21st submarine flotilla

The 21st Submarine Flotilla , or 21st U-Flotilla for short , was a military association of the former German Navy during World War II . It was a pure training flotilla.

history

The association was set up in Kiel in 1935 under the name "School Association of the Submarine School" and was subordinate to the U-Boat School, later renamed the 1st U-Teaching Division. In May 1937 it was relocated to Neustadt in Holstein and on November 1, 1937 it was renamed "Unterseebootsschulflottille" (USFl.).

On May 1, 1940, the name was changed to the 1st submarine school and the entire 1st U-Teaching Division and the division's barge Robert Ley were moved to the new Pillau base . The flotilla remained stationed there until it was disbanded in March 1945. In July 1942 it was renamed the 21st Submarine Flotilla. The flotilla 's escort ship was the Danube submarine escort ship from July 1940 to June 1944 . From its commissioning in 1940 to June 1941, the workshop ship Cameroon was also assigned to the flotilla.

Flotilla Chiefs

• May 21, 1935 - September 17, 1937: Frigate captain / sea ​​captain Kurt Slevogt (head of the school association)
• November 1, 1937 - April 7, 1940: Lieutenant Captain Heinz Beduhn
• April 8, 1940 - June 21, 1943: Corvette Captain Paul Büchel (at the same time commander of Dept. I. / ULD)
• June 22, 1943 - September 20, 1944: Corvette Captain Otto Schuhart (at the same time, until January 30, 1944, Commander of Dept. I. / ULD)
• September 21, 1944 - March 1945: Lieutenant Captain Herwig Collmann

Boats

A total of 53 submarines of types I , IIA, IIB, IIC, IID , VII A, VII B, VII C and IX were subordinate to the flotilla during its existence . It was about the boats:

U 2 , U 3 , U 4 , U 5 , U 6 , U 7 , U 9 , U 10 , U 11 , U 20 , U 21 , U 23 , U 24 , U 25 , U 26 , U 29 , U 34 , U 38 , U 48 , U 60 , U 61 , U 62 , U 72 , U 80 , U 101 , U 120 , U 121 , U 139 , U 141 , U 148 , U 151 , U 152 , U 236 , U 251 , U 291 , U 368 , U 416 , U 430 , U 555 , U 704 , U 708 , U 712 , U 720 , U 733 , U 746 , U 922 , U 977 , U 1195 , U 1196 , U 1197 , U 1198 , U 1201 , U 1204

Web links

• http://uboat.net/flotillas/21flo.htm
• http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/heimat/flottillen/flottille_21.html
• http://www.u-boote-online.de/heimat/flottillen/flottille_21.html

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ Beduhn died on August 1, 1940 when his boat U 25 ran into a mine near Terschelling and sank.