tenure of Kptlt Wilhelm Franken lasted from March 1942 to October 1943 during which two steamers and a sailing vessel were sunk in addition to HMS Partridge, together with three ships damaged. These successes combined with a number of claims for which there is no corroboration in Allied sources, sufficed to earn Franken a Knight's Cross in April 1943. In October 1943 he joined the staff of B.d.U. but perished in the same fire that claimed Siegfried Ludden in the accommodation ship Daressalam at Kiel on 13 January 1945.
Successes were meager for U 565 during the tenure of her third commander, Fritz Henning, though it was long believed that he had added HMS/m Simoom to her tally on 15 November 1943.
However,recent research suggests that Simoom was probably lost in a minefield in the Aegean ten days earlier. U 565's career ended off Skaramangas, Greece during a USAAF raid on 19 September 1944. Five men were killed and the damage such that U 565 had to be scuttled at Salamis five days later.
-- Regards,
Ken Deshaies
Newton, New Hampshire
