U 109 (Navy)

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U 109 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : IX B
Field Post Number : M 15 099
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: May 24, 1938
Build number: 972
Keel laying: March 9, 1939
Launch: September 14, 1940
Commissioning: 5th December 1940
Commanders:
Calls: 9 activities
Sinkings:

12 ships (79,969 GRT)

Whereabouts: sunk in the North Atlantic on May 4, 1943

U 109 was a German submarine of the type IX B of the Kriegsmarine , which was used in the Second World War .

history

The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on May 24, 1938 . The keel was laid on March 9, 1939 and the launch on September 14, 1940. On December 5, 1940 U 109 was put into service under Corvette Captain Hans-Georg Fischer.

Commander Fischer was relieved after the first patrol on the instructions of the commander of the submarines, Vice Admiral Dönitz . Doenitz considered Corvette Captain Fischer to be "... unable to operate a submarine" . Thereupon Lieutenant Heinrich Bleichrodt took over the command.

Until April 30, 1941, it was assigned to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven as a training boat. Then U 109 served as a front boat in the 2nd U-Flotilla until it was sunk on May 4, 1943 and was stationed in Wilhelmshaven and Lorient . As a boat emblem, it carried the coat of arms of the Kyffhäuserbund . The federal government became the godfather of the boat when Bleichrodt took over command.

Use statistics

The commanders Fischer and Bleichrodt took U 109 to nine operations during his service, on which Fischer and Bleichrodt sank eleven ships, a total of 12 ships with 79,696 GRT and damaged one ship with 6,548 GRT.

First venture

The boat left Kiel on May 6, 1941 at 1:30 p.m. and entered Lorient on May 29, 1941 at 9:30 a.m. A ship was sunk on this 23-day and 5496-nm-long undertaking in the North Atlantic , south of Greenland .

  • May 20, 1941: Sinking of a British steamer while chasing the convoy reported by U 94 . The attacked ship was hit by two torpedoes and exploded before it could make a distress call. Until a few years ago this ship was thought to be the Marconi (7402 GRT), which was sunk from this convoy. Newer sources, however, have identified the ship as Harpagus (5173 GRT), which was lost in the same area.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on June 28, 1941 at 7:00 p.m., and returned there on August 17, 1941 at 1:15 p.m. No ships were sunk during this 50-day and approx. 9200 nm above and 195 nm underwater expedition in the Central Atlantic , the Canary Islands and west of Gibraltar .

On July 7, 1941 from 1.30 a.m., U 109 attacked the 8336 GRT British steamer City of Auckland (former German freighter Weissenfels from 1914/15) with four single torpedo shots. After this steamer was able to avoid all torpedoes, Lieutenant Heinrich Bleichrodt decided to launch an artillery attack. 35 shells were fired from the 10.5 cm gun and several hits were made on the City of Auckland . This broadcast a radio message at 0443 a.m., put its smoke system into operation and shortly thereafter returned fire from several medium-caliber cannons. It was obviously a submarine trap . U 109 ran off with the utmost force. The steamer could not be taken down until dawn on July 8th.

U 109 was supplied with 86 m³ of fuel and provisions by the German steamer Thalia in Cádiz on July 22, 1941 .

Third company

The boat left Lorient on September 21, 1941 at 7:00 p.m. and returned on September 22, 1941 at 7:55 a.m. because of damage to the electrical machine couplings, the radio system and the group listening device . Although the radio station had been inspected by the radio mate after the previous stay in the shipyard, it showed various defects and damage after another short stay in the shipyard. This and the nature of the damage suggested a case of sabotage by the shipyard workers.

U 109 left Lorient on October 5, 1941 at 7:00 p.m. and returned there on November 18, 1941 at 4:10 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 45-day and approx. 6700 nm above and 459 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic, Labrador and Newfoundland . U 109 was sent off for an escort on November 4 by a radio telegram from the BdU . U 109 was to escort the Norwegian freighter Silvaplana (4800 GRT), which had been brought up by the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis near the Marshall Islands , to France. The Silvaplana entered Bordeaux undamaged with 5000 t of sago , coffee and tea.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on December 27, 1941 at 3:00 p.m., and returned there on February 23, 1942 at 1:24 p.m. On this 59-day and approx. 6,950 nm above and 1,052 nm underwater expedition in the west Atlantic , the US east coast and off Florida , four ships with a total of 27,651 GRT were sunk. U 109 was one of the boats that operated the Paukenschlag company .

U 109 was supplied with fuel by U 130 on February 7, 1942 .

  • 23 January 1942: sinking of the British steamer Thirlby ( Lage ) with 4,887 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 7,600 tons of corn and was on the way from New York to Loch Ewe. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy SC-66 with 29 ships. There were five dead and 40 survivors.
  • February 1, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Tacoma Star ( Lage ) with 7,942 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 5107 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Buenos Aires and Hampton Roads to Liverpool . This sinking was a total loss with 87 dead.
  • February 5, 1942: sinking of the Canadian tanker Montrolite ( Lage ) with 11,309 GRT. The tanker was shot at by two torpedoes from the tail tubes and finally sunk by a catch shot from tube 1. He had loaded crude oil and was on his way from Trinidad to Halifax (Nova Scotia). There were 28 dead and 20 survivors.
  • February 6, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian steamer Halcyon ( Lage ) with 3531 GRT. The steamer was sunk by artillery . He drove in ballast and was on the way from Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Demerara . There were three dead.

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on March 25, 1942 at 7:30 p.m., and returned there on June 3, 1942 at 7:30 a.m. On this 70 day long and 7,898 nm above and 1,160 nm underwater expedition in the west Atlantic, the US east coast and off Florida, three ships with 11,977 GRT were sunk and one with 6,548 GRT was damaged.

  • April 20, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Harpagon with 5,719 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 8,017 t of general cargo loaded, including 2,602 t of explosives , tanks and aircraft, and was on his way from New York via Cape Town to Bombay . There were 41 dead and eight survivors.
  • May 1, 1942: Damage to the British motor ship La Paz with 6,548 GRT. The ship had loaded general cargo and was on its way to Valparaíso . There were no casualties, 57 survivors. The La Paz sank to the bottom after a torpedo hit with the stern, but was later lifted, repaired in Jacksonville, Florida and taken over by the United States Marine Corps .
  • May 1, 1942: The sinking of the Dutch motor ship Worden with 433 GRT was attributed to U109 based on an intercepted radio message. It was assumed that the ship was hit by a torpedo, which the La Paz was supposed to have but missed the target. In fact, the Worden radioed the attack on the La Paz and escaped without damage.
  • May 3, 1942: sinking of the Dutch steamer Laertes ( Lage ) with 5,825 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 5230 t of war material including three aircraft, 17 tanks and 20 trucks and was on the way from New York via Table Bay in South Africa to Bombay in India. There were 18 dead and 42 survivors.

Sixth venture

The boat left Lorient on July 18, 1942 at 6:00 p.m., and returned there on October 6, 1942 at 4:40 p.m. During this 80-day and approx. 12,750 nm above and 770 nm underwater expedition in the Central Atlantic, the South Atlantic off Freetown and the Gulf of Guinea , five ships with 35,601 GRT were sunk.

U 109 was supplied with 38 m³ of fuel and provisions for 5 days by U 460 on September 20, 1942 .

  • August 8, 1942: sinking of the Norwegian tanker Arthur W. Sewall ( Lage ) with 6,130 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes and artillery. He drove in ballast and was on the way from Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Trinidad. There were no casualties, 36 survivors.
  • August 11, 1942: Sinking of the British tanker Vimeira ( Lage ) with 5,728 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 8,100 tons of heating and fuel oil and was on the way from Curacao and Trinidad to Freetown . There were 23 dead and 22 survivors. (The captain of the ship was captured by U 109 ).
  • September 3, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Ocean Might ( Lage ) with 7173 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had loaded 7000 tons of military equipment and was on its way from Liverpool via the Middle East to Cape Town. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OS-37 with 33 ships. There were four dead and 50 survivors.
  • September 6, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Tuscan Star ( Lage ) with 11,449 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had 7,800 tons of meat , 5,000 tons of general cargo and 25 passengers on board and was on its way from Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Santos via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Liverpool. 48 crew members and three passengers were killed, 40 crew members and 22 passengers were rescued. (The ship's radio operator was captured by U 109 ).
  • September 17, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Peterton ( Lage ) with 5221 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded 5758 t of coal and was on the way from London , Hull and Oban to Buenos Aires (Argentina). The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OG-80 with 29 ships. There were eight dead and 34 survivors. (The captain of the ship was captured by U 109 ).

Seventh venture

The boat was launched on November 28, 1942 at 17:00 Lorient, and on 23 January 1943 at 12:15 to St. Nazaire one. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 66-day and approx. 7,900 nm above and 746 nm underwater expedition in the western Atlantic, the Caribbean and off Trinidad. U 109 was supplied with 14.6 m³ of fuel from U 463 from January 12 to January 13, 1943 .

Eighth venture

The boat left St. Nazaire on March 3, 1943 at 2:30 p.m. and entered Lorient on April 1, 1943 at 10:30 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 29-day and approx. 4,100 nm over and 390 nm underwater venture into the Central Atlantic and the Azores. The company had to be canceled due to machine problems. On March 21, 1943, U 202 was supplied with 17 m³ of fuel. On March 22, 1943, U 588 was supplied with 18 m³ of fuel and on March 25, 1943, U 43 was supplied with 17 m³ of fuel.

Ninth venture

The boat left Lorient on April 28, 1943 and was sunk on May 4, 1943. No ships were sunk or damaged on this seven-day expedition to the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay .

Whereabouts

The boat was sunk on May 4, 1943 in the North Atlantic south of Ireland by the B-24 Liberator P of British Squadron 86 with four depth charges at position 47 ° 22 ′  N , 22 ° 40 ′  W in naval grid reference BE 4512. It was a total loss with 57 dead.

literature

  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
  • Wolfgang Hirschfeld : patrols. Log of a submarine radio operator (= Heyne-Buch. 6476). Heyne, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-453-02051-0 .
  • Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Maling's German submarines 1939–1945. 4th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0826-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X , p. 354.
  2. ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, page 109
  3. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, p. 144.
  4. ^ Jürgen Rohwer : Axis submarine successes, 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD 1983, ISBN 0-87021-082-3 , p. 53.
  5. ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. 2001, p. 98.
  6. ↑ Ellerman Hall Line - Weissenfels  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ellisisland.org  
  7. ^ Weekly Intelligence Report. (WE). No. 70, 11th July 1941, ZDB -ID 1012980-7 , p. 15 ( Memento of March 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
  8. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, pp. 91-97.
  9. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, p. 105.
  10. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, pp. 138-141.
  11. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, p. 230.
  12. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, pp. 278-279.
  13. ↑ Patrol of German U-boat U-109 from 25 Mar 1942 to 3 Jun 1942 - Kriegsmarine U-boat patrols - uboat.net. In: www.uboat.net. Retrieved July 22, 2016 .
  14. ^ Wolfgang Hirschfeld: Feindfahrten. 1985, p. 335.