U-Boat ID & Name:
U-38 - ParzivalU-Boat Class: Type IX A
Kommandant - Karl Schneider RK (Kapitänleutnant)
Patrol Assignment -
British IslesSuccessful Patrol - Yes
Refit Time - Standard
Enemy Losses Number of Freighters Sank - 3
Number of Tankers Sank - 2
Number of Capital Ships Sank - 0
Tonnage Destroyed (this Patrol) - 28,900 tons
Ships Damaged - None
Total Tonnage Destroyed - 176,500 tons
Senior Crew Wachts Offizier 1: Walter Rieflin EK (2.K) (Oberleutnant-zur-See)
Wachts Offizier 2: Josef Lotze EK (2.K) (Leutnant-zur-See)
[Killed in Action] Leitender Ingenieur: Georg Henger (Oberleutnant-zur-See)
Doctor: Albrecht Braun (Leutnant-zur-See)
Ships Destroyed "Anadara" (Tanker) - 8,000 tons
"Davanger" (Tanker) - 7,100 tons
"Royston Vasey" (Large Freighter) - 5,100 tons
"Stonepool" (Small Freighter) - 5,000 tons
"BaronDechmont" (Small Freighter) - 3,700 tons
Award Requests Knight's Cross (Oakleaf cluster)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (mit Eichenlaub) Karl Schneider RK (Kapitänleutnant)
Patrol Report
Sunday, December 1st - 05:30hrs
Another year on. Another Christmas my crew will be on patrol instead of being with their families. Another patrol around the British Isles. Another misuse of our long-range capabilities. Just a different port to sail out from. An improvised duelling dummy I had in my rented room had come in for a lot of damage from my epée when I found out our orders last night.
I had hoped that in 1940 that the Kriegsmarine might have looked at the regulations. Instead, we would be out for a month like the Type VIIs but put down on paper as being on patrol for another when we were actually in port. I had also hoped as a way of making it up to us, we might have had a patrol down off the West African coast so we could have got a sun tan instead of dealing with typical British coastal weather.
However, we were all loyal servants of the Fatherland, we were expected to follow the rules, obey the orders and do our best.
So, with little fanfare and under the cover of darkness, we quietly slipped out of La Rochelle. There were a lot of Frenchmen out there who did not agree with France capitulating and supported "la resistance". It just required a radio message to the British and we could find a hostile reception awaiting us in the Bay of Biscay.
Tuesday, December 10th - 8:10am [AM41]
Whether we had not been noticed leaving La Rochelle or the weather was poor, our journey to our patrol area off the Northwest coast of Ireland had been uneventful. There had been no complaints about that, the crew just wanted to get to work, to sink some more ships and to finish our sixth patrol safely. The more I thought about it, I was convinced now that the proverbial dice were loaded against us and we would always luck out and get the poorer assignments. However, if we continued to prove ourselves to be a competent tonnage-sinking crew, then perhaps Lady Luck might smile on us again. When I was a child, "the general" had told me to be obey orders, even if I thought them to be wrong but to do my best as a good soldier. Well, I intended to continue to do my best as a good submariner.
On the hydrophones, what appeared to be a straggler had been detected. Upon getting to visual range, we found it to be an unescorted tanker.
"Perhaps Lady Luck has a strange sense of humour, Walter", I said to my 1st Wachts Offizier, "ready all four torpedo tubes, this one is going down!"
All four torpedoes hit the 8,000 ton tanker "Andara", two of them failing to detonate, but enough damage was inflicted to explode in one very satisfactory manner.
Friday, December 13th - 7:45pm [AM53]
We had been stalking a convoy since the middle of the afternoon. We almost lost it on more than one occasion with the deteriorating weather but my skilled hydrophone operator and observant crew had found it again. Under the cover of darkness, the crew did not question my order to get is in as close as we could get for a surface attack. The 7,100 ton tanker "Davanger", the 5,100 ton freighter "Royston Vasey" and the 5,000 ton freighter "Stonepool" were all picked out as targets with a surface attack using bow and stern tubes.
Once again, Lady Luck seemed to have taken notice of what we were trying. Once all torpedoes had been fired, we quickly dived. Two torpedoes from the bow tubes hit the "Davanger", one hit the "Royston Vasey" and both torpedoes from the stern tubes hit hit the "Stonepool". The explosions from the fatally damaged three ships lit up the night sky causing chaos within the convoy. We had got in undetected and although we heard depth charges going off, they were nowhere near us.
I gave orders for us to tail the convoy, but if had not deteriorated further, we may have stood a chance. However, 18,200 tons of shipping sunk on one night was nothing to be ashamed of.
Monday, December 16th - 11:30am [AM32] Less than two days from our convoy engagement, we were now patrolling between the north of Scotland and the Faroe Islands. Another solitary ship had been picked up. It was identified as the "Baron Dechemont", which was a 3,700 ton steam merchant. After checking for any other hydrophone signals, we surfaced.
The ship was hailed and informed of our intentions should they not stop and abandon ship. As expected, my polite request was ignored. As we were running very low on G7a Steam torpedoes and I did not have much faith in the G7e Electric torpedoes, I had to take my chance.
"Leutnant Lotze, you have my permission for your gunnery crew to fire on the target. As they refused my polite request, do your worst." Two hits from the 105mm deck gun and the crew were quickly abandoning their sinking ship. As I am sure they had informed the authorities of their position, we discreetly left before we had company.
Wednesday, December 25th After a successful patrol, we were on our way back to La Rochelle. I admit I was disappointed that my crew had not been able to spend this Christmas with their families as we had been on patrol this time last year. However, the crew had created what decorations that they could and on Christmas Eve, they enjoyed what we could say was our ship tradition of a reasonable measure of rum and records of Christmas Carols. This year, Josef Lotze conducted the crew in singing along with the Christmas Carols. I have to admit their harmonies were impressive and that Josef showed himself to have a remarkable tenor singing voice, especially when they were singing "Stille Nacht".
Thursday, December 26th - 0730hrs [BE93] "ALARM!" came the call from one of the watch crew in the conning tower. An aircraft - later found to be a Lockheed Hudson - conducted a successful attack, strafing the conning tower and deck and then dropping two depth charges. I quickly ordered her down to a safe depth until it was clear we were not going to be attacked again. The enemy aircraft had broken off its attack, but the damage was done.
"Wachtsoffizier, what the hell happened up there?" I demanded to know.
"Herr Kaleun, Leutnant Lotze has been seriously injured. Doctor Braun is seeing to him now", replied Maat Dieter Molder, who was second-in-command on the watch,
"It just came out of the fog, as if it could smell where we were and was firing on us before we knew it", he nervously added.
"The FliegerabwehrKanone crews opened fire, hit it, maybes taking out an engine, either way it didn't attack again, he continued.
"Herr Kaleun, the fuel tank is leaking and the deck gun has been destroyed", interrupted Oberleutnant Henger giving a damage report.
"Do we have enough fuel to get home?" I asked.
"If we conserve it, yes", he replied.
I found out from Doktor Braun that Josef had taken a hit to the stomach. Braun had successfully removed the bullet and sewn the wound up, but it was touch-and-go whether Josef would make it as he had lost a lot of blood. The next few days would decide his fate.
Monday, December 30th - 6:45am - Approaching La Rochelle Although five victory pennants flew from the periscope from a successful patrol and the "Parzival" had now sunk over 175,000 tons of shipping, the crew were in sombre mood. For us, "the happy time" was over. Lady Luck must have left us somewhere off the coast of Brittany. In her absence, the fates decided against us. Josef passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, not having regained consciousness following his operation. As well as losing one of my senior crew, SV Werder Bremen had lost one its loyal fans. Josef Lotze would be remembered.
Report submitted
Karl Schneider RK (Kapitänleutnant)
Kommandant: U-38 - Parzival