Those are not the call signs used during the war.
Forum: General Discussions

They had LLoyds Register of ships aboard the U-boats. No need to transcribe anything. I also don't think call signs were in the register, at least I never noticed them. They weren't looking up call signs, they were looking up the details of the ship by the ship name.
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Seagull, When a ship sends out a distress signal it normally includes the ship’s identity and its location. During wartime the identity is a call sign assigned to the ship so the ship’s name won’t have to be divulged to the enemy. Additionally, during the war there were different kinds of distress signals. For a ship sinking (SOS) or (SSS, AAA, or RRR – later in the war, SSSS, AAAA, or
Forum: General Discussions

Hi All, Sad news - Melanie Wiggins, author of Torpedoes in the Gulf – Galveston and the U-Boats, 1942-1943 and U-Boat Adventures- Firsthand Accounts from World War II passed away November 26, 2023. Torpedoes in the Gulf – Galveston and the U-Boats covered a poorly documented part of the U-boat War.
Forum: General Discussions

To All: Have a great holiday!
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Scott, See: Scroll down to "Uboat number:" & key in 96 & you will get a list of known U-96 crew members. Note that it is a work in progress...
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Stuart, See: for the U-Boots-Kriegsabzeichen. This was a decoration for simply completing 2 U-boat war patrols and was not related to any other decoration. He apparently also received the Eiserne Kreuz II Klasse at the same time. See: for it. This decoration was given for a single exceptional act or for participating in a group that performed especially well among other things.
Forum: General Discussions

HI Paul, Google LCI(L)512. There is info on the net about what type of ship and what she did during the war.
Forum: Warship forum

Hi Dan, Go to click on find your square and key in FT 8461. You will get latitude and longitude as well as a map showing the location off Brazil. You will have to zoom out the map though.
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Dave, More questions. I have a friend wanting to take photos of U-505, especially in the roped off spaces (engine rooms, perhaps conning tower, etc.) and he wants to take flash photos. Did you take the tour just by walking in and signing up and going on the next tour that day or did you make arrangements ahead of time and pay for a private tour? If so what was the cost and any contac
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Dave, Thanks much!
Forum: General Discussions

Hi David, No idea about the records but were you allowed to take photos inside U-505?
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Bas1l991, I got it from a former U-boat man that has since passed away.
Forum: Technology and Operations

Hi Basil991, It contained spare barrels for the 37mm flak.
Forum: Technology and Operations

Hi Pat, I have all 3 volumes of his book on The German U-Boat Base at Lorient & they are in English. I got them from amazon. I don't recall there being a lot on the rest camp at Lorient though and I don't know if the ones on the other bases are available in English. He has several other books in English too.
Forum: General Discussions

You have email
Forum: General Discussions

Hi simplyacrow, First, I don’t know how your research came to the conclusion that the crew only had 14 hours of breathable air remaining. Without knowing how many of their resources were depleted before they submerged it is impossible to answer your question. There are several variables that have to be taken into consideration. Here is a general overview: When submerged, the only air t
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Victor, I hadn't given it much thought but like the battle flag, they could have been displayed while in port on special occasions but not while at sea. I looked through a good many of my U-boat photos and one of the standard commissioning photos has the commander on the back of the winter garden saluting the flag being raised on the stern with the crew mustered on the stern in thei
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Victor, U-boats did have bells but the only time I can remember seeing one displayed for sure was during commissioning. That doesn't mean that is the only time they were displayed, just the only time I remember seeing a picture of one displayed. At any rate they weren't normally displayed at sea. They may have been stored somewhere inside the boat while at sea though. Plea
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Raymond, According to the Secret (at the time) "U-boat Information for U-boat Type VIIC" document Effective 15. 7. 40: Type: 33 MAL 800 W Cells: 2 x 62 Number of negative plates: 34 Number of positive plates: 33 Cell weight: 493 kg +/- 2% Total weight of batteries: 61132 kg +/- 2% Capacity at 20-hour rate 9160 Amp hours Note that the battery s
Forum: Technology and Operations

Hi Bruno, A = 80 meters (262 feet). You frequently also see A + or - a number in KTBs. For example A + 80 = 160 meters and A - 20 = 60 meters, etc. One source claims that 80 meters was the boat’s safe diving limit as guaranteed by the building shipyard. However during WWII U-boats routinely dived and operated much deeper than 80 meters. Perhaps it was a holdover from WWI U-boats or e
Forum: Technology and Operations

Hi Paul, Thanks for sending me your books. I have read the section on Steinhoff's death in your "Hitler's Raketen U-Boote" and have found a lot of good speculation on the cause of Steinhoff's death, however I don't find it rises to the level of evidence. I must still go with the medical examiner's conclusion that it was not homicide.
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Paul, I examined his death certificate before I made my post. The heading says: Line 1: Place of Death: “en route to Mass. Gen’l Hosp.” The Medical Certificate of Death section clearly says: Line 19: Cause and Manner: “Incised wound right wrist” Line 20: “Suicidal” Manner of Injury: “Found bleeding while a prisoner or at Charles St Jail May 19/45” Was there an autopsy?:
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Paul, Something occurred to me that might at least partially explain why the large quantities of alcohol & tobacco were aboard these subs at the end of the war. While some small amounts may have been for consumption by the crews (nobody wants to be on a submarine with a drunk crew where the slightest mistake could mean the loss of the boat & the entire crew), the rest may have had
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Paul, All ripped off from stores opened as the allies closed in on them & not normally carried on U-boats.
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Cape Crusader, I am curious where you got the information that the wine etc. aboard U-1231 was for distribution to active U-boats at sea. I seriously doubt that was actually the case. The milk cows and other boats designated as resupply boats during the war didn’t carry that type of cargo for other U-boats. They carried some cigarettes & perhaps some beer and perhaps even a little
Forum: General Discussions

Hi David, Typically, the First Watch Officer (IWO) conducted all surfaced torpedo attacks from the bridge using the bridge optics (UZO). The Commander was responsible for conning the boat for surfaced torpedo attacks. He could do this from the conning tower or the control room. There were speaking tubes on the bridge, in the conning tower and in the control room for passing information &
Forum: General Discussions

Hi All, Does anyone have a list of the boats equipped with the Balkon-Gerät during the war? Even an incomplete list will be welcome. I know U-995 had one when the war ended & it was to be standard equipment on the Type XXI. I am interested in the other boats though (Type VII & Type IX etc).
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Kristoff, From: Rust, Eric C. U-Boat Commander Oskar Kursch. Anatomy of a Nazi-Era Betrayal and Judicial Murder. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2020. ISBN: 978-168-2475-140. Copyright: Eric C. Rust, 2020. Page 83: “For the record, no standard orders or procedures governed the presence or placement of Hitler’s likenesses on German warships. Some U-boats carried none; others, s
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Kristoff, The crew bunked ashore. The bedding in the boat stunk after a patrol of hot bunking and had to be cleaned and aired out while in port. There was only one cook while at sea and he prepared all the meals and snacks. He was one of the few that didn’t have to hot bunk. Off watch crew performed the usual KP duties so the cook didn’t have to do them – he just prepared the meals. T
Forum: General Discussions