First U-Boat Flotilla by Lawrence Paterson

Author:Lawrence Paterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2002-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

At 1630hrs the available officers and staff of Brest’s 1st U-Flotilla mustered in the gravel courtyard outside their Naval Academy headquarters to bid farewell to Buchholz and welcome to Winter.

19 July: Dönitz withdrew the last remaining ‘Paukenschlag’ boats from American waters in the face of growing counter-attacks and diminishing returns. They were again to concentrate on increasingly daunting convoy attacks in the North Atlantic, the key to success in blockading Britain, and peripheral operations against Freetown’s West African convoys.

29 July: ‘U203 1600hrs; Mützelberg arrives. Celebrations for the new Flotilla Oak Leaves holder.’

5 August: Grossadmiral Raeder appeared in Brest for a brief sightseeing tour of 1st U-Flotilla headquarters at 1600hrs. While the C-in-C inspected his flotilla, Kptlt. Gerhard Feiler took U653 to sea for its fourth patrol. Trailing behind one Sperrbrecher and three minesweepers, the U-boat headed for open seas and the mid-Atlantic. The following day U566 also followed a similarly heavy escort out of Brest. Accompanied by a single Sperrbrecher and two minesweepers, Oblt.z.S. Gerhard Remus began his first patrol as the boat’s commander, heading for Freetown as part of Dönitz’s new commitment to the West African area.

8 August: Schnee and U201 made their triumphal return to Brest. The usual uproarious crowd as well as KA Ernst Schirlitz, Seekommandant Bretagne since June 1942, greeted the new Oak Leaves holder. Claiming 42,386 tons sunk Schnee later joined Mützelberg for their journey to Berlin and Hitler’s formal presentation. After the joint ceremony within the Reich Chancellery both U-boat commanders were offered staff posts by Dönitz.61 Mützelberg did not want to leave his combat command and fatefully elected to remain with his boat. Schnee, on the other hand, accepted an offer to become Admiral-Stabsoffizier operativ (A I op) convoy staff officer (Geleitzugs-Asto’), a newly created post within Dönitz’s BdU staff. ‘Adi’ Schnee began his new duties in October, Oblt.z.S. Günther Rosenberg taking command of U201.

11 August: Kptlt. Werner Schulte brought U582 into her concrete bunker at 1730hrs. As well as four victory pennants claiming 32,000 BRT of shipping sunk while part of the Hai pack (in actual fact a confirmed 30,644 tons), and sub-sequently near Freetown in independent operations, the U-boat carried two prisoners. Schulte’s final sinking had been the 6,801 -ton American freighter SS Stella Lykes on 27 July, but the large American refused to die easily. Schulte attacked her with torpedoes and gunfire, causing her to flounder to a halt and take on a severe list. As her crew abandoned ship the U-boat deck gun fell silent, barking into action again once lifeboats were clear. Six and a half hours after the original attack Schulte realized that the freighter was merely exhausting his ammunition and she was sunk after U-boat men clambered aboard and set demolition charges in her holds. Before departing the scene, U582 cruised among the American survivors and took on board both the captain and engineer as prisoners. This too was a new order emanating from BdU. By depriving the enemy of skilled masters and technical personnel, strangulation of Allied merchant shipping effectiveness appeared one step closer.

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