Hello to all
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War with Great Britain and France!
On October 29, 1939 the Naval Warfare General Staff has ordered that passenger ships in enemy convoy be attacked. After re-addressing the issue of keeping losses down, the BdU decided to only order submersibles to keep a sufficient distance in artillery actions, and not to go all out. He did not think it necessary or justifiable to further restrict the use of the cannons.
a) order the submersibles to avoid all artillery actions, i.e. to flee from combat as soon as they encounter opposition, or
b) completely give up the use of artillery.
Commanding officers should be required not to engage decisively with the enemy, but to keep a distance that makes it impossible for the enemy to use their weapons effectively, or may disrupt the action if confronted with superior weapons.
The experience report of the U 37 off Gibraltar was received:
1) Patrolling by Q boats, motor ships and aircraft. cooperation between these.
2) Air patrol in the area of Cape Spartel, Trafalgar, St. Vincent Larache. It hunts apparently only with hydrophones, with no location.
3) Traffic: Ships making 9 knots or more have independent routes, more than 10 miles south of the usual steamer routes.
This report provides valuable information for the operation of the U-boats that will cross the Strait of Gibraltar to the Mediterranean (U 25, U 26 and U 53).
A conference was held between the BdU and the Luftwaffe General Staff on the problem of getting more information on the Channel. The Luftwaffe agreed to carry out an extensive photographic reconnaissance of the entire Dover-Calais area. It remains to be seen whether images taken of the sea surface from such a height can provide practical clues about mines and net barriers and other details of navigational importance. The only experiences are from much smaller marine areas. However, the BdU was of the opinion that all means of reconnaissance should be used. Even if the results cannot be accurately analyzed from a navigation point of view, they will still be of great value.
U 33 sailed for a mine-laying operation north of the Foreland. U 25 and U 34 were ordered to make a situation report. The BdU must know if the French Admiralty announcement refers to one of these submersibles. U 31 reported: "Operation accomplished." (Loch Ewe).
U 25 - North Atlantic - 00:00 - Beginning of patrol in Op. area (BF 7825). 01:10 - 02:25 - Several steamers sighted. without stopping due to nearby warships. 05:05 - Suddenly destroyer in sight. submerged. After the disappearance of the noise, to the surface. More patrol. 12:00 - Submerged (BF 7882). Steamers appear. They were not stopped as a convoy was expected. The depth rudder motor fails. The front periscope shows damage to the ball bearings. Not everything can be fixed with the resources on board. 18:10 - Surface (BF 7864). Patrol near trade route. No more incidents. PQ: BF7825 → BF7822 → BF7864 → BF7861
U 26 - North Atlantic / North Entry Height Irish Sea - 18:15 - Test Dive. 18:45 - Surface. No more incidents. PQ: 56°52' North - 12°20' West
U 31 - North Sea - No special incidents. PQ: FA
U 33 - Wilhelmshaven/North Sea - 14:00 - Set sail from Wilhelmshaven (AN 9814). Start of the 2nd Patrol. PQ: AN 9814
U 34 - North Atlantic - Follow-up on the two steamers from the previous day. 01:50 - Two torpedoes launched (BF 1387). Two hits detected. Sinking not observed. The British ship MALABAR (7976 BRT), from Convoy HX-5, was sunk. Five men lost their lives on the ship loaded with wood, tobacco and other goods. Listening to the pursuit of destroyers. To the ground until 16:00. Many failures in the submersible. Stern tube leaking water, Cracked port internal regulator, Faulty main bilge pump. Marching back. According to her own statements, U 34 sank another ship in the convoy, an oil tanker, of which there is no confirmation (BF 1387/49 ° 57'N-07 ° 37'W) PQ: BF 1387
Sources: Fotoalbum 175 Bilder U-Boot U33 U40 TOP !!! bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 09_05_09 162928 MESZ).
Vom Original zum Modell. U-Boot Typ VII.
Die deutschen UBoot-Konstruktionsbüros.Rössler, Eberhard
http://www.ubootarchiv.de/ubootwiki/index.php/1939
KTB U-Bootwaffe. 1923 - 1938. Das Kriegstagebuch der U-Bootwaffe von Roland Berr.
https://www.uboatarchive.net/BDU/BDUKTB30250.htm
Cheers. Raúl M
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