Kriegsmarine "Tintenfisch" Anti-Partisan units in A

[PT Dockyard]

I would like to know if anyone has information on German "Tintenfisch"(Octopus) units that operated agaist Yugoslav Partisan units in the Adritatic 1943-45.

From what I have, it sounds like at least one vessel, the "Anton", ( Ex- Italian lugger "Stell Blanca") was used as a decoy Q-ship but was captured by the partisans. Many of these units may have also seen action agaist Royal Navy MTBs also.


Dave

[streljko1]

Here is one page http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/ks ... lawien.htm with picture of Crvena zvijezda(EX Anton EX Bianca Stella) It was captured by partisans patrol boats PČ3 and PČ4 on Olib island on 26.04.1944. It was renamed Crvena zvijezda(Red Star) but was lost on 1 Apr 1945 near Susak by mine (22 dead).

[PT Dockyard]

Thanks. Sinmce the original post, a friend in Spain sent me the picture of the Anton. I had forwarded it to Mr. Weiss and in ended up in the article.

Being from Croatia, would you have any information on the Croatian partol boat pictured in this article?

Dave G.

[streljko1]

I don´t know on what patrol boat do you mean,I can send you list of partisan actions against german/italian transports,and german actions against partisans at sea(from yugoslav naval encyclopedia) but I will need 8-9 days to get that book. I hope this link will be usefull
http://www.vojska.net/ww2/yugoslavia/navy/default.asp[/quote]

[streljko1]

http://www.vojska.net/ww2/yugoslavia/navy/default.asp

[PT Dockyard]

Here is the picture from the article I mean. It is captioned as a Croatian patrol craft.


Thanks for the link. I have that one all printed out. Is the book you are using available anywhere?

Dave

[streljko1]

Sorry, there is no new editions of yugoslav naval encyclopedia.
I´m not sure, but if this picture was taken in Dalmatia on 23.10.1943., then soldiers on the boat could be members of 7. SS-Division, during operation Landsturm (antipartisan operation in Makarska area).
Germans at that time used captured boats with italian and croatian crews,so I think that this boat was in german service, with some croats onboard. I will try to find more info.

[PT Dockyard]

The name appears to be the "Orsan" on the bow.

Dave

[streljko1]

I couldn`t find anything about Orsan,but I managed to find and to translate short article about capture of Anton,which was written by dr.Jovan Vasiljević for n. encyclopedia.

Attack on german antipartisan ship Anton
On morning of 27.04.1944. because of the strong north wind a-partisan ship Anton anchored in Sv.Nikola bay on Olib Island,at the same time, two partisan patrol boats, PČ-3 and PČ-4 arrived in city Olib`s harbour (around 3 km north of Sv.Nikola bay).
They send scouts who discovered german ship and warned partisans. Part of PČ`s crew, together with local partisan detachment managed to approach and surround the germans, around 11:00 partisans opened fire and suprised germans laid on deck or jumped inside the ship. Partisans called them to surrender, but they refused and tried to escape,unfortunately for them their anchor jammed and strong north wind take them so close to the shore that partisans and germans used their grenades, in that final exchange of fire germans suffered heavy casualties, and few surivors surendered.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I knew the Kriegsmarine had a little known sea units that hunts down partisan floating vessels. I wonder what kind of ships ranging from big to small does these "Tintenfisch" Anti-Partisan sea units have during WWII? What was the most successful German surface vessel and commander in terms of captured and destroyed partisan ships.


Edward L. Hsiao

[lupodimare89]

I knew the Kriegsmarine had a little known sea units that hunts down partisan floating vessels. I wonder what kind of ships ranging from big to small does these "Tintenfisch" Anti-Partisan sea units have during WWII? What was the most successful German surface vessel and commander in terms of captured and destroyed partisan ships.

There were a mix of units and crafts employed. If we can go for the "most successful", it is surely German motor torpedo boats (S-boats).
In particular S 36 and S 35 (both S-30 class) seized together 3 partisan supply boats in incidents January 1944
S 36 would later partecipate in sinking (by gunfire battle) of partisan gunboat NB-2 "Koca", and the sinking (shared with S 30 and 61) of partisan hospital-ship "Marin-II"

As more collective success, the group of German motor torpedo boats S 153, S 155, S 156 and S 158 (interestingly all of Dutch class) went on a rampage on the first days of June 1944, destroying two different small convoys (overhall 4 partisan named supply boats and 4 smaller boats sunk) capturing hundreds of prisoners among partisans, civilians, Italians, British advisors and 1 American pilot. Interestingly, their raids come to an abrupt end after an attempted boarding of Partisan NB-8 "Kornat" that included close-range fighting, damages and woundeds to each side and 1 German sailor captured onboard the Partisan ship. Quite interestingly, i suspect the German commanders deliberately "inflated" the threat posed by the gunboat to motivate their failure sinking/capturing her because they described it in a report as an "all-metallic" gunboat, and "Kornat" was not.

Later in September and S-158 (with S-152 and S-154) again went to actions, capturing a partisan patrol boat (later sunk, i think while on tow)

Also three I-crafts (Siebelcraft I ) captured a "NB" partisan gunboat and a "PC" patrol boat

[Polar bear]

hi,

In particular S 36 and S 35 (both S-30 class) seized together 3 partisan supply boats in incidents January 1944

delete S 35, insert S 55 (Oblt.z.S. Weber), the boat was sunk one day later at Vela Luca
S 35 had been lost already in February, 1943.

greetings, the pb

[lupodimare89]

Yes, sorry, a typo mistake.

Also, S 61 too against NB-2

[lupodimare89]

Currently i am reading some interesting original Yugoslavian partisan documents.

Complete losses of "Anton" seizure include 4 KIA, 15 POW (of them 11 wounded), partisans suffered one WIA but he wasn't from the desembarked crew.

Anyway, even if there are a number of interesting clashes including German-manned armed motor or transport boats, there was exactly 1 gunnery battle with properly rated German warships of some significant size: on 23 October 1944 off Maun Island, German submarine chasers UJ-202 and UJ-208 (actually both ex-Italian corvettes) engaged NB-14, PC-2, PC-4 and PC-24.
Partisans managed to escape with various damages to all boats but without losing them and suffering 4 WIA.
Interestingly that same day the two German ships first engaged some British fast boats (and this time they took some casualties) and later they shelled an own convoy in a likely case of friendly-fire (MFP F-433 sank, HM indicate enemy action but there was no actual British claim).
Both UJ-202 and UJ-208 sank few days later while engaging British destroyers.

[Darius333]

Hi lupodimare89,

I found a copy of Freivogel, Zvonimir./Rastelli, Achille: Adriatic Naval War 1940-1945 under my christmas tree.

The authors have used original partisan documents, too.


Regards

Darius