My first Post, so feedback is deeply appreciated!

My research conserning small arms aboard German U-Boats is as follows:


The standard loadout/consolidated Equipage List for a u-boat is as follows according to my research:

4) Machine Gun 8MM with 3000 Rounds of Ball Ammo and 3000 Rounds of Tracer Ammo. These were originally MG-34s and replaced with MG-81 most often MG-81Z twin mount guns. These in turn were replaced with MG-34 clone Luftwaffe MG-15s. Some boats in the mediterranean Theather may have carried two Brenda 12.7MM Machine Guns as well for a time in the late mid war periord.

2) Submachine Gun 9MM with originally about 1500 rounds or so each. Later the load out may have been about 768 Rounds each, which was the standard army infantry loadout. More may have been carried. The number of magazines per weapon that was carried was at least six. One boat that I know of carried at least 3 MP-40. SMG's carried ranged from MP-28/II early on to MP-34 to most offten the famous MP-40.

6) Pistol 7.65MM pistols were carried with hoslster and atleast two or more magazines per weapon. The loadout for ammunition was at least 56 rounds per pistol or a round out number of 360 total rounds for the pistols. Pistols are believed to be Hsc or M1934 Mauser type pocket pistols. There is some evidence that officers and other may have had private pistols as well. The number of issued pistols per boat grew to 10 by the end of the war. Pistols may also have been the property of indivisual officers as well. In example on u-boat carried a commisioned medical officer and that u-boat carried 7 pistol with the one addtional pistol to the usual six for the doctor on board.

(?) Rifle K-98 8MM Mauser. While I have only seen one picture of a boat with K-98 on deck, no information has been collected by me to date documenting this rifle on board a U-Boat. I am sure many carried at least 2 to five K-98 rifles. However, aside from the two K-98 used rifles (and one MP-40) used for shooting a polar bear onboard U-601 based out of Norway, I have yet to see a picture, report or document stating K98 rifles were carried as standard equipment. I am sure how many captains of a u-boat selected to carry some K-98 rifles on board, but I have not documented this yet save the famous picture mentioned above. The ammunition carried per rifle would have been about 180 rounds of 8MM ball type I believe per rifle I believe.

(3) Bayonet 84/98 for Type VII and (5) Bayonet 84/98 for the Type IX Boats were carried. I have seen one report that this came with a belt and 2 ammo pouches. However, I believe that these were for cerimonial wear as side arms for the officers or chief petty officers. They could have been a mistranslation of documents, and the number of bayonets could have indicated the number of rifles. I don't believe that this is the case.

1) Pistol Double Barrel 25.5MM Flare Signal Pistol

1) Pistol Single Barrel 25.5MM Flare Signal Pistol

Over 200 colored Flares for command and siganl were carried

1) Line Throwing Pistol "Leinenpistole, System Sander" was carried. The number of cartridges for this item is unknown at this time.

There is a fellow with a picture take on a ship or u-boat on the net that shows a alleged Coast Guard Crew with a MP-40, Walther Double Barrelled Flare Pistol and of all things an MP-44 that came off of U-505 posing for a picture. I find this questionable, but who knows? Mr.Keith Gill formerly with U-505 claimed that several K-98 rifles were carried. Comments are appreciated.

As to where the small arms where store varried from boat to boat. I would very much like to have a picture of the two magazines where the my have been stored and a picture of the racks the were stored in if any?

Thanks,
John