The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the submarine forces of the Kriegsmarine.
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Ibrahim Ahmad
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The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#1

Post by Ibrahim Ahmad » 16 Nov 2012, 10:08

Good morning everyone :)

For the past couple of years Ive been gathering data on a unique subject which is WW2 german submarines in asia , the Monsun Uboats. http://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/
It all started when the local singapore museum wanted me & some of my fellow teacher friends to do some WW2 historical presentation for the kids and thats how I found about this subject.

Could you please give me reviews ?? Any constructive ways to improve my website ?? Also if you can help me identify the people in the photo sections , that would be great.
And if you have any more information / pictures / videos , I would gladly appreciate it too.


Thank you,
Ibrahim


Image
Picture album of DKIG Franz Persch, Stabsobermaschinist of U 181 (12. U-Flotille) Picture courtesy of François Saez.


---------------------------
Looking for all relevant info & items on WW2 German U-boats in Singapore and Asia for my research.
http://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/
Last edited by Dieter Zinke on 16 Nov 2012, 15:13, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Correct is only U 181 - and not "U-181"

Felix C
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#2

Post by Felix C » 16 Nov 2012, 18:07

All good. Is there any detailed information regarding the U-boat which sortied in 1944 to attack U.S. shipping in the Philippine Sea regtion?


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Ibrahim Ahmad
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#3

Post by Ibrahim Ahmad » 23 Nov 2012, 03:18

HI Felix,

hmmmm.... not that I know of, do you care to share any info about this ??

ibrahim

---------------------------
Looking for all relevant info & items on WW2 German U-boats in Singapore and Asia for my research.
http://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/

Felix C
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#4

Post by Felix C » 28 Nov 2012, 13:34

Mentioned in Michael Wilson's A Submariners War: The Indian Ocean...

No source listed or submarine identified.

Simon Gunson
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#5

Post by Simon Gunson » 16 Jan 2013, 03:48

Essentially Ibrahim the Germans used Georgetown, Penang as their main base until October 1944 when ambushes by Allied submarines and aerial mining by the Allies of waters around Penang forced evacuation to Djakarta and Soerebaya. Singapore which the Japanese called Shonan provided drydock facilities for refits but more importantly to unload cargo from the keel boxes of these U-boats. Even the fighting U-boats had cargo loaded into free flooding keel boxes. Typically these cargoes included steel flasks of mercury from northern Italy.

I will try and create a summary for you of U-boats visiting Penang with dates and paste them here later.

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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#6

Post by Simon Gunson » 18 Jan 2013, 03:40

Wow Ibrahim, great website you created there. I don't know if this summary replicates wht you already know but since I've already compiled some data I will post it anyway.

I have a video clip somewhere of a Focke Archelis being flown off U 862 which I might be able to email you and also a photo of U-862 from a Japanese patrol boat as she sailed into Penang if that interests you?

The first U-boat to meet with Japanese forces in the Indian Ocean was U 180 in 1943 when the Indian nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose was handed over to the Japanese, but U 180 returned to Europe without reaching land.
Ironically the first German submarine to visit Singapore was in fact an Italian transport submarine in German service UIT-23 which voyaged from Sebang to Singapore sometime between July and August 1943.It was joined in August at Singapore by another former Italian boat UIT 25. The ex-Italian boats played a vital role shuttling cargo from the fighting U-boats which arrived at Penang etc to Japan.

They were harder for the Allies to intercept because their signals discipline was not as lax or predictable as the Japanese vessels. Japanese submarines were for example required to surface and report to Tokyo at midday. Unfortunately the Japanese did broadcast the expected movements of German units to Japanese controlled ports which led to several ambushes by Allied subs. UIT 24 and UIT 25 however continued a cargo shuttle from Singapore to Japan throughout the remainder of the war, 1943 - 45. U 219, U 195 and U 862 were interned by the Japanese at Selatar in 1945 when Germany surrendered.

Singapore was also a departure port for some Japanese submarines to France and arrival point for fewer which returned. Possibly some surface blockade runners may have stopped at Singapore too but these voyages tapered off through 1943.
The Germans provided 3 rotor Enigma machines to the Japanese for a joint communications cipher net, but all except 30 machines were lost in the I-29 sinking. The machines which survived were offloaded at Singapore. Their actual use is questionable. The Germans operated a radio base at Penang for U-Flotte 33 however operational orders still came from BdU Germany, not Penang.

In 1943:

UIT 24 a Romelo class under KL Pahis reached Sabang 11 Jul 1943
UIT 23 a Romelo class IXC/40 under OL Streigler reached Sabang ? Jul 1943
U 511 a type IXC under KLt Schneewind reached Penang 21 July 1943
U 178 a type IXD2 under KK Dommes reached Penang 29 Aug 1943
UIT 25 a Romelo Class under OL Spliedt reached Singapore 30 Aug 1943
U 188 a type IXC/40 under KL Lüdden reached Penang 31 Oct 1943
U 183 a type IXC/40 under KL Schäfer reached Penang 2 Nov 1943
U 168 a type IXC/40 under KL Pich reached Penang 11 Nov 1943
U 532 a type IXC/40 under FK Junker reached Penang 12 Nov 1943

Sunk en-route: U 200, U 509, U 514, U 506, U 533, U 516, U 847, U 848, U 849, U 850, U 172.

In 1944:

U 510 a type IXC under KL Eick reached Penang 5 Apr 1944
U 1062 a type VII F under OL Albrecht (torpedo resupply) reached Penang 19 Apr 1944
U 843 a type IXC/40 under KL Leupold reached Penang 5 Apr 1944
U 181 a type IXD2 under KzS Freiwald reached Penang 8 Aug 1944
U 196 a type IXD2 under KK Kentrat reached Penang 10 Aug 1944
U 537 a type IXC40 under KL Schrewe reached Jakarta 2 Aug 1944
U 861 a type IXD2 under KK Osten reached Penang 22 Sep 1944
U 862 a type IXD2 under KK Timm reached Penang 9 Sep 1944
U 219 a type XB under Burghagen reached Jakarta 11 Dec 1944
U-195 a type IXD1 under OL Steinfeld reached Jakarta 28 Dec 1944

Sunk en-route: U 177, U 852, U 1059, U 843, U 851, U 1224, U 859, U 860, U 198, U 490, U 863, U 180, U 871, U 864(2/45).
Last edited by Dieter Zinke on 18 Jan 2013, 10:32, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Standardisation of the correct spelling for german U-boats with space and without hyphen: for example "U 188" - not "U-188" or "U188"

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Ibrahim Ahmad
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#7

Post by Ibrahim Ahmad » 18 Jan 2013, 03:53

Good morning Simon,

I really do like the summary of uboats , year by year that you compiled as this makes it so much easier for the reader to look at.
Yes, please do email me the video clip of a Focke Archelis being flown off U 862 and also a photo of U 862 from a Japanese patrol boat as she sailed into Penang.

I will put it in & credit this to you in my website. My email [email protected]

Thank you & hope to hear from you soon,
ibrahim

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tigre
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#8

Post by tigre » 23 Dec 2013, 23:30

Hello to all :D; a little more..............

Meeting with the Japanese.

On the evening of April 20 the radio operator heard the distinctive sound of a vessel powered by diesel and the U 180 was to dive, towards starboard a silhouette appeared and disappeared on the horizon. The position was estimated in quadrant KR 5276 east of Madagascar and finally was able to determine that the she was the Japanese submarine I-29 . The U 180 surfaced and contacted by signals, the match was perfect.

For two days the U 180 sailed behind the I-29 waiting for good sea conditions for the exchanges. That happened on April 22 , the Hindus with life jacket were transferred in rubber boats into the Japanese submarine and in turn reached the German boat two Japanese naval officers (naval architects), Commander Emi and Lieutenant Commander Tomonaga (who later committed suicide on board U- 234 before the capitulation of Germany). German sailors also visited the I-29 and the Japanese did the same with the U 180. Goods and weapons (German side) were also exchanged for 50 gold bars (40 kg each). The LI Officer (engineer) had no trouble in securing the cargo so that will not affect the balance during the immersion maneuvers.

Sources: U-180 UND DIE GEHEIME REICHSSACHE. HERMANN WIEN, AUGSBURG tomado de http://uk-muenchen.de – Website der Ubootkameradschaft München 1926.
http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/605769-3/i29

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).

Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!. :wink:
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The U 180 meets the I-29....................
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Ibrahim Ahmad
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#9

Post by Ibrahim Ahmad » 11 Feb 2014, 08:32

Dear Raúl M :)

Thank you for your post !! Really appreciate it and will include it to my website & full credits to you.
Im so sorry for this late reply as I have been on holiday for sometime now.

Yours,
ibrahim
---------------------------
Looking for all relevant info & items on WW2 German U-boats in Singapore and Asia for my research.
http://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/

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tigre
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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#10

Post by tigre » 11 Feb 2014, 18:15

Hello Ibrahim :D; do not mention it. All the best for you and your excelent website :wink:. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).

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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#11

Post by Simon Gunson » 08 Mar 2014, 14:46

Felix C wrote:All good. Is there any detailed information regarding the U-boat which sortied in 1944 to attack U.S. shipping in the Philippine Sea regtion?
Reference to that U-boat was made in the book "U-boat far from home," Stevens, David about voyages of U-862 to New Zealand and Australia. The author was Royal Australian Navy and given privileged access to RAN wartime intelligence files to compile the book (raising questions what he filtered out?)

I have not got my copy handy but I am pretty certain from memory that it was U-183 and possibly that it had returned to Djakarta from Japan before voyaging towards Leyte Gulf with a team from Unit 731 aboard. They were ordered to deploy biological warfare weapons to disrupt the US landings. What biological weapons precisely I am unsure of.

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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#12

Post by mark harrison » 15 Mar 2014, 03:13

http://www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publi ... ports-wwii
try this link Ibraham and keep up the good work.

regards from MH.


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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#14

Post by mark harrison » 15 Mar 2014, 14:52

Forgive me I spelt your name wrong Ibrahim a bit too tired.
Yours MH

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Re: The Monsun U-Boats – WW2 German Submarines In Asia

#15

Post by Ken Dunn » 15 Mar 2014, 15:27

Hi Ibrahim,

Jak Showell’s latest book contains a list of the cargo carried by U-boats to and from Asia. It doesn’t include the mercury carried by Jürgen Oesten in U 861 (roughly 100 tons) but that is the only error I noticed (without doing the research). His info comes from radio decrypts between the Japanese ambassador in Germany and Japan about what was being shipped, not the actual cargo manifests so it might not be entirely accurate due to last minute changes. And it is incomplete in that it isn’t detailed enough but it is a good start and I don’t know where else you can find that info all in one place.

It also lists where the U-boats went and what happened to them, for example sunk before they reached their destination or sunk on the way back etc. You might also find the cargo carried back to Germany interesting.

Showell, Jak P. Mallmann. U-Boats of the Second World War – Their Longest Voyages. Stroud: Fonthill Media LTD., 2013. ISBN: 978-1-78155-102-8. Copyright: Jak P. Mallmann Showell, 2013.

Regards,

Ken Dunn

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