2nd submarine flotilla

Coat of arms of the 2nd U-Flotilla

The 2nd Submarine Flotilla , or 2nd U-Flotilla for short , was a military association of the former German Navy during World War II .

history

In Kiel and Wilhelmshaven

The flotilla , also known as the “Saltzwedel” submarine flotilla , was formed on September 1, 1936 in Kiel under the command of frigate captain Werner Scheer and was named after Oberleutnant zur See Reinhold Saltzwedel , a submarine commander of the First World War . The flotilla was moved to Wilhelmshaven after a few weeks . In the fall of 1940, the flotilla began to be moved to Lorient . The 2nd U-Flotilla was formed together with the 6th U-Flotilla .

In Lorient

At the beginning of June 1940, long before the armistice negotiations began, Karl Dönitz , the commander of the submarines (BdU) had the French Atlantic ports inspected for their usability as submarine bases. Relatively little damage and a location beyond the reach of British aircraft were the deciding factors for the BdU's staff to settle in Lorient. On August 15th, the Kriegsmarine inaugurated their first shipyard in occupied France: the "U-Boot-Reparaturwerft Lorient" , a branch of the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven . In June the 2nd U-Flotilla finally moved to Lorient. From then until the flotilla was dissolved in August 1944, when the base in Lorient had to be abandoned, it remained stationed there. The remaining boats were then moved to Norway .

Flotilla Chiefs

September 1936 to July 1937 - Frigate Captain Werner Scheer
October 1937 to September 1939 - Corvette Captain Hans Ibbeken
January 1940 to May 1940 - Corvette Captain Werner Hartmann
May 1940 to July 1941 - Corvette Captain Heinz Fischer
August 1941 to January 1943 - Corvette Captain Victor Schütze
January 1943 to October 1944 - Frigate Captain Ernst Kals

Assigned boats

"Saltzwedel" submarine flotilla