U 671
|
U 671 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
|
|---|---|
| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | 50 467 |
| Shipyard: | Howaldtswerke Hamburg |
| Construction contract: | January 20, 1941 |
| Build number: | 820 |
| Keel laying: | December 2, 1941 |
| Launch: | December 15, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | March 3, 1943 |
| Commanders: |
August-Wilhelm Hewicker |
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 2 activities |
| Sinkings: |
no |
| Whereabouts: | sunk in the English Channel on August 4, 1944 |
U 671 was a German type VII C submarine, also known as the "Atlantic boat ". It was used by the German Navy during the Submarine War in World War II in the North Atlantic and the English Channel , where it was sunk on August 4, 1944.
Technical specifications
At the beginning of the war, the Howaldtswerft in Hamburg completely discontinued its production of submarines. This shipyard was planned for an annual output of 16 submarines. From mid-1943, the production of 22 boats a year was planned - but these numbers could never be reached. By the end of the war, Howaldtswerke Hamburg had delivered a total of 33 submarines to the Kriegsmarine, all of the Type VII C. U 671 was part of the third construction contract that the Kriegsmarine placed with Howaldtswerft. The boat had a length of 67 m and a displacement of 865 m³ under water. It had two diesel engines that enabled a speed of 17 knots over water . During the underwater journey, two electric motors propelled the boat to a speed of 7 knots. The armament consisted (until 1944) of an 8.8 cm cannon and a 2 cm flak on deck, as well as four bow torpedo tubes and a stern torpedo tube. Usually a VII C-boat carried 14 torpedoes with it. U 671 was equipped with a snorkel that was attached to a foldable mast and allowed a longer underwater journey. The snorkel ensured the fresh air supply and at the same time discharged the toxic exhaust gases from the diesel engines. This made it possible to run the diesel underwater, which made the boat less likely to be detected and increased its underwater speed.
Like most German submarines of its time, U 671 also had a boat-specific symbol. These symbols were usually selected by the crew during their training period, sometimes as a result of a special event, then usually attached to the submarine tower and worn by the soldiers on caps and boats . The sign of U 671 was the head of a deer with a medal around its neck.
Commitment and history
U 671 belonged to the 5th U-Flotilla as a training boat until April 30, 1944 , then it was assigned to the 3rd U-Flotilla as a front boat. The commander of the submarine, Oberleutnant zur See August-Wilhelm Hewicker, was convicted in May 1943, demoted to sailor and imprisoned.
The boat left Kiel on May 13th for its first venture. The new commander, Oberleutnant zur See, Wolfgang Hegewald, initially patrolled the North Atlantic by boat. U 671 reached the Seine bay on June 25th . Commander Hegewald was unable to successfully attack this busy area of operations, as the Allied transports were efficiently secured by numerous warships. On July 2, U 671 was tracked down and attacked by several ships - according to Hegewald's assumption they were destroyers . The boat was so permanently damaged by water bomb detonations that Hegewald decided to break off the venture and call at the nearest, suitable port. He chose Boulogne-sur-Mer , where U 671 arrived on July 5th. Since the naval base there did not have adequate specialist staff, 30 technicians from other bases were ordered to Boulogne-sur-Mer to repair U 671 . The boat left Boulogne-sur-Mer on July 26th for its second expedition.
Sinking
The destination was the sea area around the Isle of Wight , where U 671 was supposed to patrol. However, shortly after leaving the port, the snorkel proved to be defective, so that Hegewald called Boulogne-sur-Mer again. U 671 left again on August 1 , but the situation had not improved significantly. Robert Schröter , chief engineer of the boat and later philologist , found that each time the snorkel was unfolded, four tons of seawater entered the boat. Hegewald, meanwhile promoted to lieutenant captain, had the boat turned again to return to Boulogne-sur-Mar. U 671 was sunk on August 4, 1944 in the English Channel south of Newhaven by HMS Stayner and HMS Wensleydale with depth charges.
When the boat was sunk, 47 men were killed and 4 crew members, including Robert Schröter, were rescued.
literature
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , p. 137.
- ↑ Axel Niestlé: German U-Boat Losses during World War II Details of Destruction , Frontline Books, London 2014, ISBN 978–1–84832–210–3, page 80
Map with all coordinates: