I have a question for anyone out there about possible u-boat activity in the Hawaiian Island area
before and during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I am particularly interested in the timeline
from late November 1941 to December 7th 1941. My father was in the army at Schofield Barracks
from 1939 until deployed to Guadalcanal in November of 1942 with the Wolfhounds 27th Infantry
Regiment. His history and exploits along with momentoes are on display at the 25th Division Museum
at Schofield. Till the day he died he told a story which I found none of his association comrades or former officers
would debunk that he met a German female spy 1940 to 41, that he had an ongoing relationship with
until he and the FBI arrested her after the attack on Pearl. This woman my father told me had a sail boat
and chart with a location to meet a German submarine shortly before the Japanese attack, and wanted him to help
sail the boat to meet the sub. But I tend to believe him because there are many things that happen in war
that one can never explain and real life can be far more exciting than fiction. Anyway I would appreciate your ideas
or comments. Thank you!
U-Boat operations in the Pacific WWII
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Philip File
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Quite true Killchola - but the subs destined for Japan were not 'operational' - in the sense that their main task was to bring their cargo/passengers to Japan, not engage in military activity. AND - there were surface-ships too, that reached Japan....Varjagkillchola wrote:The human exchange between Japan and Germany was conducted by submarines only. Several German submarines visited Japan during the war.
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Philip File
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U-Boat OPS in Pacific WWII
Some interesting points to consider, at the end of the war with Japan, German U-Boats surrendered to the american forces in south east asia or Indonesia I believe. Check out naval history through Naval Proceedings. Also the German forces used surface ships for supplying, and these were definitely in the Pacific before the attack at Pearl, remember the book written by a German captain and there was a Hollywood movie made of his exploits called "I sailed under six flags?"
While I do not doubt the veracity of your father's claim. I too must add my vote to that there was no U-boat coming to pick up the German female spy. It is possible although not necessarily probable, that the woman may have been waiting for a Japanese I-Boat. If a submarine was truely coming for this woman, it would have been a Japanese I-boat, not a German U-boat.
Philip File,
In response to your post of November 1, 2005. The German U-boats that were surrendered to the Americans were part of the German Monsun boats and were all late-war construction(late 1942-1943). These had been taken over by the Japanese when the Germany surrendered in May, 1945. The only exception to this being U-511/RO-500, she was not comissioned by Germany until December 8, 1941. You are correct that during World War II German U-boats resupplied themselves from German surface raiders. However, it is also true that no surface raiders were in the Pacific at the time of Pearl Harbor, they were either sunk or had returned home.
Now back to your original post. The only German U-boats at that time with the range to reach Hawaii from Japanese controlled territory and return were the IX class, and they were heavily engaged in the NOrth and South Atlantic. I think the big question here is Why? Why on earth would the Germans sail a U-boat from Germany to Hawaii to pick up one woman? A woman who could have easily hopped on a plane or a ship and gone to the West Coast and from there to Mexico or South America, or just gone straight away to either or... It just makes no sense to do this when much safer and easier ways were availible to leave Hawaii.
For more information on the Monsun boats visit: http://www.uboat.net/ops/monsun.htm
For more information on German surfac raiders visit:
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/Marauders ... rmanA.html
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-W ... 03212.html
Philip File,
In response to your post of November 1, 2005. The German U-boats that were surrendered to the Americans were part of the German Monsun boats and were all late-war construction(late 1942-1943). These had been taken over by the Japanese when the Germany surrendered in May, 1945. The only exception to this being U-511/RO-500, she was not comissioned by Germany until December 8, 1941. You are correct that during World War II German U-boats resupplied themselves from German surface raiders. However, it is also true that no surface raiders were in the Pacific at the time of Pearl Harbor, they were either sunk or had returned home.
Now back to your original post. The only German U-boats at that time with the range to reach Hawaii from Japanese controlled territory and return were the IX class, and they were heavily engaged in the NOrth and South Atlantic. I think the big question here is Why? Why on earth would the Germans sail a U-boat from Germany to Hawaii to pick up one woman? A woman who could have easily hopped on a plane or a ship and gone to the West Coast and from there to Mexico or South America, or just gone straight away to either or... It just makes no sense to do this when much safer and easier ways were availible to leave Hawaii.
For more information on the Monsun boats visit: http://www.uboat.net/ops/monsun.htm
For more information on German surfac raiders visit:
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/Marauders ... rmanA.html
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-W ... 03212.html
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Purple fang
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You mean this one?Purple fang wrote:Actually there were flights to manchuria from airfields near Staligrad. Raiders as well, not just U-boats.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... highlight=
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Purple fang
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The notion of German aircraft making flights to Japan or Japanese held territory has been around for some time. However, nothing concrete other than that plans were made for German aircraft to fly has surfaced. There are those who say flights were made and others who say these flights never took place. I have heard rumors that JU-290 flights were made in 1944, but nothing substantial about the flights.