Error :- There were in fact only 22 B-17 that hit Hamburg, the 505 hit kiel including the Deutsche yards. John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Walter, just to up date you, I found the USSAF Chronology 1945 on asasbiz, which is very informative. Re U747 there was a raid on the 4th where 505 B-17 bombers attacked Hamburg including the dock areas. However of missions carried out on April 9th there were none on Hamburg by the 8th USAAF. John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Walter, thankyou for the input, I can research further. Regards John
Forum: General Discussions

This boat is listed as being scuttled on May 3rd 1945. She is also listed as being damaged during an American air raid on April 9th. On checking the Air War Europa by Eric Hammel and the Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman, neither record an American air raid on that date in fact they list the last American raid on Hamburg as being on April 4th. However in The Bomber Command War Diaries by Martin Midd
Forum: General Discussions

On researching possible candidates it seems no such transfer did take place seeing of the eight U-boats lost with survivors before the conference date, three of the C/O was lost, one was only released in 1946, with three in 1947, leaving one who's release date is unknown. John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi, According to C in C navy conference with Hitler on 23.02.1940, part (e) it states, quote- The admiral commanding submarines requests permission to exchange two German submarine commanders for two British commanders. To which Hitler agreed. Did this take place and if so who were the two German officers involved? John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi, There is no easy answer to your question, one problem with getting sinking data for the areas you mention is that during their patrols U-boats could sink shipping in different sea areas, as examples being mid Atlantic then off the American seaboard or central Atlantic then off South America. The one sure way to obtain specific area data is to identify the total of U-boats which operated in
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Is the date known when he was transferred from U68 to U124? John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Platon, many thanks for this data, sunk in an old Greek minefield, reasons not likely to be fully resolved. Regards John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Urs Thanks for the reply, if the mines were not laid by S-boats, I believe there were no German destroyers, therefore only other candidates being few captured Greek vessels and R boats available for the laying. Regards John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Urs, on a similar topic also in the Mediterranean do you have the details of the mine field U133 was lost on in 1942? Regards John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Scott I have only found one instance where a U-boat deployed this type of mine, that being U218 in March 1944 at Port Castries, Santa Lucia, presumably they came too late in the war for U-boat usage. regards John
Forum: Technology and Operations

Hi Scott many thanks for comprehensive details, much appreciated. John
Forum: Technology and Operations

Is the war head size of these mines known? and did any get laid by U-boats? John
Forum: Technology and Operations

With no apparent updates on the assailant of HMS Pink, U441 and U1191 I think being the two favorites, I looked further despite not having an accurate Grid Map, in to the incident apart from HMS Pink damaged on June 27th the following day the merchant ships, the Maid of Orleans was also torpedoed and sunk to the NE, followed on the 29th when another merchant Empire Portia suffered damage torpedo
Forum: General Discussions

Having read the book 'Operation Hannibal' by M. Eggleston and F. Rogers describing this operation, which being well written, there was however only detailed mentioning of the land war and German naval organized surface efforts. These already being well documented due to the appalling loss of life. I recalled the subject being looked at back, way back as it turned out to November 2008 wh
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Michael, many thanks for the answer and corrections. Regards John
Forum: WWI forum

Hi are the ranks know of Carl Keitel and Franz Dompke? john
Forum: WWI forum

Hi both these boats sailed from Swinemunde on 07.02.1945 did they participate in Operation Hannibal and if so where was their destination?.John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi many thanks for solving this issue. regards John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi In action during the attack on the merchant ship Culebra, the 2cm 'Flak' gun crew were ordered to fire but the barrel exploded injuring the PR reporter Alwin Tolle. In Paterson's book Second U-flotilla he names the boats cook Hannes acting as gunners mate being also injured. I cannot locate a crewman of this name being on U123 at any time, were there any other injuries sustained
Forum: General Discussions

did J. Nissen (U105) and R-R Wolfram (U108) receive this award? John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Did this Flotilla have more than one Feldpost number? John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi, this boat is listed as having not been only 80% completed, however she is listed as being part of Operation Hannibal in 1945 in 'U-boat Emblem', where a Siegfried Schorner is quoted. I have only found out that Fritz Fabricius was appointed her commander but no details of any dates she participated. John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi this ship sunk by U105 on 18.03.41 is listed as having a crew of thirty-five with four gunners all lost. The sites Wartime Memories Project and Hartlepool History Then & Now both state there were fifty-one crewmen and two gunners. Is there a definitive total known?. John
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Phil, just to update you, as you suggested I contacted the owner and received a prompt reply. However from his feedback this area is not as clear cut as I had imagined, apart from the boats sailing on one day and returning on their expected day, it seems of the various other anomalies effecting the patrol is down to how one interprets these. The criteria of what constitutes an individual patro
Forum: General Discussions

Many thanks Phil, I would have thought each boats KtB would have recorded in the cases where early returns and re-sailings, as well as how many days a boat had to be at sea for it to be counted as a single . Regards John
Forum: General Discussions

This boat sailed from La Pallice on 03.02.44 and returned on 05.02.44 with mechanical problems and did not re-sail until the 14th. Would this not class as an aborted war patrol, seeing U505 on her listed 6th, 7th and 8th , each of which only lasted two days are? john
Forum: General Discussions

Hi Regarding how the total days U-boats spend at sea dictate to what are calculated, then recorded as a war patrol. I cannot in some cases follow how this worked out. I refer to the following two U-boats as examples. U376 sailed on 26.01.1943 returned on 28.01.1943, despite being only three days it is recorded as her 6th war patrol. She re-sailed after only two days on 30.01.1943 to return on 13.
Forum: General Discussions

Are the movements of this boat known from her sailing from Ronne on 14.04.45 until she arrived at Kiel on 13.05.45? john
Forum: General Discussions