This paperback edition first published in 2006 byChatham Publishing, Lionel Leventhal Limited,Park House, 1 Russell Gardens, London 11 91

First published by Greenhill Books in 200t

Copyright <!:I Lawrence Paterson, 2004.

The right of Lawrence Paterson to be identified as the author ofthis work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright,Patents and Designs Act 1988.

All rights reserved. 0 part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in anyform or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise) without the written permission of thePublisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act inrelation to this publication may be liable to criminalprosecution and civil claims for damages.

British Library Cataloguing ill Publicatioll Data:U-boat war patrol:the hidden photographic diary of U-5641. Suhren, Teddy2. Germany, Kriegsmarine - History3. World War, 1939-1945 - aval operations - Submarine4. World War, 1939-1945 - I aval operations - German2. I. Title3. 940.5'451

ISB -10. 1-86176-287-9ISBN-13. 97 -1-86176-287-0

Edited, designed and typeset by Roger ChesneauPrinted and bound in China

To Audrey 'Mumbles' Paterson

:: Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgement 13

Glossary, Abbreviation 15

Table of Ranks 17

The Atlantic Grid 18

Introduction 211 Outbound 11 to 16 July 41

2 Convoy Attack 17 to 20 July 623 Survival, Rendezvous 21 July to 1 August 874 The U-Tanker 1 to 11 August 108

5 War off the Antilles 12 to 19 August 132

6 Artillery Attack, Promotion, Home 20 August to 18September 149

Epilogue 183

Appendices

One: The Crew ofU 564 193

Two: Torpedoes Fired by U 564 195

Sources, Bibliography, Suggested Reading 197

otes 199

Index 203

All times quoted in this book are in German SummerTime (tIle standard time kept aboard U-boats) unlessotherwise noted.

:: Preface

FIFTY-FIVE years after the end of the Second World War inEurope, history's long arm reached out from the distant shadowsof long silent battlefields to the most unlikely of places. During

April 2000, in a tiny Post Office at Staintondale, on the edge of theYorkshire Moors, a unique time capsule arrived unexpectedly intothe hands of the Post Office's owner Frank James. Twenty black­and-white photographs, some dappled with age, were handed overby a man unsure of their provenance, or indeed of what to do withthem. The photographs showed young men aboard a submarine, thenational cockade on their caps surmounted by an eagle clutching inits talons the unmistakable swastika symbol of the Third Reich. Ob­viously it was a V-boat crew, but who they were, and where,remained a mystery to Frank.

With an interest in all aspects of history, but no knowledge of theV-Boat Service, Frank proceeded to research what he could aboutthe random photographs. Aiding him enormously was the fact thatmost boats carried an unofficial symbol, a distinctive Wappen(emblem, or coat of arms) painted somewhere on the conning tower.In this case it was instantly recognisable - a large black cat, tail heldproudly upright and back arched over the digits '3X'. Although somefourteen V-boats carried cats as part of their Wappen, this must beone of the five V-boats that carried the dreimal schwarze Kater symbol­'Three Black Cats'. In turn it soon became apparent that thephotographs were all taken aboard U 564, commanded by thelegendary Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren.

Foster Appleyard, a wartime Royal Navy diver and postwarlandlord of a small public house in Bradford, had given Frank'svisitor the photographs. Although Appleyard had since died, therewas more of the collection to be found in the safekeeping of a friendof the deceased diver. On the proviso that they be properly archivedand researched, a shoebox full of photographs arrived in Staintondalesoon afterwards, bringing the grand total to 361.

It transpired that Appleyard had been part of the extensive teamof naval personnel involved during 1944 and 1945 in clearing the

PREFACE 9

massive amount of debris and detritus of battle from the Frenchharbour at Brest, in Brittany. Brest had been one of five French portstaken over in 1940 by the conquering German Wehrlllacht with theexpress purpose of converting them to forward V-boat bases.Stationed in Brest, U 564 had been part of the 1st V-Boat Flotilla, aunit whose Type VIlC boats ranged as far west as the Caribbean Seain the grim battle of attrition against Allied convoy traffic thatstretched between the New World and the Old across the expansivewastes of the orth Atlantic.

As the tide of war swung inexorably against the Germans, thebeleaguered V-boat service was pushed back until its submarineswere fighting running battles against a superior enemy off the coastof France itself. In August 1944 Brest was finally besieged byAmerican soldiers of General Patton's Third Army, racing from theNormandy beaches towards Brittany. A month of savage and costlystreet fighting against German paratroopers, infantry and navalpersonnel ended with the city's eventual surrender to the Allies, whothen faced the arduous task of evaluating the harbour for possibleuse as a supply head for advancing Allied forces in France. It soonbecame apparent that the harbour was useless: not only was itclogged with scuttled and destroyed shipping, but the capture ofthe deep-water port of Cherbourg and the unexpectedly rapidadvance of the Allies towards Germany rendered Brest too far fromthe front lines and surplus to requirements.

During his work in Brest's shattered remains, Appleyard hadfollowed the majority of troops stationed there and explored thecavernous interior of the port's imposing concrete V-boat pens.Within the labyrinthine interior, Appleyard stumbled across thecollection of photographs, 'liberating' them and eventually returningto Yorkshire with them in his haversack. Thus, nearly sixty yearslater, the collection again saw the light of day and was soon on itsway to a photographic archive in Gosport, England.

Frank had taken his research as far as he could, and, after enquiriesto several V-boat-related museums and archives had yielded nothing,he approached Debbie Corner, Keeper of Photographs at the RoyalNavy Submarine Museum in Gosport, home of the Second WorldWar British submarine fleet. Debbie instantly recognised the import­ance of the photographs, and they were soon housed securely withinthe Museum's collection in pristine blue folders, where they remainstill. Despite, obviously, focusing on the Royal avy's own sub­marine service, the Museum holds a great many V-boat photographsand related records, often overlooked by researchers and writers.

10 U-BOAT WAR PA TROL

At this point I entered the story. After several years living inFrance, near Brest, researching the KriegslIlarine and its V-boat service,my wife and I returned to England as I was putting the finishingtouches to a book on the history of the 1st V-Boat Flotilla. I soonbecame involved with the Archive Working Group within the Sub­marine Museum, my particular role being to assist with all V-boatrelated material. After organising and beginning to catalogue thehuge numbers of V-boat photographs, I turned once again to the,Appleyard Collection', and the exceptional study of Suhren's V-boatpatrol during the summer of 1942. Many gaps remained in piecingtogether the story that unfolded with each photograph, and soon itbecame a full-time research operation in Germany, England andFrance. This book is the result.

An entire collection that charts the course of a single patrol is arare find indeed, and U 564's successes and trials provide a uniqueinsight into life aboard the medium-size V-boats. Taken during thesummer of 1942 by an onboard war correspondent, the photographsshow a V-boat in action within the Atlantic and Caribbean, as theGerman submarine service teetered on the brink of what was, withhindsight, the unstoppable downward slide into defeat. However,at the stage of the war at which they were taken, V-boats could stillspend time surfaced without fear of Allied air attack within the mid­Atlantic and were raking a harvest of considerable numbers of Alliedmerchant ships.

The German crew are shown in virtually every station, and severalother V-boats and their commanders also feature within the photo­graphs as the 'wolfpacks' gathered to fight or be resupplied. Most ofthese pictures are previously unpublished; many of the photos aretaken from segments of newsreel shown as part of the weekly cinemarecord of the war for German theatre audiences; and a select fewwere taken by Joseph Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry for inclusionin the magazines Signal and Die KriegslIlarine. Accompanying thereproductions of those photographs now housed in Gosport are afew selected from the files of the U-Boat Archiv in Altenbruch, Ger­many. There, too, are many photographs taken aboard U 564 orinvolving the crew at leisure in Brest, most of them having been'snapped' unofficially. The reason for the breadth of material relatingto U 564 can perhaps be explained by the character of her commander,Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren.

Teddy remains legendary within the V-boat world. Fondly remem­bered for his good nature and command ability as much for hisirreverent and rebellious wit that frequently led to brushes with

PREFACE 11

As ALWAYS, the writing of a book like this would be impossiblewithout help and support from a great number of people. Firstof all I would like to thank Sarah Paterson for her help with

archive research and travelling the length and breadth of Germanyin search of clues, and Audrey, Shane, Ray, Megan and James Pater­son for their constant support and encouragement. Secondly, enor­mous thanks are due to Frank James, without whom this collectionwould not have come to light, and who did an extraordinary amountof research on its provenance.

Of course, the photographic compilation would not have featuredat all without the kind permission and help of Debbie Corner, theKeeper of Photographs at Gosport's Royal Navy Submarine Museum.Maggie Bidmead, the Keeper of Archives at the R SM also helpedwith information, encouragement and fine afternoon chats in heroffice-as well as, later, proof-reading the whole book for me.

The preparation of this manuscript was aided enormously by Eliza­beth Burbridge, who allowed me to occupy what once was her libraryand is now my cluttered office! More impeccable proof-reading byTonya Allen has helped me to avoid the many mistakes that my less­than-perfect typing creates, and her wide knowledge of the subjectmatter helped me to check my facts. Lionel Leventhal and the entirestaff of Greenhill Books have made the production of this work apleasure.

For information, help or inspiration I am deeply indebted to thefollowing people: Frau Hannelore Suhren, Gesa Suhren, Erik Law­aetz, Frau Lawaetz, Hans Hausruckinger, Jak Mallmann-Showell, TedSavas, Carlo Guzzi, Ralf Bublitz, Jtirgen Weber and the Miinchen U­Boot-Kameradschaft, Mats Karlsson, Siri Lawson, Deborah Eaton (HeadLibrarian and Keeper of the Emden aval Collection, St EdmundHall, Oxford), Jurgen Schlemm (Editor of the excellent Das Archiv),Frans Beckers, Ulrich and Cristel Zimmermann, Erhard HoIthusenand the Deutches Haus 'Rowdy Table', Peter Carlow (the 'B. C. ofU-Boats'), David Beasley (godfather of the Portsmouth car parkingscheme), 'Saint' Mike and his never-ending supply of paper, Bruce

authority, Suhren was a dynamic member of the German avy. Oneof the most highly decorated men of the elite German submarineservice, Suhren fired more successful torpedo shots than any otherman during the war, most while still a watch officer aboard U 48prior to taking his own command. However, it is not his remarkablecombat record that causes a now-familiar sparkle to enter the eye ofevery U-boat veteran that I speak to, nearly sixty years after the endof the war; rather, it was Teddy's perpetual reluctance to conform tothe rigidity of thought desired by National Socialist Germany.Veterans spend time recounting numerous tales of Teddy's tribu­lations with those in authority above him. However, despite this trait,Suhren found himself at times remarkably close to the centre of powerwithin Germany, earning the second highest Wehrmacht award forvalour, being invited to stay with Martin Bormann and his family,and even dancing with Eva Braun. He was ultimately one of the luckythird of all U-boat men to survive the dreadful casualty rate duringthe war. He died of stomach cancer in 1984.

It had long been my desire to write a biography of this uniqueman and his wartime career, but he had already put so much of itdown in his inimitable style within an autobiography named NassesEichenlaub (Wet Oak Leaves), edited by Fritz Brustat- aval in 1984.Gesa Suhren vividly remembers her father dictating the story to hiswife Hannelore, who painstakingly typed the entire manuscript.Thus, this book seeks to illustrate life onboard U 564 at the periodwhen the outcome of the U-boat war hung in the balance. However,Suhren's widow Hannelore and daughter Gesa have also related amultitude of anecdotes of Teddy's exploits, and no study of U 564could begin without a look at this extraordinary man's career up to1942, when U 564 put to sea from Brest carrying a war correspondentto record her journey into Atlantic action.

L. P.

--- Acknowledgements

12 U-BOAT WAR PATROL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 13

A

FdU

ASDIC

BdU

(German) AclJtzig Meter, KTB shorthand meaning 'eightymetres'. Thus a boat at a depth of 110 metres could bereferred to as ' A+30'.

Term applied to the sonar equipment used for locatingsubmerged submarines. A powerful and effective weapon, itemitted a distinct 'ping' when locating the target. The wordis an acronym for Anti-Submarine Detection Committee, theorganisation that began research into this device in 1917.

(German) BefelJIsllnber der UI/terseeboote, or Commander U­Boats.(German) Short for Kobold (goblin), an acoustic decoy, knownalso as the 'submarine bubble target', comprising a small,cylindrical, mesh container filled with calcium hydride.When ejected from a submerged U-boat, the compoundreacted with sea water and gave off hydrogen bubbles-andthus a false echo to ASDIC operators. It was simple buteffective.Cu bic metres(German) Ani, a slang expression for torpedo.

(German) Coding machine used by German Armed Forcesthroughout the Second World War.

(German) Fiillrer der UI/terseeboote, or Flag Officer forSubmarines, responsible for a particular geographical region.Gross registered tonnage (or tons). A standard measurementof the si·ze of a merchant ship, one ton equalling 100 cubicfeet of cargo capacity.(German) II/gel/iellr, or engineering grade, e.g. Knptlt (II/g).(German) avy of the Third Reich.

(German) KriegstngebllclJ, or War Diary. Kept by thecommander during a U-boat's patrol. His handwrittenversion was later typed for the official records. It includedtorpedo firing diagrams.

(German) Leitender iI/gel/iellr, or Chief Engineer.(German) Slang term for naval ratings.(German) Air Force.(German) Oberkollllllnl/do der Kriegslllnril/e, or Navy HighCommand.(German) Oberkollllllnlldo der WelJrlllncl/t, or Armed ForcesHigh Command.(German) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Glossary, Abbreviations

Ritterkreuz

II/g.Kriegslllnril/eKTB

grt

cbm'Eel'

'Enigma'

'Bold'

OKW

LI'Lords'LllftwnffeOKM

---

L. P.

Dickinson, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Steve Harris, Clive Burr,icko McBrain, the courteous and helpful staff of Kew's Public

Records Office, and Horst and Annmarie Bredow of Altenbruch'sU-Boat Archiv.

My most sincere thanks go to the many veterans of this terribleconflict who have shared their knowledge and memories with me.In particular, I would like to mention Herbert Waldschmidt (U 564,U 146, U 2374 and U 4719), Herman Hausruckinger (U 564), ]tirgenOesten (U 61, U 106 and U 861), Georg Seitz (U 604 and U 873), HansRudolf Rosing (U 48), Ludwig Stoll (U 148), Horst Bredow (U 288)and Claus Peter Carlsen (U 732).

14 U-BOAT WAR PATROL GLOSSARY, ABBREVIA nONS 15

Sperrbrecller

TUrlllU-BoolwaffeUZOVLR

VorposlellboOIWaboWachoffizier

Welrrlllacht'Will lergarlell'

(German) Barrage -breaker - a specialized mine destructorvessel.(German) Conning tower.(German) U-Boat Service.(German) Ubenvasserzie/oplik, or surface targeting device.(British) Very Long Range. sed in conjunction with aircraft,often Liberators.(German) Coastal patrol boat (or ship).(German) Wasserbolllbe(I1), or depth charge(s).(German) Watch Officer. There were three separate U-boatwatch crews, each consisting of an officer, a petty officer andtwo ratings. The ship's First Watch Officer (IWO) would bethe Executive Officer (second-in-command), the SecondWatch Officer (llWO) the ship's designated Second Officer,and the Third Watch Officer (lllWO) often the Obersleuer­lIIal1l1 ( avigation Officer). Their duties were typicallydivided into the following time frames: 0000 - 0400 (1stWatch), 0400-0800 (2nd Watch) and 0800-1200 (3rd Watch);and then 1200-1600 (1st Watch), 1600-2000 (2nd Watch) and2000-2400 (3rd Watch). The duties of the IWO included thecare and maintenance of the torpedo and firing system aswell as the control of surface attacks; the llWO handledadministration regarding food and supplies as well as theoperation of deck and flak weapons.(German) Armed Forces.(German) Nickname given to the open-railed extensionastern of the conning tower, built to accommodate increasedflak weaponry and known to the Allies as a 'bandstand'.

:: Table of Ranks

GermanGrossadlllirn/Adlllirn/Vizeadlllirn/ (VA)KOlllerndlllirn/ (KA)Kapiliill zur See (KzS)Fregallellkapiliill (FK)Korvellellkapiliill (KK)Kapiliill/eull1mll (Kptlt)Ober/euillalli Zlll' See (ObltzS)Leuillalli WI' See (LzS)Fiill1l richSlabsobers Iellerlllmlll

Oberlllascll iII islBoolslllallIlOberboolsllla 1111 slllaa I

BoolslllmlllSlllaa I

Meclra II ikerlllaa I

-lIIaal ( trade inserted at dash)Masch; lIellobergefrei IeI'FUllkobergefrei IeI'Malrosellobergefrei IeI'Maschi lIellgefrei IeI'Ma Irosellgefrei Ie I'

British/AmericanAdmiral of the Fleet/Fleet AdmiralAdmiralVice-AdmiralRear-AdmiralCaptainCommanderCommanderLieu tenant-CommanderLieutenantSub Lieutenant/Lieutenant O.g.)MidshipmanSenior Quartermaster/Warrant

QuartermasterSenior Machinist/Warrant MachinistBoatswainBoatswain's Mate Second ClassCoxswainTorpedo Petty OfficerPetty OfficerLeading Seaman MachinistLeading Seaman TelegraphistLeading SeamanAble Seaman MachinistAble Seaman

16 U-BOAT WAR PATROL TABLE OF RANKS 17

Klein NORD ·ATLANTISCHER OZEAN

.-

18

T Nr 3401r =:.. _"" _.~_..!"...__~ ,...::::""I

Vt.;Ht\/'l'IGTE

U-BOAT WAR PATROL

'!.-_....l'"_ ,<

"'"_.,'". <,.~' •. ·f---:.~f'~~

~.

-_=""3lS" - ...

A

Nur fur den Oienstgebrouchl

n K

THE ATLANTIC GRID 19

An uncharacteristically beardedTeddy Suhren returns fromsuccessful patrol to the coast of theUnited States, June 1942. Aroundhis neck he wears the red scarfknitted by his mother - a talismanhe rarely removed while at sea.

:: Introduction

REI HARD 'Teddy' Suhren entered the U-boat service in 1938,already carrying a reputation for outspokenness and honestythat did not always sit easily with superior officers. Possessed

of a passion for life that manifested itself in a raucous sense ofhumour, Teddy soon felt at home within Donitz's elite corps wherethe maverick often reigned supreme: 'They [the Flotilla] all likedhim. He was widely known; he was an original. There was but oneTeddy Suhren.'l

Suhren had already led a tumultuous career since enlisting in theGerman avy at the age of eighteen, and it was a trend that continuedthrough the years that followed. He was born Reinhard Johann HeinzPaul Anton Suhren on 16 April 1916 at his grandmother's house inLangenschwalbach, west of Frankfurt. His parents, Geert and Ernest­ine Ludovika, had only recently returned to the Fatherland after theirexpulsion from Samoa, an Imperial German colony annexed by ewZealand troops at the outbreak of war.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, thenewborn country of Germany had castaround for territories -leftovers fromthe more mature European powers'empire building. Ge'rmany soonestablished dominion over severalAfrican and Pacific states, amongthem Samoa. Anxious to expand thefarming and trade potential of hernew protectorate, she encouragedsettlers to emigrate to the lushSamoan islands, and among themwas Geert Suhren, a recent graduateof Halle's agricultural courses. In 1913he returned to Germany from Apia,where he had made his home andestablished a thriving plantation namedTafaigata. His stay in Europe was brief-long

20 U-BOAT WAR PATROL 1 TRODUCTIO 21

enough to marry Ernestine Ludovika- before returning to Samoa.A year later, on 16 May 1914, a son was born in Apia to the contentedpair, named Gerd as family tradition demanded for any first-bornmale.

Their paradise was to be short-lived. In June 1914 the AustrianArchduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, and withinweeks Europe was at war. ew Zealand soldiers rapidly arrived toclaim German Samoa as a New Zealand protectorate, and the SouthSeas idyll was over for the Suhren family. Geert, Ernestine and theirinfant son travelled from Pago-Pago to San Francisco and on toEurope under the assumed name of 'Mr and Mrs Gasket' aboard a

orwegian steamship. Geert had managed to mask his pronouncedduelling scars-a sure mark of German University education­beneath a heavy beard, promptly shaved off after arrival in Germanyand his enlistment into the Ulanen, the 18th Leipzig Lancers. Leavinghis wife and son with Ernestine's mother in Langenschwalbach,Oberleutnant Suhren was sent to the Russian Front, where he soonacquitted himself well, earning the Iron Cross for valour. By the endof 1916 he had also been awarded the Ritterkreuz der Militiir-Sankt­Heinrichs-Orden (Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St Heinrich),Saxony's second highest decoration for conspicuous personal braveryon the battlefield during the fierce fighting against Russian troopsof General Alexei Brusilov's southern offensive.2 His regimentalreport read: 'By means of his personal bravery and iron strength ofwill, he took charge of the Ulanen, who were exhausted by previousstrenuous fighting and days of marching, and after a twelve-hourbattle took control of Tuliczew in the face of strongly consolidatedRussian positions.'

In November 1918 Germany requested, and was granted, anarmistice, but this was followed by many years of internal strife andunrest. The country's manpower and resources had been bled dryboth by four years of unrelenting war and by the harsh surrenderterms of the Versailles Treaty. The Suhrens were among those tosuffer from runaway inflation, and they, among nameless othermillions, were soon stricken by poverty. There was no question of areturn to Samoa to reclaim their lost plantation, but, using hisagricultural training to the utmost, Geert Suhren became Director ofAgricultural Production for Saxony.

Even at that stage of their lives, the characters of the two youngSuhren brothers were clearly defined. Gerd and Reinhard werealmost two sides of the same coin: 'I daresay in a way they weresimilar, but in other ways they were very different. ... Gerd was far

22 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Suhren (left) as a Fahnrich duringhis turbulent cadetship.

more introspective, quieter than Teddy was.... He was perhaps amore noble edition of the Suhren brotherhood, more refined.'3 A thirdsibling soon joined the inseparable brothers, a sister named Almut,whose disposition more closely resembled that of her eldest brother.While Gerd was studious and quiet, intensely interested in engin­eering with his keenly analytical mind, Reinhard was boisterous andhigh-spirited, his perpetual grin the bane of many teachers andfigures of authority. It was a personality trait that would survivewith him through the difficult years that followed.

Reinhard went through a succession of schools; hw was, in hisown words, 'not particularly industrious, but I survived.' Along theway, he developed a love of horseriding and sailing. This latter skillwas particularly encouraged by time at the Hermann Lietz School inSpiekeroog, a rural boarding school modelled along English lines.As soon as they were old enough, the two brothers learnt to driveand ride motorcycles, displaying the kind of calm under pressurethat would later become a hallmark of their military service: 'Theirconfidence on the road was most unusual, as was their unerringability to make important decisions in moments of danger.'4

Later, in their mid-teens, Reinhard and Gerd attended the statesecondary Deutsche Oberschule at Bautzen, riding by motorcyclefrom their home at Drehsa. During the final summer of his education,Reinhard applied to attend a sailing course in Neustadt, hoping tosharpen his skills. In the newly militarised Germany, an emphaSiSwas placed on parade-ground manoeuvres in even so innocuous an

INTRODUCTION 23

activity as sailing tuition, and, having applied to join the avy aftergraduation, Reinhard was determined to impress. Soon his five-footfour-inch tall figure was joining the other students in learning tomarch. It was here that he acquired his nickname. During the paradedrill of the young students, the adolescent cadet in the followingrank suddenly began to laugh: 'My goodness, Reinhard, yourmarching makes you look like a teddy bear!'S Unimpressed with theinferred derision at his less than military appearance, Suhren choseto ignore the remark and concentrated on keeping his left footseparated from his right.

It was in Bautzen that Reinhard finally took his school leavingexams (Abitur) in 1935 and prepared to begin further training for hisadult career. He had felt himself drawn initially towards medicine,a vocation that ran in his mother's ancestry. His great-grandfatherhad been consultant gyn~cologist to the Grand-Duchess of Hessen-

assau, Queen Victoria's daughter. From there he had also attendedthe Tsarina in Russia, Princess Alice von Hessen, who had inheritedthe haemophilia that blighted Victoria's bloodline. But Reinhard wasalso attracted to the sea, and it was perhaps his brother Gerd enteringthe Reichsmarine as a cadet-engineering officer during 1933 that madehis mind up for him. On 5 April 1935 he enlisted as a trainee lineofficer, attached to the 2nd aval Division within what was nowknown as the Kriegsrnarine: 'My father, an old hand at these things,gave me a piece of advice for the road: You can't do anything, youdon't know anything; to start with make yourself out to be a dimwit­and be grateful that you are in a position to learn so many new thingsthat are important for your life. And that advice has never yet beenproved wrong.'6

By 1935 Adolf Hitler's ational Socialist Workers' Party was en­joying its third year of power. ew prosperity was revitalising Ger­many, and the armed forces were among those institutions thatbenefited. However, there were many who feared an ill future withtheir new government. In the Suhren household, Geert was one ofthose conservatives that doubted the intentions and abilities of theNazi regime. This attitude rubbed off on Reinhard, who had alwayslistened to his father's wisdom. However, in April 1935, at the age ofeighteen, the subject of poli tics was far from Reinhard's mind as hetravelled to Danholm to begin his basic naval training as part of2 KompaniejII Schiffsstammabteilung der Ostsee. There the new draft ofofficer cadets started three months of infantry-style physical training,Reinhard's squad under the command of the East Prussian BootsmaatJodeit. Although he remembered him fondly in his autobiography,

24 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Teddy was not particularlycomfortable beneath the glare ofpublicity that found him after hissuccessful career at sea. Suspiciousof many of those that led hiscountry during the Second WorldWar, he covered his reticence with araucous and rebellious sense ofhumour.

Reinhard, with his unfalteringability to see the humour inany situation, coupled withan insolent grin and innocentgaze, became the target for agreat deal of Jodeit's disap­proval, much to the amuse­ment of the rest of the squad:

'Mo/rose Suhren, do you knowwhat you are?', 0 Herr Boo/s1/l00t''You are an ape. What are you?''I am an ape, Herr Boo/s1/I00/.''Mo/rose Suhren ... these bootsof yours are a disgrace to theentire German avy.''Yes, Herr Boo/s1/l00/.''What do you mean "Yes"? Areyou trying to give me shit ... 7"

The hapless Matrose ReinhardSuhren marched and double­marched around Danholm inhis'diceboxes' , too large forhis small feet. His slightfigure soon became a familiarsight hopping around theparade ground with rifle at arm's length or lugging machine gunsover sand dunes as punishment. He also bumped into his old friendfrom eustadt, now a member of a sister training division. SightingSuhren, he bellowed a greeting across the parade ground, using hisnickname 'Teddy' to attract Suhren's attention and prompting pealsof laughter from his comrades. Much to his annoyance at theextremely 'unmasculine' nickname, it stuck with his fellow cadetsand became his new name. Eventually, once his pride recovered fromthe dig at his stature, Teddy resigned himself to his fate and acceptedthe new sobriquet, soon using it himself in general preference to his'thoroughly Germanic' real one.

Three months of basic training were followed by a further threemonths sail training aboard the square-rigger Gorch Fock, which criss­crossed the Baltic and orth Sea. Teddy was frequently stationed atthe top of the mainmast, the smallest man on board and the naturalchoice for such a lofty position. A brief accident while under anchornear Fehmarn earned him a badly bruised leg after being caught

INTRODUCTION 25

between the ship's cutter and hull in a rising sea; but it was notenough to delay Teddy's training, and after three months ofphysiotherapy he was back atop the mast.

From there, Teddy and the rest of 'Crew 35' became Seekadettenand transferred en masse to the cruiser Emden for a nine-month foreigncruise to the Azores, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canalinto the Pacifies As a prospective Fiihnrich zur See, Teddy saw littleof the foreign ports that he visited on board Emden. Run ragged bythe ship's regular crew, the intake of midshipmen was put throughtheir paces in their first taste of foreign service.

Finally, after their nine-month voyage, Teddy and his fellow 400draftees were moved ashore to the famous 'Red Castle by the Sea' ­the Marineschule ( aval Academy) at Miirwik, east of Flensburg.There the recruits would be schooled in all aspects of being a navalofficer - navigation, signals, engineering, tactics, leadership,maritime law, mathematics and English-as well as the more genteelarts of dancing, fencing, riding and sailing. Teddy flourished.Excelling particularly at artillery school, he amassed high marks forhis overall service aptitude, totalling 7.5 out of a possible 9. However,even while doing well, he invoked the ire of the academy'scommander. Teddy's superb eyesight enabled him to gauge withextreme accuracy the fall of shot of his own artillery fire and makerapid readjustments so that he was able to score direct hits withinthree attempts, shortcutting the long-winded official method of fireadjustment by using his own judgement. Singled out for praise bythe school's commandant, Fii/111rich Suhren inadvertently allowedhimself to speak too plainly and criticised the'accepted method' ofadjusting fire, earning for himself a dressing-down before the stifledlaughter of his classmates. evertheless, even that could not preventhi excellent grading, and he continued to head his class - untilRosenmontag, 1936.

A Rhineland tradition, the Rose Monday Festival heralded acarnival in nearby Flensburg, and all midshipmen were granted leaveuntil 6 a.m., apart from those within Teddy's division. His divisionalcommander had curtailed their free time to end at 5 a.m. -a factthat Teddy promptly forgot as the beer, wine and dancing continuedinto the early morning. Realising at the last moment that he, unlikehis fellow-revellers, had to be back by 5 a.m., Teddy was mortifiedto arrive several minutes late for his curfew after a last-minute dashby taxi to the Marineschule. Inevitably, the guard officer reportedhim, and once again Teddy stood on the carpet before his furioussuperiors, his mere presence seeming to inflame their rage all the

more. Most hurtful to the anxious Teddy was that his divisionalofficer, Kapitiinleutnant Walther Kolle, who had awarded him suchhigh marks during the previous weeks, stood silently and failed todefend him while Suhren was verbally torn apart. The consequencescould have been disastrous. In a few short weeks, the draft wasscheduled to take its Seaman Officer's exams, the service aptitudemarks combining with examination results to give each cadet's finalgrade. Teddy's 7.5 was slashed to a 4-equivalent to being reducedfrom a class leader to the bottom grade. He would never forgivewhat he took as a betrayal by Kolle, but one day, in the middle of theAtlantic, he would have some small measure of satisfaction.

Eventually he graduated, passing the exam with high marks andthereby enabling his aptitude score to be balanced, providing therequired pass mark. But his record was permanently tarnished, andit followed him immediately to his first proper assignment as aFiihnrich aboard the destroyer Max Schultz, attached to Swinemiinde'sFirst Destroyer Division. There, the heavens seemed to rain mis­fortune on the hapless Teddy as the ship's Captain, Martin Baltzer,took an instant dislike to the young man: 'Apparently my mereappearance was tantamount to a provocation, especially since I wasthe smallest and didn't pussyfoot around and didn't allow myself tobe brow-beaten. I was myself, and determined to stay SO.'9 As hisclose friend and fellow Fiihnrich Jiirgen Sander put it, in his thickBerlin accent,

I tell you, once you've got yourself well and truly in the hit nothing can helpyou; you're always in the hit. However hard you try, even if you come out withtop marks, no one notices any more, and at the end of the day the Old Man isdetermined to hit on you too for treading his corns too hard into the deck!'o

At one point Teddy even considered leaving the avy, confidinghis intention to his brother Gerd - by then a commissioned Engin­eering Officer - whose horrified response and help in influencingthe opinion of those above him persuaded Teddy to stay. Finally,upon graduation as Leutnant zur See on 1 April 1938 Teddy volun­teered and was transferred to the U-Bootwaffe, and a whole new worldthat welcomed, indeed valued, unconventional officers and in­dependent thought opened before him. Teddy had at last found hisplace.

He was posted to the Watch Officer's Training Course, stationedaboard U I, where he began to learn the tools of his new trade. Theinformal atmosphere and camaraderie peculiar to Donitz's smallcorps appealed enormously to Teddy, and he thrived accordingly.As he settled into his new life, during ovember 1938 he was

26 U-BOAT WAR PATROL I TRODUCTIO 27

assigned to the 'Wegener' Flotilla as an officer aboard U 48, thenunder construction in Kiel's Germaniawerft shipyard. 'Wegener' wasthe seventh U-boat flotilla within Donitz's fledgeling service and atthe time of Teddy's arrival boasted four boats (U 45, U 46, U 47 andU 51), with a further four, including Teddy's, nearing completion.Standards were extremely high in the pre-war submarine force, andsuitable officers were in short supply. To remedy the lack of trainedmen and also to grant a wider experience base for those who hadgraduated into its ranks, Donitz rotated any 'spare' men throughthe available U-boats. Thus Teddy found himself as IIWO on threeof the four 'Wegener' boats- U 51, U 46 and U 47. The experienceaboard each differed as widely as the individual commander'stemperaments. While the calm and assured KaptIt Ernst-GunterHeinicke (U 51) and KaptIt Herbert Sohler (U 46) were veteran navalofficers of a decade's experience, the mercurial Kaptlt Gunther Prien(U 47) was one of the draft of merchant marine officers transferredinto the Kriegsmarine after the loss of most of the officer's Crew 33during the tragic sinking of the training ship Niobe. Tough, able andpassionate about his trade, Prien had a harsh personality, able towhip any man found lacking to ribbons with his blistering wit. Teddywas not among those to earn Prien's disapproval, however, and hethrived. While aboard U 47, he absorbed the unorthodox nature ofsuccessful submarine command from one of Germany's legendary

Oberleutnant zur See Suhren andhis crew stand to attention on theslern deck of U564 during theboat's commissioning in Hamburg, 3April 1941. Occupying the front rowof the assembled crew are (left toright) S<:hmutzler, Grunerl andS<:hiedhelm, presentthroughoulTeddy's command of the boat.

A more familiar pose-bul a farfrom natural one: Reinhard Suhrenpictured at the Brest NavalAcademy, headquarlers of Ihe FirslU-Boal Flotilla, after his award ofthe Oak Leaves to the Knight'sCross and his promolion toKapitan/eutnant.

fighting men, also forming a strong bond of friendship with thefriendly, quiet - and eq ually short in stature - Engelbert 'BertI'Endrass, Prien's IWO.

During 1938, the entire circle of U-boat officers within Donitz'selite corps were known to each other. Flotilla loyalties elevated thebond so that those of the 'Wegener' flotilla remained the closest offriends into the difficult years that followed. Finally, on a springmorning in April 1939 Teddy and his crew stood before their com­mander as the Kriegsmarine ensign was raised for the first time andU 48 prepared to begin service. Here Teddy brushed once more withauthority when none other than his new Fiihrer der Unterseeboote, KarlDonitz, reprimanded him for using profanity during a gunneryexercise aboard U 48. However, beneath Donitz's harsh words wasan unspoken acknowledgement of Teddy's superb marksmanshipand willingness to shave away the rigidity that sometimes markedthe surface fleet in order to achieve whatever results were desired.

Under three successive commanders­each winning the Knight's Cross-andduring twelve war patrols, U 48 went on tobecome the most successful U-boat of theSecond World War. Of the 300,000 tons thatU 48 destroyed at sea, Teddy had firedtorpedoes accounting for over half of thattotal, a primary task of the First Watch Officerbeing torpedo shooting when the boat wasengaged in a surface attack. On 3 ovember1940, in recognition of this achievement,Teddy became the first Watch Officer to beawarded the Knight's Cross.n

The second man to captain U 48, Hans Ru­dolf Rosing, arrived in May 1940 as tempor­ary relief for Herbert Schultze, incapacitatedthrough illness. He had the advantage of

being well acquainted with U 48, havingcommanded the 7th U-Flotilla sinceJanuary:Schultze had an excellent crew-one of the best Iever saw. When he fell seriou Iy ill and couldn't goout, they needed another captain. So I was sentaboard U 48 three or four day before leaving forthe mission. Since I knew them all, it was noproblem and I told them, 'Well, each sub has itscustoms. Leave it as it is, and if I don't like

28 U-BOA T WAR PATROL J TRODUCTJO 29

omething then I'll tell you.' But there was one thing we altered. My lucky numberis seven and therefore 1 saw to it that any course we steered was divisible byseven, and I told my people that, although we had a command in the GermanNavy that meant 'ten degrees to port or ten degrees to starboard: we would havea new command 'seven degrees to port'. It didn't mean anything, but these littlethings are important for the mood of the crew.... 5uhren and [Otto]ltes, theyfollowed my wishes, they understood. 50 we were a fine group, together with[Erich] ZOrn, the engineer.

When we were waiting and sat in the mess on U 48, we played a child's game­Fallg dell Hut ['Catch the Hat', somewhat similar to Ludo]- because in war, ofcourse, there were long periods of boredom interrupted with short periods ofgreat anxiety. We never played cards. We talked together ... we were in our littlemess room a good gang-a happy crew.5uhren was a very humorous man and extremely independent. Therefore youhad to support him. If you left him alone, while giving him the support he needed,he was excellent. He was also an outstanding torpedo shot.

After two patrols with me on board, when we came back [we] were one of thefirst boats to use Lorient. 50 I immediately telephoned Donitz, and he said to me,'You must leave the boat.' Well ...1 let him know that I was not of the sameopinion. But of course it was important for him that I leave, because many of theolder commanders, the experienced men from peacetime, had been killed. Wewere few, and he needed us for other commitments, so I was sent to the Italiansin Bordeaux. I would have preferred to stay with so fine a crew: we were morethan friends"

The run of luck that had begun with Herbert Schultze continuedunder Rosing's command, Teddy viewing his new commander withgreat respect for his style of leadership and handling of what couldhave been a difficult crew for any officer who failed to gain theirtrust. The men aboard U 48 were a tightly knit brotherhood thatwould not have tolerated fools in command. Heinrich Bleichrodt, anex-merchant mariner, was U 48's third commander, and it was under

30 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

In Germany it was common for atown or city to 'adopt' a U­boat-the so-called.Patenschalt 'scheme. U 564was thus adopted by lwei­brucken in the coal-miningSaarland region, and the crewwould occasionally visit the townand receive the hospitality of itsinhabitants. Here Suhren andpart of his crew are picturedwith local dignitaries on a visitduring August 1941.

U564 leads Kaptlt. Forster'sU654 into Lorient harbourduring the morning of 10 Julyafter their overnight voyagefrom Brest

his leadership that Teddy received his Knight's Cross, Bleichrodtrefusing to accept one awarded to him if Teddy did not receive thedecoration in turn. In total, by October 1940, when Teddy departedthe boat for commander training, U 48 had discharged 119 torpedoesin action-sixty-five of them fired by Teddy, of which thirty had hitthe target.

In February 1941 U 564 was launched from Hamburg's huge Blohm& Voss shipyards, and Teddy was transferred aboard to take his firstcommand, commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 3 April 1941. Aswell as his soaring reputation, Teddy brought one further legacy fromU 48 - the boat's Wappen, an unofficial painting or symbol tha t gracedthe conning towers of almost all operational U-boats. For U 564,Teddy kept his old boat's character, a large black cat, its back archedabove the characters '3X' and tail held high. In Germany, as in othercountries, one black cat may be bad luck, but three will turn awaymisfortune. Soon thecommander and crewsported their own smallermetal emblems on their capsand the newest dreimalschwarze Kater boat went towar.

A true maverick, Teddy isremembered even today asmuch for his continualclashes with authority andirrepressible sense of hum­our as for his gift for sub­marine warfare and leader­ship of men. The stories ofhis exploits ashore andalmost constant reprimandsequal those of his cool nervein action, and have becomealmost legendary.

Fortunately for Teddy, ina nation where the freneticactivity of Reich securityforces could condemn a manfor the slightest slur castupon the nation's leader­ship, Donitz held a pro-

INTRODUCTION 31

tective hand over the vast majority of his men, and over those hefavoured in particular. Teddy had already been investigated by theAbwehr Intelligence Service for association with a Jewish woman,and drinking raucously with a black African man in a Hamburg bar.When confronted with the Abwehr's four-page typewritten dossier,Donitz's deputy, Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, disposed ofit with the scribbled annotation'complete rubbish' in the margin.Indeed, the entire issue of Aryan racial superiority wa anathema tothe young Teddy. After 6 September 1941 when Reinhard Heydrich'sSS Security Office legislated that all German Jews were to wear theStar of David sewn on to the outside of their clothing, Teddy wasperplexed after being confronted with the sight of several elderly

After an overnight stay as guests ofthe 2nd U-Boat Flotilla, both boatsprepare to leave Lorien!. At left isU654, and the boat in the fore­ground is Teddy's U564. her crewassembling for their formal eveningdeparture.

Berliners in the Kurflirstendamm wearing the yellow cloth patch.He felt compelled to investigate:

Entirely naively, I asked one of the group what it meant. He looked at me inamazement.

'My dear sir, this is the Star of David which we are obliged to wear'.That was still running through my mind when I at down in a treet cafe. Two

members of the Hitler Youth crossed over to me. They wanted my autograph orsomething signing. I was pretty short with them and refused. It wasn't the youngpeople who were to blame, and they were surprised and offended. So had I been,but for quite a different reasonn

At sea, five war patrols into the North Atlantic and along theAmerican coast had accumulated a grim tally to Teddy's alreadyimpressive combat record, adding the Oak Leaves to his Knight's

Cross in December 1941 andaccelerating his promotion to Kapitiin­leutnant:I myself was fortunate enough to get to know[Raeder] personally.... I remember a day inJanuary 1942. I had come out of headquartersand was next invited to breakfast by Groft­adll/iral Raeder. Time 1400 hours! Lehmann­Willenbrock [commander of U 96] and I hadarrived in Berlin the previou evening. I said:'Hey ... that is a particularly consideratebreakfast-time for us! It will give us a fewmore hours under the blankets!' So off wemarched and made the mo t of it. The wholeof Berlin got clouded over. About 6 a.m. weshut the Jockey bar from inside and thencarried on. We didn't get a great deal of sleep.

Then, at 1400 hours, breakfa t tarted. TheAdmiral's staff smirked near us, and Raederkept gasping for air 0 as not to be completelyovercome by the intoxicating fumes as wewere sitting not too far from him. Later,during a conversation over coffee and cognac,I could see that when Raeder was discussingnon-functioning torpedoes with me he wastrying to go into rever e in order to extricatehimself from my alcoholic cloud. When,around 1600 hours, he excused himself andleft his admirals to it, we all ... sat downcosily round the table, and, among otherthings, negotiated my promotion to Kapiliill­leuillalli . ... The next day I was upposed toget my U-boat badge with diamonds, andthen the promotion was su pposed to beannounced by Raeder. I did indeed receivethe U-boat badge, but no promotion, and as I

lNTRODUCTIO 33

left the room of the Oberbefeillsllnber der Mnrille, I met Admiral [Otto] Backenkohler,who congratulated me on my rise in rank. I said, 'No promotion. It didn't workout.' I had just about got to the bottom of the grand staircase nearby when Knpi/iillFreiwald [Raeder's adjutant] summoned me back, coat-tails flying. TheOberbefell/sllnber der Mnrille said to me,' ow you must submit to something else;I promote you to Knpi/iillieu/Ilflll/.'

Behind him grinned Admiral Schulte-Montig, beside me Freiwald. I stood thereand could hardly restrain a smile, and my face must have been even more stupidlooking than usual, so that the Oberbefeillsilnber der Marille ... asked me, 'Well,don't you believe me? It's my prerogative; I can do it.'''

In early 1942 Teddy was at the zenith of his operational career,despite almost becoming the victim of a tragic accident during AprilYThree days outbound from Brest on 7 April, in weather rated as 'stillendurable' for Biscay (west-south-west Force 6 winds, with a swellof four metres), the boat's IWO, LzS Hans-Ferdinand Geisler, hadenquired from the bridge watch on duty what was causing a loudand regular banging noise from the U-boat's upper deck. Believingit to be either a loose hatch or even a contraband stock of beer stashedbeneath the wooden deck grating, Teddy ordered Bootsman/1 HeinzWebendorfer to proceed along the V-boat's slippery casing toinvestigate what indeed later transpired to be a damaged hatch cover.

Webendorfer was harnessed to the conning tower jumper wiresas he began the perilous task of fastening the hatch, the V-boatfrequently inundating him with rolling green water. While theunfortunate man clung to the bucking deck, Teddy arrived on thebridge to oversee the operation, without lifejacket or safety harness,and made the rash decision to help the struggling man.

34 U-BOA T WAR PA TROL

U564 's petty officers-includingHaring, in the centre of thephotograph, at the rear, andsmiling-stand in formation behindLawaetz and Gabler (checking thewatch in his pocket) as the boatprepares for departure. Thisphotograph, and the othersdepicting the U-boats' departure,was taken by Meisinger

Dressed in his newly issued U­boat leathers, PK Maat Haring(left of photograph) talks toRudolf ('Handsome Rudi')Meisinger in Lonent beforeU564 's departure. Meisingerwas another naval warcorrespondent, already aveteran of U-boat andminesweeper patrols.

As he peered over the rim of the conning tower, preparing todescend to the deck, U 564 struck a towering wave. Webendorferhung on for dear life as the steel hull was temporarily submerged.Teddy, however, was not quick enough, and, as the conning towerbroke free of the swirling water, the cry' Kommandant iiber Bord!'echoed into the Control Room. Both engines were immediatelythrown into full reverse as Teddy, now several metres away,desperately kicked off his cumbersome leather jacket (with heavyZeiss binoculars and a Mauser pistol in its pockets), trousers andsea boots in an effort to stay afloat. Fortunately, the youngcommander was successfully retrieved from the water, clinging to alife-ring thrown from the V-boat's bridge. The only casualty of theevent was Teddy's pride.

In a bizarre example of paper-driven military bureaucracy, therewas an official enquiry into the event, and the loss of equipmentfrom U 564. Suhren's list of items included '1 rain jacket (sou' wester),1 three-quarter length leather jacket, 1 pair leather trousers, 1 pairV-boat boots (with cork soles), 1 Mauser pistol (7.65mm calibre), 1artillery stopwatch, 1 pair of sunglasses in case, 1 artillery torch.'

Teddy's official statement- made in his inimitably tongue-in-cheekstyle-accompanied similar statements from Webendorfer and Stabs­obersteuermann Limburg (IIIWO) for the enquiry, and concluded:

One cannot blame Boo/smallll Webendorfer that the commander climbed downon to the upper deck to help repairthe damaged hatch cover.Furthermore, I do not considerBoo/smallll Webendorfer to beresponsible for what thecommander carries in his pockets.All efforts to retrieve the lost itemsremained unsuccessful, and Ishould like to request that the lostitems be replaced. [Signed]Suhren.

Everything but the pistol andstopwatch were replaced byBrest's quartermaster depart­ment, and the entire reportwas circulated amongst theV-boat service by Karl Don­itz as part of a 'Humour inWartime' series.

INTRODUCTION 35

By mid-1942, Germany's U-boats seemingly teetered on the edgeof Atlantic dominance, savaging the vulnerable trade routes that keptthe United Kingdom's war effort from grinding to an irreversiblestandstill. Losses of Allied merchant shipping traffic had climbedinexorably since a brief respite during the previous December. Thisfearful predation culminated in June 1942's destruction by GermanU-boat of 130 ships-613,682 tons of merchant shipping sent to thebottom worldwide, a figure that would be bettered only once moreduring the war. For the Germans. the tantalising scent of victory laybarely over the horizon; for the Allies, disaster loomed nearby as itfinally began to appear possible that Admiral Karl Donitz's vaunted'Sea Wolves' might achieve their difficult goal.

The Allied advantage of having broken the U-boat's 'Enigma' codeduring most of 1941 had disappeared in February with the combinedintroduction of an improved cipher named 'Triton' and the four-rotor'Enigma' machine. Bletchley Park would struggle with this new codeuntil the year's end. On the other side of the hill' Germany's B-Dienstintelligence service had matched Allied code-breaking success con­currently, penetrating aval Cipher 03 that was used by the Royal,Royal Canadian and United States Navies within the Atlantic. Atone point, Donitz estimated that 50 per cent of his effective oper­ational intelligence originated from B-Dienst, although it took yearsof combat before U-boat strength was able to fully capitalise on theintelligence bonanza.

However, intelligence alone could not fight the war. While con­voy after convoy of crucial supplies and military material headedeast across the Atlantic, more and more U-boats sailed to interceptand destroy. Exhorted by Donitz (known to and beloved by Germansubmariners as 'The Lion'), the 'Grey Wolves' attacked withoutpause. It was into this arena of combat that Teddy prepared to takehis Type VIlC U 564 in July 1942.

On 9 July, in the French port of Brest, where U 564 was stationedas part of the 1st U-Boat Flotilla, the veteran crew geared up to putto sea once more, their destination on this occasion the balmy watersof the Caribbean. Theirs was to be one of ten boats despatched fromEurope to the Western Atlantic waters edging the United States andCaribbean Sea, and it was U 564's second journey to the region. Itwas also to be Teddy Suhren's last combat patrol before he rotatedout of the front line to help train and shape the commanders of thefuture. Donitz made his feelings plain when Teddy reported to BdUto be briefed on his forthcoming patrol:

36 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

U564 casts off and slips from

Lorient.Suhren, make sure you bring your boat safely back home and then come ashore.Then we can use you back at home for training. Prien, Kretschmer and Schepkewould in theory have been ideal for the job, but they are all gone. Prien andSchepke are dead, Kretschmer a prisoner. [Erich] Topp has already come ashore­and you're next.'·

On Friday 3 July 1942, U 564 underwent dockyard tests to checkher trim under water and verify the free movement of hydroplanesand rudders as well as ensuring the functionality of the echo­sounding installation. Rust treatment eliminated all traces of thecorrosive effect of salt water along the steel hull and her externalarmaments, after which final preparatory work was undertaken on5 July as the boat lay docked for refuelling, gallons of diesel floodinginto her cavernous fuel bunkers. The following day it was time toarm the boat, and torpedoes and ammunition were embarked asU 564 lay moored within the thick concrete shelter built on the Brest

shoreline. Provisions took a further two days to store, wedged intoevery nook and cranny that could accommodate either fresh orpreserved foodstuffs. By Wednesday, the entire crew had been givenmedical examinations by Doctor Richter, Surgeon for the 1st U-BoatFlotilla, and the following evening, 9 July, after all fresh rations hadbeen carefully stowed, U 564 left Brest at 2130 hours alongsideOberleutnmzt zur See Ludwig Forster's U 654. Both boats followed the'Herz' route through the lethal defensive minefields, bound forLorient and escorted from harbour by two Vorpostenboote and a singleSperrbrecher as the combined threats of enemy aircraft and mine werevery real. In Lorient, Teddy was ordered to take aboard a passenger.

Propaganda Kompanie Maat Haring was temporarily attached as awar correspondent to capture the cruise on camera of one ofGermany's new generation of U-boat heroes. The naval branch ofthe Propaganda Kompanie was based in France, operating under theauspices of KK Karl Hinsch's Marinekriegsberichterabteilung West andfrequently assigned to the U-boats, still wreathed in the glamour ofan elite service. The officer directly commanding the correspondentsaboard submarines was the noted journalist Wolfgang Frank, nowfamous for his books on the U-boat war and on Gunther Prien inparticular, written both during and after the conflict.

The U-boats were no strangers to the attentions of propaganda,frequently appearing within the pages of all manner of periodicalsissued in Germany and the occupied countries. However, Teddyappeared almost to resent the intrusion aboard 'his' boat by Haring.Despite his outgoing exuberance, Teddy was uncomfortable beneaththe glare of publicity, a fact remembered by Harald Busch, acorrespondent who had been tasked with interviewing him duringJanuary 1942:

Indeed, he seemed inhibited, as if he knew he was being watched. I had theimpression that he wa too clever to be able to relax and enjoy himself in his new­found position of fame. He did not like to allow himself to be praised by a publicwith whom as a V-boat man he wa not likely to have much in common. Of course,he was proud to have achieved successes, but he was unable to put on an actbefore people who belonged to a quite different society, who would have nocomprehension of his own. Reinhard Suhren seemed to me to be an unusuallyreflective man, who liked to conceal the fact, very much beneath the comic anticsof a clown: 'Come on children, don't look so worried! Don't take yourselves soseriously!' That was how he seemed to me, and he was having to leave the circusspecially for me, because I had come to annoy him with my order to find out allabout him l

'

Thus, in early July 1942, Haring joined the crew of U 564, given nospecial duties aboard the boat other than to make himself generallyuseful and not get in the way. His primary 'weapons' were a small

cine-camera and a Leica for taking still photographs with which hewould record the daily life of one of Germany's veteran submarines.

It would be Saturday 11 July before both boats finally left France,sailing under similar escort as before from Lorient into the Bay ofBiscay, following the swept 'Kernleder' route. At the channel's end,'Point Kern', two hours' cruising west from Lorient, a final flashed'Good hunting' from the small patrol ships and their larger Sperr­brecher cousin heralded the end of their anti-aircraft and mine­sweeping escort, the surface vessels turning back leaving the two U­boats to thunder alone towards the Atlantic. U 564's bridge lookoutssoon lost sight of Forster's boat in the deepening twilight. Presentlythey would begin the deadly routine of alternate stalking and hidingas the 'Three Black Cats' proceeded west into the Atlantic killinggrounds.

38 U-BOAT WAR PATROL 1 TRODUCTIO 39

U564 departs lorient. travellingbehind Forster's U 654.

1 Outbound11-16 JULY

AFTER drifting gradually out of contact with one another, thetwo boats sailed westwards along parallel courses. Uponreaching the deep-water curve that mirrored the sweep of Brit­

tany's granite coastline, they both submerged in their first operationaltest dives to check seals, trim and onboard systems. The faint humof U 654' s distant propellers turning gently under electric powerreceded until Teddy's boat was once more isolated within the turbu­lent waters of the Bay of Biscay. Weeks of leave in Germany and therecreation centres of Paris and Brittany faded to distant memoriesas the mainly veteran men fell swiftly into their familiar duties and

work patterns aboard the boat.Experience often marked the diff­

erence between survival and deathfor the precarious existence of Ger­many's 'Grey Wolves', and U 564was fortunate to have a predomin­antly tried and tested crew. Forty­four men - plus their passenger fromthe Propaganda Kompanie-comprisedthe complement of Teddy's boat asshe departed France, twenty-nine ofthem having served aboard sinceU 564's April 1941 commissioning.

Of the four permanent officers onboard, the irrepressibly good­humoured IIWO, LzS Herbert Wald­schmidt ranked as probably the mostinexperienced. This twenty-year-oldDortmund native had joined the boatin March 1942 and had been to seawith Teddy on the boat's previouscruise, U 564 his first taste of sub­marine combat after graduating fromthe officer crew of XII /1939. That

OUTBOU 0 41

patrol, stretching from April to early June 1942, provided Teddy withthe most successful Type VII voyage of May, claiming 35,000 tons ofshipping sunk (an unintentional overclaim because two of his be­lieved victims were only in fact damaged, and later towed to repairyards).! However, his most unfortunate and significant victim wasthe 4,000-ton Mexican tanker SS Petrero del Llano, a ttacked anddestroyed with torpedoes near Sands Key, Florida. Teddy maintainedthat the ship had been travelling under armed escort and blackedout, while the Mexican Government remained adamant that search­lights had been trained on to huge Mexican flags emblazoned alongher superstructure. With thirteen crewmen killed in the attack, thepro-Allied government declared war against Germany on 22 May. Itwas to mark a fresh V-boat onslaught as Donitz subsequently liftedrestrictions against Mexican shipping in the Gulf of Mexico.

Waldschmidt's responSibilities as the boat's IIWO were relatedprimarily to the artillery aboard - both deck and flak wea pons - aswell as to some of the more mundane administrative matters. Com­bined with duty at the head of two of the day's six watches atop theconning tower, he decided when the V-boat's surface weaponsrequired cleaning to ensure their readiness for action at all times.He was also often obliged to decode particular classified messagestransmitted from the BdV, other, routine radio traffic being left tothe experienced communications teams led by non-commissionedofficers Rudi Elkerhausen and Willi Anderheyden.

42 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Oberleutnant (Ing.) Ulrich Gablerand Teddy Suhren at sea atopU564 's conning towe' Gabler wasa gifted engineer who had partici­pated in pre-war U-boat design. Aswell as enjoying a superb workingrelationship, Suhren and Gablerwere close personal friends. In thispicture, Suhren wears the speciallydesigned sunglasses issued to U­boat personnel, their lenses madeto fit Zei55 binoculars.

The Bridge Watch-and sightseers.Heinl Mattern, the electric motorObermaschinist, is at left, while atthe extreme right is Funkmaat WilliAnderheyden; neither is a memberof the watch. Second from right isOberbootsmann Heinl Webendorfer,of the First Watch. The other, le55visible members of this four-manwatch were IWO Ulf Lawaetl, ErnstSchlittenhard and Eduard Kalbach.

Waldschmidt had melded well with his new crew, as had hisimmediate superior, IWO ObltzS Ulf Lawaetz, who had also comeaboard during the same period. But, unlike Waldschmidt, Lawaetzhad tasted action before joining the U-boat service. Christened UlfErling GUnther Lawaetz, he had been born in Copenhagen in 1916 toa Danish engineer who worked within German shipyards, and aGerman mother. The first of five siblings, Ulf was a student atDenmark's Som Akademi before beginning cadet training as a SokadetlEldste Klasse in the Royal Danish avy. It was in 1937, at the age of21 and three years after the premature death of his mother, that hewas compelled to choose between Danish or German citizenship,and correspondingly between a vocation in the German or Danish

avies. His Danish naval superiors advised him to leave his countryof birth and go to Germany to enrol in the Kriegsmarine if he was atall serious about a naval career. At that time, Denmark's governmentwas pacifist by nature, and the chances of a military profession inDenmark were extremely slim. So it was that Lawaetz opted for Ger­man citizenship, graduating soon afterwards as an officer from theKriegsmarine Crew of 37b. Subsequently he was posted to the des­troyer Hans Ludemann (2 18) as Second Artillery Officer in ovember1939 as the war entered its third month.

OUTBOUND 43

In April 1940, as Germany's Operation'Weserubung' burst upon or way, HansLiidemann was amongst those destroyers I

earmarked to carry mountain troops to thedistant northern port of arvik. There, afterunloading its precious cargo of troops andequipment, Lawaetz's destroyer was one ofthe squadron of ten that were all lost. Withtwo sunk on 10 April and one damagedbeyond repair, the remaining seven, in­cluding Hans Liidemann, were taken bysurprise in a bold attack mounted by thebattleship HMS Warspite and escorting Royal

avy destroyers three days later. U-boats,positioned to screen the German surfaceships, were powerless to protect them, theirtorpedoes without exception malfunctioningas they attempted to intercept the incomingthreat. After a brief and fierce struggle, allten German destroyers were sunk, Lawaetzamong the bedraggled men who draggedthemselves ashore only to find themselvesembroiled in the bitter infantry war as Alliedforces and the German mountain troopswrestled for control of the battered city. Hebecame a part of the improvised navalinfantry regiment soon named the Gebirgs­marine (Mountain avy) by their Army com­rades. Eventually, with an Allied evacuation,the Germans prevailed and the shipwrecked survivors of the sunkendestroyers were rotated home to more orthodox naval assignments.

Lawaetz, for rather obvious reasons, was posted to the Marine­befehlsltaber Denmark, where his knowledge of the local language andcustoms were considered extremely useful, before being once moretransferred as Second Artillery Officer to the heavy cruiser (andformer 'pocket-battleship') Liitzow in March 1941 (at the time, theship was still in the yards after being torpedoed by HMS Spearfish).Six months later, Lawaetz was back in Scandinavia as part of Hel­sinki's Marine Attache staff before, in September 1941, he volunteeredfor Donitz's elite. He swiftly began U-boat training and was withina short while posted to U 564 to replace ObItzS Hans-FerdinandGeisler as IWO.2

44 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The lorward torpedo compartmentat evening suppertime. Crowdedand uncomfortable. this singlecompartment housed upwards oftwenty·live men. crammed into thetwelve bunks. The Mechanikermaat.Gerhard Ehlers. had his ownbunk;the remaining crew made thebest that they could 01 the availablespace.

As the U-boat's executive officer, Lawaetz was essentially thesecond-in-command, and responsible for maintenance of the boat'storpedo armament, as well as for the first watch of each day and asecond four-hour shift starting at 1200 hours. In regard to his torpedoduty, his task was to maintain the submarine's main weapon and allof its complex fire control systems in peak readiness for action.However, the actual maintenance of the torpedoes themselves wasnot Lawaetz's responsibility, that duty being assumed by GerhardEhlers, the boat's Mechanikermaat, or Chief Torpedo Mate. However,when the boat was used for surface attacks, the firing of the torpedoeswas the domain of the IWO, under the close supervision of the boat'scommander, who exercised supreme control atop the tower,maintaining an all-round picture while the IWO could concentrateon shooting.

Teddy's gifted Chief Engineer (Lietender Ingenieur, or LI), BerlinerObit (Ing.) Ulrich Gabler, was a highly qualified maritime designerand had been involved in ship construction before the war. Born in1913, Gabler had studied shipbuilding in Berlin-Charlottenburgbefore becoming an assistant to Professor Schnadel at the Ingenieur­kontor fur Schiffbau company in Lubeck. Following his call-up tothe naval reserves in 1939, he joined the U-boat service and becameLI aboard the Type II training boat U 121. Once assigned to U 564,before the new boat had begun construction, he personally attended

OUTBOU D 45

each step of her manufacture, becoming familiar with every frameand rivet of the new Type VIIC as she took shape in Hamburg'sfamous Blohm & Voss yards. The working relationship betweenGabler and Suhren was excellent, and after five war patrols togetherthe two men were also firm friends. During June, when U 564 hadreturned from her action off the coast of Florida, Gabler had beendue to come ashore and be posted to U-boat research, but Teddyhad consulted with Donitz and point-blank refused to sail withouthim. The headstrong commander predictably declined to give groundon the matter, and Gabler's transfer ashore was deferred for onemore patrol.

Gabler's position as Chief Engineer placed him on virtually anequal footing with Suhren when it came to the operation of U 564.His duties as head of the boat's technical crew comprised the com­plete mechanical control of the boat, particularly her crucial divingand propulsion systems. A good relationship between LI and com­mander was essential for the boat's success, and, in the partnershipof Suhren and Gabler, U 564 had as good as it could possibly get.While the commander had two Watch Officers to assist him withmany of his responsibilities, the LI had two senior non-commissionedofficers answering directly to him, one accountable for the dieselengines the other for the electric motors and their respective crews.

Gabler was joined on his final patrol by another engineering officer,Leutnant der Reserve (Ing.) Eberhard Hammermiiller, assigned by U­Boat Command to accompany a front-line boat into action in orderto gain combat experience from a veteran chief engineer. As an extrabody aboard an already crowded boat, Hammermiiller bedded downin the Unteroffizier room, sharing the confined space with the boat'sMaate.

The remainder of the crew sailing for the Atlantic aboard U 564 inJuly 1942 were mainly old hands at submarine warfare, and repres­ented a typical cross-section of German sailors. Their geographicalhomes ranged from Wilhelmshaven on the orth Sea coast to Triften,a small village less than 20 kilometres from the Germani Austrianborder. Likewise, the crew ranged in age from 18-year-old Matrosen­gefreiter Paul Stephan, already a veteran of a single patrol aboardU 564, to Stabsobersteuermann Karl Limburg, who was 43.

Limburg, nicknamed 'Stiirkorl' (an old low-German sailing-shipterm for helmsman, although remembered by Herbert Waldschmidtas being derived from Steuer, meaning helm, being added to hisChristian name of Karl), had even seen service in the Kaiser's avyduring the First World War, when he had earned the Iron Cross

46 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

In this series of mealtimephotographs, the floor is coveredwith two torpedoes, provisions andmattresses, and the lower level of

bunks is folded out of the way tomake room for the lee Is' , leavingeven less space available. Thebunks that the men are leaning

against are the top row. Collapsibletables were available, stored underthe lower bunks and completelyimpractical without access to thedeck.The bread that accompanies themeal was one of the first items inthe provisions list to spoil during apatrol. Soon, once the outsides hadmoulded completely, the men wouldbe reduced to scooping out and

eating the stale insides only. Afterthat, too, had become inedible,canned bread was used. In the

photograph lower right areMatrosengefreiterEduard Kalbachand Roland 5chiedhelm (pouringcoffee). This was Kalbach's first tripaboard U564.

Second Class. Entering the Kaiserliche Marine at the age of fifteen aswar broke out in 1914, Limburg served throughout the four devas­tating years of conflict that followed, staying in naval service duringthe difficult period after the end of hostilities when the avy's honourwas considered stained by revolution in 1918. He left the military in1928, only to re-join immediately when a new European war brokeout eleven years later. Limburg was the most senior of the non­commissioned officers aboard, As Stabsobersteuermann, he was alsothe boat's IIIWO and responsible for the third slot of the three dailywatches. Administratively, Limburg exercised control over whereand how provisions were stored aboard the boat, liaising with Gablerso as to be able to provide an accurate report of weight displace­ment for the boat's successful trimming. But his main function wasas navigator, and it was he who plotted the boat's course, whethertransiting the Atlantic or giving chase to enemy convoy traffic. Teddyalso made one concession to Limburg as the oldest man aboard: he

OUTBOUND 47

allowed him a personal supply of rum to ease what were often achingjoints from the confinement of U-boat life. At the end of the boat'sfirst war patrol in 1941, Limburg had confessed to 'tapping off' hisown supply of the boat's stored medicinal rum, blaming breakagefor the sudden decrease in volume before Teddy managed to drag aconfession from him. The matter was soon solved with Teddy'scompromise solution, demonstrating the commander's ability at man­management that marked him as a popular and effective captain.

Teddy had carefully managed to keep a hard core of his originalcrew together at a time when many other veteran crews were brokenup and posted elsewhere to provide experienced cadres for newlycommissioned U-boats. A bare sprinkling of new sailors weredistributed throughout U 564, the young men eager to begin theirfirst patrol and become part of the comradeship earned only throughdays spent at sea.

The men quickly adapted to the rhythm of shipboard life, whethernew to the motions of a medium-size U-boat or one of the old hands.The watch rotation aboard U 564 consisted of four-hour shifts forvirtually all but the engine and motor personnel, who worked sixhours at a stretch. The radio crew also shared this longer period onduty during the 'graveyard shift' of what was usually a reducedvolume of radio traffic. To keep some kind of normality and firmstructure to an already difficult environment, the boat time remainedfixed at German Summer Time, i.e. two hours ahead of GreenwichMean Time. In this way, for example, breakfast was served alwaysin the 'morning', whatever time of day local clocks would show.

U 564 was a Type VIIC, the workhorse of the U-Boat Service and amodel present in nearly every theatre of war in which the Kriegsmnrinewas involved. Type VIIs ranged from the frozen wastes of the Arcticto equatorial Africa and the Americas, travelling distances that theirdesigners had never originally envisaged and proving deadly andcapable war machines. At first, the Type VIIC was considered toosmall to cross the Atlantic from France to the United States, and thattask was left for the larger Type IX U-boats. The normal surfacedrange for a Type VIIC travelling at 10 knots of 8,500 nautical miles(extended by using a combined diesel and electric drive to 9,700 naut­ical miles) would have allowed only a limited time at best aroundthe central western Atlantic, with little by way of fuel reserve to allowthe boat a margin of safety for its return.

However, it was found that the crew were prepared to make theirdifficult and uncomfortable tenure aboard the VIICs even more harsh,replacing quantities of fresh water with fuel and cramming every

48 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

(Left to right) Werner Rieckhoff,Herman Hausruckinger, WernerGrunert, Ewald Gaiser, WernerSchlagel-the 'Lords' of theTorpedo Room.

possible provision aboard so that their torpedoes could be added tothe escalating war against America. U 564 benefited from thepresence of Gabler, with his vast knowledge of U-boat design andcapabilities, while all U-boats profited during 1942 from the presenceof a new addition to the U-boat war - the Milchkuh ( ilk Cow) U­tanker. The first of these enormous submarines had embarked onher inaugural mission in March 1942, and when U 564 ploughedthrough Biscay, two Milchkiihe were also heading to their mid­Atlantic stations and three more were soon to put to sea.

Although Teddy was under orders to refuel from one such tankerbefore entering the Caribbean battleground, as U 564 sailed fromFrance she was stocked to capacity with stores for the forty-five menaboard. Fresh and canned food was hung or stashed in almost everyavailable space. As with others of her class, food and ammunitiontook precedence aboard the sleek grey hull of the VIIC; consider­ations of crew comfort were minimal at best.

At the bow, the graceful taper of the outer deck casing extendednine metres past the end of the pressure hull, this free flooding casing,crowned with hardwood decking, giving the submarine's distinctiveshape. Four bow torpedo tubes comprised the main teeth of the boat,and these extended nearly four metres into the pressure hull, wherethe bulk of the crew worked and lived for the duration of theirvoyage. This main weaponry dominated the forward torpedo room(Bugrnull1, or, bow-room). It was here that the enlisted men of thecrew - the 'Lords' -lived alongside the massive cylindrical I eels':

OUTBOU 0 49

over twenty-five sailors were accommodated within this compart­ment, sharing twelve bunks between them. Their roles at sea rangedfrom ship's cook, helmsmen, radio crew, torpedo mixers and stokers(a term hardly befitting U-boat engineers, but a traditional hangoverfrom steam-powered naval vessels) to general sea duties, which couldinclude standing watch or manning the flak and artillery. Stowagewas minimal within the bow room, and extra clothing for each mannormally was limited to little more than spare underwear. Only oneperson within the compartment had permanent access to a bunk,Mechanikermaat Gerhard Ehlers, the Torpedo Mate and sole pettyofficer to share the enlisted men's quarters:

Life for the crew in the bow room was hard. When we left port we had fourtorpedoes in the tubes, four torpedoes in the bilge and two torpedoes above thebilge, so that in the bow room we had ten torpedoes altogether. The two torpedoesabove the bilge were covered with sheets of wood. On those they had to eat, andalso the bunks were there. Right above them was the scaffolding (girders on whichtorpedoes were hoisted for loading and maintenance), meaning that the peoplehardly had room to move about, and if they did, they were often on all fours!Even if the sea were reasonably calm, you always had the odd wave rocking theboat-and the pea soup went everywhere!'

Through a narrow doorway and immediately abaft the forwardtorpedo room was the forward head, the small toilet attached to theport bulkhead, with an equally small food storage locker opposite tostarboard. Abaft again of these small cubicles, the next section wasslightly more spacious. This was the Oberfeldwebelraum (Chief PettyOfficer's room), and here the senior non-commissioned officersshared the four bunks available, two on each side of the slim passage­way. A small drop-leaf table was also provided, slightly offset toport. Diesel Obermaschinist Hermann Krah, Elektro ObermaschinistHeinz Mattern, Bootsmann Heinz Webendorfer and Stabsobersteuer­mann Limburg occupied this room. Webendorfer, turned twenty-sixduring June, was the crew chief aboard U 564. His primary role wasto maintain discipline and order among the enlisted personnel forthe smooth running of the boat. Known to the crew as' umber One',he was also responsible for the crew's clothing and equipment, aswell as for the general cleanliness of the boat itself. Kept permanentlybusy by his wealth of duties, Webendorfer held the authority to dealwith any disciplinary matters before they required the attention ofranking officers. He also took his part in watch-keeping, attached toLawaetz's first watch. During attacks he was stationed within theconning tower, where he input the information relayed verbally fromeither Suhren's or Lawaetz's targeting into the boat's torpedocomputer, from where it was electrically transmitted straight to the

50 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Hechanikermaat Ehlers - the onlypetty officer to bunk in the forwardtorpedo room - threads hisprecarious way to the Petty Officer'sMess (Unteroftizier Raum) for hisown meal. Behind and around him(left to right) are Wagner, Becker,Rieckhoff, Hausruckinger andGrunert.

,eels' within their tubes. Weben­dorfer was in turn supported inhis tasks by two other Maa te,Oberbootsmannsmaat HeinrichBartels and Bootsl17annsmaat Karl­Ernst Thiel. As well as assistingwith discipline and the crew'swell-being, Bartels was chargedwith maintaining and recordingall the ammunition stowedaboard U 564 (with the exceptionof the torpedoes), while Thielattended to the 8.8cm deck can­non and to the administrative andpersonnel concerns of the boat'sseamen.

Past the Oberfeldwebelraum wasthe Offizierraum (Officer's Room).Here the pressure hull nearlyreached its widest point (4.7metres in diameter), the officer'sbunks set slightly back from themain passageway. A small tableto port doubled as a wardroom.It was on the seats here thatGabler slept, a folding bunk above

him available for his use but barely used. OppOSite, to starboard,the First and Second Watch Officers, Ulf Lawaetz and HerbertWaldschmid t, slept. Four small wardrobes crowded the compartmentbut allowed crucial room for storing the officers' scant belongingsthat were permitted on board.

The next stage abaft the wardroom was given over to the onlysemi-private area aboard. On the port side of the passage was thecommander's quarters. Separated from the rest of the boat by a heavygreen felt curtain, Teddy had a small desk and his own bunk, fromwhere he could listen to the activity aboard. The two most importantinformation-gathering areas were directly opposite him. Tostarboard, a rotating watch of pairs from the four-man radio crewconstantly manned both the Horchraum (listening room), with itsGruppen-Horch-Geriit (GHG) hydrophone equipment, and the smallFunkraum (Radio Room). The GHG hydrophone incorporated elevensmall receivers embedded in each side of the U-boat's bow in an arc,

OUTBOUND 51

its open side at the bottom. An electric pulse-timing mechanismrecorded the time differences that it took for sound impulses to reachthe various individual receivers, acting as a basic form of directionalindicator for the headphone-wearing operator within the listeningcompartment. This system had replaced the more accurate Kristall­Basisgeriit (KDB) apparatus, a swivel hydrophone mounted abovedecks near the forward retractable bollards. However, although theKDB system offered a higher degree of precision, its range wassubstantially less than that of the GHG, which in optimum conditionscould detect a single ship at a little over ten nautical miles and massedconvoy traffic at fifty-four.

The Funkraum also sported what has become in later years one ofthe most famous aspects of the U-boat struggle within the Atlantic.The radio crew aboard U 564 had been issued a brand new four­rotor 'Enigma' machine at the beginning of the year. Upon theoutbreak of World War Two in 1939, the Wehrmacht possessed one ofthe most sophisticated military communication systems in the world.At the heart of this was the ability to transmit and receive securecoded messages via a supposedly unbreakable cryptographicmachine, the original three-wheeled Kriegsmarine version of whichwas known as Schliisselmaschine M (Code Writer M). These electro-

(Below) The pelly officers'accommodation at mealtimes. This

small area doubled as a mess,sporting two folding tables slightlyoffset to starboard. Eight bunksprovided accommodation for theboat's Maate, their steward formeals being drawn from the enlistedmen. As can be seen in the

photographs, eating in the centralcompanionway was prone toconstant interruption. Seated

around the tables from left to rightare: ObMaschmt Fritz Stocker,Maschmt Hans Neumann,

ObMa5chmt Fritz Hummel, Fkmt RudiElkerhausen, ObMa5chmt EmilGrade, 8t5mt Heinrich Bartels andMechmt Gerhard Ehlers. In thestern-facing photograph (left), thedoor to the small galley is at thecompartment's far end.

(Above) The difficulties of relaxingwithin such a confined space areamply demonstrated by this seriesof photographs. The companionwaythat traversed the Pelly Officers'Room (Unteroffizierraum) was animportant thoroughfare for virtuallythe entire crew, situated as it was

between the bow room ratings'accommodation and the engine andmotor rooms.

mechanical coding devices, resembling small portable typewriters,relied on a variable internal wiring and rotor system to provide anincredible 6,000,000,000 possible code settings, which were thenchanged daily.

While the British code-breakers at Bletchley Park's top secretGovernment Codes and Cipher School had managed to make somepenetration into Luftwaffe and Heel' 'Enigma' ciphers as early as 1939(with enormous, and often overlooked, help from Polish crypt­analysts, who had been working on cracking the 'Enigma' for yearsboth before the war and later in England), the more complex Kriegs­marine system defied early attempts at penetration. Various capturesof single rotors from sinking U-boats and prisoners of war duringthe initial months of hostilities provided pieces for the complexjigsaw, but the first real breakthrough for British cryptanalysts cameafter an Allied raid in March 1940 on the Lofoten Islands, where thelast of the series of eight rotors was captured from the VorpostenbootKrebs, enabling Bletchley Park to decrypt some naval 'Enigmasignals-albeit still with delays-from May onwards. The captureby a boarding party from the destroyer HMS Somali of an intact'Enigma' codebook and rotors from the auxiliary supply/ weather-

52 U-BOAT WAR PATROL OUTBOUND 53

reporting ship Munchen near Jan MayenIsland on 7 May 1940 added yet further tothe British code-breaking ability. While thisenabled the penetration of the low-gradeweather code, it did not, however, aid accessto the more complicated systems used byKriegslIlarine combat units such as destroyersand U-boats. But it was the seizure of anintact machine with all of its rotors and codebooks from KaptIt. Fritz-Julius Lemp's U 110on 9 May 1941 that finally provided the keyto unlock the U-boat 'Enigma'.

However, always suspicious that the 'Enig­ma' had been compromised, in late 1941Donitz introduced the new four-rotor codingmachine which, after entering general serviceby February 1942, 'blacked out' Allied code­breakers with its new, massive range of vari­ables. This, combined with a refined code-netnamed 'Triton' (known to the Allies as'Shark') that came into use during the pre­vious October, ensured that, for the rest of

54 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

(Above left) Second Funkmaat WilliAnderheyden on duty within theRadio Room. Anderheyden was aveteran U·boat crl!wman, havingserved on Kapitanleutnant GeorgWilhelm Schulz's U '24-the'Edelweiss boat'--where hereceived the Iron (ross SecondClass in October 1940. Signalstraffic was heavy by the very natureof Oiinitz's tight operational controlof his boats and required constantmonitoring. The Radio Roomdoubled as entertainment centre:beneath Anderheyden's out­stretched right arm is the boat'sgramophone. The large receivervisible to the upper right is the U­boat's main Telefunken Type E436S, covering frequencies between3 and 30MHz. There was a smallradio for commercial broadcasts aswell. The voice pipe running to thebridge can be seen attached to theU-boat rib frame.

(Above right) This photograph ofAnderheyden at work clearly showsthe newly introduced four-rotor'Enigma' machine. After itsintroduction during the earlymonths of 1942, its new revisedsystem net-<odenamed 'Triton', or'Shark' to the Allies-provedimpenetrable to Allied code­breakers throughout most of thatyear.

With the starboard diesel stoppedand port on dead slow, the engineroom crew begin shutting air inletand exhaust vents: they arepreparing to dive. At right isObermasehinist Hermann Krah, onboard with Suhren throughout hiscareer in U564.

1942, U-boat ciphers were impenetrable - and the Allies would sufferaccordingly.4

Oberfunkmaat Rudi Elkerhausen headed the radio crew aboardU 564. Funkobergefreiter Werner Apitz supported him during dutyperiod, while Oberfunkmaat Willi Anderheyden and FunkobergefreiterEwald Gaiser handled the alternating watch. The radio was mannedat all times, for four-hour periods for each watch during peak times(0800 to 2000 hours) and six hours outside of those times - even atperiscope depth, where radio traffic could still be received. Of course,while one man on duty attended the radio transmitter and receiver,the other would take control of the hydrophone, sweeping the oceanfor tell-tale signs of the enemy.

Abaft the cramped forward accommodation was a heavy, water­tight hatch that could seal off the boat's bow half in case of flooding,This circular hatch led directly to the Zentrale- the amidships sectionand nerve centre. The navigation periscope, helm, planes, blowingpanel and numerous other systems were located here, as was thesmall navigation area, A metal ladder led upwards into the conningtower, which housed the attack periscope and TDC along with asecondary helm used for surfaced running, before leading to the

round main entry and exit hatch for thesubmarine's interior. One of only four ex­ternal hatches, it was generally the only onein use while at sea, the main exceptions tothis being occasions of stern and bow torpedoloading.

Both Gabler and Limburg were often to befound on duty within the Control Room, aswas the boat's Zentralemaat, Maschinen­obermaat Emil Grade, handling the fine adjust­ments of trim while submerged and thebalance of air supply within the boat andmaintaining the periscopes and their hy­draulic lifting systems. Grade was assistedby any of three Maschinenobergefreitern,Johann Rebahn, Werner Rieckhoff or HansMerk.

Past the Zentrale, another circular,pressure-tight hatch led to the compartmentcontaining the Unterojfizierraum (Petty OfficerQuarters). Eight bunks were used by theeleven petty officers in rotation, two folding

OUTBOU 0 55

56 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

As the thunder of the dieselengines subsides to silence,Ob/'fasch/'ft Heinz Nordmann (right)and an E·motor engineer activateU564's electric motors. Visible inthe first frame. hanging from theceiling. is a mesh bag containingfood. The wicker-encased bottlehanging next to it contains distilledwater used for the batteries.

drop-leaf tables offset to starboard available for meals. Among themen who lived within this narrow compartment, its gangway inalmost constant use, were Elkerhausen, Anderheyden, Bartels andThiel, as well as seven more petty officers responsible for variousaspects of the U-boat's propulsion systems. Additionally, Leutnallt(Ing.) Eberhard Hammermiiller and PK Maat Haring quartered forthe duration of the voyage within this section.

The tiny galley was immediately abaft the Unteroffizierraul/7, a three­ring electric hob and two small ovens being all that Matrosenober­gefreiter Hermann Hau ruckinger had to work with in order to satisfythe ration requirements of the entire crew. Hausruckinger had beenwith the boat since her commissioning and had previously servedas 'second cook' to Heinrich Ranm, before Ranm had been postedelsewhere. ow, as the boat's SlIlutje (cook), he was excused watchduties in order to concentrate on the almost constant demand forfood or coffee by the alternating watches, although he often helpedin general seamanship whenever available and wherever needed.

The diet for the first eight days was quite good. For instance, we had a lot of freshvegetables, fruit and so on. In fact everything fresh was used up first.

The galley was between the UllteroffizierraulIl and the diesel room. It cookerwas on the port side, and on starboard there was a toilet, piled up with freshvegetables, fruit, meat etc. First of all, it is not nice to have a toilet in the galley,but on the other hand, forty-six men to one toilet (in the bow half) i not enough!

The biggest problem was the bread. We placed it into a hammock so that plentyof air could get to it, but after a while it used to go stale and [the loaves] lookedlike rabbits because they were covered in mildew. We just removed as much of itas possible and then ate it.

When all the fre h food was used up, we turned to tinned food. On the whole,our provisions were very good; in fact we had everything-except it all tasted ofdiesel oils

Two geared, centrifugally supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder,4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels dominated the next compartment, wheresweating engineers nursed the thundering engines that providedsurface propulsion for U 564. The engine-room crew worked six-hourshifts, divided into port and starboard watches. With ignition pro­vided by compressed air from small tanks located outboard of theengine foundations, the powerful diesels could give slightly overseventeen knots if pushed to the absolute maximum. Further aftagain, and separated by a slim doorway, was the final compartment.Here the smaller pair of BBC (Brown Boveri & Cie) electric motorswere aligned along the propeller shafts to drive the U-boat whilesubmerged. This elongated compartment also housed an emergencyhelm and the final single stern torpedo tube, a solitary reload hiddenin the bilge beneath deck plating.

OUTBOU 0 57

Within the bilge that ran the length of the boat there was almostas much space below as above the decking. However, it was givenover to trim and diving tanks and the enormous banks of two 62-cellbatteries, capable of producing 9,160 amp hours. These batteriesprovided the life-blood energy for the electric motors, but alsocomprised the Second World War U-boats' Achilles' heel. By the verynature of stored energy, they could soon be exhausted. Thus U 564,like all her sister-boats, could dive and operate on electric motorsfor only a limited time, and at a greatly reduced speed. Even atmaximum revolutions, the electric motors could push U 564 at littlemore than seven knots, a rate that would soon discharge the batteriescompletely. If the batteries were ever exhausted, the commanderwould be faced with two dire choices: surface and face whateverenemy lay in wait, or allow the propellers to cease rotating and the

58 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

"'echanikermaat Gerhard Ehlers and"'echankergefreiter Horst Becker(with cap) service the sterntorpedo. Torpedoes requiredconstant attention and servicing toensure reliability. Ehlers and his twotorpedo mechanics being taskedwith this maintenance. The floor ofthe stern compartment appears tobe crowded with provisions-thereare sacks of potatoes cluttering thedeck.

U-boat to drop silently into the abyss until the pressure hull couldno longer withstand the enormous weight of seawater and collapsed.In truth, the U-boat was more of a submersible than a submarine.

As U 564 headed into the Bay of Biscay, the test dive proved her tobe seaworthy and ready for action. Satisfied, Teddy ordered his boatsurfaced beneath a moonless night sky. Diesel travel allowed U 564to make the best economical use of the boat's speed towards the mainAtlantic, hastening across Biscay, which had become the domain ofAllied anti-submarine aircraft. With easily identifiable'choke points'of U-boat traffic entering and exiting the French Atlantic bases, RoyalAir Force Coastal Command had stepped up its ASW patrols. ForDonitz, the threat they posed had begun to grow acute, and, in aParis conference on 16 June, BdU and various OKM departmentheads held consultations to discuss U-boat anti-aircraft strategy for

the future. The development and testing ofradar detectors was given top priority,followed by increased and improved flakweaponry. It was from this meeting thatthe 'Wintergarten' flak platform addition toU-boat superstructures and the soon-to-beissued Metox radar detector set were gen­erated.

However, these issues were still in thefuture as U 564 sailed west. Lookoutsstrained their eyes, attempting to penetratethe darkness for signs of hostile intruders.With an almost certain inevitability, thefirst such enemy was sighted at 0458 hourson 12 July, less than 100 nautical miles fromLorient. The ominous hum of British en­gines heralded the darkened shape of abomber passing over the U-boat's wake,only 100 metres distant. Crewmen mannedthe small MG 34 machine gun as the largeshadow swept by, its own weapons clearlyvisible, bristling from Perspex turrets. Butthis time there was no combat: the planevanished as swiftly as it had come.'Assume spotter plane that didn't see usbecause of the dark moonless night.'6Knowing that the chances of a second luckyescape were slim at best, Teddy took U 564

OUTBOUND 59

60 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

It was not just torpedoes thatrequired regular attention andmaintenance. With frequentsubmergence, there was a strongrisk of corrosion and malfunction of

the 8.8cm deck cannon. Thick coatsof grease were applied whenevernecessary. Here Bootsmaat Karl~

Ernst Thiel and Suhren, who beganhis U-boat career as an artilleryofficer, are working on the weapon'sstarboard sighting mechanism. Thedelicate sight itself was detachable,and was usually removed prior todiving.

down at 0610 hours, and the rest of the morning was spent in thecradle of the deep, surfacing only with full daylight, when it waspossible to observe greater distances in the clear summer visibility.

The following night, a repeat of the same experience sent U 564hurtling below, this time the watch crashing to the steel deck platesin an emergency dive. A Sunderland, the huge 'Tractor' as the Ger­mans knew it, had homed unerringly on to the strongly phos­phorescent wake that now plagued U 564, but it was foiled in itsattack by the vigilant German lookouts. Once again the boat wasforced to skulk westwards underwater at the feeble speed conferredby her electric motors, the risks of aerial attack outweighing anyadvantage of a speedy crossing. Even dawn brought little relief. Theboat surfaced, and the crew hauled the MG 34 to its conning-towermount, only to be brought plunging underwater again by the appear­ance of enemy aircraft less than twenty minutes later. It was anarduous process that rasped at the crew's raw nerves and broughtinto stark relief the growing threat of enemy aircraft.

Although, once free of the Biscay approaches, Teddy finally man­aged to proceed south-west for three uninterrupted days, elsewherethe aerial menace claimed its first victim from the ten westboundboats. Knight's Cross holder Gerhard Bigalk's U 751 was found anddepth-charged on 17 July, by a Whitley aircraft of 0502 Squadronin conjunction with a Lancaster of 0 61 Squadron north-west ofCape Ortega!. The boat slid stern-first into the sea, and the entire 48­man crew perished. 7

OUTBOUND 61

2 Convoy Attack!17 TO 20 JULY

By MIDDAY on 17 July 1942, as Bigalk's boat succumbed toairborne attack, U 564 had reached the central Atlantic, the perilsof Biscay finally left far behind. The boat had already travelled

over 370 nautical miles surfaced, forced under for a further sixty bythe increasingly effective Allied air patrols. Teddy had obtainedconfirmation from BdU concerning his request for refuelling fromMilchkuh, and U 564 droned steadily westward through a mild swelltowards her rendezvous. Teddy correctly reasoned that, despite Gab­ler's ability to squeeze fuel into every spare centimetre of bunker­age, each drop of extra fuel that could be gathered now would allowa longer stay in the distant Caribbean arena of combat, where richpickings were still on offer among Allied tanker and cargo traffic.

However, that night, as senior Funkmaat Rudi Elkerhausen moni­tored the constant flow of radio traffic generated by Donitz's tightoperational control of his 'Grey Wolves', news was received fromflotilla-mate U 202 of a potential diversion from their quiet oceancrossing: '2207hrs. KR KR. Convoy observed BD 6979. Course 250,speed moderate."

Kapitiinleutnant Hans-Heinz Linder's boat was returning from apatrol of the United States' eastern seaboard, during which he hadlanded four saboteurs as part of Operation 'Pastorius', the first majorsabotage mission in the United States to be planned by the Germans.2

Bereft of torpedoes following a successful patrol, Linder shadowedthe sighted merchant columns as contact boat, providing regularbeacon signals and directional information for any U-boats withinstriking range. Even had he still carried torpedoes, Linder, as con­tact boat, would have been compelled to wait for other U-boats toreach the convoy before beginning any attack. Weighing his positionagainst that of the convoy, Teddy reported to Donitz: 'My location isCE 20. U 564.'

Hundreds of miles to the east, Donitz's command staff, ensconcedwithin their new headquarters in Paris on the Avenue Man~chal

Maunoury, marked the newly reported contact on the enormous maptha t graced one entire wall of their opera tions room. On this

62 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Work continues on the 8.8cm deck

gun.

complicated grid chart of the Atlantic Ocean were revealed thecurrently known whereabouts of every U-boat and the supposedlocations for the elusive Allied targets. In his requisitioned chateauat Angers, closer to the Biscay ports, FdU West, Hans Rudolf Rosing,did likewise, his being the only true copy of the BdU situation chart.3

Soon, encoded Morse instructions were echoing through the massiveFrench transmitters under Rosing's care as Donitz ordered in all boatswithin striking range for the kill. Aboard U 564, Elkerhausen handedhis captain the hastily decoded message. 'Linder, hold contact withenemy, as long as fuel level permits. Suhren and U 654 - get stuckin! [Suhren u. - 654 ran!]'

Although the reported sighting was some distance to the north­east, Teddy had already ordered Stabsobersteuermann Karl 'Sttirkorl'

Limburg to plot an intercept course,confident that Donitz would vectorhim into action. Alongside U 654, thedreimal schwarze Kater boat chargedinto pursuit at 15 knots, soon joinedin the hunt by the large Type IX boatU 108. With constant position reportsflowing from Linder, their chances ofcontact were considered good, andTeddy ordered all five electric tor­pedoes (' Etas') run out of their tubesand checked for any potential def­ects, re-greased and made ready foraction. The Etas' eight-foot long batt­eries were checked and topped upwith electrolyte by Ehlers' two tor­pedo crewmen, and a small series ofheating elements within the batterycontainer were switched on, pre­heating the cells before firing andthus extending the range of thetorpedo by sixty per cent.

As Gabler's diesels roared intohigh revolutions, all unnecessarycrew turned in, ordered by their cap­tain to take the opportunity for restwhile it presented itself. Teddy him­self could not relax. He became aconstant fixture atop the conning

CONVOY ATTACK! 63

tower with his watch-keepers, anxiouslysweeping the ocean for any signs of theirquarry. Steaming cups of strong black coffeewere relayed to the bridge from Hausruck­inger's poky galley, and soon the unmistak­able 'kick' of caffeine tightened the alreadyanxious nerves of the lookouts.

Beyond the horizon, the thirty-five shipsof convoy OS.34, en route from the UnitedKingdom for the stifling heat of Freetown,had become aware of their unwanted shad­ow. The OS (Outbound-South) route hadbeen opened during 1941, ships bound for theSouth Atlantic, Panama and the Caribbeantravelling under the protective umbrella ofWestern Approaches Command as far asFreetown, the inexorable southward expan-

64 U-BOAT WAR PA TROL

With the hunt on lor convoy 05.34,U654 rejoins Suhren's boat, IIIWOand S!absobers!euerman KarlLimburg communicating with thecomrade boat by semaphore,standing on the IWintergarten I 'srailing. His counterpart aboardU654 is just visible.

Even in a mild swell of only twometres, the bow of a Type vilewould regularly cut under. Here,Oberleu!nan! zur See UII Lawaetzand his three men 01 the FirstWatch scour the seas for shipping.The heavy rain gear used by U-boatcrew, nicknamed'der GrosseSeehund' (the Big Seal) was notissued to every man; rather, thecrew shared the few sets carriedaboard.

sion of U-boat warfare necessitating this detour. By July 1942 theAdmiralty had lost only thirteen out of a total of 1,343 escorted OSmerchant ships, three of them wrecked in the North Channel only aday from port. Smaller in size than the average convoy plying thisroute, OS.34 had been formed from ships sailing from the Mersey,Milford Haven, the Clyde, Belfast and Oban, each 'feeder convoy'under local escort by anti-submarine trawlers. Eventually, as thethirty-five merchant ships formed into nine orderly columns, the taskof their protection was handed over to the ocean escort on 12 July­five sloops of the 15th Escort Group, all fitted with HF jDF equip­ment. HMS Folkestone, Gorleston, Wellington, Orissa and Erne shep­herded their precious charges out into the orth Atlantic battle­ground, all sensory equipment at high alert as well as crow's-nestlookouts on constant rotation.~

Aboard HMS Folkestone, the escort's senior officer co-ordinatedthe four sloops that accompanied his own as the compact mass ofshipping sailed at eight knots on a broad front via the North Channelbefore beginning its southward turn towards West Africa. The escortcommander's civilian counterpart, the Convoy Commodore, R. G.Clayton, travelled aboard the SS Empire Stanley at the front of themiddle column of four ships. Despite the previous low casualty rate,the fear of a U-boat attack still permeated the rows of merchantmenas they formed up into their columns. The broad front and shallowdepth of the convoy were felt to offer the best protection against U-

CONVOY ATTACK! 65

boat attacks on the vulnerable flanks, escort ships of WesternApproaches Tactical Command roving the fringes in search of Ger­man predators.

As Linder's repetitive beacon flashed into the ether towards hisapproaching comrades, the transmissions were instantly picked upelsewhere within the United Kingdom. Although unable to read thecoded German message, powerful direction finding antennae hadtriangulated and localised its source, and an ominous message was

66 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

Kaptitfinleutnant Forster swingsU654 around to approach Suhren'sboat from the port bow. This timethe two passed so close that thecommanders could communicate bymegaphone, or as it was known, the'Geflustertaschel' (whisper bag).Forster's distinctive Wappen of theWhite Elephant's head is plainlyvisible painted on the front quarterof his conning tower.

transmitted in cipher from the Admiralty tothe Royal Navy escorts: 'Immediate. DjF on11,068 Kj cs at 2009 suggests that 0534 hasbeen reported by a U-boat.' As guns wereclosed up in preparation aboard the sloopsthat flanked 05.34, a further transmissionadded to the growing sense of approachingdanger aboard the British ships: 'DjF... suggests probability that two further U­boats are in the neighbourhood of convoy.'

However, Linder's strong beacon signalsallowed the sloops to run down their own'huff-duff' contacts vectored on U 202's trans­missions and eventually succeeded in forcinghim away from the convoy body. But theveteran U-boat skipper was not easily dis­suaded, and he doggedly attempted to regaintouch until the other hunters arrived.Throughout the night the deadly jockeyingfor position by U-boat and sloop kept Linderat bay, but it ultimately failed to safeguardthe merchant train, the British being con­stantly aware of their shadower and hisgathering comrades.

When dawn tinged the thickening cloudbanks of the eastern horizon with colour,Teddy had at last turned into his bunk to re­charge his own batteries. As the sun slowlyarced overhead, weakly filtering through theovercast sky above an uncharacteristicallycalm sea, the tranquillity of the ocean immed­iately surrounding U 564 seemed marredonly by the sleek grey hull of the German warmachine. U 564 was primed and ready for

action as she followed Linder's estimated position reports. Event­ually, at 1150 hours, the lookouts' concentration was rewarded withthe unmistakable smudge of merchant smoke off the port bow, soonfollowed by the matchstick masts and wallowing hulls of Alliedfreighters. With Teddy in firm contact and the other two boats fastapproaching, Linder, low on fuel, broke off his pursuit and headedfor home, escaping a final burst of long-distance gunfire from anescort as he let go of his quarry and retreated at full surfaced speed.

CONVOY ATTACK! 67

Aboard U 564, Teddy and his officers scanned the distant targetand pondered their best approach. Within the hour the decision wasmade, and a brief smattering of Morse flashed from the V-boat'sforward antennae before Teddy dived to begin an underwaterassault, the boat's bow pointing directly ahead of the convoy's path.

In far away Paris, Donitz received Teddy's brief transmission astension mounted among the assembled staff officers: 'Convoy GridBD 9592, attacking. Suhren.' Teddy's updated position was addedto the Atlantic grid chart, and the small track that represented OS.34was also moved forward as Donitz's staff, most of them first-handveterans of the war at sea, waited for further news.

The familiar welcome mixture of apprehension and excitementgripped U 564's entire crew as Gabler brought the boat to an evenkeel at fourteen metres. Teddy sat astride the small saddle of theattack periscope, ensconced within the conning tower. Raising theslim periscope until its head barely protruded above the surface hebegan to estimate the necessary ranging information for torpedo

68 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Foiled in his initial submergedallack, Suhren begins the chaseagain. U564 thunders inlo theevening, all eyes intent on theirquarry's distant smoke trail.

attack. Conditions were not ideal for a submerged attack, and eventhe barest trace of a periscope wake would alert the escorts roamingthe flanks of their precious charges. Two corvettes led the convoy'stightly formed columns while the three others acted as sentries forthe vulnerable edges. They had stayed at Action Stations since Lin­der's initial contact, and were only too well aware of the Germanmenace stalking their every move.

Through the delicate cross-hairs, Teddy selected his targets for aninitial torpedo salvo, quietly reciting information for BootsmannWebendorfer at his torpedo computer action station, sharing theconfined space of the tower with his captain. Suddenly, as themoment of attack edged nearer, OS.34 tacked away to starboard andbeyond range, and so the dance between hunter and hunted beganagain. U 564's periscope had been seen, as evidenced by the sloopHMS Gorleston charging briefly toward them, and Teddy discreetlywent deep, showing the enemy his boat's stern.s Action Stations werecancelled aboard the V-boat, and once Teddy had returned toperiscope depth and watched the convoy virtually disappear to arange of twenty nautical miles, U 564 heaved free of the deep torestart its surface chase. This time, she was not alone.

Forster's U 654 glided into view astern, and, as the boats drewparallel, the two commanders communicated by flag and megaphone,Teddy guiding Forster on to the target: 'C[aptain] to C[aptain], I amin contact with enemy. Steer same course as me and do not get closerto them.' 'Message received and understood.'6

Forster surged ahead to gain his own advantageous position alongthe convoy's track, and the two boats swiftly parted company. Thedecision to await nightfall had been agreed, and the Germans skirtedtheir exposed prey at a distance considered safe from detection. U 108and a further Type IX, U 126, were also rapidly approaching, andTeddy felt able to loosen the reins on his target, several coal-burningsteamers betraying OS.34's position as they trailed thick plumes ofsmoke, their sweating engineers frantically stoking aged engines tokeep pace with the rest of the convoy. The poor quality of coal carriedaboard the SS Port Auckland and SS Port Adelaide provided denseexhaust smoke and made trailing the convoy'a simple operation'.7

By evening, Teddy was noting the unwelcome presence of anenemy aircraft overhead, a Coastal Command, 0120 Squadron Lib­erator emerging from the dusk to overfly OS.34 for nearly an hour.Although correctly convinced that the bomber had spotted him,Teddy suffered no harassment or attack, but constant crash-dives asthe aircraft circled toward him began to frustrate Suhren:

CONVOY ATTACK! 69

Ll, up to periscope depth - again. Upand down the whole time; it's likebeing in a lift! These fiendi hairpatrols of the Allies ... Up above it isgetting dark; njght is beginning.

'Fir t and Second Watch Officers tothe Captain! Listen in; when wesurface now, we'll split up the fourectors between us - and keep your

eyes open. Wooden eye- tayalert!'

The significance of the momentappeared to be lost on Teddy, butthis was the first time that aircrafthad penetrated so far into the At­lantic. The Liberator bomber hadbeen stripped of much of its bombload for the installation of extrafuel tanks, although its value as areconnaissance tool still warrant­ed its presence. Although laterrated by the Royal Navy as of 'littlevalue, as endurance only alloweda brief visit', the Liberator was aharbinger of grim tidings for theU-boat service because, with theunqualified success of long­distance aircraft in reconnai sance and attack operations, duringspring 1943 enough of these VLR aircraft would be available to plugthe'Atlantic Air Gap' that had offered safe haven to U-boats on thesurface. Within 05.34, uncertainty crystallised into deep anxietywhen the Liberator flew overhead, signalling to the convoy belowthat two U-boats had been sighted ahead of the merchantmen's track.

Gradually the last vestiges of day disappeared beneath the funerealshroud of nightfall. A mild wind furrowed the sea into the barestswell as U 564's crew once more went to Action Stations. The pressureof the chase had begun to affect everything, even the calm composureof Teddy himself:

I keep concentrating on the puffs of [coal-burning] smoke and warn the watchnot to startle me by shouting. They are to point out any occurrences in goodtime-and quietly! My nerves aren't made of steel! I stay glued to the smokecloud too and don't dare close my eyes for a moment. Suddenly I hear a lookouton my right say, discreetly, 'Plane!'9

Once more the watch tumbled through the conning tower to landwith the crash of hobnailed sea boots on the Control Room decking,

70 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The following day dawned with seascalmed once more. However, theelements could change withinminutes, and lookouts prepared forthe rain squalls and short, steepseas that soon followed. This isU564's second watch. In the fore·ground, lelt, is Heinz S<hmutzler,with Ernst S<hlittenhard beside him,peering through binoculars. In theright background is the IIWO,Herbert Waldschmidt, and HeinrichBartels is standing with his back tothe camera. The attack periscope ispartly raised, aHording a good viewof the spiralling wires designed toreduce both vibration of the scopethrough water and the wake that itlelt behind.

Bartels and Waldschmidtceaselessly traverse thelimits of their visible horizon.It was a wearying task forfour hours at a time, but itmarked not only thedifference between successand failure in convoyacquisition but also thatbetween life and death: atthis stage in the war, lookoutswere the only means by whichpotential threats could beidentified.

pulled out of the way by helpinghands to avoid the next mancoming down. U 564 tiltedalarmingly as Teddy's crash­dive sent the boat plunging tothe depths, propellers bitingdeeply into dense seawater.

But there was no attack, andno thundering aerial depthcharges, and again the Germancrew considered that they hadbattled the odds and won, un­aware that the aircraft possessedneither depth charges norbombs. Gingerly, Gabler re­turned the boa t to periscopedepth and Teddy used the largernavigation periscope to scan thehea vens in search for theirwould-be attacker. The Liberatorhad retreated and continued tocircle the convoy for nearly anhour before slipping completelyfrom view.

At 0030 hours on 19 July, thethird day of the pursuit, U 564 emerged once more from the deep, dieselsexploding into life as Teddy raced ahead of the convoy path. This timehe would go in for the kill, his crew once again at Action Stations. eitherof the other two U-boats in 'contact had made their presence truly felt,and Teddy decided on the risky technique of lying dead ahead of 05.34and allowing it to come to him before opening fire. After less than anhour of full speed, he was in position and the lead sweepers of the convoyescort, HMS Gorleston and Orissa, emerged from the gloom. They headedslowly for the surfaced U 564, her engines barely idling as Teddy posi­tioned himself for the attack. Pointing northward, U 564's slim silhouettewas virtually invisible to the southbound Allies, the two leading sloopsfloating past on either flank, ignorant of the lurking ambush since theywere unequipped with that vital tool, centimetric radar. The columns ofmerchant shipping ploughed towards him as Teddy allowed the convoyto draw alongside, and, opening the outer torpedo doors to all four bowtubes, Teddy prepared to fire, lying unseen between the outermost star­board column of shipping and the flanking warships.

CO VOYATTACKf 71

The V-boat's crew could plainly hearthe distinctive cacophony of propellersand engine noises reverberating throughthe water as 05.34 enveloped their boat.At that point Teddy realised that he wasactually too close to his targets, and heswung his boat to starboard before eas­ing back 90 degrees to port and waitinguntil the ships steamed into his line offire. Teddy gently nudged U 564 into re­verse, lest he be caught in the blaze ofexploding torpedoes, before quietly in­structing Lawaetz at the VZO whichtargets to take. The firing position wasideal, with overlapping ships passingslowly before the V-boat's tubes. Teddychose three middle ships-a pair ofestimated 5,000-ton freighters and a thirdpassenger-freighter, guessed at 8,000tons. The latter ship sported a highsuperstructure and two funnels, al­though the thought nagged at Teddy thatthe second funnel could perhaps befalse - the sure mark of an armed mer­chant cruiser.

72 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Left) Bootsmaat Heinrich Bartelsscans the port bow quadrant of thewatch. Each lookout was respon­sible for a 90-degree sector. Whileduring dawn and dusk extra menwere sometimes added to the watchto compensate for poor visibility,from lale 1942 onwards a fifthcrewman was on almost permanentwatch 10 search Ihe skies for aerialthreats. The MG 34 machine gun,one of two carried by U564, wasfor addilional anli-aircraft defence,although it was of limiled use.(Below left) '1150 hours:BD9861-<anvoy sighted!' Incalmer seas, Suhren and Gabler(foreground) study the distantships of 05.34. IWO Lawaetz wailsfor his caplain's decision regardingtheir approach, while lookoutsconlinue Ihe watch as Ihe U-boat is

dangerously exposed to theoccasional aircraft patrol.(Below) 5tabsDbstrmn Karl'5Iurkorl' Limburg, a veteran of IheFirsl World War, when he won theIron Cross, was an outstandingnavigator-a necessary qualifi­cation for Ihe rapid inlerception ofconvoy traffic, not to mention co­ordinating U-boat rendezvous withinIhe expanses of the Atlantic.(Below right) MatrObGfrWernerGrunerl al the helm within Iheconning tower during U564 's finalsurface approach 10 largel. Bothdiesels show 'Slow ahead' asSuhren waits athwart the convoy'sdirection of travel, which isunwittingly steaming straight forhim. Grunert, the combal helmsman,is giving his undivided attention toIhe magnelic compass display.

Finally, at 0230 hours, the moment of truth arrived: 'Rohre einer bisvier, Los!' In the bow compartment, Mechanikermaat Ehlers hammereddown on all four firing levers and the torpedoes were propelled fromthe tubes, engines igniting to begin their run to target. Within onlytwenty-two seconds, all four G7e 'eels' were out and running true,the clang of the heavy pistons forced back against the torpedo tubedoors showing four perfect launches, and stopwatches soon beganto count off the vital seconds to impact. The quartet of lethal tor­pedoes sped away from U 564 towards their targets. The small DCelectric motors had engaged the second that the'eels' were pushedfree of the boat by the burst of compressed air, the torpedoes surgingahead to their maximum speed of 30 knots as they streaked towarddestruction only metres below the surface. Virtually no wake wasvisible to betray the deadly projectiles to watching Allied lookouts,and at such close range only seconds would pass before the V-boatcrew would realise either the flush of victory or frustrating failure.

CONVOY ATTACK! 73

'A quivering orgy of colours in thesky is reflected in thewater ... Brilliant flashes, sizzling,splashing and in the backgroundthe towering column of fire': 05.34suffers casualties from Suhren'storpedo attack. U 564 would notescape entirely unscathed, however.

With no time to lose, Teddy barked urgently for the boat to bethrown hard to port so that he could begin to escape the cordon ofescorts, simultaneously bringing tube number five to bear on themerchant ships. But before U 564 had half-completed her turn-lessthan two minutes after firing-all hell broke loose within the convoy:'Two flashes and billowing black clouds. After that a third ear­splitting bang, a mas ive burst of flame and an entire steamer fliesinto the air. It's the one with two funnels; it carried a load ofmunitions.'lo

Confusion enveloped the scene as a fourth exploding torpedo washeard. The spectacular fireball that had once been the 5,724-ton SSEmpire Hawksbill threw the panorama into stark relief as the Germanattackers stood awestruck before the dazzling orgy of destructionthat they had unleashed, The South Western Shipbuilding Company,San Pedro, California had built the veteran steamer as SS West Nivariafor the US Shipping Board in 1920. She had undergone two namechanges before being sold to Britain during its hour of crisis in1940, Her new homeport designated as London, she had beenconverted to a DEMS (defensively armed merchant ship) with theaddition of a 4-inch gun and scattered machine guns and renamedEmpire Hawksbill l1 However, after surviving two years of war servicefor Britain, neither she nor her master, Captain Harold TheodoreLamb, nor his crew of thirty-seven and nine gunners for the singledeck cannon, stood a chance. The SS Empire Hawksbill was one ofeight ships in the convoy carrying explosives, and, as the torpedowarhead rapped against her hull, the sympathetic detonation ofstored ammunition bound ultimately for Table Bay, South Africa,ripped Empire Hawksbill and its human contingent to pieces, vaporisedwith their cargo.

Fragments rained down around U 564, and, fearing for their safety,Teddy ordered his watch below to shelter while he remained rootedto the spot by the pyrotechnic display. The bow of an escort ship slidbetween U 564 and the blazing remains of the freighter, and Teddyjerked his eyes away, shouting for Haring to come to the bridge andrecord the moment with his camera. But suddenly a stunned Teddyheard the unnlistakable hiss of air escaping from the U-boat's divingcells, and U 564 began rapidly to nose-dive underwater.

What the devil is going on? Bucketfuls of water are starting to cra h on my headas I pull the hatch shut behind me ... I'm furious.

'Have you all taken leave of your senses? Whose job is it to give the Alarm onboard? Who gave this order?!'

'[Stiirkorl] is completely taken aback at being shouted at. 'But, Boss, you gavethe order yourself'

co VOY ATTACK! 75

CO VOY ATTACK! 77

tional torpedo tube for the carrying of such a device was unacceptableto U-boat officers. In the meantime, the compromise solution hadalready been reached that resulted in probably the most effective ofvarious German sonar counter-measures. amed 'Bold' (short forKobold, meaning'goblin'), this device comprised a 15cm diametercapsule filled with 370g of calcium and zinc compound packed withina wire mesh bag, in turn stored inside an aluminium canister. Thecanister was expelled from the U-boat's stern compartment througha purpose-built ejector (named the PiJlenwerfer- pill-thrower - bycrewmen). Sealed within its waterproof aluminium outer layer, ahydrostatic valve controlled a trickling entry of seawater into thecanister, which was designed to remain at neutral buoyancy at adepth of around thirty metres. Upon contact with seawater, the chem­ical compound within produced hydrogen gas, resulting in a largemass of bubbles that, on ASDIC, resembled the echo produced by asubmarine contact. A single 'Bold' capsule continued to emit bubblesfor up to 25 minutes.B

As Teddy's men waited to see whether the' Bold' decoy wouldindeed cover their retreat, above them OS.34 was re-forming afterthe devastating attack.Blinding starshell burstabove the convoy, adding tothe ghastly illuminationprovided by the burningremains of two hips anddi charged white distressrockets. Teddy was certainthat he had hit four separateships, sinking two 'anddamaging the others; even inla ter years, the crew re­mained adamant that theyhad hit all four ships duringthat confused night action.However, according toAllied records of the clash,although he was correctabout the two lost during thetorpedo attack, no subse­quent damage to any othership was noted by the Ad­miralty. As well as the

(left and below) As Forster andSuhren continued to hunt togetherfor 05.34, regular situation reportsflashed between the two U-boats,generally a duty handled bylimburg ... although not always.

'Who ... what ... how?'Heavens, what the poor chaphas done is perfectly reasonable.When I send the bridge watchdown, a I had done in thi casebecau e of all the debris rainingdown, it's always a prelude toan 'Alarm'.

But ... I didn't shout alarmthis time, but 'PK man' - in fact'PK, PK'. Our bloody passengerfrom the Mini try of Propa­ganda!"

76 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

For the next ten minutesTeddy was apoplectic withrage as he sent for the haplessHaring and vented his frustrations upon him within the crowdedControl Room, using terms that were eloquently naval in origin.Gabler eventually interrupted the torrent of abuse by quietlyannouncing that the boat lay at 100 metres, the sound of approach­ing propellers heralding an inevitable counter-attack from above.At the hydrophone, Funkmaat Rudi Elkerhausen tracked theapproaching threat and Teddy quickly ordered the newly installed'Bold' ejector used, the fizzing sonar decoy launched from the sterncompartment as U 564 began evasive manoeuvring. This time shewas lucky: the six depth charges launched by HMS Gorleston as partof the pattern attack against the presumed location of an enemysubmarine, Operation 'Raspberry', detonated around the effervescent'Bold' capsule, and U 564 crept away to make good her initial escape.

The use of 'Bold' had aided underwater evasion enormously. Mostexperienced U-boat commanders would make every attempt at asurface run, where the U-boat's slim silhouette and good turn ofspeed could be fully used to advantage (during summer 1942 Alliedsurface radar was not yet in widespread use and was still unknownto the Kriegsmarine). However, if forced below, or, in Teddy's case,taken there by accident, the' Bold' sonar decoy was almost alwayslaunched in an attempt to scramble any probing ASDIC from above.

The decoy pre-empted and closely matched an idea later spokenof in conference between Adolf Hitler and senior Kriegsmarine officersin Berlin during September. There, the Fiihrer expressed a desire fora 'decoy torpedo' to simulate the destruction of a U-boat. His orig­inal opinion was that special torpedoes carrying oil and various itemsof wreckage could be carried and launched in the event of a pro­longed hunt by enemy destroyers. However, the loss of an opera-

obliterated Empire Hawksbill, the 5,372-ton MY Lavington Court hadalso been hit.

Built by Belfast's renowned Harland & Wolff shipyard for theCourt Line during 1940, this sturdy vessel had received a singlecrippling blow. As the exploding Empire Hawksbill riveted most ofthe convoy with its awesome spectacle, the Chief Engineer aboardthe Lavington Court glimpsed the barely visible but chilling trail of ahigh-speed torpedo approaching his ship and shouted for the master,Captain J. W. Sutherland, to alter course. But it was too late. Oddly,there was no loud explosion, nor pillar of water, to mark the impact,and at first Sutherland believed that the ship astern of hi , the SSTuscan Star, had been hit. In fact, the torpedo had struck in the aftpeak tank, which was filled with fresh water, and little effect was atfirst registered. But the ship's steering gear had been destroyed andthe propeller blown off, causing the Lavington Court to career out ofcontrol to port across the convoy's path. The crew's accommodationhad also been destroyed in the blast, along with six men at rest there.With no control of his vessel, Sutherland ordered her stopped andabandoned after a search for survivors had been carried out, althoughrescuers were unable to penetrate the twisted wreckage of theaccommodation room. As the lifeboats pulled away from theirstricken ship, the 'Grimsby' class sloop HMS Wellington hove intoview and rescued Sutherland in order to ascertain exactly what hadhappened. With so few escorts guarding OS.34, the remainingsurvivors were left behind, Wellington's captain returning later toretrieve them.

Immediately after their attack on OS.34, and once emotions hadcalmed following their unplanned crash-dive, there was absolutesilence aboard U 564 as the crewmen awaited further retaliation. Thedistant sound of depth charges could be heard on the convoy's otherflank as HMS Folkestone engaged U 654, and a steady drip of waterfrom condensation and wet leather jackets added an eerie ambienceto the interminable wait. Propeller noise from HMS Gorleston contin­ued to criss-cross the waters above, and, rather than lie sluggish andvulnerable to ASDIC and depth charges, Teddy opted for a high­speed dash for safety on the surface. Soon, compressed air hissedinto the buoyancy tanks and the boat began to rise, all crewmenstanding by in preparation for their bid for freedom. Lookouts clus­tered around the conning tower ladder, red glasses preparing theireyes for the darkness outside. Above them, Teddy waited at the hatchitself, and as soon as Gabler announced the bridge free of the waterhe undogged the heavy lugs and rushed outside, scanning quickly

78 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Above) Eventually the two boatswere called off from the hunt. therest of 05.34 escaping furtherattack. After a final megaphoneexchange. the two boats adoptedparallel but widely spaced travellines. both heading for the 'GoldenWest'.

to the left and right as the blazing Hawksbill continued to cast anethereal glow on the recent battlefield. Gorleston lay a matter of only800 metres astern and U 564 wallowed in the swell between theescorts and the fleeing convoy as Gabler's diesel crew noisily firedengines and the boat began to urge forward toward the sanctuaryof darkness:u

We knew it was going to be a risky escape, but we also knew that on the surface,at night, end-on to the enemy, we were virtually invisible and able to use our toppeed. Gabler could work wonder with those diesels."

Suddenly the British sloop sprang to life and took up the pursuit,firing starshell and high explosive at the twisting V-boat. ASDICcontact, at first thought·to be debris and a dubious contact at best,had been made with Teddy's boat while U 564 had been submerged,and Gorleston had edged nearer until visual contact was unexpectedlymade with the surfaced V-boat. Teddy ordered electric motors runin tandem with the racing diesels, and his speed crept slowly up­ward to 17 knots as U 564 began to draw away from the sloop, Gorles­ton's own heavily fouled bottom deducting at least two knots from atop speed that could, in other circumstances, have matched that ofthe V-boat. HMS Wellington, fresh from attending to Lavington Court,had meanwhile also joined the chase, and both ships were able tokeep U 564 within visual range as they hammered forward in pursuit.Gorteston barely missed colliding with an unidentified merchant shipthat appeared without warning from out of a brief rain squall, andguns aboard the sloop were trained towards it in case of hostile

CONVOY ATTACK! 79

80 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

In the hours alter U564 's success­ful attack on OS.34, the four emptybow torpedo tubes were reloaded.The first step in this difficultprocedure was the removal of thefalse wooden decking to expose thefirst pair of reloads. Here (far lelt)Mechanike,obe,gef,eite,WilhelmBigge crouches between the 1.5-ton'eels', preparing the chains withwhich they would be hoisted intoposition.(lelt) Mechanike,maat GerhardEhlers and Bigge prepare thesuspended steel girders prior toattachment to the torpedoes.(Below lelt) Ehlers, Bigge andMechanike,gef,eite, Horst Beckerlower the strong supporting beam inorder to attach a torpedo beforebeginning to hoist it with chainwinches into position, where it canbe greased and slid into the emptytubes. While Bigge attaches thestrong, clamped bands to the firsttorpedo (right), off-duty diesel'stoker' MaschinenobergefreiterReinhold Abel reads in the topbunk. The lower bunks are visiblefolded out of the way. and it waswith some joy that the 'lords' of theforward torpedo room greeted thefirst two reloads-once the pair oftorpedoes were off the floor thelower bunks could be used and theincredible discomfort of living witheven less room than usual easedslightly.

action. It was later found to be the SS Ettrick Bank, straggling fromthe main convoy body.

Soaked by the uncomfortably close fall of shot and garishly exposedby swinging flares above, Teddy bellowed for more power, his IIWO,LzS Herbert Waldschmidt, ducking involuntarily as a starshellexploded overhead and sheepishly registering his captain's bemusedgrin at the reflex action. Teddy's gamble was paying off, and onlyminutes separated U 564 from safety as she outpaced her pursuit,the British shells falling wildly and abruptly ceasing as their targetedged into the shadows. However, fortune had never graced Teddywith an easy path in life, and it was not to allow him so simple anescape.

Just as the race appeared won, U 564 vibrated loudly and began toslow. Thick black smoke billowed from both exhausts and curledout of the conning tower hatch, spreading over the water andobscuring the pursuing Royal avy ships. Teddy was aghast asObermaschinist Hermann Krah's muffled voice came through the voicepipes: 'Boat unfit to dive. Starboard diesel out of action.' Fireappeared to have broken out in the engine room, and the entireinterior was plunged into darkness as smoke smothered everything,with men barely able to breathe amid the choking fumes. Suhrenglimpsed the rapidly approaching sloops through brief gaps in thedense smoke, and, as the solitary port engine spluttered and howedsigns of also giving up, he and the remaining watchmen plungedinto the cloying interior, slammed the hatch shut and ordered theboat taken down to 150 metres ('A+70')-fire or no fire-as a Britishsearchlight flashed over his conning tower. Gasping for breath,engineers cut the port diesel and threw the electric motors into fullahead, U 564's bow dipping under while 'Bold' capsules were ejectedonce more from the stern. All available men raced blindly for thebow torpedo room to hasten the emergency dive, U 564 dangerouslyexposed to attack as she clawed for the sanctuary of depth. Gabler,his eyes streaming and with a handkerchief pressed over his noseand mouth in an effort to breathe, struggled to maintain trim as theboat surged through the water:

The boat manages to dive, and I can hear the electric engines starting up. But Ican't believe my eye. Standing in the central area, I can't see my hand in front ofmy face. Smoke everywhere; everyone is coughing and choking. Has the lightingfailed? Why hasn't the emergency lighting come on? The darkness persists, andthe boat dives down. Judging by the sounds, we must be about 50 to 60 metresdown.

The LI is trying to get the boatleve!, but, as he trims her, U 564 goes up at thebows again. We can't go on like that, agging at the stern, and in the end we get

CONVOY ATTACK! 81

going with a dive. The air is full of smoke, thick enough to cut with a knife. Wepress handkerchiefs over our noses and mouths, and some grab the emergencybreathing apparatus. Whilst we are all at sixe and sevens, the patrolling escortsare closing in at top speed, with fire in their bellies. l •

Overhead, HMS Gorleston and Wellington charged forward andprepared to attack. The British were unaware of the drama takingplace aboard their enemy, but believed the V-boat to have beenmaking heavy way in what had become a short, steep sea with briefsqualls of rain - a perspective revealed in the Report of Proceedinglater written about the action:

[Corles/oll'sl e.o. was confident he could follow by eye, and fire was checked inthe hope that quarry would relax, thinking he had shaken off pursuit. Pom-Pomsand .5" Brownings were, however, trained on the target in order to counter anyoffensive action. At 0122 that expected and welcome smoke tarted coming fromthe U-boat, and it increased in volume until at 0135 one could almost hear oneengine fall over, and range, which was by then 2,400 yards, started tumblingdown until at 0139 relative rate of advance indicated that U-boat was stoppedand image was reported as diving."

HMS Wellington hauled ahead of her companion ship and hurledten shallow-set Mark VII depth charges around the escaping V-boat.Though U 564 was severely rocked by the blasts, there was not evenmild damage aboard as the V-boat had managed to dive below theexplosions. A further ten charges from HMS Gorleston, set to 50 feetand 140 feet, detonated around the 'Bold' decoy, again proving theworth of this device. Aboard the sloops an unidentified - then aswell as now - 'heavy explosion' was heard, leading the British to

82 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Below left) Once the torpedoeshave been prepared by the three­man torpedo crew, the boat's other'Lords' assist with the task of man­handling the hefty weapons intoplace. In the left foreground is theboat's cook HermannHausruckinger, preparing to assistwith hoisting the 'eel' into position.(Below centre) As Hausruckingerhelps pull the cumbersome weaponinto position, a clue to the boat'sgeneral destination can be gleanedfrom the white tropical helmetwedged above the top bunk foldedout of the way behind him.(Below right) After all bunks werefolded away and the torpedoessuccessfully positioned, the latterreceived a liberal coating of greasebefore being slid slowly by hand­wheel into the distant tubes. Ofinterest amongst the equipmentstrewn on the floor are two paddlesfor the boat's inflatable rubberdinghies, stored beneath thedecking.(Right) Chief Torpedo Mechanic,Mechanikermaat Gerhard Ehlers­the only non-commissioned officerto sleep outside of the NCOs'quarters, bedded in the forward tor­pedo room with his precious 'eels',

believe that their charges had landed ontarget. With both ships carrying out onefurther attack apiece on what were consid­ered doubtful ASDIC traces, there was notyet time for celebration aboard the sloops,but they later claimed 'probable' victory:,Although it was not possible to attemptto obtain any evidence, V-boat's depth andmovements were so well known that I findit difficult to imagine that he escaped des­truction from such a heavy pattern.']

However, the presumed demise of U 564was premature. Although she was unableto vent the thick smoke, the latter slowlybegan to settle within the confines of thenarrow pressure hull, and the tension thathad gripped the crew receded pro­portionately. The anxiety aboard U 564 hadno doubt been eased somewhat by'Sturkorl' Limburg as he stood impassivelyat his navigation table. In his loudThuringian voice, he calmly expressed theopinion to all within earshot that it was'asdark as a bear's arse in here.'

co VOY ATTACK! 83

Somewhat incredibly, they had escaped.The sloops' propellers slowly vanished intothe distance. The fire had been brought undercontrol at a depth of 120 metres after waterhad been deliberately leaked into the press­ure hull to extinguish the blaze, CO, exting­uishers having failed to smother the flames.Realising the narrow margin that had separ­ated the boat's survival from sudden deathin a deluge of depth charges, Teddy prudent­ly waited underwater for the enemy's pro­pellers to vanish completely from the hydro­phones:

I wipe the sweat from my brow and breathe again. They've gone ... Gradually itgets lighter inside the boat. The bulbs of the emergency lighting glimmer throughthe smoke, which i slowly thinning. We turn and steer a westerly course, carefullykeeping the boat level. othing more happens. "

Eventually, at 0545 hours, he ordered the boat surfaced, and U 564emerged to an empty horizon. Gasping lookouts crowded rapidlyon to the bridge as fresh air flooded through the filthy interior. Every­thing was covered with a thick film of black soot, and Teddy orderedGabler and Krah, his Senior Diesel Technician, to the bridge todetermine what had happened. Gabler had no answers as he hadbeen pinned to his action station within the Control Room duringthe emergency dive, but Krah managed to explain the unfortunatecircumstances that had nearly led to disaster. Somebody - unnamedin both KTB reports and Suhren's autobiography-in the diesel crewhad absent-mindedly left a small pile of oily rags balanced pre­cariously on a ledge immediately above the diesel's exhaust pipe.With the frantic twisting of the boat during her high-speed flight,the rags had dropped on to the red-hot pipe and caught fire, fallingfrom there into the bilge beyond anybody's reach. After eight daysat sea, a considerable quantity of spilt diesel had accumulated withinthe bilge water, and this also had promptly caught fire. It was Krahwho had finally managed to crack open the exhaust vents and floodthe bilges with seawater, putting an end to the oily blaze. In Teddy'swords, it had 'small beginnings, but dramatic consequences.'20

As the crew set about the arduous task of cleaning almost everyvisible surface within the blackened U-boat, U 564 again began totrail the last estimated direction that the convoy had taken. Torpedotubes were reloaded and the boat was brought back to fighting trim.By 1400 hours U 654 edged once more into view, Forster having been

84 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Elsewhere, keeping U564 in peakfighting trim required constantministrations from the boat'stechnical crew. While seamenaboard kept four-hour duty watches,the engineers maintained six-hourshifts. Here, as the boat movesunderwater on electric motors,MaschinenobergefreiterWalterLabahn, a Port Diesel Stoker. workson changing a cylinder head of theengine under his responsibility.

The close confines of Labahn'sworking environment were difficultfor Haring to capture on film sincehe was unable to shoot photo­graphs from anywhere other thanthe narrow gangway that ranthroughout the boat. Eventually,Labahn resorted to the time­honoured method of applied bruteforce, aided by the Diesel Dbe,­maschinist Hermann Krah, in hiseffort to loosen the holding nuts onthe cylinder head so that it might bechanged.

forced away from 05.34 before he could launch any attack. WhileU 126 had failed to make contact, the third of the hunters engagedagainst the convoy, U 108, had also suffered dull fortune: eachtorpedo in a full alvo of six had missed its target before contact waslost. Teddy's victories remained OS.34's only casualties throughoutthe convoy's voyage to Sierra Leone.

U 564 and U 654 hunted in company for traces of 05.34 throughoutthe day, and other boats, too, sought the elusive merchant ships.Suhren and Forster separated that evening as dusk settled over theexpansive Atlantic. With the ferocity and anxiousness of combat nowhaving passed, the crew unwound in whatever ways they could whilebringing their boat back into shape. By the time night fell, there was

little trace of the blanketing soot fromtheir minor blaze, and a brief com­mander's speech through the boat'stannoy system praised the crew fortheir coolness under fire, even the'mutton head' that had left the oilyrags unattended in the engine room.Despite recommendations from Krahthat the culprit be placed on a formalcharge, Suhren demurred. He rea­soned that it had not been deliberatebut an act of absent-minded stupidity.The guilty man would have gonedown with the rest of the crew if ithad turned to tragedy, and the scowlshe received from men scrubbing theblackened steel decking was punish­ment enough.

As U 564 rolled through the dark­ness in mild Atlantic swells, Teddycalled off the hunt, freed from theobligation by confirmation of hisradio reports from BdU. 05.34 hadescaped. The crew reverted to thetedious duty routine, stealing timewithin their bunks to read, carouse orsleep when off duty. For Suhren, ashe sagged into his bunk with the fam­iliar backache that plagued him dur­ing long periods of alert, the battle

CO VOY ATTACK! 85

continued to play in his mind, the awesome spectacle repeatingbehind his closed eyes like a surreal movie:

It had been a sight for the gods. ever again would I see the like of it at sea. Thefireworks display of the blazing munitions shjp was a unique experience. Picturesof that night etched them elves indelibly on my milld. The shadows of the escorts,the starshells above us ..."

ow well aft of U 564, the badly damaged Lnvington Court had,astonishingly, failed to sink, and her crew were later returned fromHMS Wellington to inspect the damage. Four further injured survivorswere also found still aboard, having climbed to safety from theporthole of the devastated crew's accommodation. Although she wasdeemed too dangerous to steam back to England and the crew hadbeen disembarked, salvage was recommended, and two tugs undercorvette escort were sent from Gibraltar in search of her. Finally, on26 July, the tug Prudent found her. But, after securing strong towinghawsers to the deserted hulk and towing her for five days towardsEngland, this valiant attempt at saving the crippled vessel failedwhen she foundered on 1 August.

The official report filed by escort corvette HMS Rhododendron tellsof the ship'S last moments:

In position 49° 40'N, 1 ° 04'W steering 042°, 5 knots, Lavillgloll Courl uddenlydisappeared. Have carried out A/S and starshell search with no result ... do NQI[original emphasis] consider ves el wa torpedoed. Consider vessel founderedthrough collapse of bulkhead ...

Thus Teddy's second victim from OS.34 finally lipped beneath thewaves days after the torpedo hit, taking 6,000 tons of military cargo,planned eventually for orth Africa, to the seabed with her.

86 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

3 Survival, Rendezvous21 JULY TO 1 AUGUST

THE BAPTISM of fire for U 564's seventh war patrol had passed,claiming victory with no real damage to boat or crew. Despitelosing all power in the middle of a high-speed chase and sub­

merging with the U-boat's interior clouded with oily smoke, U 564had outwitted her enemies and lived to fight another day. To marktheir deliverance, Teddy ordered the overworked cook Hausruck­inger to prepare a 'celebration tea', the so-called Geburtstagjeier(birthday party). With an as yet ample supply of food from thecarefully hoarded rations, Hausruckinger began to bake, and soonthe boat's off-duty petty officers were enlisted to decorate the variouscreations with whipped cream and preserved fruit. The luxury ofthe moment was not lost on the weary crew, the officers wearingtheir best available attire as they prepared to enjoy Hausruckinger'shandiwork.

Living conditions within the forward torpedo room had easedconsiderably since the brief convoy battle. With four torpedoes fired,the decking was now clear, as were all twelve bunks in use by theseamen housed there. However, the accommodation had alreadyattained the characteristic unhealthy pall of U-boat life. Mildew hadbegun to affect the interior, a permanent sheen of humidity hangingin the air, clinging to clothing and unwashed bodies. This had causedyet another of the inherent problems of living in such conditions,one crewman in particular beginning to suffer the debilitating effectof confinement within U 564's narrow steel tube. At 1736 hours on20 July, Teddy radioed an emergency me sage to BdU command:'We have a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis on board. Requesttransfer to returning boat at first possibility. Grid CF 7679. Suhren.'

It was Mntrosengefreiter Ernst Schlittenhard who was suffering theagony of extreme rheumatism, his joints aflame with pain and hisyoung body barely functional as he lay in his bunk stricken with thedebilitating affliction. The Type VIlC, unlike larger Type IX and XIVU-boats, had no spare room to carry properly qualified medicalpersonnel, and the Chief Radio Operator was customarily also theMedical Officer. Georg Seitz, Oberfunkmant and thus medic aboard

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 87

U 604, another Type VIIC, explained the reasoning for this: 'We werethe only members of the crew who could almost be guaranteed tohave relatively clean hands. You can't operate Morse and write inthe Funk log with oil all over your fingers.' 1

But U 564's designated medic, Oberfunkmaat Rudi Elkerhausen,possessed no more than the standard cursory first-aid knowledge,learnt at a brief course given for all such appointed medicalpersonnel. Rheumatism was far beyond his ability to treat, and Teddyknew that Schlittenhard must be sent back to France in order toreceive proper care. Unable to curtail his voyage, Teddy awaitedinstructions from Donitz about how best to deal with the situation.With the constant shuttle of U-boats to and from France it would notbe long before a suita ble rendezvous could be arranged for thetransfer of the unfortunate Schlittenhard to a homebound boat. Asexpected, a return message was soon received aboard U 564 at a littlepast midnight: 'Mtitzelburg and Suhren to rendezvous in sectorDG 4627, 23 July at 1000. Signal from Suhren in case meeting delayeduntil 1500. On completion, Mtitzelburg to send brief message "Ja'''.

earby, flotilla-mate Kapitiinleutnant Rolf Mtitzelburg's U 203 wasreturning home to Brest from a western Atlantic and Caribbean patrolthat had seen five merchant ships sunk north and east of the LesserAntilles. By meeting at the designated point, Mtitzelburg would beable to take Teddy's rheumatic crewman aboard and transport himto hospital in Brest.

Mtitzelburg was another of the 1st U-Flotilla's star performers,having carved a formidable reputation for himself in the Atlanticbattle. The lessons that he had learnt as IWOaboard Joachim Schepke's U 100 had been putto good use aboard his own U 203, and, withtwenty-one confirmed sinkings, he had justreceived official acknowledgment of hisaward of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leavesby radio on 15 July. The perpetually cheerfulMtitzelburg and his expert crew would be ineven higher spirits than normal when the twoboats met to move Schlittenhard.

Indeed, it had become common knowledgethat Mtitzelburg was one of Donitz's fourfavourite officers, allowed to address theircommander-in-chief using the familiar' Du'as opposed to more formal German' Sie'.Donitz in turn called them' Die vier Asse' (The

88 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

Perhaps the most extraordinary pairof photographs taken of U564·sengineering crewmen, these twophotographs (below) show a manmaking an internal inspection of theport diving bunker. Neither theboat's log nor any surviving crewmention or remember thecircumstances of this inspection,and it was highly unusual to makesuch an examination with the boatunderway. Perhaps damage hadbeen sustained during the depth­charging following the attack on05.34 that required an immediateassessment to be made.

Regardless of war and itsomnipresent danger, the presenceof accompanying dolphins (right)holds a permanent and agelessattraction for seafarers.

Four Aces), Mtitzelburg, Erich Topp, Adalbert'Adi' Schnee and Suh­ren constituting the privileged group. They were perhaps the leadinglights of what was, in effect, the second generation of U-boat com­manders. All had begun the war as watch officers, their erstwhilecommanders now either dead, captured or ashore.

By the time the sun had risen, U 564 was south-east of the Azoresand heading south towards U 203, the island of San Miguel justinvisible over the horizon. As the third watch of the day emergedinto the light, clad in wet weather gear despite the clement conditions,the sleek grey hull of another ubmarine crept slowly towards them

on a converging course. It was the Type IXCU 162 of the 2nd U-Flotilla. FregattenkapitiinJurgen Wattenberg had departed Lorient on7 July, bound for the Caribbean on the boat'ssecond war patrol. The larger cousin of thesmall Type VIlC U 564, U 162 was already aveteran of Caribbean operations, Wattenberghaving sunk nine ships during his last forayto the coast of South America and the heavymerchant traffic off Guyana and Trinidad.After brief exchanges via megaphone andsemaphore flag, the two U-boats separatedonce more and U 564 continued towards herrendezvous with Mtitzelburg.

At dawn the following day, Teddy waswoken with fresh coffee from a deep sleep

SURVIVAL, RENDEZVOUS 89

within the tiny 'cabin' that marked the onlypersonal domain of the captain. Crawlingfrom his bunk, Suhren began to change outof his white cotton pyjamas ('one can onlyhave a proper sleep in pyjamas, you know')when a more electrifying report was relayedfrom the watch on the bridge: 'Funnels toport!' 'I'm still in my pyjamas so throw ajacket over the top and go up on to the bridge.Yes, in fact two funnels!'2

Anxiously, Teddy and the lookouts scan­ned the distant contact with their heavy Zeissbinoculars, unable to identify their target.Curiously, the funnels did not appear to bemoving in relation to U 564, which slowlyskirted around them. The perplexing quest­ion of what they had blundered upon wasfinally revealed as the distinctive silhouettesof two Azores fishing boats emerged intoplain sight, the sails taken for the smoke­stacks of larger ships. Shoulders slumped andthe stress visibly relaxed, the news of theirfalse alarm racing from man to man below

90 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Above) With over forty-five menconfined into the narrow tube of aType VIIC, a considerable amount ofwaste accumulated below decks.This was a problem made worseduring enforced submersion, socommanders allowed the disposaloverboard of as much as they couldwhenever possible. However, theissue of waste disposal was notalways a simple one. Severalaccounts of merchant shippingbeing tracked by U-boat through itsgarbage trail exist, although theamount thrown overboard fromU564 would probably pose no riskfor the boat. Here (left) ErnstSchlittenhard maintains the watchwhile Heinz Schmutzler dumps thebucketful overboard.After their narrow brush with dis­aster during the tussle over 05.34,Suhren ordered a 'celebration tea'(opposite). Off-duty FunkmaatAnderheyden was enlisted by the

overworked cook, Hausruckinger, tohelp decorate the cakes withwhipped cream and preserved fruit.Anderheyden was soon joined in hislabours by ObMaschmt HeinzNordmann and Gerhard Ehlers(above right), although thephotographic evidence of Ehlers'contribution remains doubtful - heappears to be more interested inverifying the worthiness of thewhipped cream himself. Luxuriessuch as whipped cream wereregularly carried aboard U-boats,usually in a locked food store andmade available at the captain'sdiscretion. Despite their often

appalling living conditions, U-boatcrews received some of the finestrations in the Wehrmacht.

decks. However, Teddy was still held by a vague sense of unease.His sixth sense told him that there was more to see, and he requestedthat his larger binoculars be brought to him on the bridge. Restinghis elbows on the rim of the conning tower, he gazed once more atthe two fishing boats. Suddenly, with an audible gasp, Suhren turnedand bellowed for a crash-dive.

Directly behind the two fishermen emerged the clearly steppedoutlines of two capital warships, a pair of British battleships escortedby a screening force of three destroyers. HMS Nelson and sister-shipHMS Rodney had been recently freed of their duty escorting convoytraffic bound for Freetown and were returning to Gibraltar. Therethey would join the massive build-up for Operation 'Pedestal' - theplanned relief of the besieged island of Malta. The two imposing, elson' class ships were easy to identify with their distinctive sil­houette of three turrets mounted forward of the main superstructure.A formidable primary armament of nine 16-inch guns bristled fromthe main turrets, although from this considerable distance Teddymistakenly believed that the Rodney sported only two turrets instead

SURVIVAL, RENDEZVOUS 91

92 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The combined efforts ofHausruckinger and Anderheyden aregreeted with due respect (top). Theseat that Gabler and Suhren aresitting on within the Officers'Wardroom doubled as Gabler'ssleeping place. Behind them can beseen latches for a proper fold-downbunk that was, however, in practicenever used aboard U564.With all traces of the blanketingsoot from their recent fire cleanedfrom the boat, the celebrationsbegan in the Officers' Mess(above) ... Suhren beingresponsible for the cake's evendistribution. The IWO, Ob/tzS UlfLawaetz, awaits his piece withobvious anticipation.Suhren, accompanied by Gabler,enters information into the boat'sradio log book, or Funkspruch­kladde (left). This was a wrillenrecord of every message sent andreceived, and was the SeniorRadioman's (Rudi Elkerhausen's)

ultimate responsibility. Thehandwritten notations were latertyped up and appended to thebaal's War Diary (KTB) for BdU. Inthe background, Bootsmaat HeinzWebendiirfer looks on, his handresting on the UZO mounting. Withinten days at sea Ernst Schlillenhardhad developed serious and debili­tating rheumatism, requiring Suhrento radio BdU for assistance. Hourslater, orders to rendezvous withKapllt Rolf MUllelburg's returnedU203 and transfer Schlillenhardaboard were received.

'Zzn/4Z: (Fl8, 0810 hours.Mastheads in sight ... ' Out of thedawn. two mast tips emerged(below). At first they were thoughtto herald mercantile targets, beforebeing positively identified as Azoresfishermen. In this photograph,Lawaetz, Webendiirfer and Kalbachscrutinise the distant fisherman.Moments after Haring reported tothe bridge to take this photograph,the ballieships HMS Nelson andRodney loomed from the horizonheading straight for U564.

of three. Impressive and valuable to the Royal avy, the two battle­ships would have made a remarkable victory for U 564, and Suhrenimmediately prepared for a submerged attack as the British continuedto head directly for him. With electric motors slow ahead, Teddyraised his cope to observe the impressive formation.

Anxiously, over the course of the next five hours, he waited to seewhether he had been located, or whether the ships would continuetheir converging course and present him with near-perfect attackingconditions. As Lawaetz and Waldschmidt took their turns at theperiscope to observe the enemy, it soon became apparent that U 564may indeed have been seen: the British ships swung westwards, stillwell out of range. Slowly they turned and began a sharpening tacknorthward at 15 knots, all the while over 8,000 metres away. Withthe U-boat's speed reduced by submergence, there was no chance ofan underwater pursuit. There was little prospect of surfacing either:chasing the enemy on full diesel power was ruled out because of thefierce armament of the two battleships and their even more danger­ous, nimble destroyer escort.

All Teddy could do was watch his enemy disappear from view,surfacing to an empty horizon and, less than an hour later, aban­doning hope that the enemy would return. He contented himself withradioing news of the encounter and the enemy's projected course toBdU in anticipation that other German forces may find them. It was

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 93

a forlorn hope: none managed to make contact, and the two battle­ships safely reached their heavily protected anchorage beneath theshadow of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Early the next morning, Limburg's precise navigation broughtU 564 into grid DG 2633 in preparation for the rendezvous with MUt­zelburg. On cue, U 203 soon coasted into sight as Waldschmidt andhis three watch members climbed the tower to begin their stint onduty. As U 203 approached from astern, Teddy ordered diesels throt­tled down to just above neutral, enough to keep steerage way on thegrey steel hull. Easing into position to port of U 564, MUtzelburg'screw broke out their small rubber dinghy, and shortly afterwards heand his chief engineer, Obit (Ing.) Heinrich Heep, were aboard U 564and talking to Suhren and Gabler atop the conning tower.

Safe in the knowledge that theylay outside the range of Alliedland-based aircraft, several off­duty seamen were granted per­mission to come above decks, andthey clambered up the metalladder to welcome the two visitingofficers. The opportunity wastaken by several of them to enjoya brief swim in the sea, althoughit was still far from the tropicalclimate of their ultimate destin­ation. Meanwhile the virtuallyincapacitated Schlittenhard hadbeen half-carried to the outer deckand aboard one of U 564's owndinghies, along with his meagrepossessions. While Webendorferhelped him into the small rubberboat, Heep ambled down on to thedeck casing and jumped into thedinghy to return to U 203, takingwhatever mail had already acc­umulated from Teddy's crew withhim. Miitzelburg, however, optedto swim, and, after briefly racingabout the U-boat's deck with Her­mann Krah and several of U 564' sown swimmers, he climbed

94 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

'24.7.42/0800. OG2633. U-boat insight (Mullelburg).' During themorning of 23 July, as the first andsecond watches changed overU203 have into view at theexpected co-ordinates (below).

(Above) During the medical rendez­vous Rolf MUllelburg (in the whiteshirt) and his 1I, ObIt (Ing.) Hein­rich Heep (second from left), cameaboard U564 for a social visit withtheir flotilla-mate. Behind them, thelookouts maintain their tireless vigil,815mt Bartels to the left and IIWOLzS Herbert Waldschmidt mostlyobscured behind Gabler. The largesilver megaphone is resting on topof the UZO surface attack sight.

nimbly back once more on to the conning tower to perform one ofhis favourite tricks:

They were playing tag when Mtitzelburg ran up the conning tower and dived inelegantly head-first off the top of the bridge into the water. My hair stood on end,and I said to him: 'What did you do that for? You wouldn't catch me doing that.It's reckless: the boat is so narrow that with its bulging fuel tank on the side it'snot that easy to dive across them.' But he laughed, and told me he did it quiteoften, and wouldn't be put off doing it. Then he continued on his way.'

After the successful rendezvous with Mtitzelburg's returning boat,Teddy continued the voyage towards his allocated combat zone. Atthat stage of the war, the U-boats considered themselves relativelysafe within what had become known as the' Atlantic Gap', whereaircraft could not reach them, and U 564 now travelled constantlysurfaced until once again adopting caution when beginning to comewithin range of Caribbean-based aircraft. The boat made good time,each lookout watch succeeding the previous one with nothing toreport during the crossing. Once again, Teddy capitalised on theabsence of any aerial threat to permit his men some time above decks.Within the 'Gap', those crewmen off duty were allowed on to theconning tower to enjoy the sunshine, and Teddy also took theopportunity to shut down his boat's diesels and lie motionless inorder that he and his crew could enjoy the luxury of outdoor washingand swimming:

One place in the Atlantic between the Lesser Antilles and the European mainlandwas still not covered by aircraft, so I gave the crew permission to go for fifteen­minute swims- in sections, mind you, so that, just in case omething happened,we could quickly submerge.'

Aside from whatever benefits such activities gave to morale, theyalso alleviated some of the distinctive health problems that sub-

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 95

mariners faced. The dampness and humid­ity of the pressure hull had already claimedone man from Suhren's crew, and fresh seaair, water and sun eased cramped joints andhelped keep many of the common skin ail­ments at bay. Once within the tropics, therewould be myriad problems to face, the leastof which were heat rashes that formed smallwhite pustules beneath the skin. With theconstant chafing of uniforms against them,these small boils would inevitably burst andcause considerable discomfort to the sufferer,as the raw flesh beneath rubbed against thefabric.

Once again, on 25 July, Forster's U 654slipped into view, mirroring U 564's transitpath. This time, with the two boats safelywithin the'Atlantic Gap' there was the opp­ortunity of a more social occasion betweenthe two boats. Forster and his LI, Oberleutnant(Ing.) Bernard Klaasen, soon came aboardU 564 to drink coffee in the tiny wardroomwith Teddy and his off-duty officers. As wellas coffee and biscuits, they also shared what-

98 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Many crewmen from both boatswe" allowed above decks,clustered in their respective towersto wave farewell (left). The burst ofsteam and exhaust from U203 'sstern was created as the dieselswere fired to begin their return toBrest carrying their sick passengerto hospital. Tragically, Suhren wasto be proved correct when, sevenweeks later, after U203 had leftBrest for its eighth war patrol, KaptltRolf Matzelburg called anotherswimming break in the mid-Atlanticfor his crew. Diving again from theconning tower, he struck the boat'ssaddle tank as it rolled in a gentleswell and some hours later diedfrom his injuries.In preparation for receiving extratorpedoes from U 154, theopportunity was taken to downloadthe externally stored 'eels' into thepressure hull (below). It was a time-

consuming and laborious task, andthe absence of enemy aircraft was aprerequisite for the safety of theboat. Helped by as many off-dutymen as were available and could fiton the crowded forward deck, 6iggeprepared the pulley that would beused to winch the heavy weaponfrom its canister below the woodendecking.Watched from the tower by IIIWOUmburg and Teddy (below right),the winch is slowly turned to pullthe torpedo free, the deck guntraversed to port out of the way ofthe slowly emerging torpedo'stailfins.

ever information and tactical theories themen had gleaned, before the two boats partedcompany once more at 2315 hours.

Forster was another veteran of the U-boatwar, a graduate of the Officer's Crew of 1936.He had been IIWO on U 29 when, on 28September 1939, Adolf Hitler had personallydecorated the entire crew with the first IronCrosses won by the U-boat service followingU 29's destruction of the carrier HMS Cour­ageous. He had a brief stint in command ofthe training boat U 62, and during ovember1941 he had taken command of U 654. Thusfar in his career as skipper he had achievedduring his previous three Atlantic war pat­rols the confirmed sinking of four ships, hisfirst victim, French corvette Alysse, having

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 99

100 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Left) With willing hands helping asmuch as possible, Labahn takes histurn al the handle (far left). As thetorpedo is lifted out of its canisterand on to the prepared loadingcradle, Gabler (in white helmet)oversees the operation. IIWOWaldschmidt stands further towardsthe bow.Once removed, the torpedo wasrested upon its cradle inpreparation for being lowered insidethe bow torpedo room (right). Thenow-empty canister was lowered byhandwheel back into its horizontalposition. When it was clear, thetorpedo loading hatch was openedand the 'eel' was gently wincheddownward into the bow room (farright), where the heavy chaincontrolled girders eventuallylowered it to the floor either forstorage or reloading into the tubes.In the photograph below left,following the successful transfer,Haring shows the loading cradle indetail. The large ceramic insulatorsattached to the wires in the fore­ground reduced the risk of staticelectricity discharging from the U­boat's jumper wires. The wiresthemselves doubled as radioantennae, attached to the wirelesstransmitter via the thin electric cablevisible only just visible connectingat the foremost insulator. The bowjumper wires were used for trans­mission and the stern wires forreception.Following their arduous torpedoloading, free from any aerial threatsand with a clear distant horizon,Suhren ordered engines stoppedand allowed his men to take aswimming break (far right). Asidefrom the recreational aspect, therewere also distinct advantages to thispractice in terms of health as itbrought men into the fresh air forboth washing and the benefits ofthe sun's rays. Sores and boils werecommonplace among U-boat crewsbound for tropical waters andunable to leave the mildewed,humid confines of the pressure hull.

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 101

Diving from the bow of U564,Gabler (top left, in the foreground)is dressed in attire known in Germannaval terminology as a 'peeledbanana'. Even Suhren (above andleft) took a dip in the warm Atlantic--one of the rare occasions whenhe divested himself of his red scarf.The Kriegsmarine also developedsalt-water soap (below left), usedby Teddy and his crew as Weben­dorfer sprays them with water pipedfrom the engine room. Opinionremains divided over the merits ofthis soap: Suhren thought itwonderful; others were less thanenthusiastic about the waxy residuethat it sometimes left on the skin.Even in the midst of war there ispeace (far left), as Suhren takes amoment to soak up the sun.(Right) On 25 July, Forster's U 654once more hove into view. This time,as the two boats met within the'Atlantic Air Gap', Forster (left) andhis LJ, Oberleutnant (Ing.) BernardKlaasen (right, in checked shirt),came aboard U564 for coffee andbiscuits in the tiny wardroom withSuhren and his oil-duty officers.Items like the fragile porcelaincoffee pot were constant casualtiesof war, among the first things tobreak during a depth-charge attackor in particularly heavy weather.

been torpedoed on 9 February 1942. Unbeknown to any of the mengathered within that small panelled wardroom, a little over onemonth later Forster and his forty-three men would be dead, bombedinto oblivion by a USAAF B-18 north of Panama.

On 30 July Teddy received notification of the proposed area forresupply of his boat from Leo Wolfbauer's U 463 Milcilkuh U-tanker.The locale named by BdU was within the 36 square miles of gridsquare DD 9455 to the south-west of his present position. Coursewas laid, and U 564 made good speed toward the rendezvous.

Combined with the fuel issue, another aggravation for Teddy wasthe loss of four of his precious torpedoes while en route for his finaldestination. Although they were put to valuable use, the thought ofa reduced armoury within what promised to be a fruitful huntingground gnawed at him constantly. As he pondered his quandary,inside the small Radio Room the rotating shifts of Funker decodedall U-boat signals traHic that clouded the ether between Paris andthe Atlantic. Among them were several reports of boats returning tobase, their torpedoes unspent and useless. With this in mind, andtime to spare before the planned meeting with Wolfbauer, Suhrencalled together Gabler and Ehlers to put forward an unusualsuggestion.

102 U-BOAT WAR PATROL SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 103

(Above) The large sledgehammerabove Suhren's head was used toIree U564 from its blocks on theslipway during commissioning ­carried as a talisman since that dayand often mounted on the conningtower rim when the boat returnedtriumphant from action after'hammering the enemy'.(Left) Hermann Krah uses theboat's small acetylene torch inmaintenance work on the attackperiscope housing while theconstant lookout continues.(Right) With permission to takeextra torpedoes on board fromKolle's aborting U 154, Teddy andhis crew began rehearsals for theprocedure of transferringtorpedoes. With lifejackets anddinghy ready for use, the first stepwas to empty the external sternstorage canister in order to use thetorpedo for their drill. During theremoval, sixteen lifejackets werewrapped around the 'eel', allowingit to rest on the torpedo cradle.Ehlers remained atop the conningtower, the torpedo's tailfin lashed tothe railing to prevent it from

104 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

floating away in any current. AsHaring balanced precariously on theperiscope housing to record themanoeuvre, Gabler gingerly leakedair from the stern trim tanks andallowed the aft deck to becomegradually awash.

As the stern disappearedaltogether, calculations regardingthe ability of the lilejackets to holdthe weight 01 the torpedo provedcorrect, men swimming and usingthe dinghy were able to guide thecumbersome payload towards thebow where it would be positionedabove a re-rigged cradle andallowed to Iloat into place beforetanks were blown with compressedair and U564 was brought fully tothe surface. Lifejackets wereremoved during the gradual rise ofthe U-boat, and the torpedo wouldthen be ready lor loading into thebow room.

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 105

106 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

With cradles stowed once more,Teddy is captured by Haring'scamera, triumphant but plainly tiredfrom the e,ertion of their difficulttransfer practice. The extendedperiscope is the navigation, or airsearch, 'scope, with the thickershaft and larger head of the two.The navigation periscope wasoperated from the boat's ControlRoom, and, contrary to popularbelief, while not generally usedduring submerged attacks, it wasoccasionally employed at nightbecause of the increased light thatentered the large lens. With nohelicoil wires around it, the largeshaft would leave more wake tobetray the boat's presence duringattack, and thus it could only beused safely in times of poorvisibility.

Awaiting the arrival of U463,lookouts broke out the tropicalhelmets as the equatorial heatincreased. Beneath the front pawsof the 'Three Black Cats' emblemcan be seen the insulator throughwhich the thin radio aerial enteredthe boat's pressure hull, runningstraight down the internal front ofthe tower and into the radio cabin.

U 564 did not possess the heavy lifting gear used to transfertorpedoes from one U-boat to another, but a small degree of ingenuitycould allow the boat to take on 'eels' from one of their abortingcomrades. Testing his theory, under the watchful eye of the boat'sofficers, the torpedo stored within the external stern container waslifted from its tube by eight of the crew using the boat's reloadingtackle. Once free, sixteen lifejackets were wrapped around the 1.5­ton cylinder, its tailfin tied by rope to the 'Wintergarten' in preparationfor the next phase of Teddy's plan. With Ehlers grasping the fastenedrope atop the conning tower, two rubber dinghies were inflated andthe rest of the men held onto the torpedo as Gabler gently loweredthe boat's stern until the torpedo, men and dinghies floated free.Ehlers ensured that they would not lose control of the preciousweapon as men both in the dinghies and swimming alongside pushedthe unusual load towards the boat's bow. There the 'eel' was man­oeuvred over the re-rigged and waiting bow loading cradle and theboat's semi-flooded tanks slowly blown clear by compressed air,bringing U 564 up under the torpedo that the seamen nudged gentlyinto place. Once fully surfaced the block and tackle were reattachedto take the strain of the heavy torpedo, raising it free of the hatchwhich was opened and the 'eel' slid into place within the bow torpedoroom. In a stroke, the problem of resupplying torpedoes at sea hadbeen solved in little over three hours.

SURVIVAL, RE DEZVOUS 107

Within the hour, two more boats~arrived, Hans-ludwig Will's Type IX(

U '29 and leo Wollbauer's tankerU463. Will was scheduled to refuelfirst, taking the barest minimumrequired for a sale return to lorientand the 2nd U-Flotilla base. Witt~had a successful patrol into the 6ulI01 Hexico, sinking eleven ships. Thephotograph at left shows U 129trailing astern of U463 to beginrefuelling and taking aboard freshprovisions.The large U-tanker's hefty free­board can be dearly seen as Wolf·bauer continues to transfer diesel toU '29 (main illustration and right).

II

reference to the matter: 'Masch.Maat Grade from U 564, who has ahead injury, taken on board.' As there is no further reference toGrade's return to U 564, and since he features in no subsequent photo­graphs, one can only surmise that the wounds, possibly sufferedduring a hurried crash-dive, were treated as best as they could be atsea and that the patient returned to France with the tanker. Theomission of this from Suhren's log book, however, is perplexing, asSchlittenhard's departure from the boat was clearly noted. It ispossible that Grade was returned to U 564, although the apparentseverity of the injury would make this unlikely.

It was Witt's U 129 that first began the arduous task of taking dieselfrom Wolfbauer, and the two boats duly connected the heavy transferhose, alongside which ran a telephone cable so that refuellingprogress and resupply needs could be discussed. As they linked

112 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

At 1900 hours Suhren was able tobegin his own refuelling, U 129having finished and sailing east forLorien!. The heavy fuel transferhose and its guide rope was trailedbehind U564 and hauled aboard byhand. Initially it appeared that thetransfer was going to be problem­atic, the hose sinking without therequired amount of flotation, butquick thinking and a short dip intothe sea soon retrieved the recalci·trant hose.

together at 1420 hours, a fourth U-boat in need of fuel arrived - Karleitzel's U 510.With such a conglomeration of surfaced boats, the need for strict

and effective lookouts once more became paramount. Any un­expected arrival on the horizon would place them in extremejeopardy, although at least in the summer of 1942 they were freefrom air attack within the region. With the 'Triton' 'Enigma' blackoutin Britain, the steady stream of instructions for refuelling rendezvouswere for the time being safe from prying eyes, although ultimatelythey would spell doom for the majority of Milchkiihe during 1943.With U 129 and U 463 engaged on the pumping of fuel and dinghyexchanges of provisions and water, the remaining boats sailed atpace with them, forming a protective cordon around the centrallypositioned tanker.

Finally, at 1900 hours, Teddybegan his own refuelling. Initiallyit appeared that the transfer wasgoing to be problematic as thethick heavy fuel hose trailingfrom U 463 began to sink, lackingthe required amount of flotationto keep it buoyant. The hose wasnormally inflated with air by acompressor (that was also used toflush the hose fully after use) asit trailed behind U 463, therebyproviding the required buoyancyto allow the hose to be recovered.In this instance it had not beensufficiently inflated, althoughquick thinking and a short dipinto the sea soon retrieved it.After securing the hose aboardU 564, men clustered on the bowto pull enough of the heavy tubeacross to enable it to be placedsecurely in position. Franz Stock­er unscrewed the metal filler capsthat led into the cavernous bun­kers below, and the fuel transferbegan. The two U-boats wereconnected for three and a half

THE U-TANKER 113

II

hours, diesel pouring into U 564's bunkers and fresh food and waterbeing laboriously shuttled over by dinghy. The opportunity was alsotaken to carry further mail from Teddy's crew for the tanker, whichwould eventually take it back to France.

In fact, Teddy had already made suggestions regarding a moresuitable fuelling hose that could be carried aboard Milchkiille as aresult of a diesel tran fer during his previous patrol into the Atlantic:

Because the Type VII boats only take on die el (30-40 cbm) and no lubricatingoil, it is suggested that the tanker be given a light hose connector on board forthis purpose, since the equipment available, with its heavy lugging cable anddouble hose lines, are altogether too heavy for the small amounts transferred. AFrench fire-hose (of sailcloth, strongly rubber-coated inside, 18.2 cm in diameter:rubber has been proved not to get eaten away) fixed to a manila rope has provedsuccessful before now in transferring die el to U 107. Tanker and boat could then,with this equipment and without any special lugging cable, travel in formation atSOm diagonally and about 50-100m abeam. The increased pumping time wouldthen appear to be more than compensated for by the reduction in time spent settingup and dismantling, as well as the quicker flushing-through and blowing-out.

114 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Franz Stocker helps Hermann Kr.hguide the fuel hose into the fillertube (above). Signals between Ihetwo boats were facilitated by lime­honoured semaphore, by mega­phone or by using a lelephone lineIhat ran alongside the hose. Withvirtually no wayan the boal. Ihetransfer of slores continued byrubber dinghy (right). As well asfresh bread and refrigeraledproduce, Ihe bulky tin containerscarried between twenty and Ihirtysmaller cans of provisions, eachdinghy in lurn capable of carryinglen containers. Other large melalcans were used for the transfer offresh waler from slorage tankswithin U463. IIIWO(Far right) Limburg (fronllelt)maintains Ihe watch, megaphone atclose hand should il be needed towarn men on deck.

THE U-TA KER 115

The main advantage would be that oil could betransferred in a bigger sea than up to now.'

While U 564 refuelled, further instructionshad arrived aboard the boat, this timeconcerning Suhren's request for fresh tor­pedoes. Although U 463 carried enough extrafuel and supplies for several U-boats, sheheld only four extra torpedoes, all of whichhad been issued, so an alternative source hadbeen found to replace Teddy's expendedammunition. Donitz, although preoccupiedwith a burgeoning battle west of ewfound­land, where Karl Thurmann's U 553 hadmanaged to latch on to convoy 0 .115,ordered Suhren to meet with KorvettenkapitiinWalther Kolle's Type IXC U 154 in gridsquare DP1455 to take over whatever ammu­nition he could, before carrying on to patrolthe sectors EE and EO off the coast of BritishGuiana.

Kolle, a former company chief at Miirwik'snaval school, had sailed from Lorient on 4June, making the increasingly perilous Biscaycrossing without serious incident beforepounding across the Atlantic and entering theCaribbean Sea through the Windward Pass­age during early July. On 6 July, as U 154slipped through the Canal de Yucatan intothe Gulf of Mexico, Kolle sank his first ship,the 65-ton Panamanian motor trawler Lalita,hammered beneath the waves with gunfire.It was to be Kolle's sole success.

During the next two weeks U 154 patrolledthe coasts of Alabama and Florida in searchof targets, reporting two misses against a fast

The Milchkuh tankers also carried medical personnel; Marineobe,assistenz­allt Dr Fritz Walter Hoch was aboard U 463. This remarkable pair ofphotographs shows U564 's Control Room Mate, Maschinenmaat EmilGrade, being transferred by dinghy to U463 for treatment of a head injury.Oddly, Teddy's log book makes no mention of how he sustained the injuryor of Grade's apparent transfer for a return to France. Crew chiefWebendor/er supervised Grade's transfer, the injured man taking his sparsebelongings (wrapped in the Kriegsmarine 's regulation checked sheet) and

mail with him to the tanker.

116 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

enemy freighter near the scattered islandsthat comprised the Dry Tortugas. Otherwise,apart from neutrals, Kolle sighted no traffic,and he requested permission to proceed toGalveston in search of the elusive oil tankersknown to be plying the busy Gulf of Mexico.To make matters worse for Kolle, U 154 wasalso hounded by an almost constant aircraftpresence, local American defensive effortshaving markedly improved since the begin­ning of hostilities within the region. Moraleslumped as the boat prowled in swelteringtropical heat, the blight of tropical skin rashesand boils becoming commonplace among themen aboard as, because of the constant fearof aircraft, there was little chance for thosenot allocated lookout duties to go on deckinto the sunshine and fresh air.

The miserable voyage was mercifully cur­tailed on 19 July when Kolle reported to BdUa leak in one of his fuel tanks, which wasleaving a shimmering track of oil in U 154'swake. Unable to remedy the problem, Kolleappealed for permission to return to Lorient.After initially refusing acquiescence to short­en the patrol, Donitz soon relented whenKolle began to also complain of feeling phy­sically unwell. Eventually U 154 aborted hervoyage and made way for Lorient, orderedto rendezvous with Reinhard Suhren's U 564on 5 August.

Meanwhile U 564 had completed her re­fuelling, 50 tons of extra diesel resting secure­ly within the bulging saddle tanks. Limburglaid in a new course for the next resupplymeeting with the homebound Kolle, andU 564 swung away from the continuingrefuelling of Forster's boat. Teddy's patrol to

Once the diesel transfer was complete, U 463 dropped astern of U564,

supplies still shuttling between the two boats in dinghies hauled betweenthem using ropes. Within three and a half hours the rendezvous wascomplete, and U564 laid course for her next meeting.

THE U-TA KER 117

the Caribbean benefited enormously from the provision of a dedi­cated tanker within the mid-Atlantic, and, in all, thirteen U-boatswould be supplied to some degree during Wolfbauer's maidenvoyage, after which U 463 sailed for St- azaire as a part of the 10thU-Flotilla.2

As U 564 and U 154 converged for their own private resupply,lookouts, now clad in only their shorts and occasionally thecumbersome white tropical helmets, ceaselessly scanned the distanthorizons. Haring had become a familiar presence atop the conningtower, endlessly shooting newsreel and still photographs for hispropaganda assignment. On 5 August, as U 564 entered grid DP1455,the torpedo-loading cradle was assembled as Teddy began to hoverwithin the prescribed area to await the arrival of Kolle's Type IXC.

It was Waldschmidt's watch that first spotted the distant match­stick masts of a ship over the horizon. Immediately the U-boat wasput to Action Stations, Teddy diving to prepare for an underwaterattack. As the approaching diesel-powered ship grew within hisperiscope, the name and nationality could soon be plainly seen: shewas a neutral, the Swedish MV Scania. Built in 1934 by the Malmoyards of the Kockmus Mekaniska Verkstad company, the 1,629-tonvessel plied the American trade routes for the Rederi-A/B SvenskaLloyd shipping line, based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

118 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

II

Maschinenobermaat Heinz Nord·mann (far left). in charge of theport electric motor, relaxes atop theconning tower. Nordmann hadserved aboard U564 since theboat's commissioning and was anintegral and popular member of thecrew.Oberfunkmaat Willi Anderheyden,pictured at the same time (centre).As Second Radio Petty Officer,Anderheyden managed one of thetwo watches within the radio andlistening room.PK Maat Haring (left), photo­graphed by Nordmann as U564travelled to meet Kolle.

Despite her neutral credentials, she was potentially within theprescribed blockade zone, and Teddy ordered U 564 surfaced andput into interception, the gun crew clattering up the small conning­tower ladder to take their positions at the 8.8cm as diesels thunderedto push the boat forward towards her quarry. Webendorfer climbeddown from the bridge to take immediate charge of the main guncrew, while the 2cm flak weapon was also manned and made readyto fire. All those atop the conning tower wadded cotton wool intotheir ears to protect their hearing from the sharp concussion of the2cm fire-almost certainly the only weapon ready to use in order tobring the quarry to a halt. Ironically, the Germans' preparedness hadworked against them. Although the main artillery crew, in their thickcanvas harnesses and clutching numerous ready-rounds of ammu­nition, were an imposing sight through binoculars aboard themerchantman's bridge, they could not fire their weapon. Thetorpedo-loading cradle was directly beneath the cannon's muzzle asU 564 charged forward to intercept, vulnerable to the blast effects ofsuch close-quarter artillery and liable to fracture.

Aboard the Swede there was, no doubt, considerable consternation.The manned and ready artillery piece added to the menace of anunheralded torpedo attack. Through high-power binoculars, severalcrewmen aboard U 564's conning tower could be seen cradling MP 40sub-machine guns preparatory to boarding their freighter. The offi­cers and twenty-five-man crew of the Scania, commanded by CaptainCarl Isak Jansson, had already experienced the Atlantic war at firsthand. Earlier that year, on 19 January, the Swedish ship had renderedfire-fighting assistance to American steamer 55 Malay, alight andburning following attack by Kaptlt Reinhard Hardegen's U 123 en­gaged on Operation 'Paukenschlag'. The raging fires started byHardegen's artillery were brought under control, and the Americancrew managed once more to get under way towards their destin­ation - Port Arthur, Texas - despite a further torpedo hit from Har­degen, who had returned to the scene. Months later, on 12 April, theScania again played the role of rescuer, picking up twenty-sevensurvivors from the orwegian freighter MV Balkis, torpedoed, shelledand sunk off the coast of Brazil by the Italian submarine Pietro Calvi.

Aboard U 564, Waldschmidt steadied himself on the narrow ledgethat bordered the conning tower and, using the boat's lamp,proceeded to signal to the distant freighter. His words, dictated byTeddy, flashed in international Morse code as the German submarinerapidly gained ground on its target. A swift burst of fire from the2cm flak gun served to punctuate the order to stop and show the

THE U-TANKER 119

ship's papers, and soon the large ship was forced to comply, thescrews powered by 7-cylinder MAN diesels slowing their steady beatand the way on Scania perceptibly dropping as, in the distance, mencould be seen to approach a lifeboat. Waldschmidt's signal lampordered the Swedish captain to present his ship's log and manifest,and a small party of men, led by an immaculately uniformedmerchant officer, were soon on their way towards U 564 as the U­boat overtook her victim and circled around her now stationary bow.

The Swedish first officer, 32-year-old Stig Anders August Lundh,who doubled as the telegraph operator, was soon alongside, passingthe required documents up to willing German hands before alsoclimbing aboard. He was taken to the bridge and was soon face toface with Teddy, who began to study the Scania's documents. Fortun­ately, Copenhagen-born Lawaetz, now wearing his peaked officer'scap, was able to converse with Lundh, and the neutral's course anddestination were soon swiftly confirmed. Scania was heading, fullyloaded, from Bermuda (originally ew York) to Buenos Aires, and,unsure of the virtues of sinking the ship, Teddy contented himselfwith a warning to Lundh that the ship should make no use of itsradio and must continue on its direct course out of the combat zone.With the most serious pose he could muster, he also declared that,should they meet again so near to the United States, he wouldprobably open fire:

50, because neutrals were not even safe so close to the United States, the firstofficer was very grateful that we were letting them go. Later, after he had returnedhe sent over breakfast for us, with fresh bread and so on. And also, the Americanfood ... well, it was different from what we could get in Germany: they didn'teat like us, and we enjoyed it! We felt that we had never eaten so weI!.'

After the brief but eventful interruption to its journey, the Scaniadeparted and gradually disappeared from view. Although nobodycould know it at the time, she would have one more fateful encounterwith Donitz's men. On 13 December 1942 the 10th U-Flotilla's U 176intercepted her as she sailed from Montevideo laden with goodsbound for Philadelphia. Again, First Officer Lundh boarded the ship'swooden dory and went aboard the U-boat. There he produced theship's manifest, but this time Kaptlt Reiner Dierksen concluded thatthe produce bound for the United States constituted contraband.Lundh's visit took twenty minutes, during which time he was treated,in his words, 'with respect and courtesy' before Dierksen made hisapologies and ordered the ship sunk. Lundh returned to the freighterand the entire Swedish crew were given thirty minutes to abandonship in their two lifeboats. The Germans ensured that sufficient

120 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Despite the absence of an airthreat. constant vigil had to bemaintained towards the clear anddistant horizon. On 5 August. at1430 hours (top), a steameremerged from the distance andU564 took up the chase, HerbertWaldschmidt using the semaphorelight to demand that the ship stopor be fired upon.Artillery and flak crew assembledabove decks (centre), ready foraction as the distant ship graduallyslowed.in the third photograph Wald­schmidt, Lawaetz, Suhren andWagner (left to right) study theirtarget, ears wadded with cottonwool in anticipation of the warningshot from the 2cm flak weapon.

THE U-TANKER 121

II

provisions and navigation equipment were available to the seamen,then U 176 sank the Swedish ship.4

Aboard U 564, the interception had at least broken the monotonyof the preceding days and provided fresh food for the crew to eat.Teddy headed away from the immediate area but remained close tothe prospective rendezvous zone. Kolle's U-boat was sighted a littleover an hour later. Suhren, in his autobiography, recalled themeeting:

We met the captain [Kolle] of the homeward-bound boat at a pre-arranged timeand place ... By a quirk offate he turned out to have previously been my divisionalofficer at Miirwik's aval Academy, where he had taken such pains to prepareme for the officer's exams. He was the one who had given me the hardest timedespite being one of the best. On that day, though, he gazed stupidly at me as Istood there with decorations up to my chin. It was quite a reunion! When J askedhim why he was intending to go home with all his torpedoes still on board, hereplied that it was because he was ill: he had a liver problem and needed a doctor.'Oh, I see, belly-ache. Spare me the details. ow let's get the things over here.'

Thereupon the resourceful Teddy and several of his crew strippedoff to their underwear and swam across to U 154 to tie lifejackets tothree torpedoes, towing them back by hand. The procedure went

122 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Although the main gun crew assem­bled on the forward deck andcleared their weapon for action(below left), the 2cm was used tofire the burst across the Scania 'sbows. As Waldschmidt, Lawaetz andSuhre" remain in position on thebridge, a fourth man uses the smallchute in the conning tower frontthat allowed 8.8cm rounds to bepassed to the gun crew from thebridge.

The reason for the inability to usethe 8.8cm is evident in thisphotograph (left): forward of theassembled gunners can just be seenthe two supporting struts of thetorpedo loading cradle. This hadalready been put into place inanticipation of their rendezvouswith Kolle before the steamer'sunexpected arrival. Had the gunbeen fired, the cradle could havecracked under the concussion andbeen rendered unusable. Smallarms have been broken out as well,in preparation for a boarding partyto scuttle the ship should shesurrender and be deemed anenemy. The barrel of an MP 40 sub­machine gun is visibleAlthough Suhren was unlikely toorder the 8.8cm gun to fire, thetarget ship did not know this, andthe crew trained their gun on her(right)-<:Iearly visible to lookoutsaboard the merchantman and astrong message of intent.

THE U-TANKER 123

Signalling with flags its compliance, the ship closed down its engines (right)and allowed U564 to pull alongside. The flanks of the ship were clearlymarked-she was a neutral, the Swedish SS 5<onio.However, despite her neutral credentials (main iIIus1ration), she could stillbe found to be carrying contraband to a belligerent nation and soon theship's Firs1 Officer was en route to produce the ship's papers for inspection.The Swedish First Officer, Stig Anders Augus1 Lundh, was helped aboardU 564 by the gun crew after first passing up the 5canio 's manifest and logbook.

smoothly until a fourth torpedo eventually proved too much for thenow slightly deflated lifejackets, upending and slipping away to theseabed thousands of metres below. The entire procedure was cap­tured by Haring aboard U 564 and ironically by another propagandareporter, Franke, who had gone to sea with Kolle for U 154's dismalpatrol.

After also managing to transfer two cubic metres of spare waterto U 564 by dinghy, the two boats parted company and Kolle resumed

126 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Lundh was taken to the bridge,where Suhre" studied Scania 'sdocuments (left, upper).Copenhagen-born Lawaetz was ableto converse with Lundh, and theneutral's cargo and course fromBermuda to Buenos Aires was soonconfirmed.Unsure of the wisdom of sinking theSwede, Suhren contented himselfwith a warning to Lundh that theship should make no use of itsradio and continue on its directcourse out of the combat zone (leftlower). Interestingly, thisphotograph was also in UlrichGabler's personal collection, whichnow resides in Altenbruch's U-BootArchiv. His own humorousinterpretation of Teddy's apparentmilitary bearing in this picture isencapsulated in Gabler'shandwritten comment beneath it:'And now, I will sink you!' Fort­unately for Lundh, this was not thecase, as evidenced by his grin.However, Scania would not escapetwice from this situation.As Suhren studied the ship's books,the majority of the U-boats officer'sand several crewmen gathered onthe bridge (right), all wearing theircaps in order to present a moremilitary image than normal. Fromleft are Gabler, Waldschmidt,Hammermuller (with his back to thecamera), MaschinenobergefreiterWerner Schlagel, Lawaetz, Suhrenand Lundh. In the foreground, HeinzSchmutzler keeps the flak weapontrained in the general direction ofthe Swedish vessel.

his homeward trek, refuelling againfrom Wolfbauer. He was welcomedin France with what can be bestdescribed as a subdued reception.Kolle, reporting to Donitz, wasrelieved of his command and re­turned to Mlirwik. The remainderof U 154's dispirited crew weretransferred en masse to U 105, thenin drydock following extensivedamage, while U 105's battle-testedcomplement was given U 154 inreturn.

As U 564 steered towards her pat­rol area east of the Lesser Antilles­an area shared with U 66, U 108,U 155 and U 160-five other U­boats were already active to thenorth, around Florida's east coastand the Greater Antilles. However,the distant Florida boats patrolledinitially to little effect among thetropical waters. On 10 August U 600attacked and sank a small soloBritish sailing vessel, the l30-tonVivian P. Smith, but the remainderof the merchant traffic was clus­tered together in increasingly well­defended convoys. In Florida, U 98deposited a minefield in the mouthof Jacksonville harbour- but, again,to no result.

Thus on 10 August, at 0920 hours,as U 564 lay east of St Lucia and

headed south, fresh instructions were received redirecting the boatwest-south-west towards ED 90, the grid square centred on Grenada.Teddy would enter the Caribbean after all, but away from the fruitlesspatrolling of the Greater Antilles boats. Sailing beneath clear skiesin a mild and tranquil sea, he was assigned the task of interceptingeast-west merchant traffic passing through the Lesser Antilles islandchain. He entered his new operational area while submerged, at dawnon 11 August.

THE U-TA KER 127

At 2118 hours that same day, U ,54 arrived on station and, after a frosty meeting between commanders, thetransfer of torpedoes began as rehearsed by U564 's crew. This and the following images, taken from U , 54,appear to have been captured by another photographer, Franke, aboard Kolle's boat; Haring recorded their labourson film from Teddy's point of view. As before, dinghies were also used to transfer spare fresh water to U564. Theblock and tackle and wide decking of the larger Type IX boat is clearly depicted in this photograph, as the firsttorpedo is about to be lowered into the sea.

I

~

r!

130 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

Repeating the same procedure asbefore. three torpedoes weresuccessfully taken aboard U564(left) Unfortunately for Suhren, thefourth went to the bottom as thelifejackets had lost some of theirbuoyancy during the nearly fivehours it took to complete the

operation.(Right) In mild seas and goodvisibility, U564 continued west.During the voyage. the dieselengines passed their 10.000.000threvolution, prompting a smallcelebration. In the photographbelow. Gabler pours a small glass ofschnapps for Eberhard Hammer­muller; ObMsch Kriih waits his turn.Joined by Helmut Brock, the fourmen celebrate the milestone passedby U564 's engines (bottom).

THE U-TA KER 131

WAR OFF THE A TILLES 133

at considerable range was an American patrol craft- not worthy ofa torpedo in Teddy's estimation. However, the encounter had servedto highlight their arrival in the combat zone, and his crewcongratulated themselves on their vigilance. U 564 quietly changedcourse away from the threat and carried on the hunt, submerging torest the lookouts with the coming of dawn.

All day the U-boat sailed steadily north-west towards Grenada.Early the following afternoon, a distant aircraft was sighted; twohours later, another was caught through binoculars. Suhren hadadded an extra man to each watch, the fifth pair of eyes devotedsolely to guarding against enemy aircraft attack. The seemingregularity of the enemy aerial patrols did not, however, allow thelookou ts to spot a third aircraft at 1936 hours - a large, four-enginebomber diving towards U 564 from out of the blazing, late-afternoonCaribbean sun. With only seconds to spare, Waldschmidt shoutedfor a crash-dive, slammed the main hatch shut behind him andplummeted to the Control Room floor, U 564 tilting downwards asthe alarm claxon shrilled its warning throughout the boat. The aircraftpassed almost directly overhead, dropping two depth charges wideof the mark as the U-boat raced for depth and safety. It had been anear miss for the lucky crew, but once again they had escapedunscathed.

On 10 August U564 received arevised operating area from BdUcentred on the island of Grenada,Here Rudi Elkemausen, Senior RadioPetty Officer, decodes the messageusing the four-rotor 'Enigma', Hewould later transmit his boat's briefconfirmation and situation report.

A submerging Second World War U·boat was at its most vulnerable tosurface attack, particularly byaircraft. Speed was of the essence.In these photographs once again(below), with the diving alarmsounded, Labahn and Abel closeexhaust vents, shut off the dieselsand engage the electric motors.Nearing the combat zone, U564was once more compelled to travelincreasingly long distancesunderwater owing, in the main, tothe threat posed by enemy aircraft.

12 TO 19 AUGUST

5 War off the Antilles

U564 had surfaced a little past 0100 hours in order to begin herCaribbean patrol. Lawaetz and his three men took their usualpositions atop the small conning tower and scoured the seas for

shipping-or for the detritus left behind careless merchantmen thatcould betray their path. Rubbish thoughtlessly jettisoned overboardcould leave a traceable path for a lucky U-boat, and anything sightedwithin the gentle swell was crutinised intently. But the hours passedwith no sign of friend or foe. Finally, at 0755 hours, as Waldschmidt'swatch was drawing to a close and Limburg's men ate a hurriedbreakfast before taking over on the bridge, a distant shadow wassighted dead ahead.

Although German time held aboard the U-boat indicated that thesun should be well above the horizon, it was still only 0355 hourslocal time and the sea was cloaked in darkness. The shadow hard­ened into an identifiable enemy, and Teddy came rapidly to thebridge to decide what course of action should be taken. His men,standing to at Action Stations, waited in hushed anticipation fororders from their captain. But the small vessel that crossed their path

cruising with extended aircraft watches, they had seen nothing worthshooting at. Finally, at 0513 hours, both Suhren and Wattenberg'sU 162 were assigned the western length of ED9880 - north of Trini­dad-as their attack area. Still U 564 found nothing but empty seas.The easy pickings amongst crowded Caribbean shipping lanes thathad begun with the first U-boat attacks in the region only the previousFebruary were already a faded memory.

Sailing close to the Allied airfields on Trinidad carried its owninherent risk. A distant aircraft was sighted on 17 August at 1340hours and warily tracked until out of sight. Beneath the blisteringsun, the lookouts were stripped to the waist and shaded only bytheir large tropical helmets. Polarised sungla es helped to reducethe fierce glare of the sun's rays reflecting off the azure waters, butthe four-hour shifts of scanning a bare distant horizon and skystretched the men's abilities to their limit.

At 2050, in ED8641, the startled cry that the entire crew dreadedto hear burst from the bridge: 'Flieger!' A large enemy aircraft wasclosing rapidly from out of the sun, flattening out only twenty metresabove the waves and heading rapidly into a low-level attack.Throwing the boat into its practised crash-dive routine, Gabler tookher down as fast as po sible, U 564 reaching such an acute angle thatloose fixtures of all descriptions tumbled from their place and

The first call to Action Stations forAugust was on the 12th. when ANAmerican escort vessel passed at adistance. However, Suhre" deemedit not worth a torpedo. He patrolleduntil 19 August. suffering sporadicair attacks and sighting only asingle neutral before latching on toconvoy TAW (5) on 19 August. Twosurface attacks were launched,followed by a third submerged. Here(below left). Gerhard Ehlers standsready to lire tube 1. Ufejackets areworn by the crew during combat.Assisting Ehlers is the boat's cook.Hausruckinger (below right). U564was short by two crewmen after theloss of Schlittenhard and Grade.and. although normally excusedother duties. Hausruckinger playedan important part in combat as hehad on previous cruises, when hehad been the second cook.

Beneath the harsh glare of a trop­ical sun, exposed metal can becomeextremely hot and inflict mild burnson those who touch it with bareflesh. The wooden panelling thatRichard Steinert is leaning againsthere (above left) prevented justsuch an injury. the crumpled towelin the background ready lor his useil he wanted to perch on theconning·tower rim.War and peace: U564'5 lookoutsbeneath the tranquillity of aCaribbean summer evening (aboveright).

134 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Elsewhere that same day, 13 August, in the Windward Passage,U 658 sighted two converging convoys shuttling via Cural;ao betweenKey West and Trinidad. The southbound WAT.13 and northboundTAW.12 totalled 47 ships. Attacking WAT.13, the crew of U 658 wererewarded with three explosions and sighted flames, a stern shot alsoappearing to strike its target although only one ship was confirmedsunk by the Allied reports. Zurmiihlen's U 600 joined battle againstTAW.12, hitting the Everelza and sending her under beneath a columnof flame hundreds of metres high. A second attack sank the Americanconvoy commodore aboard SS Delmundo. Yet another boat arrivedto avage the convoy, Gottfried Holtorf in U 598 sinking three shipson 14 August before TAW.12 arrived in Key West.

As the Morse messages crackled from U-boats engaging the enemywithin the Windward Pa sage, Teddy's radio men intercepted thecalls of victory and loss, decrypting the communication between thefighting boats and BdU in Paris. Although the combat raged somehundreds of miles from their present position, Suhren monitoreddevelopments closely, awaiting his own specific in tructions fromheadquarters. However, while his comrades tussled with the enemy,Suhren encountered only a solitary ship during 14 August, frus­tratinglya neutral Argentinean clearly identified and allowed to passunmolested.

On 16 August, after two days of irritating limbo, Suhren radioedhis situation reports to BdU, asking for further directions. At 0457hours he again lost patience with the stubborn silence from Donitzand ordered a message transmitted bemoaning the fact that, since12 August, between the squares ED9417, 9883, 9527 and 9892 and

clattered noisily toward the bow. With mere metres of water overher bridge, three well-placed bombs bracketed the U-boat, severelyshaking the hull and causing fresh chaos aboard. A thin jet of flameshot from the closed hatch to number five torpedo tube, promptingconsiderable alarm amongst the men who saw it as they manned theelectric motors and diesel engines. However, there was no waterleakage and the engineers could only assume that, though the tubemay have been damaged by the bomb blasts, it remained watertight.Machine-gun fire peppered the water above U 564, although moreto vent the Allied gunners' frustration than with any real hope ofhitting the target. The aircraft's final throw of the dice hit U 564 at adepth of 40 metres when a single heavy depth charge exploded peril­ously close to Teddy's boat and caused heavy damage. Men werenearly thrown from their feet, and U 564 staggered under the im­pact. Lights shattered and broken glass tinkled to the decking, un-

Hermann Krah times the torpedorun within his diesel room (belowleft). The first bow salvo missed,the second ending in a twindetonation of e,ploding warheadsan hour after the opening attack.Chased from the scene of the twoburning ships by escort vessels, thedogged Suhren attempted a thirdsubmerged attack as the sun arcedoverhead (below right).Ulrich Gabler sits at his ActionStation behind the two planesmenwithin the Control Room (oppositeleft). The bow planes (at left) arebeing controlled by HeinrichBartels, the stern planes by HeinzSchmutzler. Above Bartels' head,the boat's depth gauge shows 18metres, with bow planes on full riseas he arrests the descent and

attempts to come to periscope

depth.Teddy Suhren is shown astride thenarrow saddle of the compie, andsophisticated attack periscope inthe photograph below right. Withlittle room within the conning tower,the commander remained stationaryat his post, the rise and fall of theperiscope within its housing notbeing dependent on physicalmovement, unlike the largernavigation periscope. Rotation wascontrolled by depressing pedalswith the feet. Additionally, the lefthand controlled the height of theperiscope, the right the angle of theupper prism, giving the commanderapossible field of view between 15degrees below the horizon to 70above.

heard amidst the cacophony of disturbed water that pummelled thepressure hulL Suhren held his men under firm control, his quietauthority and unshakable calm keeping in check any distress felt byhis crew. Questions regarding the status of their pressure hull'swatertight integrity flashed from the Control Room and returnedfrom all quarters with a reassuring negative: there were no leaks.

An atmosphere of professional calm descended over the crew, andthe required bravado at another narrow shave with death passedamong the men still lying where they had tumbled within the U­boat's bow compartment. In the Control Room, Gabler began to bringU 564 to trim and reported the depth as 60 metres. But, withinseconds, both he and Suhren realised that something had indeed goneterribly wrong.

Alongside the normal noises generated by the boat were strongechoing creaks and groans that shuddered through U 564's sturdy

136 U-BOAT WAR PATROL WAR OFF THE ANTILLES 137

frames. To an experienced U-boat man, thedistinctive noises could mean only onething: they were plummeting downwardsinto the immense water pressure of ex­treme depth. The fear of lipping silentlyinto the abyss until the pressure hull im­ploded suddenly gripped the entire crew,and Teddy ordered both plane on hardrise and forward tanks blown clear ofballast with compressed air. The boat'sdescent must be stopped, her bows forcedto rise if they were ever to regain the sur­face. Panicking, the seaman responsible foroperating the complicated blowing panelhad mistakenly turned his hand wheels thewrong way, achieving nothing until Teddydashed across the Control Room and spunthem fully open. Gabler had abandoned hisobviously faulty gauge and soon dis­covered, using the trim cell gauge, thattheir depth was 160 metres - ten metresbelow the boat's shipyard rated testdepth - and growing deeper.

As compressed air hissed through pipesand into the ballast tanks, within anothertwenty metres the freefall graduallytapered off and the bow perceptibly beganto rise towards the horizontal. U 564'sfreefall had been arrested at a depth of 200metres, every frame screaming with the strain, but no visible leakswere found. An absolute hush descended over the entire boat asGabler gingerly eased them away from the sea floor thousands ofmetres below. U 564 gently ascended to a safer depth, and beforelong the engineering crew set about repairing the many systems thathad taken damage, thanking their good fortune at sailing aboard aboat built in Hamburg. Gabler disassembled his main depth gaugeto discover that the pointer had come adrift from its small drive shaftduring the concussion of the last depth charge. It had remained setat 60 metres, and would have stayed there as the V-boat lipped intooblivion.

Several delicate instruments attached to the hull plates had beentorn loose from their mountings by the attack and bulbs and other

138 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Also inside the cramped conningtower during the submerged attack,Bootsmann Heinz Webendorferstands at his attack station andenters information into the torpedocomputer (above and abovecentre). This analogue systemtransmitted information about theU·boat and target's range, speed,bearing and heading to enable thenecessary firing solution to becalculated. Any alterations couldthen be automatically tracked by thecomputer, the required informationtransmitted electronically to thetorpedoes in their tubes. In thiscase it was to no avail, both

torpedoes fired hitting their targetsbut failing to explode.Heinz 5<hmutzler decorates Teddy'sslippers (above right), less tocelebrate the patrol being half overthan to help his captain identify hisleft from his right when calledunexpectedly from his bunk to theControl Room!

glass panels needed replacing. Despite some scepticism from theircommander following the report of a jet of flame from the closedtorpedo hatch, tube five had indeed suffered damage and wastemporarily flooded. Prudently keeping his boat submerged, Teddysupervised the flurry of repair activity within, relieved with therealisation that no serious damage had been inflicted. He reasonedthat conditions were less than ideal for lookouts forced to endurehours of baking heat and still detect any threat of enemies from thesun, and so chose to place his faith in the boat's hydrophones, whichgave superb performance in the ethereal blue water. However,although the deep offered temporary safety and the ability to relaxfor much of the crew, it remained damp and humid within the steeltube, sweat running from every pore of the weary men:

WAR OFF THE A TILLES 139

After the engines had run at high speed, we used tofind it so hot in the Caribbean Sea that even whenwe were under water the temperature in thesubmarine reached up to 60 degrees, which made itvery uncomfortable for the whole crew. But, eventhen, we made it possible to bring them all back tothe mainland without having lost too much weight.'

As U 564 picked up the pieces and sailedsubmerged from the scene of its latest brushwith the enemy, that same day U 658 attackedconvoy PG.6 south of Cuba, sinking two ofthe 23 ships sailing under American escortand damaging a third. The Caribbean battlecontinued to rage with renewed vigour fromboth sides.

With all systems restored aboard U 564 by18 August, including the full use of the sterntorpedo tube, and the boat once again readyto spend time above the waves, a messagefrom Scholtz's U 108 was received at 1043 hours reporting the longed­for heavy convoy traffic within striking range of U 564. Scholtz hadchanced upon TAW(S), comprising fifteen merchant ships escortedby the corvettes HMS Clarkia and USS Courage, the US Coast Guardcutters Marion and Antietam and the US su bmarine-chasers PC-482,PC-492, 5C-504 and 5C-514. With an almost constant shadow over­head of locally stationed American B-18 and British Hudson bombers,

140 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

With U564 off the Windward Islesand in search of targets, Grenada'scoastline comes into view (left),Haring was allowed to fix his camerato the fitting supplied for that useon the navigation periscope.The crosshairs point slightly northof Grenada's capital, 5t George's,nestled inside its own natural har­bour (below). The distinctiveheadland of Molinaire Bay, to theleft, identifies the U-boat's position.Molinaire had seen war before asFrench and British troops fought forpossession of the island theprevious century_

The sun-baked cliffs of Point Salinemark the southernmost promontoryof Grenada (right) as U564 sailsslowly seaward of the shallow,banking reef system offshore. PointSaline's lighthouse was an import­ant navigational aid to shippingtransiting the southern entrance tothe Caribbean; another navigationalradio beacon, at Pearls Airport onthe island's east coast, was used forair traffic via the Caribbean to pointsin West Africa and South America.

the feeder convoy TAW (S) had departedTrinidad that day on the first leg of a journeyto Key West and, ultimately, the United King­dom. After growing considerably in size, thefinal conglomeration of extra ships was in­tended to join out of Halifax, ova Scotia,and, receiving an HX number, the convoywould end its voyage in Great Britain carry­ing priceless cargo for the Allied build-uptaking place within the embattled island.Wattenberg had also begun to shadow, whileI3dU threw the attack open to any nearbyboats. U 564 rose to the challenge,

The boat surged forward with renewedvigour; her torpedoes were run out of theirtubes and checked for possible faults, whilea myriad other systems were tested and re­tested, using to its utmost the time available

before the expected contact. Once their tasks were complete, menwho had no further duties were ordered to rest in preparation forthe exertion that would soon follow. Awaiting further developmentsfrom Scholtz, Suhren was rewarded with fresh information on 19August at 0315 hours when the radio crackled with news from U 162of the convoy's latest position: 'KR KR; convoy in grid ED 9460, north­easterly course, steady speed, Wattenberg.

WAR OFF THE ANTILLES 141

Only 35 nautical miles from the reportedposition, Suhren accelerated to intercept,Wattenberg's U 162 beginning her own sur­face attack a little over an hour later at 0437hours (1137 hours local time) and sinking theAmerican SS West Celina with a two-torpedoshot near Grenada. Above the bewilderedmerchantmen, the sky erupted in the phos­phorescent glare of starshell as ships swervedto avoid collision with the West Celina, theentire convoy veering away to port of theirprevious track and away from the directionof the torpedo attack. Above them, theHudson bomber plummeted on to the vagueoutline of Wattenberg's boat, betrayed by theswinging parachute flares, harassing U 162until Wattenberg was forced to break awayand retreat submerged.

At 0630 hours the glaring lights of thedistress flares became visible to starboard ofU 564, eighty-five miles north-west of BocaGrande, Trinidad. Teddy ordered course to be altered, and tenminutes later sighted the squat shadows of laden ships. The smudgeson the horizon quickly hardened into the convoy's profile, andperiodic flares continued to ca t an unnatural glow over the scene,the escort ships and aircraft attempting to dissuade any furthersurfaced U-boats from approaching. Teddy carefully pondered hisbest approach as he stalked from the darkness of the opposite beamto that which Wattenberg had attacked from.

After nearly half an hour of deliberation with his officers atop theU-boat's bridge, Teddy ordered his men to Battle Stations and beganhis surface run into the attack. Lawaetz manned the UZO as dieselspounded and the U-boat surged through the water. But the suddenand unexpected appearance of an enemy escort's slim silhouettecaused the German attackers to fire from a greater distance thanplanned: five single shots were loosed at the distant merchant shipsas U 564 swung to port and raced from the enemy, its final torpedoarcing away from the stern tube. Stopwatches began counting offthe seconds till impact, but, to the dismay of the entire crew, it wassoon discovered that they had fired prematurely, missing the targetsafter misjudging their distance, with the torpedoes streaking awayinto the darkness behind the convoy.

142 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Teddy in 'informal uniform' (left).on the bridge at mealtime.

Thus, as U 564 retreated to the east, the arduous task of reloadingfour tubes began again. Ehlers and his torpedo crew raced to lift thestored'eels' from the bilge, hoisting them with chains and pulleyson to the loading beams. Quickly greased and inspected within theirdelicate balance chambers for any defects, the deadly cylinders wererun into the tubes and made ready to fire.

One by one, the small bulb on the torpedo panel flickered intolife and by 0900 hours, barely an hour after the last attack, the boatwas cleared for action, tubes one to three and the stern tube, 05,ready to fire. It took a further hour for Suhren to place himself inwhat he considered the ideal firing position before U 564 began hersecond run-in. With the escort ships well to the convoy's front andan exposed flank beckoning to him, Suhren waited until his targetwere at a range of 1,000 metres and properly overlapping. Four shipswere selected: two large tankers estimated to be worth 8,000 tonseach; one large freighter of 7,000 tons and an average-size ship of5,000 tons-one torpedo for each. While Lawaetz again manned theUZO and lined the targeting device's crosshairs on each consecutiveobjective, Teddy gave the order to shoot. Lawaetz let loose a newbarrage at 1007 hours. The first two tubes fired almost simultan­eously, followed by tube three a minute later. The last to be launchedwas that from the stern tube, almost another two minutes after thelast shot and not until the U-boat had again been sent into a high­speed turn, swinging around so that the final shot could be madeonce more as they began their escape:

All four torpedoe hit as targeted. Two ships sank quickly, but it was impossibleto tell at the time whether one was a tanker or freighter. The other tanker, glowingbright red with an internal explosion, at first made a slow getaway as if to waitfor the sinking of the two other ships. [Then she] quickly sank to the sternpostsand [was] ... up to the bridge in water.

Suddenly an enemy escort began to take up the chase, aided bywhat Teddy took to be a British flying boat overhead. He orderedthat a rapid report be despatched to BdU that two tankers and twolarge freighters had been hit, totalling 28,000 tons - two confirmedsunk and two left in a sinking condition - finishing by reportinghimself under pursuit by a 'destroyer' and a flying boat. In fact, Suh­ren had hit and sunk two only of the targeted ships during his attack.The tanker SS British Consul and the freighter SS Empire Cloud hadboth staggered under the blow of torpedo impact and were slumpinglow into the water, the tanker immediately beginning to sink.

Ironically, both had been hit by German torpedoes before. On 19February 1942 the British Consul had been at anchor in the harbour at

WAR OFF THE A TILLES 143

'I

Port of Spain, Trinidad, when KaptLt. Albrecht Achilles had launcheda daring night-time surface attack within the closely guarded har­bour. Achilles hit two of the ships, the American steamer 55 Mokilwnnand the British Consu/. However, despite the double sinking, bothvessels settled on the shallow, silty harbour floor, where fires onboard were soon extinguished, and both were later salvaged andreturned to service.2 The second of Teddy's victim, the 55 EmpireCloud, had been badly damaged by torpedoes from' Adi' Schnee'sU 201 in May 1941 but had been abandoned and towed by the Dutchtug Thames into Reykjavik, returned to Greenock and repaired.

Suhren's torpedoes struck both ships almost at the same time, theeighteen-year-old British Consul taking two into her heavily loadedhull. Two men were killed instantly in the deafening initial blast,and the ship's master, James Kennedy, ordered his vessel abandonedby the forty remaining crewmen, the gunners and the single passen­ger. Fortunately for them, HMS Clarkia unhesitatingly closed the fort­unate survivors and hauled them aboard to safety.3 Behind them,the 6,940-ton tanker buckled and went to the bottom, carrying withher a valuable cargo of Trinidadian oil that had been bound for theUnited Kingdom.

Master Charles Cottew Brown's 55 Empire Cloud had also takencasualties from the blast. Three men lost theirlives within the merchantman's hull as waterflooded through the hole ripped in her sideby U 564. This was a brand new ship, com­pleted only the previous year as a part of thesame emergency buying or building 'Empire'programme which had produced the EmpireHnwksbill that Suhren had sunk from 05.34.Brown ordered his crew and the eightgunners carried aboard the 5,969-ton ship toprepare to abandon Empire Cloud as she listeddangerously and began to settle. The ship­wrecked survivors were gathered up by otherconvoy members, scattered between twodifferent ships and very thankful to have notbeen left behind.~ However, once again, theEmpire Cloud refused to go under. A Dutchtug based in Trinidad, the Roode Zee, laterattempted to tow the stricken vessel back toPort of Spain, but she eventually founderedon 21 August.

144 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Heinz Nordmann takes advantage ofone of the unusual featuresinstalled aboard U564 - a shower.'At the back of the diesel room onecould remove the floorboards andinto that space they built a bath.just big enough for one to sit in andalso to have a shower. We were ableto have a shower with the warmwater of the [engine] coolingsystem In those days we hadseawater soap . .. a marvellousidea!

Making a high-speed surface dash to sanctuary, Suhren managedto escape into the blanketing darkness, and the pursuing escort shipsoon gave up the chase. But the aircraft did not, and U 564 was finallyforced under at 1050 hours by a B-18 bomber that ran in from thedarkened heavens to fly close alongside, apparently in preparationfor an attack. The racket of the alarm claxon reverberated throughthe boat, flashing lights within the diesel room showing Krah andhis crew that the engines needed to be stopped immediately and allvalves opened to enable the boat to race for safety underwater. Withpractised ea e, U 564 hurtled below, the slim hull arrowing down­wards and away from her aerial tormentor. Within the dripping hull,the German crew could hear the unmistakable and chilling sound ofbulkheads collapsing aboard the 55 British Consul as the tankerheaded for the seabed. The rending of torn iron and steel echoedthrough the dense seawater and among the underwater canyons,bringing surprisingly little joy to the U-boat's crew, despite theirtriumph. The sound represented a disturbing reminder of the fate ofany vessel that lost its battle for survival during the bitter war atsea.

There was a momentary burst of frantic activity as U 564 duckedunder the water, her screws thrashing their way through the calm

surface and pushing the U-boat at full speeddownwards. The forward hydroplane oper­ator was unable to arrest the descent whenGabler asked planes to be set to level, havingto heave on the emergency wheel that sur­rounded his push-button mechanism. Slowly,the boat sinking ten metres every thirtyseconds, the hydroplanes began to work freeof the momentary jam and U 564 eased outof her downward plunge, finally to bebrought to trim at fifty metres.

After spending only fifteen minutes run­ning submerged, Teddy hoped to havethrown the enemy off his scent and orderedhydroplanes on rise and his boat surfacedonce again. ow the flying boat was furtheraway, scanning the Caribbean waters severalmiles forward of U 564's bow. But, withdarkness still shrouding the scene, Teddyreasoned that he could slip away still sur­faced and ordered full speed as he crossed

WAR OFF THE A TILLES 145

the convoy's wake, pounding just out of sight over the horizon onthe freighters' starboard flank and speeding ahead to position himselfonce again within firing range of the path of the oncoming depletedconvoy.

With the breaking of the brief equatorial dawn at 1130 hours (0630hours local time), U 564 dived to periscope depth, the steamers pre­dictably wallowing in a straight line from the north-we t and passingbefore Teddy's submerged boat, allowing a perfect underwaterattack. Slowly the merchantmen plodded into his field of fire, theirgreat lazy screws providing the familiar slow, rhythmic pulsethrough the water, until at 1356 hours, with his targets only 20 deg­rees off the starboard bow, Teddy commenced his third attemptedattack, this time launching his last two wakeless electric torpedoesin broad daylight.

At a depth of 13.5 metres, and with the pair of chosen targetspassing at a range of only 500m and 600m, Suhren ordered tubes 1and 2 fired. With such ideal positioning and slow-moving ships,Teddy must have felt almost assured of success. But, after only 59seconds the sound of an unexploded torpedo striking metal wasplainly audible, not only through the hydrophone gear but also tothe naked ear within the U-boat' s hull. Twenty seconds later a secondmetallic strike was heard, the whirr of the torpedo's small propellercut abruptly short. Both torpedoes had struck their targets, but theyhad been duds. Teddy fumed as he looked once more through hisperiscope, the first of his targets briefly stopped before re-joiningthe convoy and continuing unmolested. The irritated captain laterrecorded his weapons failure for a radio message to BdU:

[Torpedo] courses were right for the estimated distance. Settings 73degs, depth3m. Pistol detonator numbers 2790 ,32077, both from leaded containers ... Shortmetallic strike and after that no torpedo noise in the hydrophone. One steamertopped briefly.

Still two Atos, set off to load them in the 'Scholtz' area [south-east of Grenada].9 cbm. Contact broken off. Last position at 1600hrs, ED 392, course 315deg ,speed7 knots. Still 11 ships. Remaining at ED9424. Suhren.

After creeping away from the convoy for two hours, Teddy Suhrenbrought his boat once again to the surface to send his last contactand status report and attempt to put some distance between himselfand his enemy in order to facilitate the downloading of the finalremaining exterior stowed torpedo. The distant convoy could stillbe seen from the boat, and the ever-present aircraft continued to circleabove. Once again, this bane of the German submariner made anunwelcome appearance above U 564, flying directly for Teddy's boatand forcing yet another crash-dive to safety. 0 depth charges

146 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

followed, but shortly afterwards the distinctive sound of approachingpropellers heralded the arrival of two small patrol vessels to houndthe suspected U-boat beneath them, guided to the spot by the aircraft.Fearing the worst, Suhren's crew were visibly relieved when still nodepth charges followed, the two ships not being equipped withASDIC and thus unable to locate U 564. Still, their presence wasenough to dissuade further action during daylight as they lingeredabove the slowly moving U-boat until 2200 hours before graduallymoving away from the scene.

Despite Teddy's unintentionally inflated claims regarding sink­ings, his attack had still been relatively successful against this, theonly TAW(S) convoy to be hit by U-boats during the war. However,it had taken eleven torpedoes, hauled first by train from Kiel to Brestthen by U-boat from occupied France across the Atlantic Ocean, toachieve the destruction of two ships- hardly the most economicalsuccess rate.

As U 564 cruised slowly away from the scene of her latest struggle,the majority of the crew took the opportunity to unwind. With asingle compressed-air torpedo quickly loaded into tube 0 1, andno further torpedoes available within the hull, the task of reloadingthe final externally stored 'eel' would have to wait and the decisionto surface in secrecy and safety postponed to allow time to completethe task. Suhren also used the period to further advantage, writinggeneral notations in his War Diary about his experience of Caribbeanoperations. The comments, like those made by all commanders atsea, would later prove invaluable to Donitz, enabling him to attemptto perceive a 'first-hand' feel of the battle at sea.

U-boats must tay dived by. day, so as to remain unseen at all costs. They need totry to attack as often as po sible during the first night, ince it is almost impossibleto maintain contact on subsequent days, due to the bright night a well as smallpatrol boats. There is considerable danger of being bombed here by fast 'tractors'.

If there are too many boats in the convoy to be sunk, then a chosen U-boatmust move at top speed so as to get in the convoy's path three hours before dawn.This boat then needs to travel underwater at three to four knots in the samedirection as the convoy's course, so that it will have a good vantage point for theconvoy three to four hours before dusk. The crew can relax during the otherdaylight hours ...

This method of keeping in contact can only hold good for suitable sea areas,and could be successfully employed with one of the convoys coming out of theStrait of Gibraltar. The ldelegated] U-boat needs then, as a matter of course, toabandon an attack [in order to move ahead].

The safety of the convoy is assured by air cover, sea cover being relativelyweak. Once the convoy is spotted, set a course at the furthest possible point fromwhich it is visible and for thirty minutes take a parallel course with a speed whichallows you to overtake the enemy ...

WAR OFF THE A TILLES 147

Above the convoy, the planes have lights fitted, and on their circuits obviouslytravel over the boat. Since, however, [their] night vision is the arne as [ours],always keep sufficient distance. Then, at the edge of visibility, turn so that theconvoy is at 0 degrees. With a running fix, mount the attack from ahead.

When the plane approaches, the boat must still move forward a little in thewater and keep this up until the plane leaves the area. The aircraft will alwaysfirst throw a starshell, since till then it does not know whether it is dealing withthe white spray around one of its own patrol boats.

Once the ships are as far as possible all overlapping, shoot, turn and run. Savethe next freighter in line for the stern tube.

With hindsight, it can be seen that, by the time of Teddy's departurefrom the Caribbean battleground, the fickle fortunes of war hadalready turned against Germany's submariners within the tropics.The Allies' increasingly effective air power, their freshly introducedcentimetric radar, their growing escort strength and their hard-wonexperience were irretrievably altering the balance of power in theirfavour. The cramped confines of the Caribbean soon became too riskyfor high concentrations of U-boats, and by early September thosestill in the region were moved towards Trinidad and further east tothe junction of the Trinidad and New York convoy routes. The narrowchokepoints linking the Atlantic with the Caribbean that U-boats hadinitially used against their merchant prey now worked against them,since Allied power was able to smother over the slender passagesand render them extremely hazardous for U-boat penetration.

148 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

6 Artillery Attack, Promotion, Home20 AUGUST TO 18 SEPTEMBER

U564 continued to travel mainly submerged by day, owing tothe threat posed by enemy aircraft. Inside the submarine, thetemperature soared as the boat lay at depth within the warm

Caribbean Sea. As dusk arrived, Teddy would bring the boat to thesurface to change the fetid air within the hull and allow the depletedbatteries to be charged by diesel-driven generators. The appearanceof two distant freighters and a single corvette escort triggered analarm-dive on 21 August. Teddy studied the situation by periscope,but realised that the target was too far away to intercept.

It was not until late that night that he deemed the area secureenough to allow the block-and-tackle rigged to remove the last storedtorpedo from its container below the hardwood decking. Beneath anidyllic tropical night sky, the crew laboured for seventy minutes tofree the cumbersome'eel' from its compartment, opening the forwardloading hatch and lowering it gently inside the hull, where it wasmanoeuvred into tube two. The last pair of 'eels' were ready to fire,and Suhren cruised towards the south-east from Grenada, passingthe latter's southern tip during the day and even allowing Haring toattach his Leica camera to the navigation periscope and photographPoint Salines and the sweep of the bay in which nestled the island'scapital, St George's.

Behind St George's were the only two major gun emplacementson the island, the first at Richmond Hill, now the site of Grenada'sprison, the other at Ross Point. However, the batteries offered littlemore than psychological comfort for the local Commonwealth popu­lace, the Southern Caribbean Defence Force having been instructednot to fire on any sighted U-boats for fear of retaliation. In any event,they lacked sufficient firepower to do so effectively, even if permitted.

With priority again on target acquisition, U 564 spent more timetravelling surfaced, bringing upon herself another air attack on 24August as the boat was thrown into a crash-dive when lookoutsspotted the approaching threat. Five depth charges chased thembelow, but they caused little damage. A second alarm-dive only fiveminutes after resurfacing forced a rethink, and Teddy elected to

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTION, HOME 149

depart the area submerged once more, daring to surface only afterseveral hours had passed.

The tropical heat was beginning to inflict the inevitable detrimentaleffects on those men who were laregly confined below decks. Rashesand sores made their belated appearance, although 5uhren was deter­mined to avoid the appalling conditions often found aboard a combatboat:

We also made sure of hygiene, which was difficult. The men didn't receive a lotof water to wash themselves with. They grew beards, and none of this helpedcleanliness. So then our chief engineer (Gabler) and his diesel officer (Krah)decided that something had to be done. At the back of the diesel room one couldremove the floor boards, and into that space they built a bath, just big enough forone to sit in and also to have a shower. We were able to have a shower with thewarm water of the [engine] cooling system. In those days we had seawatersoap ... a marvellous idea! All we had to do now was to keep check on who wasdue, and then everyone received a litre of fresh water to finally rinse himself offwith. That paid off very well, because the crew, even inthis tremendous heat, felt very comfortable. We also hadon board a freshwater producer, but it took one litre ofdiesel to produce one litre of freshwater'

As U 564 continued her hunt, on 25 Augustthe crew's patience appeared to be rewardedwhen signals were received from Wattenbergaboard U 162: 'Heavy NE-5W traffic moving onshipping route near quads 72-82. Air cover.'This was the lead that Teddy had needed, andU 564 altered course to the north-east in orderto converge upon Wattenberg's reported traffic.Elsewhere, near Haiti and off the Virgin Islands,U-boats were reporting scattered successes, andit was not long before Wattenberg did the same.An updated message arrived during 26 August:'Heavy traffic in EE 5773 and 5781 observed.Yesterday two fast ships EE 57, course 5W hunt­ed in vain.' But Wattenberg's next attack yieldedfruit, and he was soon able to report the sinkingof the 55 Thelma.

Meanwhile Teddy's inability to find poten­tial targets forced him to retrace his steps west­wards before swinging towards Tobago insearch of what, in his report to BdU, he called a'new goldmine'. It was not long in coming.

During the early hours of the penultimate dayof August, but still before midnight local time,

150 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

With only two air-driven torpedoesremaining after the struggle againstTAW (5), Suhren elected to takeU564 to the east of the WindwardIsles and wait astride what wasknown as the 'Scholz' route formerchant shipping. During thedarkness of early morning on 30August U564 attacked its finaltarget, the MV Vardaas. The battletook place in darkness, but thesephotographs of an artillery practiceshoot illustrate the method ofattack. Here (below) RichardSteinert emerges from the tower aspart of the gun crew.

Paul Stephan also emerges from thehatch (below centre), carrying thethick harnesses that the gun crewwould wear on deck. Behind him theammunition slide is being opened.Within the boat's interior, bothHeinz Mattern and Wilhelm Biggewere involved in hauling the 8.8cmammunition from below the decksand out of the individual shellcontainers (below right).

U 564 cruised in conditions reminiscent of a stereotypical picturepostcard. A gentle easterly wind barely brushed the water, the seastate reduced to quiet undulations that did no more than gently rockthe boat as she sailed north-east of Tobago. A thin layer of cloudpassed periodically in front of the bright moonlight that allowedexcellent visibility to the men on watch. During the periodic sweepof binoculars over the distant horizon, one small area of shadow tostarboard, darker than the surrounding night, began to materialise.Calling Teddy to the bridge, Waldschmidt studied the distant shadowconferring with his captain and bringing the boat on to a potentialintercept course. Gradually the shape hardened into the unmistakablesilhouette of a solo sailing tanker, her long hull riding high in theCaribbean waters, betraying a ship travelling in ballast. U 564 wasput into high speed as Teddy brought the boat arcing to starboardand placed her at right angles to the tanker's general course.

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTION, HOME 151

/

to Colombo, always sailing without escort. The last time the crewhad entered Colombo, on Easter morning, they had suffered damageduring a Japanese air attack, strafed repeatedly although not attackedwith bombs and suffering no casualties and only minor damage.

ow her voyage from Cape Town to Trinidad was to enddramatically, as at 0612 hours Teddy ordered the first of his last pairof air torpedoes to be fired. The tanker had just completed one ofher predictable changes of course, heading 230 degrees, when theG7a in tube 0 2 was ejected from the U-boat and began its finaljourney, Teddy had estimated that it should hit in less than a minute,and thirty seconds after launch the dull rumble of an explodingtorpedo resounded through the water. It was a direct hit.

Raising his periscope up for a quick look at his quarry, Teddy couldplainly see men racing for their lifeboat stations, the ship swinginglazily to port as her screw stopped revolving, although she appearedto be neither burning nor sinking. But with such obvious distressthere seemed little danger, and U 564 was brought to the surface toadminister the coup de grace. Cautiously, Teddy edged his boat nearerin preparation for a final broadside shot, watching warily for anysign of gunners attempting to man the single, stern-mounted artillerypiece, Oddly, there was no distress message from the hapless tank­er - something that her master would later be harshly criticised for.Within ten minutes, the entire thirty-nine-man crew and her twoBritish gunners had abandoned the Vardaas and left her to drift

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTION, HOME 153

Another photograph (far left) ofKrah and Bigge were involved inbringing the 8.Bcm ammunition frombelow the decks.Once unpacked, the shells werepassed man from man through theboat and out of the conning tower.There they were put on to a smallslide to the outer deck level.On deck, the ammunition wasretrieved by the loaders (Isft). Tothe right is Richard Steinert, to theleft the boat's cook, HermannHausruckinger. With the absence ofErnst Schlittenhard from the guncrew, Hausruckinger resumed theduty that he had undertaken as partof the crew before his transfer tothe post of boat's chef during thiscruise.

152 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Shortly after arriving at his chosen position, Teddy was compelledto dive, the ambient moonlight being too bright to allow a successfulsurfaced approach. Fortunately for him, the unwitting merchantmanwas making regular ten-minute zigzags at right angles to her course,and one such alteration would bring her headed on an unwaveringline directly before U 564's torpedo tubes.

The ship that Suhren was tracking through his attack periscopewas the 8,176-ton, Kiel-built, orwegian MT Vardaas. Captained byHans Rustad, the large tanker had been in Admiralty service since1940 as a part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary after the fall of orway tothe Germans. Vardaas had spent most of spring 1942 engaged intransporting oil from the British naval base at Trincomalee, Ceylon,

I

II

Standing at right with his back to the camera is Bootsmann HeinzWebendOrfer (main illustration). He was chief of the gun crew on deck andoccupied the starboard ranging sight--<lne of two either side and the onlyone clipped in place during this shoot.(Inset) Hausruckinger prepares to ram his shell home into the breech.

I

I

listlessly in the gentle swell. By then, as the lifeboats pulled clear,Teddy had already elected to use his final' eel' to destroy the ship,diving to make another submerged attack. Carefully lining up histarget, he ordered the torpedo launched and Ehlers hammered downon the firing handle. To the alarm of all hands within the forwardtorpedo room, the unmistakable sound of the torpedo's smallpropellers pierced the silence, penetrating through the tube itself.The torpedo was a 'hot runner' and had somehow snagged itselfwithin the tube, the small compressed air motor bursting into life asthe 'eel' lay trapped within the boat. The danger of the prematureexplosion of a 'Friihziinder' torpedo was very real, and Ehlers andhis torpedo men frantically cranked the tube doors further open. Thetorpedo eventually sprang free of confinement, and, veering erratic­ally off course, disappeared into the darkness.

Frustrated by his inability to finish off the darkened ship, Teddywaited for the lifeboats to pull well clear before surfacing once moreand calling the gun crew into action. While Waldschmidt climbedthe tower as artillery officer, Webendorfer led his men on to thesodden deck casing, heavy harnesses securing them to the boat inthe darkness. Within the hull, the ammunition was broken out of itsstore beneath the decking next to the commander's 'cabin', unloadedfrom each individual metal container and passed laboriously by handthrough the conning tower hatch and out to the waiting gun crew.As each round slid down the small chute that folded down from theconning tower's front, it was taken and held in readiness for use by

156 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The gun is trained and ready to fire(left), and the photograph showsthe small slide in the foregroundwith fresh ammunition. The cableholding the tampion is also visible,coiled around the gun barrel. Whenunscrewed from the barrel, thewatertight tampion was screwedinto a holder at the base of the gunmount.

In the early morning darkness,shells impacted the MV Vardaasuntil she eventually slipped beneaththe waves (below). Haring'sphotograph is of dubious quality,but it nonetheless shows the flamesof the impact of S.Scm artillery firebattering the Norwegian tanker.

the two loaders on hand for the task. At 0710 hours the gun barkedits first shot.

Over the next twenty-five minutes, fifty shells streaked across thenarrow gap that separated the two vessels, thirty-five of them im­pacting on Vardaas in a brilliant pyrotechnic display. Amid theshooting there were several misfires, caused perhaps by splitcartridge cases or defective production within the ammunition, butthere were still enough hits to settle the issue of Vardaas' survival.The Norwegian tanker was soon burning and sinking lower into thesea, long billowing flames leaping from the holds and the combustiblefumes from cargoes long past.

Finally the crescendo of cannon fire ceased. Webendorfer and histriumphant crew secured the heavy tampion on to the gun barreland removed the delicate sighting equipment for their return belowdecks. The tanker continued to burn fiercely as Teddy ordered courseset away from the area and out to open sea: '0750hrs. EE 9923. Shotour bolt. Head for home.'

ARTiLLERY ATTACK, PROMOTION, HOME 157

I

II

Behind them, the orwegian continued to burn through the restof the day, sighted by a USAAF B-18 bomber in a 'sinking condition'before she finally succumbed to the inrushing water and went underon 31 August. The forty-one shipwrecked survivors, mainly or­wegians but including one Belgian, one Australian, one Dane, twoBritons and fourteen Chinese, had in the meantime landed safely inPlymouth Bay only hours after the initial attack.

As Donitz acknowledged receipt of Suhren's me sage ignallingthe beginning of his return, BdU staff were also receiving reportsfrom Wattenberg's U 162 of their latest success. On 31 AugustWattenberg radioed BdU to arrange a fuel transfer with any nearbyU-boat, his bunkers too low to allow any margin of safety for anAtlantic crossing. Ironically, U 564 was now in a position to be ofassistance to the larger boat by transferring a small amount of dieselfuel that would be surplus to requirements for the return journey.Thus, once again, U 564 rendezvoused with Wattenberg, this timetransferring oil from the Type VII in grid square ED4963 east of StLucia. The smaller boat's refuelling from the Milchkuh U 463 hadprovided enough diesel to be able to spare two cubic metres forWattenberg, providing a small reserve fuel level for U 162. Themeeting was brief, perilously exposed during the fifteen-minute fueltransfer, anti-aircraft guns manned and men of both crews not neededfor the fuelling standing at Battle Stations. The boats headed parallelwith one another, only a dozen metres of water separating the two,hoses snaking from one to the other as the fuel was pumped aboardU 162. After the successful refuelling Wattenberg radioed hissituation to Lorient. It was to be his last signal.

Two days later, as U 162 lingered in the shipping lanes betweenBarbados and Trinidad, Wattenberg attempted to attack what he tookto be a single destroyer. In fact it was trio of British destroyers­HMS Pathfinder, Quentin and Vimy- travelling for Trinidad andconvoy duty. Wattenberg fired a single torpedo minutes afterPathfinder obtained ASDIC contact and changed course to intercept.The torpedo was seen, and Wattenberg was subjected to violent andaccurate depth charges. With mounting damage, Wattenberg choseto escape surfaced as night fell, but Vimy, equipped with the newType 271 centimetric radar, obtained a firm contact and gave chase,opening fire shortly afterwards as the sleek German boat came intoview. Wattenberg tried a last desperate ruse, firing two red flaresinto the sky, temporarily blinding Vimy's lookouts, and then swingingto port as Vimy attempted to ram. The two ships began a last battleof close turning circles, before Wattenberg gave in and ordered his

Bereft of ammunition, U564headed home. An opportunity wastaken to pass some fuel to U '62before departing the westernAtlantic. Here (upper photograph)the two boats sail side by side asthe diesel transfer begins, U 162 tothe right.The stern 3.7cm gun on U 162 'sdeck was of little real use (lower).Holding a rate of fire too slowagainst enemy aircraft and a calibretoo small against enemy ships, itwas not often used.

158 U-BOAT WAR PA TROL ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 159

boat scuttled. As his crew raced for the open deck, Vimy impactedupon U 162, her port screw smashing through the V-boat's pressurehull at the engine room. The hardened German steel proved toostrong, and Vimy's port propeller sheared off. While the German crewleapt from their boat, Vimy limped away. The British destroyer'scaptain was determined to ensure the demise of the now stationaryV-boat and dropped a single depth charge below the sinking boatwhich exploded in the water and injured many of the alreadystruggling survivors. U 162' LI, Obit (Ing.) Edgar Stierwald, was thelast man aboard, engaged in ensuring the boat's scuttling as the depthcharge exploded. He never came out, and U 162 upended and wentunder. Wattenberg and forty-eight of his men were pulled from thesea, Stierwald and one other remaining unaccounted for. 2

As Wattenberg began his last desperate battle against the British,the men of U 564 were far out into the expansive Atlantic, alreadyrelaxing as the boat neared the boundary of the maximum range ofany Allied land-based aircraft. The constant stream of radio trafficthat clouded the ether was compiled and decoded by the rotatingradio watches, one message received on 2 September raising

160 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

As seen from U564 's conningtower, the fuel line is passed acrossto the Type IX U-boat (above).Dangerously exposed and unable todive rapidly with so any men abovedecks, U564 had her refuellingcompleted within fifteen minutes(above right), after which she setcourse for France.Teddy, lawaelz and Gabler withinthe Officers' Mess aboard U 564(right). The bottles at right, on thesmaUtable, hold rum, 20 litres ofwhich was taken to sea aboard theboat.

considerable interest for Elkerhausen's men. Quietly, the transcribedmessage was shown to Lawaetz and the other officers and loggedseparately from the rest, awaiting further news from Germany.

A single ship was sighted during the afternoon of 4 September,the funnels of an 'Australia type' freighter emerging above the flat

horizon. However, with no tor­pedoes, and unsure of the ves­sel's defensive weaponry, Teddywisely chose discretion ratherthan a potentially perilous gunattack and avoided contact withthe ship, which continued oncourse to the west unmolested.

It was nine days after the firstof the intriguing messages hadbeen received aboard U 564 thatTeddy learned of their existence.Settling down to an afternoonrest in the small wardroom, he

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 161

was alarmed at the sudden absenceof sound from his diesel engines.Fearing some new problems with hisprecious boat, he raced for theControl Room. There he was per­plexed by a sudden lack of activitywithin the usually businesslike nervecentre of the boat. Gabler, beamingfrom ear to ear, walked over to hiscaptain and announced that the crewwere going on deck to congratulatehim. Puzzled at this somewhat enig­matic statement, Teddy followedGabler outside, hoisting himself outof the conning tower hatch andfinding the majority of his menalready drawn up on the stern deckin three orderly ranks. Whilelookouts continued to scour the hori­zons and the sky, Teddy climbeddown on to the deck. There Gablerheld several decoded message slipsin his hand and, with all the dignitythat he could muster, proceeded toread them before the assembledcrew. The various messages had beendespatched from the pinnacle of theGerman naval hierarchy in westernEurope:

In recognition of your proven heroism Igrant to eighteen men of the German Armed Forces the Oak Leaves with Swordsto the Knight' ero . Adolf Hitler.

OKM to Suhren. On the conferral of the Oak Leaves with Swords, I convey to youmy most heartfelt congratulation in grateful acknowledgment of the out tandingsuccesses that you and your crew have accomplished. With comradely greeting.Your commander-in-chief, Oberbefelrlslraber der Marille [Raeder].

Most heartfelt congratulation on the high award, Oberbefelrlslraber Wesl [AdmiralSaalwachter].

To Suhren: Most hearty congratulations for the high award. Your proud flotilla.

However, this was not the only honour that had been bestowedupon the commander, and shortly afterwards Gabler announced thesecond award:

162 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The Kriegstagebuch was hand­written and updated by the boarscaptain during the patrol. Once theboat had reached port, this logbook would then be typed andprepared for presentation to BdU,as Donitz used it to reconstruct inhis mind the events of the mission,judging for himself the conduct ofthe boat and crew.

To Suhren: I am delighted to be able to inform you, with my heartfelt congratu­lations, of your promotion to Kon'effellkapitiill in token of your exceptionallydi tingui hed service again t the enemy. ObdM, Raeder.

Heartfelt best wishes, Heillllld Sieg. BdU

The double bestowal of both a promotion in rank and the secondhighest of all military honours was an amazing accomplishment. Hewas handed his jacket to put on as Nordmann, Gabler and Ander­heyden affixed new'piston rings' to his sleeves and wider oak leavesfor his peaked cap, all cut from tin cans that Hausruckinger had putaside within his tiny galley. A small leather-bound book, bearingthe Wnppen of the three black cats, was under construction by thecrew, each radio message meticulously recorded within its delicatepages and the book signed by every member of his crew.

Haring photographed the entire event, finally mustering as manyof the crew as he could on the stern decking in order to capture themoment for posterity. Once Haring had finished, and before dis­missing the men, Teddy gave his own speech for their benefit,praising their performance and reminding them that a captain wasonly as good as his crew. Then the diesels fired once more and U 564headed home.

Suhren's was not the only good news received by radio. At 0747hours on 15 September, Oberlllnschinenmnnt Fritz Hummel receivedhis own message from both his wife and BdU: 'Our Heinz has arrived.Anni'; and'All well and heal thy. BdU'. The birth of his first son - a'small U-boat with periscope' -was a momentous occasion forHummel, and one that the crew marked by pasting a child'sphotograph, cut from the pages of a magazine, within the boat's radiolog to mark the event. Sadly, Fritz Hummel would never live to seehis son's first birthday as he was killed in action with U 564 duringthe following year.

Once approaching the range of European aircraft, U 564 was forcedto make several crash-dives to avoid them, particularly as the boatedged into the Bay of Biscay. The final leg of their journey held thegreatest peril of air attack since leaving the Caribbean, but it waswith some relief that several alarm dives were found to have beencaused by Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors flying overhead, not the RAFpredators that roamed the approaches to France.

Before nearing Biscay, Suhren had ordered fresh haircuts and eithershaves or trimmed beards for his crew. Contrary to the customaryarrival of heavily bearded men from such a long cruise, Suhren wasdetermined that his men would arrive in port looking spruced andhealthy after their patrol.

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 163

By dusk on 18 September, U 564had again reached point 'Kern',radioing the flotilla headquarters andwaiting for the escort ships to arrive,which they did shortly after dawn thefollowing day. Two small Vorposten­boote, converted trawlers of the 7thVorpostenflottille, sailed slowly intoview, shepherding the larger Sperr­brecher 6/Magdeburg. The Magdeburgwas quite typical of the type of shipused as Sperrbreciler by the Kriegs­marine. Built by Hamburg's Blohm &Voss yards in 1925, initially for theGerman-Australian Steamer Line, shehad been taken over by Hamburg­Amerika Line in 1926. On 4 Octobershe entered Kriegsmarine service as aSperrbrecher, literally meaning 'barrierbreaker'. Her 137-metre-Iong hullcarried a formidable array of flakweaponry - two 10.5cm cannon, three3.7cm twin flak cannon, two four­barrelled Vierling 2cm AA weaponsand six Raketenwerfer anti-aircraftrocket projectors.

As far back as 1940, when the German avy first took possessionof French Atlantic ports, the British had begun to increase thetempo of their minelaying operations, initially using contact-fusedmine. The advent of the Sperrbrecher was a rather unusual methodemployed to combat this menace to German shipping. Thesevessels were converted cargo ships designed primarily for clearingpassages through minefields, though not as traditional mine­sweepers. The technique employed in the early stages of the warwas simply to sail the ship into the suspected minefield anddetonate any that lay in its path. With cargo holds filled withbuoyant material (usually cork) it was reasoned that the Sperr­brecher would be difficult to sink, and some of the explosive impactwould be absorbed. The early barrage breakers, understandably,suffered heavy casualties, and often no amount of impact­absorbing material could prevent the ship's keel from snapping intwo.

164 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

As events showed aboard U564,the cramped, humid interior of asubmarine often played havoc with.man's physical well-being. Aritualobserved by both Suhren andGabler while within the 'Atlantic Gap'was the morning walk (above).Several lengths of the stern deckevery day helped keep them fit,particularly Suhren, who sufferedback pain from long stationaryperiods on the bridge. Moreover,the momentary ability to findsolitude allowed the two men to talkwithout being overheard.

When safely within the 'Air Gap', anddunng days of clear visibility, alarge portion of the off-duty crewwere once again allowed abovedecks to benefit from the sunshineand fresh air (below) Lookouts stillscrutinised the distant horizons.

With the introduction of magnetic and acoustic mines, newtechniques were required, although the Sperrbreciler remained at theheart of U-boat escort duties. Coupled with their minesweeping tasks,the Sperrbrecl7er were found by the pilots of the Allied Strike Wingsthat operated against enemy shipping to be tough nuts to crack, theRAF term for them being 'heavy flak ships'.

The escort ships had arrived not only for Suhren's boat. As U 564fell into line behind them, flotilla-mate U 203 joined the small convoythat approached the granite cliffs of the Breton coast. Unlike theirlast meeting, however, it was a subdued boat cutting her patrol shortthat ran into view behind U 564: Rolf Mtitzelburg had made one last,fatal, head-first dive from the conning tower of his boat a weekpreviously, and U 203 was being brought home by the IWO, ObltzSHans Seidel. Sadly, Suhren's warning to Mtitzelburg during theirJuly meeting within the Atlantic had ultimately proved to be correct.

Mtitzelburg had returned from thatpatrol to Brest and a triumphant re­ception, and was flown shortly after-wards to Berlin with'Adi' Schnee toreceived the Oak Leaves in personfrom Adolf Hitler in the ReichChancellery. After their joint cere-

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 165

The reason for allowing the crewabove decks only in areas ofrelative security is obvious fromthese three photographs (left). Inthe event of a crash·dive, each ofthese men would have to reach thesingle conning tower hatch and, oneby one, drop inside. The extra timethat this would entail beforesubmergence could spell disasterduring an air attack. There was littleformality between ranks aboard a U·boat, particularly when the crewwere not on duty. Shown gatheredon the 'Wintergarten 'to enjoy thesunshine are a cross·sedion of theboat's Maate and Matrosen.Personal hygiene was diHicult atbest aboard a combat boat, evenwhen she was able to surface andthe crew could come above decks(right, upper). Lice were often aproblem, and could race throughthe confined crew if unchecked. Anyarea of body hair could harbour theirritating creatures, and the problemwas exacerbated by the irritationcaused by the tropical temper.atures. Removal of the oHendinghair with scissors was one solutionto the predicament.Despite the relaxed atmosphere ofa boat returning without ammunitionand within the 'Air Gap', vigilanceremained crucial to survival (right,lower).

mony, Donitz exercised his standard pro­cedure of offering staff positions to both men.By rotating highly decorated officers to staffor training duties, new recruits could benefitfrom their front-line experience. As well asthat obvious reason, the possibility of anothersevere blow to morale in the event of the herobeing sunk, such as had happened followingthe grievous losses of Prien, Schepke andKretschmer during 1941- still felt keenly thefollowing year within the Kriegsmarine andGerman people as a whole-was averted.However, as much as he attempted topersuade his captains, cajoling them to bendto his will, the choice ultimately remained inthe hands of the commander himself. WhileSchnee accepted the offer to join the BdUstaff, Mlitzelburg did not want to leave U 203and elected to remain on board for at leastone more cruise.

On 27 August U 203 had sailed once more,bound for the western Atlantic. Fifteen dayslater, during a swimming break beyond therange of aircraft south-west of the Azores,Mlitzelburg had dived head-first from theconning tower. At the moment he sprang intothe air the U-boat rolled in a long lazy swelland he struck the saddle tank with his headand shoulder. Dragged back aboard in agony,he was taken below, where he died of hisinjurie early the next day, 12 September1942. The doctor aboard U 462 examined thebody before Mlitzelburg was confined to thedeep in a formal burial at sea.

Although most aboard U 564 mourned theloss of the ebullient Mlitzelburg, death at seahad become a common denominator amongstthe entire U-boat service. As with mostfighting men, the celebration of life becameall-important, and Suhren's conning towerbecame crowded with men eager for aglimpse of the French landscape. Tightly

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 167

coiled victory pennants,painstakingly hand­painted during the bore­dom of the return journey,were attached to the headof the retracted attack peri­scope, waiting for thegrand unfurling. Atop thetube were also two crossedswords, made within theworkshop ,that graced theforward end of the dieselroom and designed to cele­brate Suhren's award.

Beneath a brilliant bluesky, the convoy headed easttowards Brest. Passing thebarren outcrops that con­stituted the Ouessant Isles,eventually the abandonedruins of the monastery atPointe St-Mathieu becamevisible, the incongruousmodern lighthouse, now aGerman observation andnavigation station, standingimmediately to seaward ofit. As the Rade de Brestenveloped U 564 within itsbeautiful rocky coastline,the periscope was extendedand nine victory pennants fluttered proudly above the heads of thevictorious crew. Lining both edges of the entrance channel to Brestlay heavy concrete bunkers, containing the large-calibre weapons ofthe Kriegsl11arine's coastal artillery, their crews emerging to wave tothe small group of vessels welcoming the U-boat crew home. Thecurious mixture of medieval, Napoleonic and German fortresses layat either flank of U 564 as she entered the Goulet de Brest, the slimchannel that provided such excellent shelter and easily protectedaccess to Brest's military harbour. More squat concrete sheltershoused torpedo tubes that guarded the narrowest point of the Goulet,vessels being obliged to travel along two distinct marked channels

168 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Obersteuermann Karl Limburg andBootsmannmaat Karl·Ernst Thiel'shoot Ihe sun' to oblain anavigational fix (lop).During the relurn voyage, Suhrenauthorised Ihe boat to stop for apractice largel shOal, in which muchof the stored flak ammunition was

used. Here (above) Teddy himselfmans the Zem cannon, Wagner andKalbach acting as loaders.

Wagner takes his own lurn atshooting (below). In Ihe distancethere appears to be what amounts

to a 'smoke float' target for Ihegunner to aim at.

separated by the jagged edges of Toulbroch Reef that had claimedthe lives of careIe s mariners for as long as the port had existed.

A small launch approached U 564, and several fellow-officers ofthe 1st U-Flotilla came aboard the boat, accompanied by Dr Richter,the flotilla's surgeon. The state of Suhren's men after seventy daysat sea impressed Richter. They had lost little weight and appearedgroomed and healthy to his brief spot checks. But the effect of solong a period at sea wa lingering with Suhren:

I myself felt in some way a different person. The officers standing around me seemedmore distant, their laughter more remote. But there wa no reason why it should havebeen different. After previou patrols Ihadn't felt the same way, thi sensation of 'beingapart'. Perhaps the stress of all those weeks of being responsible for them hadn't wornoff yet. But the feeling of being isolated didn't go away'

Perchance it was the result of his longest war patrol that enduredwithin the young commander as his boat approached harbour and

safety, or maybe it was theknowledge that this was his lastcombat patrol and he had survived,the nearby U 203 a sure reminder ofthe many friends who had not. one­theless, Suhren's daze and distancegradually evaporated with theapproaching spectacle of Brest beforehim. The ancient chateau thatcrowned the waterfront to starboard,the magnificent aval Academyflotilla headquarters and the im­posing concrete -boat bunkerscreated an indelible image of Brest atwar as an occupied city. The broadmedieval streets that arced over thecity's hilltop held a multitude ofFrenchmen and Germans alike asU 564 approached the waterfrontdocks that vividly showed theravages of Allied aerial bombardmentthat had hit its stride in 1941 whenthree German capital ships had beenmoored in the harbour or ensconcedin drydock. The 1st U-Flotilla'sadjutant delayed U 564 from enteringthe basin of the military harbour until

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 169

the waiting reception ceremony hadbeen completely organised, allowingSuhren to enter the walled enclaveonly once things were in order.

U 564 switched over to silent electricmotors and eased gracefully towardsthe pier head opposite the gapingbunker entrance. However, even thesimple act of ending his patrol resultedin one of the most memorable displaysof Suhren's sense of humour. Beneaththe gaze of a huge assembly of avyand Army officers, Brest's mayor andmayoress and a naval guard of honour,U 564 approached the pier. Within thecrush of excited people, Suhren's keeneyes spotted his good friend Horst'Hein' Uphoff, commander of U 84 andfellow-cadet from the Crew of 35. Up­hoff, as renowned as Suhren for hisfree spirit as well as the many ribaldpolitical jokes he would recite at theexpense of various Nazi Party mem­bers, had recently arrived from hisown patrol within the Gulf of Mexico,

170 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Oberbootsmannmaat HeinrichBartels takes his turn to shoot (leftand below). Suhren had oncecomplained in person to Hitler thatthe flak weapon was prone torusting on operational voyages,despite constant attention from itscrew. However, despite Hitler'sinstant demands to ArmamentsMinister Albert Speer for theproblem to be addressed, it wasnever fully solved.

The health and appearance of him­self and his crew remained con­stantly at the forefront of Suhren'sthinking during his final war patrol.He wished to arrive at Brest lookingfresh and clean despite two monthsat sea. As U564 crossed the mid­Atlantic. Richard Steinert gaveTeddy's hair a final trim (right).(Below) Still safe from the threat ofaircraft, Lawaetl (left of picture)and Suhren enjoy slumbering al

fresco.After weeks at sea, maintenancecontinued to remain of paramountimportance. A loose deck plate onU564 's Wintergarten causedproblems (below right), not onlybecause of the noise generatedduring underwater travel but alsobecause the air intake for the dieselroom was immediately below.

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 173

Teddy always took a personalinterest in such areas of main­tenance. Here (far left). rousedfrom his bunk and still clad inpyjamas, he assists his men inrectifying the fault.If all else fails, use the hammerI Inthis photograph (left). anotherdistinctive identifying feature ofTeddy Suhren's is visible: on his lefthand is a small ruby ring, anheirloom that had been within theSuhren family for 300 years by thetime it came to Teddy.

On 1 September 1942, all availablecrew were drawn up on the sterndeck for the surprise announcementof Teddy's award of the Swords tohis Knight's (ross and Oak Leaves,as well as his promotion toKorvettenkapitan.

Maintenance continues (left) on theloose loose deck plate on U564 's'Wintergarten '.

172 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

reaching Brest five days previously. The effects of both the increasingpressure of improving American defences and the celebrations atsurvival that had stretched on for days following his return had lefttheir mark on Uphoff, and he appeared tired and drawn to Teddy'seyes.

Acting with more spontaneity than careful deliberation, Teddybellowed across the narrowing gulf of water by megaphone: 'Well

174 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

(Left. top) 'In recognition of yourproven heroism I grant to eighteenmen of the German Armed Forcesthe Oak Leaves with Swords to theKnight's Cross. Adolf Hitler.' ... 'ToSuhren: I am delighted to be able toinform you. with my heartfeltcongratulations, of your promotionto Korvettenkdpi/an in token of yourexceptionally distinguished serviceagainst the enemy. ObdM. Raeder.'Promotion to KorveHenkapitanrequired new rank insignia (left andabove). and thus Gabler, Nordmannand Anderheyden attached thethree broad 'piston rings' toTeddy's jacket and wider oak leavesto the brim of his cap. all cut fromtin cans hoarded within Hausruck­inger's galley.

Hein, are the azis still at the helm?' Faces blanched and most of theassembled crowd looked uncomfortably at each other beforemurmurs of assent drifted back to U 564. Upon hearing that theywere, Teddy promptly shouted for both engines full astern andbacked U 564 towards open sea again, much to the quiet amusementand embarrassed glances of his waiting friends.

As the way came off his boat and Teddy's men threw their heavymooring lines to the waiting hands ashore, U 564 came to rest againstthe hull of a derelict barge that acted as floating pontoon within thetidal basin. Alongside the naval personnel and French and Germandignitaries were several Army officers, recently returned from Russiafor a period of recuperation in the backwater of Brittany. Un­fortunately, in their enthusiasm to get closer to the U-boat, severalof them walked from the jetty on to the barge's makeshift roof,collapsing it and causing several serious injuries.

As Suhren later ruefully remarked once the ambulances had takenthe hapless Army officers away, 'Even in port, U 564 did pretty wellfor excitement!'

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 175

176 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

The twin recognition of promotionand the award of Germany's secondhighest decoration for valour hadtruly elevated Teddy Suhren to thepantheon of the elite: only fourother men within the U-boat servicereceived the Crossed Swords totheir Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves.However, Teddy was keenly awarethat his crew had played anenormous role in his own combat

record, and, never one to ignore! hismen, he spent several minutesspeaking to them of their part in hisown personal rewards.Once the speech was over, the timecame for Haring to record the eventfor posterity. In the photographbelow right he can be seen using asmall cine camera to film part of thecrew; Teddy looks on.

The first of several posed crewshots taken by Haring is shownbelow left. However, Teddyconsidered that not enough of hismen were featured in the first seriesof photographs and eventually allbut an absolute skeleton crew wereassembled on the stern deck torecord the momentous occasion(below right).

/

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 179

(Right) The small convertedtrawlers of Brest's 7thVorpostenflotilla bore the brunt ofescort duties for incoming andoutgoing U-boats. Robust andseaworthy, the trawlers were inconstant danger from air attack, andtheir elimination was soon placed atapriority among the tasks of theRAF as a means to disrupt U-boatsailings. In the foreground here canbe seen the crossed swordsconstructed in U 564 's workshopand affi,ed to the attack periscopeto celebrate Teddy's award. Theboat's commissioning pennant isalready streaming from the smallcommanders flagpole-a traditionfor returning boats.The smaller trawlers were soonjoined by the larger converted mer­chant 5perrbrecher 6l11agdeburg,identifiable by her distinctive highsmokestack (right, lower). Magde­burg had been in service with theHamburg-Amerika Line before beingrequisitioned for Kriegsmarineservice. Sporting a formidable arrayof flak weapons, 5perrbrecherweremine clearance vessels in whosewake U-boats would sail to and fromport Here, as his crew study thedistant Magdeburg, the previouslyprepared string of 'Erfolgswimpe/n •(success pennants) has beenattached to the retracted periscope,preparing to unfurl as the coastdraws into view.

(Above) At 0747 hours on 155eptember, ObermaschinenmaatFritz Hummel received a messagetransmitted from BdU-the arrivalof 'one small U-boat withperiscope', The birth of Hummel'sfirst son was marked by U 564 'sentire crew, Haring pasting a child'sphotograph, cut from the pages ofa magazine. within the boat's radiolog ne,t to the recorded entry ofDanitz's message. Here Hummel (inhis bunk), Willi Anderheyden andHeinz Webendorfer read the briefcongratulatory message. Hummelwould see his infant son three timesover the next eleven months: hewas among the twenty-eight menkilled on U564 when she was sunkin June 1943. The other two pettyofficers are wearing heavy rain gear,although Anderheyden, as part ofthe boat's Technical Branch, wouldnot have had to stand watchoutside. Danitz was acutely awareof the positive effect that suchpersonal messages had on his men,and Hummel's notification wastransmitted at the same time assimilar news for three other menaboard different U-boats.Finally, on 19 5eptember-the dayafter U564 arrived at Point Kern­the U-boat rendezvoused with itsVorpostenboot escort. Under theflak and minesweeping protectionof the escort ships, Teddy allowedmen once again on to the conningtower after general confinementbelow decks as the boat crossed theincreasingly dangerous Bay ofBiscay.

178 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

ARTILLERY ATTACK, PROMOTIO ,HOME 181

IIWO Herbert Waldschmidt,obviously pleased to be nearinghome (right). Waldschmidt sailedonce more aboard U564 beforebeginning his own commander'scourse.As the Breton coastline looms intov,ew (far right), the other'passenger' aboard U564 poses fora photograph by Haring. Leutnant(/ng.) Eberhard Hammermullerlearned much from his time as partof Gabler's technical crew, takingthe experience with him whenposted as Chief Engineer on U92 tin May 1943. He died aboard thelatter boat during her third patrolwhen she was sunk with all handson 30 September 1944.U564 's petty officers prepare forlandfall (below left). From the leftare Joseph Harsch, Willi Ander­heyden, Gerhard Ehlers, HeinzNordmann and Heinrich Bartels. Allbut two of these men would survivethe war.

Enlisted men also crowd atop theconning tower as U564 nears Brest

(below, far right). From the left areRichard Steinert, Heinrich Wagner,Heinz Schmutzler, Walter Labahn,Helmut Brock and Wilhelm Bigge.

(Left) Communications man EwaldGaiser signals by flag semaphore tothe 5perrbrecher escort and then bylamp to U203, trailing behindSuhren's boat. It was a subduedcrew aboard their flotilla-mate, oneweek after the death of theirpopular commander Mutzelburg,With the entire crew looking fit,washed and groomed Teddyprepared to enter port. Here (belowleft) the boat's three senior non­commissioned officers haveprepared for their return. From theleft, Obermaschinisten Mattern andKrah and Bootsmann WebendOrferenjoy their final run in to port.Obermaschinist Heinz Matternstands before U564 's deck gun(below right). Like many of themore experienced crew aboard theboat, Mattern was due to leaveU564, scheduled to begin trainingas a Chief Engineer at the end ofthis voyage.

180 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

I

I

EPlWGUE 183

TEDDY'S return sparked much celebration within the avalAcademy headquarters of the 1st U-Flotilla. Recently decoratedand promoted, he marched at the head of his crew from the

bunkers to the Academy, where the pressure of command graduallybegan to dissipate. A banquet within the building had been organ­ised, and the entire crew began their duty of rejoicing at their successand survival. The days passed slowly as the men unwound, half ofthem soon to receive home leave, later rotating with those who hadremained in Brest.

Among the decorations awarded to Teddy's crew members aftertheir voyage was a German Cross in Gold for Obit (Ing.) Ulrich Gab­ler. Teddy had requested a Knight's Cross, but the decoration hadbeen amended by those above him, for reasons unspecified. This pat­rol marked the end of both Gabler's and Suhren's operational careers.Gabler was transferred to Germany, where he began work withinthe U-boat design teams, concentrating initially on the Schnorchel,soon to be vitally important to the U-boat Service. He entered thecentral U-boat Design Office of Gluckauf in Blankenburg/Harz, andquickly rose to become the departmental director. Gabler ended thewar working on the 'Walter boat', having been brought on board theproject in early 1943 on the recommendation of another ex-U-boatLI, Heinrich Heep of U 203, who had been seconded to the designdepartment in October 1942.1 Meanwhile Suhren left command ofU 564 and the ranks of 1st U-Flotilla for a position as instructor atthe 22nd U-Flotilla (2nd U-Boat Training Division, or 2 ULD) withhis friend Erich Topp.

Teddy's final post-patrol debriefing by Donitz ended with a gentlebut firm rebuke. He was regaling his Commander-in-Chief with thestory of Limburg's remark that the U-boat' s interior had been as 'darkas a bear's arse' during their diesel fire, when Donitz cut him short.Suhren had already earned his commander's displeasure years beforeas a young Leutnant aboard U 48 by swearing during gunnery drill.Using his sternest voice, 'The Lion' reminded him that he was aprominent figure, highly decorated and respected within the

Epilogue---

As U 564 approached the Goulet de Brest in the 5perrbrecher 's wake, the success pennants('frfo/gswimpe/n ') were finally unfurled (above), nine streaming from the attack periscopeas the U-boat passed beneath the guns of naval artillery batteries on either side of theentrance channel.Once the inspections were over the crew relaxed, eating seasonal strawberries broughtaboard by nurses from Brest's naval hospital (right). Ewald Gaiser and Eduard Kalbach areenjoying the fresh fruit. Over Kalbach's shoulder, the gaping mouth of a pen of Brest'sformidable U-boat bunker can just be discerned.

182 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

EPILOGUE 185

We/mnncht, and that he should think before opening his mouth­and definitely choose his language with great care.

Donitz's assessment of Teddy's final combat patrol was summedup in two sentences appended to the official typed version of theboat's War Diary that would remain in BdU records: 'Excellentundertaking by this proven commander. The convoy attacks, bothin conception and execution, were carried out in an exemplarymanner.'2

Teddy's crew, who had come to have complete and unswervingtrust in their captain, lamented his departure from Brest. One at atime, he said goodbye to the men that had served beneath him, manysince U 564 had been commissioned. Several of the boat's 'old guard'

were also moving on, either tofresh operational postings or totraining po itions wi thin theKriegsmnrine. Among those whobade farewell were Ober­maschinisten Krah and Mattern,as well as Karl Limburg, whowas promoted and posted to the23rd and later 26th U-TrainingFlotillas. Ulf Lawaetz would sailonce again as IWO on U 564,beneath new commander ObItzSHans Fiedler, before he under­took commander training andassumed control of a newlybuilt U 672 within the HowaldtsWerke dockyard in Hamburgduring April 1943. Four patrolsas part of the 6th U-Flotilla sawLawaetz make no sinkings, hisfinal voyage ending on 18 July1944 when U 672 was depth­charged and forced to the sur­face in the English Channel.There, amidst thick banks offog, he and his crew ensuredthat the boat would scuttle, andthen abandoned ship. Clingingtogether, they were eventuallypicked up by Allied air-sea

Within the Naval Academy Head­quarters of the t st U-Flotilla, aceremonial banquet was held for thereturned (rew. Winter removed his

KOfvettenkapi/lin 's cap and allowedTeddy to try it on for size. To theright is Kaptlt Walter Schug,commander of U86, which had alsoreturned that day from the Atlantic.U86 had made a single smallsinking during its two months atsea. The mural in the backgrounddepicts the imposing red brickstructure of the Naval Memorial inLaboe, near Kiel.

The reception given to Teddy andhis crew was ecstatic-althoughturbulent to begin withl Oncemoored alongside the sea wall thatfringed the military harbour, flotillacommander KKWerner Winter strodeaboard U564 and inspected theimmaculately turned-out crew.

184 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

[Bargsten'sj most intimate friend and classmate was KK Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren.It was stated that Suhren, good looking and popular, could considerably lowerthe alcoholic stocks of any port in which he found himself ... On another occasionSumen was talking a convoy which he had previously reported ... In due coursehe received an 'inspirational' message from Donitz telling him to 'pursue relent­lessly and attack fiercely'. Upon returning from this cruise, which was highlysuccessful, Suhren wa summoned to Donitz's office to give his report.

In the course of the interview, Suhren violated decorum by referring to thesignal as unnecessary, if not insulting. Donitz was momentarily taken aback bythis impudence, but recovered in time to seize Suhren by the neck, lay him acrossa table, and administer a sound spanking to the naughty boy.;

EPILOGUE 187

private retreat of the Fiihrer and his closest associates nearBerchtesgaden, where Erich Topp was already a guest.Suhren mingled with those who occupied the dizzyheights of power within the Third Reich, 'boogying' withEva Braun and her sister, despite the wartime ban ondancing, and staying as a guest with an uncharacter­istically approachable and seemingly relaxed Bormannand his family.

Even after Teddy's departure from Brest, his shadowloomed large over the port city. Claus-Peter Carlsen stilllaughingly remembers, sixty years after the end of thewar, the many times that he was entertained with talesof Suhren's exploits after his own arrival at the 1st U­Flotilla base in October 1942 as Oberleutnant zur Seecommander of U 732: 'Teddy Suhren, well ... he was abeast! ... Werner Winter, he was the commander ofTeddy Suhren and Uphoff, both of these crazy bastards,and he told all kinds of stories about these two:~

Indeed, the legends of Teddy's disrespect for authority andprowess at the bar even made it as far as the US avy, where hisname cropped up prominently during an interrogation of U 521'scaptured commander Kapitiinleutnant Klaus Bargsten:

Even so, Suhren rose meteorically through the ranks. Later, in May1944, he became commander of all U-boats stationed in orway, FdUNorwegen (later FdU Nordmeer), exercising operational control ofArctic U-boats. Shortly afterwards he received his final promotionto Fregattenkapitiin. By then, his only combat command had gone. On14 June 1943 U 564 was classified as Verl1lifit zwei Stern - 'missingtwo stars', Kriegsmarine parlance for' confirmed lost'. 'The boa tdeparted Bordeaux 9 June. During 14 June it was attacked and sunkby enemy aircraft in (Grid Reference) Bruno Fritz 7549. Twenty-eightsailors dead. Eighteen, plus the commander, rescued.'6

Ulrich Gabler's impressive combatrecord earned him a German Crossin Gold, which was awarded in Sreston 15 October 1942. It was the endof his combat career as he was

transferred to become part ofGermany's U-boat design teams.

Ulf Lawaetz sailed once again asIWO on U564 before undergoingcaptain's training and takingcommand of U672 during April1943. Here he is pictured at theend of one of his four patrols aspart of the 6th U-Flotilla. Lawaetz'scombat career ended on 18 July1944 when U672 was depthcharged and forced to the surface inthe English Channel. Havingmanaged to save his entire crew

and scuttling his boat, Lawaell, andhis men, spent the remainder of the

war as prisoners.

186 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

rescue forces as the fog dissipated, and they spent the remainder ofthe war as prisoners.

Up until the day he died in 2001, Lawaetz continued to be plaguedby nightmares of his sinking, although he tried to put the memoriesof the war behind him. Following his release from prison in December1945, he travelled to BUnde, the centre of Germany's cigar industry.Initially working as an interpreter, he eventually rose to the top asmanager of a cigar factory.

Herbert Waldschmidt also sailed under Fiedler, leaving the boatin April 1943 to undergo commander training. He captained thetraining boat U 146 and later became the 'commander in waiting' fortwo Type XXI U-boats, U 2374 and U 4719, although both weredamaged by bombing and neither was put into service before thewar's end. He finally commanded an operational Type XXI when, asa Fregattenkapitiil1 within the Bundesmarine, he skippered the salvagedU 2540, renamed Wilhelm Bauer and now on display at Bremerhaven's

autical Museum after being retired from years of active serviceand reconfigured to resemble its wartime state.

The last of U 564's officers from their summer patrol of 1942, Leut­nant (Ing.) Eberhard HammermUller, benefited from his experienceaboard as a part of Gabler's technical crew and was transferred tobecome chief engineer on U 921 when she entered service in May1943. He died with all other fifty hands whentheir boat was sunk within the Arctic south­west of Bear Island by a Swordfish aircraftescorting convoy RA.60 on 30 September1944.

Teddy Suhren travelled on to Berlin afterhis debriefing by Donitz. There, he once againfound himself surrounded by the nation'selite, beginning with breakfast with theusually stern Erich Raeder:

This time I came up to Berlin on the overnight train.In the proper manner as befits a soldier, I appeared at1355 hours in the Kaiserhof. There I met the Ober­befehlshaber der Marille already there and said, apolog­etically so to speak, 'Oh Grofladmiral, are you herealready?' Whereupon he replied with a laugh, 'Yes,yes, and you without a trail of exhaust fumes today!"

After a brief visit to see Hitler to receivehis official decoration of the Swords to hisKnight's Cross, Teddy found himself invitedby Martin Bormann to the Obersalzburg, the

I

I

Fiedler's veteran U 564 was one of five U-boats crossing the Bayof Biscay, surfaced in accordance with a new BdU directive that boatsstand and fight if attacked by aircraft. She was bombed first by a 0

228 RAF Squadron Sunderland and heavily damaged, renderedunable to dive. The 10th U-Flotilla's U 185 was instructed to escortU 564 south to the Spanish coast, where Fiedler could attempt repairs.Z 24 and Z 32 of Bordeaux's 8th Destroyer Flotilla prepared to sailand rendezvous with the two U-boats.

However, by unhappy coincidence, the following day marked theopening of a new RAF anti-submarine air campaign centring onBiscay and named 'Musketry'. During 14 June the two slow-movingU-boats inched painfully towards neutral Spain when a Whitley ofNo 10 Operational Training Unit, sighted them 90 miles north-westof Ferro!. The bomber began circling as both U 564 and U 185 openedfire with all flak weapons. Two hours later a Hampden of No 415Squadron also arrived, and the Whitley, piloted by Flight Sergeant,A. J. Benson, opened its attack. Spraying the U-boats with machine­gun fire, Benson roared overhead and straddled U 564 with six depthcharges, ripping open the hull and breaking the U-boat's spine.Benson also suffered during the attack, and with damage to hisaircraft's hydraulics and starboard engine, he was forced to put downinto the sea 80 miles south-west of the Scillies. 7

Maus, aboard U 185, briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to attacha towline to the ailing U 564, but the latter was gradually swampedand went to the bottom. Only Fiedler and seventeen men wererescued, the remainder accompanying U 564 on her final dive. Theboat's entire technical and radio crew were killed, either by the initialblasts or in trying to stop their battered U-boat from flooding. Infact, the horrific mortality rate of Germany's Second World War U­boat service can be amply demonstrated by the fact that none of theother U-boats pictured within the photographs of Suhren's finalpatrol survived the war: U 154, U 203, U 463 and U 654 were all sunkin action, while U 129 was scuttled and blown up within the Keromanbunkers at Lorient, crippled by worn-out batteries. Even the heavilyarmed Sperrbrecher Magdeburg, photographed by Haring leadingU 564 into port, was destroyed by RAF fighter bombers in 1944, andvirtually the entire 7th Flotilla of smaller Vorpostenboot escorts wasalso blasted into oblivion by the overwhelming Allied air and navalpower that soon hemmed in the French Atlantic bases.

Less than two years after the destruction of U 564, the war was atlast over. Suhren ended his naval career as FdU Nord, a prisoner ofthe British in Oslo during 1945. He was held for a year in Oslo's

188 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

Teddy, pictured here with Adalbert'Adi' Schnee (left) and HellmutEbell, became commander of allnorthern Norwegian-based U-boatsin May 1944, as FdU Nord. Heended the war as a Fregalten­kapi/an and a prisoner of theBritish, after having exercisedoperational control of Arctic U­boats for a year.

Achenschloss prison, wherehe was reunited with his erst­while commander HansRudolf Rosing.s It was whilea prisoner that Teddy learntof the death of his parentsand sister. Living in Sudeten­land during the final days ofthe war, they had been sur­rounded by 'partisans' asGerman forces withdrew andthe Czech uprising began.Geert Suhren killed his wife

and daughter rather than let them fall into the hands of the mob,and then he killed himself.

On 12 April 1946 Teddy was released. He travelled home to adefeated Germany. He spent some time on an estate at Kleverhofnear Bad Schwartau, where the large property had been divided up,Teddy gaining sixteen acres of land. Out of the meagre savings fromhis service pay, he bought himself a small caravan and a cow and re­established contact with his wife Jutta, the daughter of a Luftwaffestaff officer whom he had married in 1943. Teddy found her andtheir daughter Beatrix in Allgaii, where she was a waitress in anAmerican Officers' Mess. Much to Teddy's shock and dismay, shehad in the meantime acquired an American boyfriend, and theiralready shaky marriage disintegrated completely.

In low spirits, Teddy returned to Kleverhof, where he experiencedyet another setback. The local populace had not reckoned on hisreturning, and had divided up his small parcel of land amongst them.Despondent, but unwilling to give up, Suhren then departed for Kiel,where he sold a silver-fox fur coat that had belonged to his wife andso acquired his soon-to-be infamous 'Schnapps Factory' in a gardenshed on the edge of the shattered town. There Teddy distilled 38 percent proof black rum from sugar - his so-called 'torpedo spirit'. In1946 schnapps was more valuable than Reichsmark notes, andTeddy's new business flourished as he also began to butcher localmeat for the black market. However, before long the local police weretipped off about Teddy's enterprise, and shortly before they arrivedto break up his operation Suhren destroyed his still and took himselfback to the estate in Schwartau, where his caravan was still standing.There he earned a small wage by helping farmers with part-timesheep-shearing.

EPILOGUE 189

I II

During the summer of 1947, his brother Gerd, working for the post­war German Minesweeping Administration and still maintainingclose contacts within Germany's maritime community, finally foundTeddy a job more suited to hi considerable talents. His task was torevive Germany's decrepit merchant-shipping oil industry for aninternational mineral-oil concern. Buying himself a BMW 350 for 850Reichsmarks, Teddy rattled off to Hamburg and eventually becamethe manager of the mineral oil business based in the city.

Although relations with his former wife had become amicable oncemore, he soon married again, to Hannelore, and lived initially inBad Dietzenbach (Hessen) and later Hamburg. They eventually hadthree daughters, Katrin, Gesa and Mara joining their half-sisterBeatrix from Teddy's first marriage, and Teddy's life was finally onceagain stabilised and comfortable. He refused to enlist in the Bundes­marine despite many offers, stating that he could not serve in the

avy where the wartime soldiers were looked down upon as crim­inals. However, he was a founder of the German aval Association(DMB), and was appointed Founding Chairman on 31 May 1953 at ameeting in Wilhelmshaven. There he spoke before 20,000 formerfellow naval veterans in the town square. On 15 May 1954 he alsomade a key address to V-boat veterans at the first national U-BoatFahrer meeting in Hamburg. As he remembered the many men whohad lost their lives during five years of war, he also spokepassionately about reconciliation of the warring nations and theinjustice of both Donitz and Erich Raeder being incarcerated inSpandau Prison as war criminals.

Reinhard 'Teddy' Suhren died on 25 January 1984 in Hamburg. Itwas only immediately before his death that he informed people thathe had been suffering from painful terminal cancer of the stomachfor some time. Teddy had given up smoking some years earlier, afterhis doctor had become concerned about his health, informing himthat either smoking or drinking had to go. He chose the former, buteventually succumbed to cancer nonetheless.

Many attended his funeral to mourn the loss of such a remarkableman, among them Erich Topp, who later wrote within the pages ofhis autobiography of his own emotions during the brief funeralservice:

I recognized many of the faces around me: Godt, Kretschmer, Korth, Bargsten,Cremer and others - after all tho e years they looked somewhat strange to me.The Knight's Crosses on their grey suits did not quite seem to befit the occasion.

At last the gates to Hall B open. We barely hear organ music playing in thebackground, not live but from a record. I sit down in the third row. The coffin issurrounded by wreaths and flowers and flanked by an honour guard of

190 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

BlIlldesmnr;lle officer. The music stops. The representative of Teddy's graduatingclass, Crew 35, is the fir t to speak. After a brief, indefinable organ interlude he isfollowed by the honorary president of the aval Association, whose address seemslively and loud. Then it is the turn of the submarine commander under whomTeddy served as executive officer [Herbert Schultzel. He speaks hesitatingly,searching for word, vi ibly moved. Finally, the spoke man for the Associationof Submariners. Using the famous lines of the Flanders Flotilla of World War I,he suggests that, on account of Teddy's usually unkempt appearance and overallbad deeds, St. Peter would likely send him to a special heaven for U-boatcommanders, where they can continue their old ways of singing, drinking, andmerrymaking.

For all who spoke, Teddy seemed to be repre enting the stereotypical Lnllds­kllecht, the soldier of fortune of bygone days who made merry with his friends atheir drinking buddy, whose sense of humour was legendary, and who did notalways stop at the limits of the possible.

The picture I had of Teddy was quite different. To me he was a friend withwhom I had gone through this damned war, a man marked by the terrible fate ofhis family. I saw his exaggerated honesty as something designed to hide hi truefeelings. I listened to his colourful humour, but it too only masked the cynicismof a lost existence, the endorsement of unpopular views.

The words that filled the room failed to reach me. A trumpeter played Dns LiedVOIl glliell Knmerndell. When it was over, the curtain came down after this last actin the dramatic life of my friend Reinhard Suhren. We mourner left Hall Bthroughthe crowd that was already waiting outside for the next funeral. Teddy's relativesleft in a car that had been standing by with its engine running. I could not evenexpress my condolences to them. I was told there was to be a get-together of theold-timers. I was too disappointed, too depressed, to participate. Ali Cremer tookme back to the station.'

Thus, thirty-one years after U 564 had gone to the seabed withtwenty-eight crewmen entombed within her, another man was laidto rest in the exact location that U 564 and the 'Three Black Cats'went down. On 25 October 1984 Kapitiin Temeier, master of the 5,084­ton freighter MV Papua, ordered all available crew on deck at 1600hours for a brief ceremony as the ship lay at 46° 30' ,07° 18' W.There, in accordance with his last wishes, the ashes of Reinhard'Teddy' Suhren were scattered on the gentle Atlantic swell, reunitedwith the boat that he had made famous.

EPILOGUE 191

--- Appendices

Reinhard 'Teddy' SuhrenFregattenkapitan

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.1916-1984

APPE DIX 0 E: THE CREW OF U564

Note: This list gives lIames of crew members durillg U 564's tOllgest war patrol, /u/y­September 1942. All asterisk denotes a crew member who was killed ill actio II durillg theSecolld World War, together with the boat ill which he lost Iris life.

Seaman's BranchReinhard 'Teddy' Suhren Kapitall leu tllall tl Captain

Kor<lettellkapi tallUlf Lawaetz Oberleu tllan t Z!I r See IWOHerbert Waldschmidt Leu friant Zl/r See llWOKarl 'Sttirkorl' Limburg Stabsobersteuermnlrn llIWO and NavigatorHeinz Webendtlrfer Oberbootsmanll Crew Chief/ Artillery

(Seamanl)Heinrich Bartels Bootsmallll Ammunition Chief (Seaman 2)

(*U 867)Karl-Ernst Thiel Bootsma IIl1smaa t Artillery / Personnel Admin.

(Seaman 3)Rudi Elkerhausen Oberftlllkmaat Senior Radio Petty Officer

(*U 564)Willi Anderheyden Oberftll1kmaat Second Radio Petty OfficerGerhard Ehlers Obermeclran ikermaat Torpedo MateWerner GrUnert Ma trosellobergefrei ler Combat helmsmanHeinz Schmutzler Matrosengefrei ter Seaman/Stern hydroplanes/

2cm FlakHeinrich Wagner Matrosellgefrei ter Seaman/Helm/2cm FlakRoland Schiedhelm Ma trosellobergefrei ter Seaman/Artillery (*U 333)Ernst Schlittenhard MatroseHobergefrei ter Seaman/ ArtilleryEduard Kalbach Matrosengefreiter Seaman/ ArtilleryRichard Steinert Ma troseugefreiter Seaman/ Artillery (*U 564)Paul Stephan Matrosellgefrei ter Seaman/ Artillery (*U 564)Herman Hausruckinger Malrosellgefrei ter CookHorst Becker Meclla II ikerober- Torpedo Mechanic

gefreiterWilhelm Bigge Mechallikerober- Torpedo echanic (*U 333)

gefreilerWerner Apitz Fun kobergefrei ter Radio/Hydrophone (*U 564)Ewald Gaiser Fllllkobergefreiter Radio/Hydrophone (*U 1222)Meimes Haring Propaganda Kompanie War Corre pondent

Maa!

APPE DICES 193

Technical Branch Werner Heinze Masclli lIellgefrei lerUlrich Gabler Oberieuillalli (Illgellieur) Chief Engineer Karl Fischer Maschillellgefrei lerEberhard Hammermiiller Leuillalli (Illgellieur) der Trainee Chief Engineer Walter Grassl Masch ilIe1lgefreiler

Resen'e (*U 921) Max Hartleb Maschillellgefrei lerHermann Krah Obermaschillisl Diesel Chief Giinther Schwaiger Maschillellgefrei lerHeinz Mattern Obermasclr i II is I Electric Motor Chief Heinz istereck Maschillellgefrei lerEmil Grade Maschi lIellobermaa I Control Room Mate Fritz Pfanz Masclli lIellgefrei lerFranz tocker Obermasch ilIe1lmaa I Starboard Diesel Engineer Hermann Mahler Maschillellgefrei ler

(*U 1024) Rudi Elkerhausen Oberfullkmaa 1*Fritz Hummel Obermaschi /lellmaal Port Diesel Engineer (*U 564) Werner Weise FlIIlkmaalJohanne Neumann Masclli lIellobermaa I Starboard Electric Engineer Werner Apitz FUllkobergefreiler*

(*U 722) Peter Geise FUllkerHeinz ordmann Masclli lIellobermaa I Port Electric EngineerJo eph Harsch Masch ilIe1lobermaa I Electric otor Mate (*U 564)Fritz Domenowski Masch ilIellobermaa I Electric Motor Mate APPE DIX TWO: TORPEDOES FIRED BY U564Werner Rieckhoff Masch ilIenobergefrei ler Control Room Stoker

Betweell 1 July alld 30 Seplember 1942(*U 2521)Johann Rebahn Masch ilIellobergefrei ler Control Room Stoker

(*U 674) Date Grid Torp. Target Est. grt Actual target grt ResultHans Merk Maselli lIellObergefrei ler Control Room Stoker

19/7 CE3341 G7e Steamer 5,000 Empire Hawksbill 5,724 Hit, sunk.Reinhold Abel Maselli lIe/lobergefrei ler Starboard Diesel Stoker19/7 CE3341 G7e Steamer 5,000 Lavillgtoll Courl 5,372 Hit, sunkWalter Labahn Maselli lIellobergefrei ter Port Diesel Stoker19/7 CE3341 G7e Liner 8,000 ClaimedWerner Schlagel Maselli lIellobergefrei ler Starboard Diesel Stoker

sunk(*U 540)19/7 CD3341 G7e Steamer 5,000 ClaimedHelmut Brock Maschillellgefrei ler Port Diesel Stoker

sunkWalter Heinrich Masclli lIe1lobergefreiler E-Motor Stoker19/ ED9460 G7e Steamer MissedLudwig Sass Masch ilIellobergefrei ler E otor Stoker19/ ED9460 G7e Steamer issedPhillip Warner Masch ilIe1lobergefrei ler E-Motor Stoker (*U 678)19/ ED9,160 G7e Steamer Missed19/ ED9460 G7e Steamer Missed

WI,en U 564 went 10 Ihe bOllom of Ihe Bay of Biscay on 14 JlIlIe 1943, sire carried Ihe 19/8 ED9460 G7e Steamer Missedbodies of Iwenty-eighl crewmell wilh her (. indicales preselll 011 board durillg U 564's 19/8 ED9453 G7e Steamer 8,000 Brilish COllsul 6,940 Hit, sunkpalrol belween Jllly alld Seplember 1942): 19/8 ED9453 G7a Steamer 7,000 Empire Cloud 5,969 Hit, sunk

I,19/ ED9453 G7e Stea\ller 8,000 Claimed

Ernst Moller Oberieuillallt (Ing.) damagedErich Zapf Obennaschillisl 19/8 ED9453 G7e Steamer 5,000 ClaimedWalter Christ Obermaschillisl damagedWilhelm Steinhauer Obermasch ilIellmaa I 19/8 ED9416 G7e Steamer Hit, un-Fritz Hummel Obermascll ilIellmaa 1* explodedJoseph Harsch ObermaschilIellmaa 1* 19/ ED9416 G7e Steamer Hit, un-Alfred Meidorn Masclli lIellmaa I explodedOtfried Lehmann MascllinellmaaI 30/ EE9933 G7a Tanker 9,000 Vardaas ,176 Hit, dam-Kurt Rothbarth Mascll ilIellmaa I agedFritz Hild Mechallikermaal 30/ EE9933 G7a Tanker 9,000 Vardaas ,176 MissedErich Stu ttner Mecha II ikerobergefreilerPaul Stephan Ma Irosellobergefrei ler* Sillking by gunfireRichard Steinert Ma lrosellobergefrei ler' 30/8 EE9933 - Tanker 9,000 Vardaas 8,176 35 hits,Joseph Pledl Maschinellobergefreiler sunk

Paul Tolksdorf Maschillengefrei lerKarl Meyer Maschillellgefrei ler

194 U-BOAT WAR PA TROL APPE DICES 195

--- Sources, Bibliography, SuggestedReading

Wiedersehell in Hamburg-A Souvenir of tire Meeting of U-Boat Men, May 1954,BUcherdienst Herbert Zei ler, Hamburg-Wandsbek, 1954.

British Admiralty Anti- -Boat Warfare Reports, 1942. Held at the Royal avySubmarine Museum).

Public Records Office, File ADM237/145. Relates to Convoy 05.34.Kriegstagebuelr (KTB) U 564. Photocopy held at U-Boot Archiv.KTB 1st U-Flotilla. NARA microfilm, n022, Roll 3403.KTB BdU, july to September 1942. ARA microfilm, n022, Roll 3980,3981.Wet Oakleaves. An excellent unofficial translation of asses Eiel/e11laub, by courte y

of Frank james.

Published BooksBlair, Clay, Hitler's U-Boat War, Vols 1 & 2, Cassell, 1996.Bowyer, Chaz, Men Of Coastal Command 1939-1945, William Kimber, 1985.Donitz, Karl, Ten Years And Twenty Days, Lionel Leventhal, 1990.Franks, lorman, Conflict Over The Bay, William Kimber, 1986.--, Search, Find And Kill, Grub Street, 1995.Gabler, Ulrich, Submarine Design, Bernard & Graefe, 1986.Herzog, Bodo, Deutselre U-Boote 1906 -1966, Karl MUlier Verlag, 1996.Hes ler, GUnter, The U-Boat War in the Atlantic, HMSO, 1989.Hildebrand, Han, and Lohmann, Werner, Die Deutsche Kriegslllarine 1939-1945,

Podzun-Verlag, 1956.Kelshall, Tire U-Boat War in tire Caribbean, nited States aval Institute, 1994.

artienssen, Anthony, Fiihrer Conferellces on aval Affairs, HMSO, 1948.Mulligan, Timothy, Neither Sharks Nor Wolves, Naval Institute Press, 1999.

iestle, Axel, German U-Boat Losses During World War Two, aval Institute Press,199 .

Paterson, Lawrence, First U-Boat Flotilla, Pen & Sword, 2001.--, Second U-Boat Flotilla, Pen & Sword, 2003.Price, Alfred, Aircraft Versus Submarine, avallnstitute Press, 1974.Rohwer, jUrgen, Axis Submarine Successes, avallnstitute Press, 1983.Rossler, Eberhard, The U-Boat War, Arms & Armour Press, 1981.Rust, Eric c., aval Officers Under Hitler, Praeger, 1991.Showell, jak P. Mallmann, U-Boat Command and the Battle of the Atlantic, Conway

Maritime Press, 19 9.Stern, Robert c., Type VII U-Boat, Arms & Armour, 1991.Suhren, Reinhard, and Fritz, Brustat, asses Eichenlaub, Koehlers Verlag, 1983.Topp, Erich, Facke/n iiber dem Atlantik, E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1990.U-Boat Commande,s Handbook, The. Thomas Publications, 1943). Translation.Wynn, Kenneth, U-Boat Operations of the Second World War, Vol 1 & 2, Chatham

Publishing, 1997.

SOURCES. .. 197

Suggested WebsitesU-bont.net (http://www.uboat.net)rhe U-Bont Wnr (http://www.uboatwar.net)Grey Wolf(http://www.u-boot-greywolf.de)Norweginn Mere/rnllt Fleet 1939-1945 (http://www.warsailors.com)U-Bont Archive: Photogrnplls nnd Records of the U-Bont Wnr (http:/ /

www.uboatarchive.net/)Delltse/le U-Boote 1935-1945 (http://www.u-boot-archiv.de)SubArt (http://www.subart.net)

198 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

=Notes

Introduction1. Interview with Hans Rudolf Rosing, 12 October 2001.2. Established on 7 October 1736 by Augu t Ill, King of Poland and Elector of

Saxony, it was second only to Saxony's Order of the Crown of Rue; theMilitary Order of St Henry was awarded to serving officers, either forconspicuous personal bravery on the battlefield or, more frequently in thecase of officers of higher rank, for merit in positions of great responsibility.

3. Interview with Han Rudolf Ro ing, October 2001.-1. Dresdner Anzelger, 11 ovember 1940; quotation from Frnll Ernestine Suhren,

Teddy' mother.5. Suhren, Reinhard, nsses Eichenlnllb, p. 13.6. Ibid., p. 15.7. Ibid., p. 16.8. The previous year, the commander of the Ell/den had been Fregnlfenknpitiin

Karl Donitz, a man soon to playa major role in Suhren's life.9. nsses Eie/lenlnllb, p. 19.

10. Ibid., p. 32.11. Intere tingly, his brother Gerd had also become the first Engineering Officer

to be awarded the Knight's Cro s, on 21 October 1940.12. Interview with Hans Rudolf Rosing, 12 October 2001.13. Nas es Eichenlaub, pp. 68-9.14. Excerpt from Suhren's speech, Hamburg, 1954, published in Wiedersehen i/1

Hnmbllrg, 1954.15. By July 1942, U 564 had sunk thirteen ships, totalling 63,346grt, and

seriously damaged five others.16. nsses Eichenlnllb, p. 113.17. Busch, Harald, So Wnr der U-Boot Krieg.

Chapter One1. During the months of May and June, U 564 operated off the coast of Florida,

sinking four ships and damaging three others.2. Geisler had served aboard U 564 since its commissioning. Son and namesake

of a Knight's Cross-holding Lllftwnffe General, Geisler subsequently heldvarious training and administrative posts, ending the war as commander ofthe Type XXI U 3049, although this boat was still under construction at theend of hostilities.

3. Interview with Reinhard Suhren, 1981, A1981/22/002, Royal avy Sub­marine useum.

4. By the end of the year, 'Triton' had finally been broken, and from then untilthe end of the war only periodic brief lapses were suffered by the Allies inreading German coded messages.

5. Interview with Reinhard Suhren, 1981, A1981/22/002, Royal Navy Sub­marine Museum.

orES 199

6. U 564 KTB.7. U 751 was not the first Bi cay casualty for July 1942. JUrgen von Rosenstiel's

U 502 had been depth-charged by a TO 172 Squadron Wellington bomber on6 July -the first successful sinking using the newly introduced Leigh Light.

Chapter 21. U 564 KTB.2. See Paterson, First U-Boat Flotilla, pp. 138-40.3. Donitz had earmarked the chateau for his personal use before Hitler ordered

him to Paris following the Allied raid on St-Nazaire. Thus, Rosing and hisfortunate staff inherited the building- which was fully equipped. The chartcopy was maintained a a back-up in the event of damage to the main chartat Bd headquarters.

4. HMS Eme had been scheduled to sail with 05.33 but had been withheld afterbeing deemed by the Admiralty to have had 'insufficient practices andcannot be considered efficient'. Thus Eme remained in Britain for flotillaexercises before joining the 15th Escort Group.

5. HMS Gorlestol/ had begun life as the US Coast Guard Cutter Itasca. She wastransferred to the Royal Navy in 1941 under the Lend-Lease agreement.

6. U 564 KTB.7. After Action Analysis, Lt-Cdr Gibson, Senior Officer 42nd Escort Group,

PRO ADM 237/145.8. Nasses Eichenlaub, p. 104.9. Ibid., p. 106.

10. U 564 KTB.11. The prefix 'Empire' was given to ships that the British Ministry of Shipping

ordered built for the British Government or to those purchased, taken as warprizes or requisitioned. The Ministry of Shipping merged with the Ministryof Transport to become the inistry of War Transport (MOWT) in 1941. Atotal of 196 vessels of the 'Empire' range were sunk during the Second WorldWar.

12. asses Eichel/laub, p. 10 .13. Two other canisters were developed for launching from the Pillel/werfer. The

first was a miniature torpedo that carried no warhead but an electric motorthat would circle at a given depth and simulate the noise created by a U­boat's electric drive before its small battery became exhausted. The econdmore closely mirrored Hitler's original intention and contained oil whichrose to the surface, creating a small slick for attackers to see. J either sawoperational use.

14. Suhren may well have benefited from a freak accident during Gorlestol/'sOperation 'Raspberry'. Blast from one of the depth charges had hurleddebris and petrol from the disintegrated Empire Hawksbill through the sloop'sopen wheelhouse window, temporarily blinding all exposed personnel.

15. Interview with Herbert Waldschmidt, 27 September 2002.16. asses Eichel/laub, p. 110.17. PRO ADM 237/145.1 . Report on Proceedings from HMS Gorlestol/'s captain, PRO, ADM 237/145.19. Nasses Eichel/laub, p. 111.20. Ibid., p. 112.21. Ibid., p. 115.

Chapter 31. Interview with Georg Seitz, Mannheim 2000.

200 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

2. asses Eichel/laub, . p112.3. Ibid., p. 76.4. Interview with Reinhard Suhren, 19 1, A1981/22/002, Royal avy Sub­

marine Museum.

Chapter 41. U 564 KTB.2. The 10th U-Flotilla's headquarters were situated in Lorient. Shortly after­

wards, U 463 and all the other tankers were transferred to the newly raised12th -Flotilla, centred at Bordeaux. After four succe ful refuellingvoyages, U 463 was attacked and sunk on 16 May 1943 by an RAF Halifaxbomber from 05 Squadron south-west of the Scilly Isles and lost with allfifty-three men aboard. By June 1944, following a concerted Allied drive to'kill' the tankers, all ten operational Milchkiihe had been destroyed.

3. Interview with Herbert Waldschmidt, 27 September 2002.4. After 60 hours in their lifeboats, the Norwegian steamer ordstjemall rescued

the Swedish ves el' crew.

Chapter 51. Interview with Reinhard Suhren, 1981 (A19 1/22/002), Royal avy Sub-

marine Museum.2. See Paterson, Secol/d U-Boat Flotilla, p. 136.3. They were later landed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.4. The fifty-one men were later landed variously at Key West, Florida, and

Mobile, Alabama.

Chapter 61. Interview with Reinhard Suhren, 1981, A1981/22/002, Royal avy

Submarine Museum.2. Wattenberg and his men were later handed over to American intelligence

officers, who found them disciplined and security-con ciou . Wattenburg,the former communications officer aboard Admiral Grof Spee, was laterhoused in an Arizona POW camp in Papago Park, from where he hatchedand mounted an ambitious escape plan. Along with twenty-four others, heescaped via a 250-foot tunnel, picked through solid granite with screwdriversand coal shovels. Of those who attained freedom, Wattenburg was at libertythe longest - thirty-six days - before being recaptured in Phoenix.

3. asses Eichel/laub, p. 123.

Epilogue1. Gabler formed the lngenieurkontor LUbeck company in 1946, specialising in

submarine de ign. He retired in January 1979.2. U 564 KTB.3. Excerpt from Suhren's speech, Hamburg, May 1954, published in Wiedersellel/ iI/

Hamburg, 1954.4. Author interview, 19 October 2002, Munich.5. US Navy, Interrogation report of Klaus Bargsten, O.N.1. 250-G/seriaI14.6. 1st U-FIotilla KTB, 14 July 1943.7. After three nights in a rubber dinghy, Benson and his four crewmen were

rescued by the French fishingtrawler Jazz BOI/d. They were subsequently landedat Morgat on the Crozon peninsula and handed over to German troops stationedthere.

OTES 201

· Rosing and 5uhren were held primarily to be called a witnesse in the Nurem­burg trial of Karl Donitz. They were determined to speak in their Grossadmiral'sdefence, but they were never called.

9. Erich Topp, Odyssey ofa U-Boat Comllwl/der, pp. 2-4. == IndexEntries in italics are ship names; page numbers in italics refer to photograph

202 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

AAbel, Reinhold, 80, 132Abwehr, 31, 32Achilles, Albrecht, 144Alysee, 99Anderheyden, Willi, 42, 43, 54, 55, 57, 91,

118,163,174,175,178,181AI/tietam, U5CGC, 140Apitz, Werner, 55Appleyard, Foster, 9, 10

BBackenkohler, Otto, 34Batkis, MV, 119Baltzer, Martin, 27Bargsten, Klaus, 1 7,190Bartels, Heinrich, 51, 52, 57, 70, 71, 72, 95,

137, 170, 181Becker, Hor t, 51, 58, 80Benson, A. J., 1Bigalk, Gerhard, 61, 62Bigge, Wilhelm, 80, 99, 151, 181Bleichrodt, Heinrich, 30Bletchley Park, 36, 53'Bold' decoy, 76, 77, 1, 2Bre t, 10, 12, 36, 3 ,16 ,169, 1 7British COl/sui, 55, 143, 144, 145Brock, Helmut, 131, 181Brown, Charles COllew, 144Busch, Harald, 38

CCarlsen, C1au -Peter, 187Clarkia, HM5, 140, 144Clayton, R. G., 65Convoys:o .115,11605.34, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 78,

79,85,144PG.6,140RA.60,1 6TAW(5), 140, 141, 147

TAW.12,134WAT.13,134

Courage, U55, 140COl/rageous, HM5, 99

oDelmul/do, 55, 134Dierksen, Reiner, 120Donitz, Karl, 21, 27-32, 35, 36, 42, 44, 45,

54,59,62,63,6 ,88,109,116,117,127,134, 147, 15 ,167, 183, 185-7, 190

EEhlers, Gerhard, 45, 50, 51, 52, 58, 59, 63,

73,80,83, 91, 103, 104, 107, 135, 143,156, 181

Elkerhausen, Rudi, 42, 52, 55, 57, 62, 63,76, ,133, 161

Emdfll, 26Empire Cloud, 55, 143, 144Empire Hawksbill, 55, 75, 7 ,79,144Empire Stal/ley, 55, 65Ebell, Hellmut, 189Endrass, Engelbert, 29'Enigma' codes, 36, 52-5, 113Eme, HM5, 65Ettrick Bal/k, 55, 81Everelza, 55, 134

FFiedler, Hans, 185, 186, 188,Folkestol/e, HM5, 65, 78For ter, Ludwig, 3 ,39,69, 5,9 ,99,

103, 103, 108Frank, Wolfgang, 3Freiwald, KapitiilJ, 34Friedeburg, Hans-Georg von, 32

GGabler, Ulrich, 34, 42, 45, 46, 49, 51, 55,

62,63,6 , 71, 72, 76, 78, 79, 1,84, 92,94,95,100-3,103,107,127, 131,135,

I DEX 203

137,137,13 ,145,150,161,162,163,164,174,175,1 3,186

Gaiser, Ewald, 49, 55, 180, 182Geisler, Hans-Ferdinand, 34, 44Gorch Fock, 25Gorlestoll, HMS, 65, 69, 71, 76, 78, 79, 82Grade, Emil, 52, 55, 109, 112, JJ6Griinert, Werner, 28, 49, 51, 73

HHammermiiller, Eberhard, 46,57, 127,

131, 181,1 6Hails LzidemallIl (l 18),43,44Hardegen, Reinhard, 119Haring, Meimes, 34, 35, 38, 57, 75, 76,

118,149,163,176Harsch, Joseph, 181Hausruckinger, Herman, 49, 51, 57, 64,

82, 7, 135, 152, 155, 163Heep, Heinrich, 94, 95-7, 1 3Heinicke, Ernst-Giinter, 2Heydrich, Reinhard, 32Hinsch, Karl, 38Hitler, Adolf, 24, 76, 99, 162, 165, 186Hoch, Fritz Walter, 109Holtorf, Gottfried, 134Hummel, Fritz, 52, 163,178

IItes, Otto, 30

Jjansson, Carllsak, 119Jodeit, Bootsmaat, 24-25

KKalbach, Eduard, 43, 47, 93, 168, 182Kennedy, james, 144KJaasen, Bernard, 98, 103Kolle, Walther, 27, 116, 117, 122, 126, 127Krah, Hermann, 50,55,81,84,85, 85, 94,

104, lJ4, 131, 136, 145, 150, 180,185Krebs, 53Kretschmer, Otto, 37, 167, 190

LLabahn, Walter, 84, 85, 100, 132, 181Lalita, 116Lamb, Harold Theodore, 75Lavillgtoll Court, MV, 78, 79,86Lawaetz, Ulf, 34, 43, 44, 45, 50, 51, 64, 72,

71, 92, 93, 93, 120, 121, 122, 126, 127,

204 U-BOAT WAR PATROL

132,142,143,161, 161, 171,1 5,1 6,187

Lehmann-Willenbroch, Heinrich, 33Lemp, Fritz-julius, 54Limburg, Karl 'Stiirkorl', 35, 46- ,50,55,

63, 65, 73, 75, 76,83,94, 99, 108, 109,lJ5, 168,1 3,185

Linder, Han -Heinz, 62, 63, 66, 67, 69Lorient, 30, 3 ,39, 59, 15Lundh, Stig Anders Augu t, 120, 125,

126, 127Lzitzow, 44

MMagdeburg/Sperrbrecher 6, 164, 179, 180,

18Malay, SS, 119Marioll, USCGC, 140Mattern, Heinz, 43, 50, 151, 180,1 5Maus, Augu t, 1Max Schultz (l 3), 27Meisinger, Rudolf, 35Merk, Hans, 55MokillGlla, SS, 144MzillChw, 54Miitzelburg, Rolf, ,9,94, 95, 95, 97,

99,165,167

aval units:German:

7th Vorpostellj1ottille, 164, 188th lerstdrerj1ottille, 188

British:15th Escort Group, 65

elsoll, HMS, 91eumann, Hans, 52ietzel, Karl, 10 ,113ordmann, Heinz, 56, 91, 118, 144, 145,163, 174, 175, 181iobe, 2

oOperations:

British:'M usketry', 1'Pedestal', 91'Raspberry', 76

German'Pa tori us', 62'Paukenschlag',119'Weseriibung',44

Orissa, HMS, 65, 71

PPC-482,140PC-492,140Papua, MV, 191Pathfillder, HMS, 15Petrero del Llallo, SS, 42Pietro Cailli, 119Port Adelaide, SS, 69Port Aucklalld, SS, 69Prien, Giinther, 28, 37, 3 , 167Prudellt (tug), 86

QQuell till, HMS, 158

R

Raeder, Erich, 33, 34, 162, 163, 1 6,190Ranm, Heinrich, 57Rebhan, johann, 55RllOdodwdroll, HMS, 86Richter, Dr Helmuth, 38, 169Rieckhoff, Werner, 49, 51, 55Royal Navy Submarine Museum, 10, 11Rodlley, HMS, 91, 93Roose lee (tug), 144Rosing, Hans-Rudolf, 29, 30, 63, 189Royal Air Force units:

010 OTU, 18061 Squadron, 610120 Squadron, 690228 Squadron, 1880415 Squadron, 10502 Squadron, 61

Rustad, Hans, 152,

SSC-504,140SC-514,140Sander, jiirgen, 27Scallia, MV, 118, 119, 120, 122-5Schepke, joachim, 37, 8 , 167Schiedhelm, Roland, 28, 47Schlagel, Werner, 49,127Schlittenhard, Ernst, 43, 70, 7,88, 90, 94,

96,97,112Schmutzler, Heinz, 28, 70,90,127,137,

139, 181Schnee, Adalbert, 89, 144, 165, 167, 189Scholtz, Klau ,140,141Schug, Walter, 185

Schultze, Herbert, 29, 30, 191Seidel, Hans, 165Sei tz, Georg, 7Sohler, Herbert, 2Somali, HMS, 53Spearfish, HMS, 44Stephan, Paul, 46, 151Steinert, Richard, 134, 150, 152, 171, 181Stierwald, Edgar, 160Stocker, Fritz, 52, 113, 114Suhren, Almut, 23, 1 9Suhren, Beatrix, 1 9,190Suhren, Erne tine, 21, 22, 189Suhren, Geert, 21, 22, 24, 189Suhren, Gerd, 22, 23, 27, 190Suhren, Gesa, 12, 190Suhren, Hannelore, 12, 190Suhren, jutta, 1 9Suhren, Katrin, 190Suhren, Mara, 190Sutherland, J. W., 78

TTllGmes (tug), 144The/ma, SS, 150Thiel, Karl-Ernst, 51, 57, 60, 168Thurmann, Karl, 116Topp, Erich, 37, 9,1 3,1 7,190,191Tuscall Star, SS, 7

uU 1, 27U 29 (WWl), 10U 29, 99U 45, 28U46,2U47,2U 48, 12, 27, 29-31, 183U 51,28U 62,99U 66,127U 84,170U 98,127U 100,U 105, 127U 107, 114U 108, 63, 69, 5, 127, 140U 110, 54U 121, 45U 123, 119U 126, 69, 85U 129, 10 , 110, 1lJ, 112, 113, 1 8

I DEX 205

U 146, 185U 154, 116-18, 122, 126, 127, 128-30,188U 155, 127U 160, 127U 162, 9, 135, 141, 142, 150, 15 , 159, 160,

160,161U176, 120, 121U 185, 1U 201, 144U 202, 62, 67U 203, ,9,94, 94, 96-98, 165, 167, 169, 1 3,

1U 459,109U 462,167U 463,103,108,109,110,111,113,115,116,

117,11 ,15 ,188U 510, 113U 521, 187U 553, 116U 598, 108U 600, 10 , 127, 134U 604, 88U 654, 32, 38, 41, 63, 65-7, 69, 78, 84, 85, 98,

10 ,109,188U 658, 108, 134, 140U 672, 1 5U 732,1 7U 751,61U 921, 1 6,U 2371, 186U 2540 (Wilhelm Bauer), 1 6U 4719,1 6U-boat flotillas:

1st, 10, 11, 36, 3 ,169, 1 32nd, 96th,1 57th,29

206 U-BOA T WAR PATROL

10th, 118, 120, 188

22nd -Training, 1 323rd U-Training, 18524th U-Training, 1026th -Training, 1 5'Wegener', 27, 2 ,29

U-Boot Archi\', 11phoff, Horst, 170, 174, 1 7

VVardaas, MT, 152, 153, 157, 157Vimy, HM5, 15 , 160Vipiall P. Smith, 127

WWagner, Heinrich, 51,121,168, 169,

181Waldschmidt, Herbert, 41-3, 51, 70,

71,81,93,94,95,100,101, 109,118­20, 121, 122, 133, 151, 156, 181,186

Warspite, HM5, 44Wattenberg, )iirgen, 89, 135, 141, 142,

150, 158Webendorfer, Heinz, 34, 35, 43, 50,

51,69, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 102, 116,138, 139, 154-5, 156, 157, 178, 180

Wellillgtoll, HM5, 65, 78, 79, 82, 86West CelillO, 55, 142West ivaria, 55, 75Winter, Werner, 184, 185,1 7Witt, Hans-Ludwig, 10 ,112Wolfbauer, Leo, 103, 10 ,127

Z224,1232,12iirn, Erich, 30

U-BOAT WAR PATROLThis unique book charts the complete story of a single U-boat patrol during the summer

of 1942, and is based around a remarkable collection of photographs that were 'liberated'

from a concrete U-boat pen in Brest at the end of the War and which had, until recently,

remained hidden in a shoe box. The boat in question, U-564, carried the famous three

black cat motif of 'Teddy' Suhren who, along with Prien and Kretschmer, was one of the

top U-boat commanders during the battle of the Atlantic.

'1'1119 781861 762870

ISBN-13978-1-86176-287-oISBN-10 1-86176-287-9

Cover d ign: www.mousemardesign.com

This remarkable book provides unique insights into both the day-to-day life of a U-boat at

sea and into the detailed workings of the Kriegsmarine. Through the successes and trials

of U-564 the reader is transported to that vast and watery battlefield that was perhaps the

t si ·ficant theatre of the Second World War.

www.chathampublishing.com