Hello Gunther!

You are most welcome. I have had to ask my father these questions, and had to try to remeber what he said.  He is now 86 years old. He was 20 in 1941.  To this day, I don't know how he did it. After visiting U-505, and seeing the cramped compartments they had to live and fight in. It has given me more respect for him and the other U-Boot Men. And they knew that their chances of returning were next to nothing. On my fathers 7th patrol he did not return until his captors let him go two years  later. He returned to a home that he said "was gone. "

regards,

Hi dbauer, I too have been inside the type IX uboat.

In England we have u534. I have visited it 4 times. Although most of the interior has gone, the engines and electric motors are still in place, and although its a little bigger than the type VII, it is still a very small area for more than 40 men to work and live.

It is the personal side of the uboat war that really interests me. The technology is interesting, tactics, etc, but what made it all work was the brave men, like your father and his kammeraden. I like to see pictures of uboat men as much as the boats themselves. It is the personal accounts I find by far the most interesting. It was to be a member of the "Elite" in the early years, to belong to the uboat arm.

Although there are many many books on the subject, I dont think any can ever really portray what it must truley have been like to be under depth charge  attack.

 Hello Again!

The movie Das Boot is to date the best to show a depth charge attack. My father ever since I have know him ( I was born in 1955) has always had trouble with his ears. He has had tubes and hearing aids in them since that time.  I agree with you, the terror and the noise must have been terrible.  My father has few pictures, due to the regulation of no pics inside of the Boot.  He also has alot of trouble with his legs from the dampness inside the Booten.  But really, he had it very well compared to the enlisted men. At least he had a bunk to sleep in, even if he had to share it!

Regards,

Hi guys. Did you know that everyone of the 20,000 mark torps were test fired many times before they were sent to front boats? This was done at a base north of Kiel. The U boats very seldon fired "spreads" It was one torp. one hit. After every patrol the U boat commander with his log went and was personaly "debriefed" by The grand Admiral. And heaven help the officer who "wasted" torps. A friend of mine and I spent many hours talking. He was on the U-3 when it was commissioned, 1935. He also served on the U-22, lost a week after he was sent to school. The U-24 and the U-409. Which was brought up off Algeries after,  18 hours,of depth charges. Then he was a guest of the United States government 44-45 then the British until 1947. All the U-Boaters I have met have bad hearing and heart problems. The torps. could be fired to run in one direction and then change course to intercept the target. [The subs in Germany today can fire serveral at the same time and direct them to the target (wire guided).] The U-boats also had ,late in the war, one that was called Fido like a dog it would run to the prop noise of the enemy ship. The Allies employed this type of torp late in the war and is why so many U-boats were destroyed. If the U-boat attacked submerged the Commander was in charge. Ist watch officer was in charge of the attack on the surface. Dan which camp was your dad in? Crossville or Papago Park? Or both? There is still a type VII Sub in Germany. It's the U-995 at Laboe. Not far from the U-boat memorial. Hope some of this is of interest.   Happy sailing.

karl409 wrote: There is still a type VII Sub in Germany. It's the U-995 at Laboe. Not far from the U-boat memorial. Hope some of this is of interest.   Happy sailing.

It is. I still have to find a way to justify a 600 kilometer trip to visit the memorial and the sub though... I want to have a personal look at the U47 memorial plague that is there. 

 Hello Everyone!

Sorry I have not been online much the last week or so. My mother had a hip replaced and I was there for that.  Yes Karl, what you say about the skipper of the Boot in charge of a submerged attack. He  directed the targets, but he also gave the info to the IWO to set the trops.  So really it was the IWO to set and then give the directions to the trop Tech, and then given to the men in either fore or aft  trop rooms to fire the trops.  My father was first sent to a county jail to undergo interigation, then they were sent to a Camp somewhere in New York State.  He was sent back to Germany in 1946. I don't know the name. He was not in Arizona. I have been to that camp. They also have a private Air Museum there.  Interesting info on your friend.

Best Regards,