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Post by keyboy on Mar 26, 2018 11:16:21 GMT
Patrol Results are due no later than: April 15th 2018 at Midnight your time.1900 May 3rd 1941On PatrolU-74 Beowulf (VIIB) - wsmithjr U-101 Zitteraal (VIIB) - keyboy U-37 Walküre (IXA) - grendel U-108 Auferstehung - (IXB) - gray81 U-110 Sturmkreig - (IXB) - andy U-127 Sirene - (IXC) - irishshylock U-67 Lorelei - IXC - crushedhat Still At SeaU-42 Ægir - (IXA) - silentwolf In RefitNone Late Presumed LostU-49 Seevergnugen - (VIIB) - ubertreiber U-99 Sauerkraut (VIIB) - dwillem ===================================================================================================================================Good evening Gentleman, I won't take much of your time, as I know that you have to prepare for tomorrow morning.Special Instructions: Patrols from August 1940 will start and finish from La Rochelle and use Bay of Biscay table for first and last transit boxes of each patrol.If you have been allocated a Special Mission (Mine Laying, Wolfpack Patrol or Abwehr Agent Delivery) please receive instructions from the Executive Officer as early as you can, because you will not be leaving Port until you do.
Ensure that your torpedo load has been checked before departure and that the G7a's have been loaded into the tubes where possible.: U-Boat Type | Torpedo Starting Mix | Can Alter Mix By | e.g. Max G7a mix | e.g. Max G7e mix | VIIB, VIIC | 8 x G7a and 6 x G7e | Maximum of 4 | 12xG7a, 2xG7e | 4xG7a, 10xG7e | IXA, IXB | 12 x G7a and 10 x G7e | Maximum of 4 | 16xG7a, 6xG7e
| 8xG7a, 14xG7e |
With the changes ordered by the Vizeadmiral , this should now ensure that your G7a and G7e torpedoes have similar success and so all eels will be more reliable. (G7a and G7e dud rate is now 1 on a D6). =================================================================================================================================== Historic Notes : May 1941Atlantic Capture of "U.110" and the German Enigma - South of Iceland, "U.110" (Lt-Cdr Lemp of the "Athenia" sinking) attacked Liverpool out convoy OB318 protected by ships of Capt A. J. Baker-Creswell's escort group. Blown to the surface by depth charges from corvette "Aubretia" on the 9th, "U-110's" crew abandoned ship, but she failed to go down. A boarding party from destroyer "Bulldog", led by Sub-Lt Balme, managed to get aboard. In a matter of hours they transferred to safety "U-110's" entire Enigma package - coding machine, code books, rotor settings and charts. The destroyer "Broadway" stood by during this hazardous operation. Two days later "U-110" sank on tow to Iceland, knowledge of her capture having been withheld from the crew and Lt-Cdr Lemp dying at the time of the boarding. The priceless Enigma material represented one of the greatest intelligence coup ever and was a major naval victory in its own right. "U-110's" capture was far and away the most successful of the attempts to capture Enigma codes. In the March 1941 raid on the Norwegian Lofoten Islands, spare coding rotors were found. Then two days before the "U-110" triumph, a cruiser force had tried to capture the weather trawler "Munchen" off Iceland. At the end of the coming June a similar operation was mounted against the "Lauenberg". In both cases useful papers were taken but the real breakthrough only came with "U-110". Included with the material captured were all rotor settings until the end of June 1941. A number of codes were used with Enigma. The U-boat one was 'Hydra', also used by all ships in European waters. From the end of June, Bletchley Park was able to decipher 'Hydra' right through until the end of the war. Unfortunately the U-boats moved off this version to the new 'Triton' in February 1942. The big ship 'Neptun' and Mediterranean 'Sud' and 'Medusa' codes were also soon broken. 13th - Armed merchant cruiser "SALOPIAN" on passage to Halifax after escorting convoy SC30 was torpedoed a total of six times by "U-98". Eventually she went down southeast of Cape Farewell, the sad but appropriately-named southern tip of Greenland. 18th-28th - Hunt for the "Bismarck" Battle of the Atlantic - Total U-boat strength was now over 100 with 30 operational and the rest undergoing training or trials. Most were active in the North Atlantic, but a small number were concentrated against the weakly-defended shipping off Freetown, Sierra Leone and between there and the Canary Islands to the north. In this area "U-107" (Lt-Cdr Hessler) sank 14 ships of 87,000 tons on one patrol. Other U-boats did almost as well. Royal Navy escort groups could provide cover from UK bases out to 18'W, and those from Iceland the mid-Atlantic gap to 35'W. With the opening of an Escort Force base at St John's, Newfoundland by the Royal Canadian Navy, the rest of the North Atlantic convoy routes could now receive protection. However, continuous escort across the Atlantic was not yet available. Then, around the 20th, unescorted convoy HX126 from Halifax, Nova Scotia was attacked at 40'W and lost heavily. Steps were immediately taken to extend protection and HX129 sailing at the end of the month was the first of the UK-bound convoys to receive regular and continuous cover. Monthly Loss Summary - 60 British, Allied and neutral ships of 336,000 tons in the Atlantic from all causes; 1 battlecruiser, 1 destroyer, 1 armed merchant cruiser - German battleship "Bismarck" and "U-110" ===================================================================================================================================Assignments[P1] Jan 1941 - Jun 1941Spanish CoastNone Atlantic U-74 Beowulf (VIIB) - wsmithjr U-101 Zitteraal (VIIB) - keyboy U-108 Auferstehung (IXB) - gray81 U-110 Sturmkreig - (IXB) - andy U-127 Sirene - (IXC) - irishshylock Atlantic (Wolfpack Patrol)None British Isles U-67 Lorelei - IXC - crushedhat West African CoastU-37 Walküre (IXA) - grendel ===================================================================================================================================NOTE SO THAT WE DO NOT LOSE U-BOAT'S TO THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE ARCTIC, I AM RE-ROLLING ANY MEDITERRANEAN AND ARCTIC RESULTS! Important Information for Patrol ReportsU-Boat Name and ID Number: Patrol: # Patrol Assignment: Successful Patrol: Number of Freighters Sank: Number of Tankers Sank: Number of Capital Ships Sank: Total Tonnage Destroyed: Refit Time Standard: Award Request:
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Post by grendel on Mar 29, 2018 18:41:15 GMT
U-Boat Name and ID Number: U-37 ‘Walküre’ Patrol: #7 Patrol Assignment: West African Coast Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters Sunk: 5 Number of Tankers Sunk: 1 Number of Capital Ships Sunk: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 35,300 GRT (135,900 GRT total) Ships Damaged: None. Ships Destroyed: British Steam Merchant of 5,000 tons, Dutch Steam Merchant of 5,000 tons, British Steam Merchant of 3,300 tons, British Steam Merchant of 3,200 tons, British Steam Merchant of 11,000 tons, British Motor Tanker of 7,800 tons. Refit Time: Standard (Ready for sea 1 September, 1941)
Award Requests 7 wound badges for enlisted crew. Officers and Division Chiefs KKpt Kurt Richter 1WO LtzS Oskar Lentz 2WO ObFhzS Wolfgang Beyer (Experte) LI (Eng) Lt (Ing) Gunther Voss Doctor Sanitatsmaat Conrad Fuchs (Experte)
Crew Status: Trained
U-37 ‘Walküre’ enters La Rochelle on 31st July with six victory pennants flying from her conning tower.
1 May, 1941, 0630 hours – U-37 leaves La Rochelle under clear skies, heading out on her seventh war patrol. Once again, we are headed for the coast of West Africa, where we assured of good hunting, but the weather forecast for much of our patrol suggests we may have a hard time finding them.
22 May, 1941, 1900 hours (Mauritanian Coast) – Convoy sighted. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack at medium range on two small freighters (5,000 tons and 4,400 tons) with four G7a torpedoes. Two hits, one on each ship, but only one explosion. The nearer freighter is hit forward, losing her bow, and sinks quickly. We alter course and attempt to open the range, but a Tribal-class destroyer fixes us immediately and launches a spread of wasserbombs. One comes close, detonating near the conning tower and rattling our teeth. I order silent running, and after a few minutes the Tommy loses track of us, turning back and heading for the convoy. Later, we surface and assess the damage. LI Voss reports minor damage to our 20cm anti-aircraft gun, which is quickly repaired.
Contact regained with the convoy at 0430 hours. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack at medium range on large freighter (11,000 tons) and small freighter (3,600 tons) with four G7a torpedoes. Two hits on the large freighter, both of which explode. The vessel loses headway within minutes, taking on a severe list to starboard and slipping beneath the waves. Again, the Tommies respond aggressively, but we are ready for them this time, slipping away before they can fix our location.
We attempt to regain contact with the convoy a few hours later, but contact is lost as a squall line moves through the area.
15 June, 1941, 0800 hours (Liberian Coast) – After nearly four weeks in our patrol area our fuel and food stores are running low. Bad weather for most of the patrol has made hunting difficult. With almost a full load of torpedoes remaining, I attempt to contact a milch cow in the area for resupply. To my surprise, a boat is available and only a few days’ travel away.
17 June, 1941, 0930 hours (Liberian Coast) – We rendezvous with our supply boat and take on enough fuel and food to keep us at sea for another month. Weather reports for the next few weeks are favorable, so we head north, hunting for targets.
23 June, 1941, 2115 hours (Liberian Coast) – Small freighter (5,000 tons) sighted. We close range and fire a warning shot, and the crew takes to the lifeboats. Lentz opens fire at 2140. A hit forward sets off an explosion in the cargo hold, and the ship sinks in less than ten minutes. We submerge and open the range, heading north.
29 June, 1941, 1030 hours (Liberian Coast) – Tanker (7,800 tons) sighted. As we attempt to close the range, the captain of the tanker alters course and attempts to ram us. I order the boat to reverse course and we fire a single G7a torpedo from the stern tubes. The eel runs true, detonating under the tanker’s bow and causing it to settle in the water. As the crew abandons ship I take U-37 into gun range and order Lentz to open fire. A few well-placed shots are enough to sink the stricken ship. The foolhardy captain is left shaking his fist at us as we continue northward.
8 July, 1941, 2300 hours (Mauritanian Coast) – Small freighter (3,300 tons) with escort sighted. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack at medium range with two G7a torpedoes. Two hits, but only one explosion. The freighter is hit amidships, losing headway, but remaining afloat. The escort, a corvette, made a cursory attempt to locate us, but broke off quickly to return to the damaged ship. We remained in the area to set up a second attack.
By dawn the corvette was gone, leaving the merchant to her fate. We surfaced at close range, and by the time the gun crew was ready, the enemy had already abandoned ship. We expended the last of our deck gun ammunition, sinking the target, then continued northward.
13 July, 1941, 2200 hours (Mauritanian Coast) – Small freighter (3,200 tons) with escort sighted, 2200 hours. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack at medium range with four G7e torpedoes. One hit, one explosion. The freighter disappears in a massive explosion, lighting up the sea for hundreds of yards in every direction. This time the escort, another corvette, manages to approximate our location and starts dropping depth charges. The first pass is well astern, but the second pass is much closer. A pair of wasserbombs detonates to either side of us, throwing men against the bulkheads and causing some minor injuries amongst the crew. After that, the Tommy breaks off the hunt and returns to search for survivors from the freighter. Relieved, we open the range and break contact.
Our supplies are running low, and we have expended most of our ammunition. After two and a half months at sea, the crew has performed well, but we are all showing signs of fatigue. I order a change of course, and U-37 begins the long journey back to La Rochelle.
31 July, 1941, 0800 hours (Bay of Biscay) – Alarm! RAF Sunderland spotted to the west, approaching at high altitude. Crash dive successful.
31 July, 1941, 1800 hours (La Rochelle) – U-37 arrives safely back at port.
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andy
Komandant
Posts: 52
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Post by andy on Apr 1, 2018 21:11:52 GMT
Name and ID Number: Sturmkreig U-110 Patrol Date: May 1941 - June 1941 Patrol Assignment: Atlantic Successful Patrol: Yes
Number of Freighters Sunk: 4 Number of Tankers Sunk: 2 Number of Capital Ships Sunk: 0
Total Tonnage Destroyed: 42,900t (42,900t)
Ships Sunk: May 1941 - Ell Knudsen, Tanker, 9,000t May 1941 - Kumasian, Small Freighter, 5,000t May 1941 - Stratford, Small Freighter, 4,700t May 1941 - City of Benares, Large Freighter, 11,100t May 1941 - Arlington Court, Small Freighter, 5,000t June 1941 - Cairndale, Tanker, 8,100t
Ammunition expended: G7a Steam: 16 of which : 0 missed/ 3 detonated/ 1 dud. 0 missed/ 4 detonated/ 0 duds 0 missed/ 3 detonated/ 1 dud. 1 missed/ 1 detonated/ 0 duds. 0 missed/ 2 detonated/ 0 duds.
G7e Electric: 4 of which: 4 missed/ 0 detonated/ 0 duds.
Total: 5 missed/ 13 detonated/ 2 duds.
105mm deck gun rounds: 2 bursts 1 missed/ 1 hit.
Refit Time: Patrol: May 1941 - June 1941 Hull damage (4 factors) - August 1941 Standard refit September 1941
Ready for next patrol October 1941
Crew promotion: None.
Award Request: None.
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Post by irishshylock on Apr 2, 2018 18:01:26 GMT
U-Boat Name and ID Number: U-127 ‘Sirene’ (Type IXC) Patrol: #1
Patrol Assignment: Atlantic Successful Patrol: Yes
Number of Freighters Sunk: 1
Number of Tankers Sunk: 0 Number of Capital Ships Sunk: 0
Total Tonnage Destroyed: 9,000 GRT (9,000 GRT total)
Ships Damaged: Small Freighter & Tanker damaged Ships Destroyed: 9k large freighter Titan Refit Time: Standard
KKpt KptLt Elias Krausser
6th May, 1941, 1400 hours (La Rochelle)
U-127 leaves La Rochelle in beautiful sunshine, blue skies and embarks on her first mission from La Rochelle to the Atlantic
6th May, 1941, 1700 hours (Bay of Biscay)
The watch spot a British Wellington bomber early enough to allow us to crash dive, thankfully the plane does not seem to have seen us and we continue
15th May, 1941, 0800 hours (Atlantic)
We have yet to come upon any ships of any kind, weather continues to be fair and clear. We continue our hunt further into the vast Atlantic.
24th May, 1941 1245 hours (mid Atlantic)
We happen upon a convoy made up of two large freighters and tanker. The convoy is escorted and we determine to remain submerged at medium range. We decide to fire 2 G7e's from the aft tubes at the tanker to lessen the chance of G7a's being detected. We narrowly miss with our first torpedo but the second hits doing minor damage. Escorts pinpoint our position and drop depth charges around us, thankfully only superficial damage is done though the Doctor is concussed, nothing serious. We manage to shake off the escorts and escape without sinking any ships.
13th June, 1941 2200 hours (Atlantic, SW of Ireland)
Two large freighters and a small freighter under escort are spotted on our home leg to the SW of Ireland. We determine to try and move to close range submerged and avoid attention of the destroyers. We target a large and small freighter and fire forward tubes, two at each ship. The first torpedo misses the small freighter while the second one connects with it, seemingly doing minor damage. The two other eels plow into the belly of the large freighter 'Titan' sending her quickly to the bottom of the Atlantic for our first kill. We are detected by the escorts and after a number of barrages manage to escape with some hull damage but nothing substantial having reviewed it the following day. The next few days are uneventful and we spot nothing, keeping a sharp eye out for aircraft.
21st June, 1941 0230 hours (La Rochelle)
We quietly slip home in the warm night to the French coast and fly a single pennant.
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Post by crushedhat on Apr 4, 2018 4:49:15 GMT
20 June 1941U-67 enter the harbor at La Rochelle, 4 pennants flying from her periscope and bearing obvious damage to the hull. Standard Report FormatMay-June 41 U-Boat Name and ID Number: U-67, Lorelei Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters Sank: 3 Number of Tankers Sank: 1 Number of Capital Ships Sank: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 14,300 Refit Time: 2 months due to Hull damage, ready Sep 41 Award Requests: Iron Cross 2nd Class for KptLt Leopold Klemann Narrative: The crew was upset at missing the May Day celebrations, but I thought it important to initiate our first war patrol as soon as possible, U-67 leaving La Rochelle on the 1st for the British Isles. Transit through the Bay of Biscay proved uneventful despite dire warning from the ‘old hands,’ as did the brief travel through the Atlantic, with U-67 finding herself off the Atlantic Irish coast on the 8th. Several days passed, the only thing breaking the boredom being the disturbing news about the Tommies bombing Emden, Hamburg, and Berlin, a number of the crew having family there. No doubt the Fuhrer will retaliate. Then, the night of 13 May the lookouts spotted smoke against the darker horizon. It proved to be a small steam merchant (2,600 tons) accompanied by an N class DD. Conducting a submerged attack from medium range with a spread of four G7as. Three hit, making short work of the target. The escort was unable to locate us and we slipped away into the murky depths. Cruising off the Outer Hebrides the night of the 19th we encountered our second target, a steam merchant of 4,100 tons. The target being unescorted, I chose to surface and attack with the 10.5cm deck gun. The gun crew performed admirably and the merchantman was soon sinking. Moving along the Inner Hebrides and into the North Channel we heard about the invasion of Crete, as well as the sinking of HMS Hood. We also learned of the inadvertent sinking of a supposedly neutral American merchantman which encouraged heightened vigilance on the part of our lookouts. The night of the 25th we spotted a solitary merchantman (2,600 tons) making its way along the English coast and again took her under gunfire from close range, sinking her. Proceeding to the Irish Sea on the night of the 26th we met a motor tanker (5,000 tons) without escort and sank her with a combination of gunfire and torpedoes. Out high spirits at our thus far successful first patrol were dampened when we heard the news about the sinking of the Bismarck the next day. It seems that with the sinking of the Bismarck our luck changed. The morning of 7 June the lookouts spotted smoke columns appearing to be heading for St. George’s Channel. Moving into intercept position we waited until a large (1,500 ton) motor tanker in company with a Tribal class DD. I maneuvered into position at medium range and fired a spread of four G7es from the bow tubes. While two of the eels hit, they were not enough to sink the large tanker. The escort bore down on us, subjecting U-67 to its first taste of the enemy’s wrath. While I am proud to say the crew bore up well despite extensive flooding, it required the risk of exceeding test depth to escape. Any thoughts of pursuing the wounded tanker were disappointingly dismissed by the discovery of an unrepairable leak in the fuel bunkers. Unsure of how long our fuel would last, I had no choice but to turn for home. (OOC – I assume the requirement to abort with an unrepaired fuel leak applies immediately and negates the option of pursuing a damaged ship.) Still, four prizes for our first patrol isn’t bad. Passage home was uneventful, with U-67 entering La Rochelle on 20 June. With the damage to the hull, she won’t be ready to sail again until September. Respectfully submitted, KptLt Leopold Klemann U-67
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Post by keyboy on Apr 16, 2018 10:01:25 GMT
U-Boat Name and ID Number: U101-Zitteraal Patrol: #11 KKpt – Kurt Speckenheier Patrol Assignment: Atlantic Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters Sank: 1 Number of Tankers Sank: 2 Number of Capital Ships Sank: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 20,500 Ships Damaged: Athellaird Ships Destroyed: British Motor Tanker of 8,500t- British Influence, American Fleet Oiler of 9,000t-Salinas and British Steam Merchant of 3,000t - Culebra
Refit Time Standard
Award Requests None
Crew Names: Crew Status: ELITE KKpt Kurt Speckenheier
•1WO: LtzS Cosmas Liesendahl •2WO: ObFhzS Horstmar Neufville •LI (Eng): Lt (Ing) Gerrit Henke •Doctor: Sanitatsmaat Hannibal Schmelzer Doctor: EXPERTE
U-101 (Zitteraal) enters La Rochelle on 27th May with three victory pennants flying from her conning tower.
On the 2nd May 1941, U-74 and its crew set out for the Atlantic.
It was on the morning of the 4th May when the alarm went off and a crash dive ensued. Yet again the crew performed brilliantly and we avoided being spotted by the enemy.
The rest of the passage to our assigned patrol station (AL54) was uneventful; though it was clear the weather was deteriorating rapidly.
It was early evening on the 15th Maywhen a light was spotted in the distance, so I made sure that we remained submerged and got in close to the escorted convoy. After avoiding escort detection, 1WO Liesendahl identified three viable targets, as the other target had Swedish neutrality markings. There were two tankers, so I ignored the British Steam Merchant Kyleglen (3,700tons). Solutions were calculated for both of the British Motor Tankers: Athellaird (9,000t) and British Influence (8,500t). All four front tubes were flooded and two eels were sent towards each target just before we dived deeper. The two eels aimed at the British Influence ran straight and true. I did not see them hit, but Neufville heard the explosions and with that the tanker rolled over. The third and fourth torpedoes hit but one must have been dud and there was some damage done to the Athellaird. The escort could not detect us and at that point a decision had to be made.
Instead of chasing the damaged tanker, I felt I would like to have a go at richer pickings and so we spent the next hour trying to get a bearing on the rear of the convoy. Having re-engaged with the convoy, we approached submerged and stayed a little further away, thus avoiding early detection. Four ships were identified: The British Steam Merchants: Betty (2,300t), Palmela (1,600t) and Windsor Wood (5,400t) and an American Fleet Oiler USS Salinas (9,000t). The Salinas was a target too good to refuse, so a solution was calculated, the tubes were flooded and all four torpedoes were fired at this plump target. All four eels hit and although one was a dud, the other three exploded and we heard the giant tanker break up. Unsurprisingly, the escort failed to detect us and we stayed put.
It was not difficult to re-engage with the convoy and before long, two viable targets were identified: British Steam Merchant Culebra (3,000t) and British Steam Merchant Hylton (5,200t), with the other ships being an American Steam Merchant and a Dutch Motor Tanker. There was no need to take any risks, so we kept the targets at long range, but still within the range of the electric eels. The solutions were calculated and all five tubes were flooded as we came to the surface to attack. The three remaining steam torpedoes were fired at the Hylton and the two electric eels were fired at the Culebra. All three steam eels missed and whilst one of the G7e's missed, the other hit the Culebra and it began to break up. We quickly dived and managed to avoid detection and slip away.
With only one aft torpedo left to fire, we hung around for another five days looking for unescorted ships, but to no avail, so we headed for home
The rest of the passage to La Rochelle was uneventful and we arrived back at base on the 27th May
After shore leave and re-supply, U-101 will be ready to resume patrol in July.
KKpt Kurt Speckenheier
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Post by keyboy on Apr 16, 2018 10:01:38 GMT
30th May 1941To: Admiral und Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote Burkhard Dörflinger15th Flotilla Report:Four German U-Boats set sail from La Rochelle from the 4th May 1941 onwards. I submit the following results U-Boat | Freighters Sunk | Tankers Sunk | Capital Ship Sunk | Total Sunk | Status | U-42 Ægir
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 26,000 tons | Refit | U-101 Zitteraal
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 20,500 tons | Refit | U-37 Walküre
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 35,300 tons | At Sea | U-110 Sturmkreig
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 42,900 tons | At Sea | U-127 Sirene
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 9,000 tons | At Sea
| U-67 Lorelei
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 14,300 tons
| At Sea
| Totals | 3 | 1 | 0 | 46,500 tons |
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Two of the six Captains and their U-Boats and crew completed a successful patrol
Four of the six Captains and their U-Boats and crew remain at Sea on patrol
German U-Boats Lost: 0PROMOTIONS
None
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
KNIGHTS CROSS WITH OAK LEAVES, SWORDS AND DIAMONDSNone------------------------------- KNIGHTS CROSS WITH OAK LEAVES AND SWORDS None------------------------------- KNIGHTS CROSS WITH OAK LEAVES None------------------------------- KNIGHTS CROSS None------------------------------- IRON CROSS 1ST CLASSNone
------------------------------- IRON CROSS 2ND CLASSNone
------------------------------- U-BOAT WAR BADGENone------------------------------- BLACK WOUNDED BADGENone------------------------------- Sincerely yours
Konteradmiral Berndt Lange, 15th Unterseebootsflottille Commanding
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