When was Pengang abandoned as a U-boat base in 1945? is unclear as to when it was last used. Jan 1945 maybe? Brian
Forum: General Discussions

Thank you, John, and I must also apologise, as late yesterday evening, using a reference quoted by the Wiki story, I found a German account of the action. Unfortunately, I delayed posting the link until this morning - by which time you had responded. If I've translated the link correctly (http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Bilderseiten/UBoote/U534.htm) U-534 was berthed at Helsin
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I am aware of the various forum posts about U-534, but a recent thread about its loss on the RAF Commands forum (http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?24317-U534-the-cartoon-U-Boat) prompts me to ask if there is any online account of the vessel's loss on 5 May 1945 which describes the action as seen by the U-boat's crew. The information I'm particularly seeking is: 1.
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Thank you Phil, Jerry was kind enough to contact me shortly after I posted, and sent the U-74 log. Google translate is proving very useful!! Brian
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The MV Nottingham was sunk by U-74 on 7 November 1941. Does anyone have a copy of the U-74 KTB for this date which they would be kind enough to copy for me, please? Brian
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Thank you all, gentlemen, and especially Jerry for the KTB. I should not be surprised, but the similarity of the fate of the Muskeget with the fates of the Arakaka and Toronto City is remarkable. One interesting sideline, which is not mentioned in my account of the two British ships, is that in its original form the plan was for the ships to be equipped with Asdic to offer some protection a
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The USS Muskeget, engaged on weather-reporting duties in the North Atlantic, was sunk by U-755 on 9 September 1942. Until recently details of the sinking have been vague ( ), but in November 2015 an article in the Washington Post added more details (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/lost-at-sea-during-wwii-weathermen-to-get-their-purple-hearts-at-last/2015/11/18/93d5d908-8980-11e5-be8b-1ae2e4
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It is almost three years since the last post on this thread but should anyone be interested there is a Royal Meteorological Society link to the Toronto City and Arakaka at
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Many thanks, Jerry, the link is very much appreciated. Brian
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On another forum there is a reference to an aircraft attack on U-604 at 55º27’N, 34º50’W on 15 December 1942. Would anyone be able to advise if the attack was recorded in U-604's KTB, please?
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Thank you, Maciek. Your second one has rather thrown me. For technical reasons weather charts always have to use a standard time datum, summer and winter; in Germany's case it was DGZ but is now (I believe) CET (GMT+1) - same thing, different name. One of the sets of maps I was using came from the 'Täglicher Wetterbericht' which provided observations and maps for western Europe;
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I'm working with two sets of WW2 meteorological charts and I'd appreciate advice as to what the abbreviations for the time datum mean. One, which is a published Daily Weather Report with observations for a large number of continental stations and maps for four times throughout the day, carries the legend "Alle Zeitangaben in DGZ". It's the DGZ that foxes me; I assume t
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When Heinrich Schonder, captain of the U-77, sank the SS Arakaka (22 June 1941), he he was told, or believed he had been told, that the ship was the Alexandria, a Greek steamer. Could anyone suggest how long it would have taken for this to have been rectified? The U-77 reached port on the 7th July.
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It's probably wrong to call them 'specialised' ships, John; they were basically ordinary (chartered) merchant ships with two meteorologists* on board to look after the weather observing. That said the British did not again employ ships in the role until 25 May 1944 when two frigates, HMS Hoste and HMS Grindall were deployed to patrol two areas 20-25W 52-59N (Hoste) and 20-25W 43-4
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PS to my last John; you might be interested in the first 6-8 minutes of this BBC radio programme broadcast on 10 April 2012 Brian
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Neither were at Toronto (typo maybe?), John, but St John's, Newfoundland. I think we've exchanged emails previously (long ago) but I can't remember your address - I have a met related article about them should you wish to see it. Brian
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I should have stated the September - December dates in my previous post refer to 1940. Brian
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John, It's a long time since you asked the question, so I hope this is not too late to be of use. The SS Toronto City charter did not begin until about 16th September at Bristol. She had previously docked at Milford Haven on the 1st September having been part of convoy HX66. The ship left Bristol on her first voyage as a weather reporter on the 3rd October, and returned on the 4th
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Thank you gentlemen, that's excellent. Brian
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The facility works OK up to 30 April 1941 with both a list of U-boats and a map of the positions, but there are no maps after this date - just a list.
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Please ignore - found it under U-boat patrols.
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I have at the back of my mind that when I first registered with uboat.net about 4 years ago, there was an option to pull up a map which showed the positions of all u-boats at sea on any date. The facility seems to have disappeared - or I'm looking in the wrong place - but is there any way I could access this information?
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I'm very grateful for your comprehensive explanation, Ken, thank you. I did not mean to suggest survivors of torpedoed vessels were deliberately killed (I had not even thought of that), it was rather the implication they were not to be helped. However, I realise now that I misunderstood the wording. Brian
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I've recently come across references to Standing War Order No 154 which was drafted by Admiral Doentiz in late November/early December 1939 (for example, ), but when was it actually issued? According to the U-boat archive (http://www.uboatarchive.net/BDUKTB.htm) No 155 was issued 'early' in 1941, so I assume the same applies to No 154 - but is there a date? The order covered
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Many thanks Maciek. Two of the photographs (one from each set) are ideal for my purposes. Your help is much appreciated. Brian
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I'm looking for photographs of U-77 and U-108 for a presentation I'm giving next year about the two British steamers, Arakaka and Toronto City, deployed as weather reporters between September 1940 and July 1941. U-77 sank the Arakaka on 22 June 1941, while the Toronto City was torpedoed by U-108 in 1 July. Should anyone be able to help I'd be very grateful. Brian
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My thanks, John. My query arose from a thread on another forum (RAFCommands) which was attempting to determine the reason why the Liberator failed to return from the sortie. There was a suggestion it had been hit by flack, as "Liberator XB-P of the same squadron reported a loud explosion at 0304 hours, which may have been KG964 blowing up. The crew of XB-P also reported the presence of a s
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Liberator KG964 of 224 Squadron was lost on an anti-submarine patrol over the Skagerrak, probably during the early morning of 27 February 1945. I'm wondering if the loss was claimed by a U-boat? Alternatively can anyone advise as to how to obtain details of claims by flack-ships? Any advice would be appreciated. Brian
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Weather reports rendered by U-boats included coded pressure readings. Can anyone advise as to the type of instrument used to obtain the pressure - was it an aneroid barometer (similar to that most of us have on the wall) or mercury in glass barometer? I suspect it's almost certainly the former but would appreciate confirmation.
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Many thanks, Ken, it's easy if one knows where to go! Cheers Brian
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