Turning Point Black May for Subs...

[5fish]

Atlantic Sub warfare turning point was May of 1943, It was their Stalingrad moment of the war. It is called Black May... The Atlantic convoys attacks continued to decline from this point onward...

Black May (World War II) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Black May refers to a period (May 1943) in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm (U-Bootwaffe) suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.

In May 1943, U-boat strength reached its peak, with 240 operational U-boats of which 118 were at sea,[2] yet the sinking of Allied ships continued to decline. May 1943 also had the greatest losses suffered by U-boats up to that time, with 41 being destroyed in May 1943 — 25% of the operational U-boats.[3] The month opened with the battle for ONS 5, a hard-fought clash which saw heavy losses on both sides; 13 merchant ships set against six U-boats. But the tactical improvements of the escorts began to take effect; the next three convoys that were attacked resulted in just seven ships sunk for the same number of U-boats. Finally, five U-boats were sunk attacking convoy SC 130, with Admiral Dönitz's son Peter among those lost aboard U-954, while no convoy ships were lost.[4]

Total Allied losses in May were 58 ships of 299,000 long tons (304,000 t), of which 34 (134,000 long tons (136,000 t)) were lost in the Atlantic. On 24 May 1943, Dönitz — shocked at the defeat suffered by the U-boats — ordered a temporary halt to the U-boat campaign; most were withdrawn from operational service. The U-boats were unable to return to the fray in significant numbers until autumn, and never regained the advantage.

During May there had been a drop in Allied losses, coupled with a tremendous rise in U-boat losses; 18 boats were lost in convoy battles in the Atlantic in the month, 14 were lost to air patrols; six of these in the Bay of Biscay. With losses in other theatres, accidents, or other causes, the total loss to the U-boat arm in May was 43 boats.

 

[5fish]

Here is a great time line about Sub warfare in WW2 by NOVA a NPR show...

NOVA Online | Hitler's Lost Sub | 400 Years of Subs (1939-1945)

1940
The first Wolf Pack went into operation in September. Whereas in World War I the simple fact of 'convoy' kept the U-boats at bay, the Wolf Pack tactic instigated a series of long-running battles. Early in the war, escorts were lacking, and escort coordination was minimal. Often, before meeting up in ocean, escort vessels had not even talked with one another, much less trained together

1940
By December, newly perfected aircraft-mounted radar could pick up a surface-running U-boat at seven miles. Not a great distance, but farther than the eye could see at night. It was a start.

 

[5fish]

Here is another submarine tale from WW2. The Germans using U-boats to fire V-1 rockets at New York and the Americans had a plan to stop them...

Operation Teardrop - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Operation Teardrop was a United States Navy operation during World War II, conducted between April and May 1945, to sink German U-boats approaching the Eastern Seaboard believed to be armed with V-1 flying bombs. Germany had threatened to attack New York with V-1 flying bombs and rocket U-boats. After the war, it was determined the submarines had not been carrying either.

Operation Teardrop was planned during late 1944 in response to intelligence reports which indicated that Germany was preparing a force of missile-armed submarines. Two large U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare task forces were set up. The plan was executed in April 1945 after several Type IX submarines put to sea from Norway bound for North America. While severe weather conditions in the North Atlantic Ocean greatly reduced the effectiveness of the four U.S. Navy escort carriers involved, long patrol lines of destroyer escorts detected and engaged most of the German submarines. Aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force supported this effort.

Five of the seven submarines in the group stationed off the United States were sunk, four with their entire crews. Thirty-three U-546 crew members were captured, and specialists among them abusively interrogated. One destroyer escort was sunk, with the loss of most of her crew. The war ended shortly afterwards and all surviving U-boats surrendered; interrogation of their crews found that missile launching equipment was not fitted.

Aftermath one was this... our submarine launched missiles and rockets...

A variant of the V-1 was used by the U.S. Navy to test the feasibility of launching missiles from submarines in the years after World War II. Republic‐Ford JB‐2 "Loon" missiles were launched from USS Cusk and USS Carbonero in a series of tests which began on February 12, 1947. These tests were successful, and led to the development of further submarine-launched cruise missiles.[36] The U.S. Navy's success in adapting a variant of the V-1 to be launched from submarines also demonstrated that it would have been technically feasible for the German navy to have done the same.[37]

 

[5fish]

Have you heard the tale of U-boats in the Black sea... Its a true tale... here are the links to prove such a claim... They had to be transported across land to the Black sea along with some Chaser boats... They did sink a few ships...

Submarine warfare in the Black Sea campaigns (1944) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1944 involved engagements between submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen, defended by Romanian and German naval warships, as well as German U-boats and Romanian submarines attacking Soviet merchants on the eastern Black Sea. Before the conclusion of the campaign, Romania joined the Allies after King Michael's Coup. These engagements were a part of the naval Black Sea campaigns.

30th U-boat Flotilla - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

30th U-boat Flotilla ("30. Unterseebootsflottille") of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine was formed in October 1942. Six U-boats reached the Black Sea after a transport over land and canals [1] and operated from the harbours of Constanţa and Feodosiya[2] from 1942 to 1944. When the Romanians switched sides in 1944, U-9, U-18 and U-24 were scuttled near the harbour, and later raised by the Soviets. The Flotilla's history ended in September 1944, when its three last boats U-19, U-20 and U-23 had to be scuttled[1] on 10 and 11 September near the Turkish coast

 

[5fish]

One of the scuttled sub in a dive attraction in Turkey...

The story of the lost U Boats of the Black Sea: Scuba diving at an intact nazi U Boat wreck – WW2Wrecks.com

www.ww2wrecks.com

 

[5fish]

U-boats in the Gulf...

Before the Cajun Navy, A Ragtag Group of Civilian Boaters Fought Nazi Germany Off the Louisiana Coast

The incredible, true story of when the Louisiana Gulf Coast was on the frontlines of World War II.

www.bayoubrief.com

Inbound for New Orleans from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, the passenger freighter Robert E. Lee was steaming hard for the safety of the river. Overcrowded with European refugees, American construction workers, and ragged survivors from U-boat attacks on shipping in the Caribbean, the steamship was about to share the fate of 55 other ships sunk by Nazi U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico in 1942.

Latest World & National News & Headlines - USATODAY.com

The Nation's Newspaper provides you with up-to-date coverage of US and international news, weather, entertainment, finance, and more.

stories.usatodaynetwork.com

Lookouts on the Alcoa Puritan saw the foaming wake of Schacht’s torpedo as it raced past. Krantz ordered the ship to full speed. As the 6,759-ton merchantman turned hard to put the U-boat in its wake while racing for the Mississippi River mouth just fifteen miles away, his radio operator flashed an emergency message: “SOS SSS. Alcoa Puritan, U-boat on the surface position 28:40N 088:22W at 1700 hours GMT [Greenwich Mean Time].” The freighter began moving faster through the water, but its reprieve would not last long.

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Been there and went thru it. It truly must have been a stinky pig-boat.



U-505 Submarine







U-505 SUBMARINE RESURFACES AT MSI
The story of the U-505 is told in a dramatic, 35,000-square-foot exhibit


CHICAGO—The Museum of Science and Industry’s beloved U-505 submarine has resurfaced in an amazing indoor exhibition that showcases the story of the German sub’s legendary capture in World War II and explores technology and life aboard the vessel.
The U-505 Submarine exhibit offers multiple interactive units, nearly 200 artifacts, archival newspapers and photography, videos narrated by Bill Kurtis, radio transmissions, re-enactments of key events, dramatic artwork, as well as exciting testimonials from the veterans of Task Group 22.3 who made the remarkable capture. The sub is now the world’s only remaining Type IX-C submarine and a National Historic Landmark.

U-505 Submarine

 

[rittmeister]

Been there and went thru it. It truly must have been a stinky pig-boat.



U-505 Submarine






U-505 SUBMARINE RESURFACES AT MSI
The story of the U-505 is told in a dramatic, 35,000-square-foot exhibit


CHICAGO—The Museum of Science and Industry’s beloved U-505 submarine has resurfaced in an amazing indoor exhibition that showcases the story of the German sub’s legendary capture in World War II and explores technology and life aboard the vessel.
The U-505 Submarine exhibit offers multiple interactive units, nearly 200 artifacts, archival newspapers and photography, videos narrated by Bill Kurtis, radio transmissions, re-enactments of key events, dramatic artwork, as well as exciting testimonials from the veterans of Task Group 22.3 who made the remarkable capture. The sub is now the world’s only remaining Type IX-C submarine and a National Historic Landmark.

U-505 Submarine

The Type IXC U-boat U-505 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Over 40.000 pages on the officers, the boats, technology and the Allied efforts to counter the U-boat threat.

uboat.net

 

[O' Be Joyful]

P.S. when we went thru her, she was sitting outside of the museum. I am glad that she is inside now and under "cover."

 

[5fish]

Random Number @rittmeister a famous U-boat...

German submarine U-1023 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

German submarine U-1023 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 20 May 1943 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned on 15 June 1944 with Oberleutnant Wolfgang Strenger in command. U-1023 sank one ship and damaged one more for a total of 7,345 GRT and 335 tons. After the war she was sunk in Operation Deadlight.

 

[5fish]

Here are the German Wonder Boats... Elektroboot...

Elektroboot - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

An elektroboot ("electric boat" in German) was a submarine designed to operate entirely submerged, rather than as submersibles that could submerge as a temporary means to escape detection or launch an attack.[1

Type XXI submarine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They were the first submarines designed to operate primarily submerged, rather than spending most of their time as surface ships that could submerge for brief periods as a means of escaping detection. They incorporated many batteries to increase the time they could spend submerged, to as much as several days, and they only needed to surface to periscope depth for recharging via a snorkel. The design included many general improvements as well: much greater underwater speed by an improved hull design, greatly improved diving times, power-assisted torpedo reloading and greatly improved crew accommodations. However, the design was also flawed in many ways, with the submarines being mechanically unreliable[5] and vulnerable to combat damage. The Type XXI submarines were also rushed into production before design work was complete, and the inexperienced facilities which constructed the boats were unable to meet necessary quality standards.

Phantom of the Deep: Germany's Underwater Wonder Weapon

Author Steven Trent Smith reveals the history of a Nazi superweapon that changed the face of naval warfare—but only after the war.

www.historynet.com

When Allied navy technicians finally got a good look at the real thing, its clean lines impressed them—the sleek hull and snorkel that retracted into the conning tower. They were impressed, too, that the Germans had designed and built this all-new submarine smack in the middle of the war, amid incessant enemy bombing raids. It was an audacious program, and the result—what the U.S. Navy called a “weapon of more advanced design than any heretofore developed”—had a profound impact. The impact, however, was not the one the Germans had hoped for.

Forget hydrogen peroxide, they told the admiral. Keep the streamlined form, use a conventional diesel and electric power plant, and fill the bottom hull with three times as many storage batteries as in standard U-boats, giving the new submarine a considerable increase in underwater endurance. In the opinion of the two experts, “While such a boat would not attain the underwater speed of the Walter Boat, it would certainly be capable of a speed far in excess of current types.” Walter suggested adding a snorkel—paired retractable tubes to provide air to the diesel engines and extract the exhaust fumes—which would allow the batteries to be recharged without having to surface the boat. That, and coating the snorkel with rubber to deflect radar waves would further enhance the sub’s stealthiness.

 

[5fish]

Here is the final day for U-boats...

Operation Deadlight - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Operation Deadlight was the code name for the Royal Navy operation of November 1945 – February 1946 to scuttle German U-boats surrendered to the Allies after the defeat of Germany near the end of World War II.

The surrender of German U-Boats and Operation Deadlight at Lisahally, Co. Londonderry - WartimeNI

On Monday 14th May 1945, the first defeated German U-boats sailed into Lisahally, Co. Londonderry, surrendering to Admiral Sir Max Horton.

wartimeni.com

Admiral Sir Max Horton oversaw the surrender. Although Horton’s base was at Derby House, Liverpool, England, it was he as Commander in Chief of the Western Approaches who chose the Co. Londonderry port as the historic site. The U-Boats flew the Royal naval White Ensign from their decks as British seamen kept an eye on the U-Boats’ skeleton crews passing Culmore Point.

Operation Deadlight

At the end of Second World War, the allied forces were in possession of 120 German U-boats. They decided to let them sink in the deep water of the Atlantic Ocean during a special operation for this purpose.

xray-mag.com

A local diver, Al Wright, discovered one of the wrecks in 1999. Then in 2001, the English U-boat specialist, Innes McCartney, undertook an expedition in the area and filmed several wrecks. One of them was the U-2511. The wreck was still in good condition, so the expedition was able to capture magnificent images of the elektroboot. The U-2511 is the only type that was well preserved and is therefore an important archaeological find.

 

[rittmeister]

Here are the German Wonder Boats... Elektroboot...

Elektroboot - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

An elektroboot ("electric boat" in German) was a submarine designed to operate entirely submerged, rather than as submersibles that could submerge as a temporary means to escape detection or launch an attack.[1

Type XXI submarine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They were the first submarines designed to operate primarily submerged, rather than spending most of their time as surface ships that could submerge for brief periods as a means of escaping detection. They incorporated many batteries to increase the time they could spend submerged, to as much as several days, and they only needed to surface to periscope depth for recharging via a snorkel. The design included many general improvements as well: much greater underwater speed by an improved hull design, greatly improved diving times, power-assisted torpedo reloading and greatly improved crew accommodations. However, the design was also flawed in many ways, with the submarines being mechanically unreliable[5] and vulnerable to combat damage. The Type XXI submarines were also rushed into production before design work was complete, and the inexperienced facilities which constructed the boats were unable to meet necessary quality standards.

Phantom of the Deep: Germany's Underwater Wonder Weapon

Author Steven Trent Smith reveals the history of a Nazi superweapon that changed the face of naval warfare—but only after the war.

www.historynet.com

When Allied navy technicians finally got a good look at the real thing, its clean lines impressed them—the sleek hull and snorkel that retracted into the conning tower. They were impressed, too, that the Germans had designed and built this all-new submarine smack in the middle of the war, amid incessant enemy bombing raids. It was an audacious program, and the result—what the U.S. Navy called a “weapon of more advanced design than any heretofore developed”—had a profound impact. The impact, however, was not the one the Germans had hoped for.

Forget hydrogen peroxide, they told the admiral. Keep the streamlined form, use a conventional diesel and electric power plant, and fill the bottom hull with three times as many storage batteries as in standard U-boats, giving the new submarine a considerable increase in underwater endurance. In the opinion of the two experts, “While such a boat would not attain the underwater speed of the Walter Boat, it would certainly be capable of a speed far in excess of current types.” Walter suggested adding a snorkel—paired retractable tubes to provide air to the diesel engines and extract the exhaust fumes—which would allow the batteries to be recharged without having to surface the boat. That, and coating the snorkel with rubber to deflect radar waves would further enhance the sub’s stealthiness.

U-boat Types - German U-boats of WWII - Kriegsmarine - uboat.net

The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Over 40.000 pages on the officers, the boats, technology and the Allied efforts to counter the U-boat threat.

uboat.net

 

[5fish]

Here a WW2 story about flushing and sinking a U-boat... maybe a little over engineered sub... but there is a twist...

The Nazi U-boat sunk by a toilet malfunction

IN APRIL 1945, with the end of the war in sight, German U-boat 1206 was navigating the depths off the Aberdeenshire coast when disaster struck.

www.scotsman.com

Rather than follow the British method of storing sewage in septic tanks on board the vessel, German engineers had developed a high pressure system which saved valuable space and weight by ejecting waste directly into the sea. However, the system only worked properly when the sub was on or near the surface - not exactly ideal if you were submerged for long stretches, which was often the case during wartime.

German submarine U-1206 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

U-1206 was one of the late-war boats fitted with new deepwater high-pressure toilets which allowed them to be used while running at depth. Flushing these facilities was an extremely complicated procedure and special technicians were trained to operate them. Incorrectly opening valves in the wrong sequence could result in waste or seawater flowing back into the hull.[6]

On 14 April 1945, 24 days before the end of World War II in Europe, while U-1206 was cruising at a depth of 200 feet (61 m), eight nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) off Peterhead, Scotland, misuse of the new toilet caused large amounts of seawater to flood the boat.[6] According to the Commander's official report, while in the engine room helping to repair one of the diesel engines, he was informed that a malfunction involving the toilet caused a leak in the forward section. The leak flooded the submarine's batteries (located beneath the head) causing them to generate chlorine gas, leaving him with no alternative but to surface.[6] Once surfaced, U-1206 was discovered and bombed by British patrols, forcing Schlitt to scuttle the submarine. One man had died of illness a day before the mishap,[7] three men drowned in the heavy seas after abandoning the vessel[8] and 46 were captured.[9]

During survey work for the BP Forties Field oil pipeline to Cruden Bay in the mid 1970s, the remains of U-1206 were found at 57°21′N 01°39′W in approximately 70 m (230 ft) of water. The site survey performed by RCAHMS suggests that the leak that forced U-1206 to surface may have occurred after running into a pre-existing wreck located at the same site.[10]

A large number of sources incorrectly attribute this incident to U-120. Many sources incorrectly report that U-120 sank due to a malfunctioning toilet.[Note 1]

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Holy Shit!! ...plus battery acid fumes.


U-1206 was one of the late-war boats fitted with new deepwater high-pressure toilets which allowed them to be used while running at depth. Flushing these facilities was an extremely complicated procedure and special technicians were trained to operate them. Incorrectly opening valves in the wrong sequence could result in waste or seawater flowing back into the hull.[6]

On 14 April 1945, 24 days before the end of World War II in Europe, while U-1206 was cruising at a depth of 200 feet (61 m), eight nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) off Peterhead, Scotland, misuse of the new toilet caused large amounts of seawater to flood the boat.[6] According to the Commander's official report, while in the engine room helping to repair one of the diesel engines, he was informed that a malfunction involving the toilet caused a leak in the forward section. The leak flooded the submarine's batteries (located beneath the head) causing them to generate chlorine gas, leaving him with no alternative but to surface.[6] Once surfaced, U-1206 was discovered and bombed by British patrols, forcing Schlitt to scuttle the submarine. One man had died of illness a day before the mishap,[7] three men drowned in the heavy seas after abandoning the vessel[8] and 46 were captured.[9]

 

[5fish]

Here an amazing tale of a U-boat sinking then rescuing the survivors off the coast of Africa in WW2 defying orders... looks like the BBC made a movie out of it... the total of three subs were used...

The Nazi with a heart: U-boat skipper torpedoed a British ship then defied Hitler to rescue survivors. But a BBC drama reveals a terrible twist

The Laconia sank, spilling injured British soldiers, women and children into the Atlantic Ocean. But what happened next portrayed some German submariners as courageous, humane men

www.dailymail.co.uk

Captain Werner Hartenstein of U-156 had sighted the Laconia earlier that day. A U-boat ace, he had already sunk just short of 100,000 tonnes of Allied shipping during the war. By sinking the 20,000-tonne Laconia, he would reach that total, making him eligible for the German military award, the Ritterkreuz

Hitler himself had decreed: ‘Since foreign seamen cannot be taken prisoner . . . the U-boats are to surface after torpedoing and shoot up the lifeboats.’

Hearing the cries of the Italians, Hartenstein assumed he had just torpedoed a ship full of Germany’s allies — then he saw with horror that women and children were among the survivors. So he decided to rescue everyone, regardless of nationality.

Here the Americans than attack the subs and survivors... first attack...

Laconia incident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

During the night the submarines became separated. On 16 September at 11:25 a.m., U-156 was spotted by an American B-24 Liberator bomber flying from a secret airbase on Ascension. The submarine was travelling with a Red Cross flag draped across her gun deck. Hartenstein signalled to the pilot in both Morse code and English requesting assistance. A British officer also messaged the aircraft: „RAF officer speaking from German submarine, Laconia survivors on board, soldiers, civilians, women, children.”[14]

Lieutenant James D. Harden of the US Army Air Forces did not respond to the messages; turning away, he notified his base of the situation. The senior officer on duty that day, Captain Robert C. Richardson III, who claimed that he did not know that this was a Red Cross-sanctioned German rescue operation, ordered the B-24 to „sink the sub”. Richardson later claimed he believed that the rules of war at the time did not permit a combat ship to fly Red Cross flags. He feared that the German submarine would attack the two Allied freighters diverted by the British to the site. He assumed that the German submarine was rescuing only the Italian POWs. In his tactical assessment, he believed that the submarine might discover and shell the secret Ascension airfield and fuel tanks, thus cutting off a critical Allied resupply air route to British forces in Egypt and Soviet forces in Russia.[

...


The Laconia incident had far-reaching consequences. Up until that point, it was common for U-boats to assist torpedoed survivors with food, water, simple medical care for the wounded, and a compass bearing to the nearest landmass.[28] It was extremely rare for survivors to be brought on board as space on a U-boat was barely enough for its own crew. On 17 September 1942, in response to the incident, Admiral Karl Dönitz issued an order named Triton Null, later known as the Laconia Order. In it, Dönitz prohibited U-boat crews from attempting rescues; survivors were to be left in the sea. Even afterwards, U-boats still occasionally provided aid for survivors.

At the Nuremberg trials held by the Allies in 1946, Dönitz was indicted for war crimes. The issuance of the Laconia Order was the centrepiece of the prosecution case, a decision that backfired badly. Its introduction allowed the defence to recount at length the numerous instances in which German submariners acted with humanity where in similar situations the Allies behaved callously. Dönitz pointed out that the order itself was a direct result of this callousness and the attack on a rescue operation by US aircraft

 

[rittmeister]

laconia was a clear cut warcrime by the united states army airforce

 

[5fish]

laconia was a clear cut warcrime by the united states army airforce

Could be but how could we trust them U-boat captains. It could have been a ruse to shell the secret airfield... Note secret airfield... Americans only attacked them twice...

 

[5fish]

Here is the German Sub fleet in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans... The Gruppe Monsun or Monsoon Group ... I do not what they sunk but they got sunk by B-24 Liberator bombers... The Germans transfer a few to the Japanese... They seem to be base out of Malaysia...

Gruppe Monsun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Gruppe Monsun or Monsoon Group was a force of German U-boats (submarines) that operated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during World War II. Although similar naming conventions were used for temporary groupings of submarines in the Atlantic, the longer duration of Indian Ocean patrols caused the name to be permanently associated with the relatively small number of U-boats operating out of Penang (primarily its capital, George Town).[1] After 1944, the U-boats of the Monsun Gruppe were operationally placed under the authority of the Southeast Asia U-boat Region.

The Indian Ocean was the only place where German and Japanese forces fought in the same theatre. To avoid incidents between Germans and Japanese, attacks on other submarines were strictly forbidden.[2] Altogether 41 U-boats of all types including transports would be sent; a large number of these, however, were lost and only a small fraction returned to Europe.[

 

[5fish]

Here is a link with a more operational history of the subs... They had a lot of logistic issues...

Gruppe Monsun Boats

Gruppe Monsun was the first wave of German U-boats dispatched to the Far East. Learn about the logistical difficulties encountered and the final fate of these boats.

www.uboataces.com

After the Italian transport submarines, Gruppe Monsun was the first wave of German U-boats to be dispatched to the Far East. Destined for offensive operations in the Arabian Sea, a group of nine Type IXCs and two Type IXD2s set sail from Europe in mid 1943. Due to necessity, each U-boat was also loaded with special cargo for delivery to Japan, although this had meant reduced effectiveness for the boats at performing dual roles. The limited range of the Type IXCs also meant that the boats had to be refueled during the outbound journey and were to arrive in their operational zones in September 1943, right after the Monsoon season – thus the name given to the operating boats.

here is this...

German Submarines in the Pacific Ocean? The Forgotten Monsun Gruppe Wolfpack

On October 14th, 1939, during a raid on Scapa Flow by the U-47, a German submarine, the HMS Royal Oak was torpedoed and sunk. The captain of the German submarine, Günther Prien, was awarded the Kni…

houseofhistory.co

Something that is covered far less extensively, and isn’t necessarily as bloody, but is interesting nonetheless, is the special flotilla of U-boats the Kriegsmarine sent to the Indian Ocean and Pacific war theatre. This squadron, the so-called Monsun Gruppe, had to disrupt Allied shipping transports and maintain contact with the Japanese, the German allies on the other side of the world. Their base was located in Penang, on the Northwest Coast of Peninsular Malaya. Perhaps most interesting of all: although Japan and Germany were officially allied during the war, this was the only time both powers intensively collaborated.