This record was kindly provided by the generous assistance of Tony Cooper
U-489 |
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(A SUPPLY U-BOAT) |
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INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS |
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September, 1943. |
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C O N T E N T S |
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| REPORT ON INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM U.489, A 1600-TON SUPPLY U-BOAT, SUNK BY HUDSON J OF 269 SQUADRON AND SUNDERLAND G OF 423 SQUADRON ON 4th AUGUST, 1943. | ||
| ___________________________________________________________________________ | ||
I. |
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. | |
| (i) General. | ||
| U.489, a brand new 1600-ton supply U-boat under command of Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve Adalbert SCHMANDT, was sunk on 4th August, 1943 by Hudson J of 269 Squadron and Sunderland G of 423 Squadron, in position 610 18'N, 0140 36'W. She was caught on the surface after a prolonged enforced period under water and was not in condition to dive again, as her batteries were completely exhausted. She was on her first patrol, only fourteen days out from Kiel. Several prisoners stated that her original destination was Japan. (See Section III (vii)). | ||
| The entire ship's company escaped from the U-boat with their personal gear in rubber dinghies and were picked up by H.M.S. ORWELL and H.M.S. CASTLETON, who arrived on the scene within a half hour of the sinking. The Engineer Officer, Oberleutnant (Ing.) MOLE died soon after his rescue as a result of injuries sustained in a violent explosion just as he was leaving the U-boat. Survivors included three members of the German Air Force who had been rescued by U.489 some days previously when their Blom and Voss aircraft was shot down by a Beaufighter off Aalesund, Norway. | ||
| U.489 offered no startling innovations in supply U-boat construction or equipment. | ||
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(ii) Complement of U.489. |
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U.489 carried a complement of fifty-four officers and men, including two engineer officers and a Surgeon-Lieutenant. They were one of the poorest U-boat crews yet encountered. All the officers except one were lower deck promotions ("Volksoffizier") for some of whom other officer prisoners felt constrained to apologize, and the average of experience and intelligence among the men was appallingly low. No less than nineteen of the forty other ratings had had no naval experience whatever; six more, including the two leading hands, had served only in shore establishments, four others had sea-going experience, but had never served in U-boats before. One Chief Petty Officer and one Petty Officer had been drafted from shore establishments, and a third Petty Officer had never served in U-boats, although he did have experience in surface vessels. |
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A high degree of stupid, mulish security-consciousness prevailed, combined with an almost total lack of manners in both officers and men. |
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(iii) Captain. |
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| The captain was Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve Adalbert SCHMANDT, aged thirty-three. He was a man of little education, and had served in the German Merchant Navy for ten years before the war. He was a long standing member of the Nazi party, having joined during a three year period of unemployment before Hitler's rise to power, and was full of gratitude for what the party had done for him. He had set and lofty ideas on the duties of an officer and managed to inoculate a high degree of security consciousness in his crew. U.489 was said to be his first command, but he had served in U-boats for some time, having done a period as Officer of the Watch in U.D.5. and in H.M.S. SEAL. | ||
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| SCHMANDT himself would not discuss his career. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (iv) First Lieutenant. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The First Lieutenant was Leutnant zur See der Reserve Gerhard SCHULTZ, aged twenty-seven, formerly an unemployed member of the Merchant Navy. He was a dull, sullen and uninteresting type. His security consciousness was difficult to distinguish from mental incompetence, and his manners were boorish. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (v) Second Lieutenant. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Second Lieutenant, Leutnant zur See der Reserve Hans WITT, aged twenty-seven, was a most unprepossessing and unkempt ex-Merchant Navy seaman and naval rating. He spoke very passable English and tried to compensate for his complete lack of background and poise by aping the Prussian officer type. This produced in him such a degree of security consciousness that he was firmly convinced that the regular German Naval officer of fifteen years standing with whom he was quartered was a British spy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (vi) Senior Engineer Officer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oberleutnant (Ing.) NUDE died from his wounds aboard the destroyer which rescued him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (vii) Junior Engineer Officer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leutnant (Ing.) Friedrich BICKENBACH, aged twenty, the Junior Engineer Officer, was a career officer of the German Navy of the 1940 term. He was an overbearing, pink-faced Hitler Youth product who had to be taught the elements of civil behavior before it was possible to talk to him at all. He knew little and said even less. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Corresponding German and Royal Navy rank equivalents used in this report are: |
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| The suffix (Ing.) after a rank in place of "zur See" denotes Engineer Officer thus, Oberleutnant (Ing.) = Sub-Lieutenant (E). The suffix "der Reserve" denotes a reserve officer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
II. |
DETAILS OF U.489. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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III. |
FIRST AND LAST PATROL OF U.489. | |
| (i) Departure from Kiel. | ||
| U.489 sailed from Kiel for her first patrol on Thursday, 22nd July, 1943. Ship was in company with a 500-ton U-boat. Escort consisted of two minesweepers. | ||
| (ii) Call at Kristiansand S. | ||
| U.489 and the 500 tonner put into Kristiansand S. and remained for one night. Only fresh water was embarked. Some of the crew took their suppers at the Soldatenhein. Both U-boats sailed together on 24th July, being escorted as far as Egersund. They anchored here for an undetermined time before proceeding, and they finally parted company just before entering the Rosengarten. | ||
| (iii) Rescue of G.A.F. Crew. | ||
| Some two days out of Kristiansand S., in about the latitude of Aalesund, U.489 picked up three survivors from Blom and Voss aircraft, K6 - BK, which had been shot down by a Beaufighter. | ||
| (iv) Passage of the Rosengarten. | ||
| U.489 was in difficulties almost continuously for several days prior to her sinking. She was constantly having to dive from aircraft and surface vessels during her passage through the Rosengarten, most of which had therefore to be made submerged. | ||
(v) Attack by Aircraft. |
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On 3rd August, U.489 was attacked on the surface in poor visibility by three British aircraft, one of them stated to be a Sunderland. Three radar decoy balloons had previously been released by the U-boat, and some prisoners believed that the aircraft had been attracted in their direction by them. Bombs were dropped without immediately apparent effect. One of the aircraft was claimed to have been set on fire by flak from the U-boat but was not seen to crash. |
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(N.I.D. Note: On 3rd August, 1943, at 0732, three British aircraft sighted a U-boat on the surface in position 620 02'N, 0120 40'W. Hudson J of 269 Squadron attacked from 3,000 feet with two 100 lb. A/S bombs. Flak from the U-boat prevented a low-level attack. The bombs were seen to fall about 30 yards to port of the target but no results were observed). |
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| U.489 dived after this engagement only to find that water was entering through the forward battery hatch on account of a damaged rubber joint. The U-boat reached a depth of 200 metres (656 ft.) before she could be held. On surfacing prisoners stated that they had signaled Control that the boat was still capable of limited diving. | ||
| (vi) Attack by Destroyers. | ||
| Very shortly thereafter U.489 was forced to submerge again by approaching destroyers, which attacked with depth charges but were wide of their mark. They did, however, keep the boat down, so that when she finally surfaced 4th August, her batteries were completely exhausted. (N.I.D. Note: There is no report of such an attack on this date.) | ||
| (vii) Destination. | ||
| Several prisoners stated that U.489's original destination was Japan. One stated that after ten days at sea she received a | ||
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| signal ordering her to an operational area south of Madagascar. Another stated that she was to be out four months. Still another stated that she was originally assigned to Lorient which base was later changed to Bordeaux. | ||
| (N.I.D. Note: There have been several references by prisoners to U-boats proceeding to Japan. | ||
| Although prisoners may have thought that this was their destination it is unlikely that U-boats would in fact proceed further east than Malaya or Batavia. It is suspected that in many cases "Japan" merely meant Indian Ocean.) | ||
IV. |
SINKING OF U.489. | |
| (i) Report of the Action. | ||
| (N.I.D. Note: Sunderland G of 423 Squadron reported that at 0910 on 4th August whilst at 4000 feet she sighted a U-boat on the surface 4 to 5 miles distant on a westerly course, speed approximately seven knots. The U-boat began to weave almost at once. G/423 dived to 600 feet while the U-boat began to fire and continued evasive action, trying to keep her stern to the aircraft, which circled twice attempting to get into position for a frontal attack. The aircraft then proceeded up sun and turned into attack at about 1,500 yards, height 300 feet, opening fire with her .5 gun. At 500 yards she leveled off at 30 feet directly astern and opened fire with her forward .303 gun. Flak from the U-boat hit the aircraft at 300 yards, causing heavy damage on, and setting fire to the port side, and putting the front turret out of commission. G/423 nevertheless attacked from 50 feet, speed 140 knots, with six Mark 11 Torpex 250 D.C.s spacing 50 feet, 25 feet, 60 feet, from dead astern of the U-boat. Position of the attack was given as 610 18'N, 0140 36'W. Effectiveness of the attack was not observed, for the aircraft crashed and sank. Fifteen minutes later the U-boat approached the aircraft survivors. She was down by the stern, with the crew taking to rafts from the forward deck. As the U-boat began to sink more rapidly stern first, a terrific explosion took place abaft the conning tower and the bow rose sharply as she slid under water. | ||
| Ten minutes later H.M.S. CASTLETON arrived on the scene, followed by two other destroyers and began picking up survivors.) | ||
| (ii) Survivor's Account. | ||
| (a) U.489 Unable to Dive. | ||
| On the morning of 4th August, 1943, U.489 was proceeding on the surface after a difficult passage through the Rosengarten. She had been forced to surface after a long period submerged whereby her batteries were completely exhausted. Air in the boat had also become foul. This condition together with the damaged hatch rendered the boat unable to dive, and the rubber dinghies had already been cleared away in anticipation of disaster, since it was known that surface vessels and aircraft were in the vicinity. | ||
(b) Final attack. |
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The Captain of U.489 said that he had been surfaced for about half an hour recharging his batteries when he was closed by two Sunderlands, only one of which took part in the attack. He thought three aircraft bombs and one depth charge were dropped, which fell about 10 yards to port of the U-boat. He believed that fuel tanks had been damaged, as oil traces appeared, but that no damage was done inside the boat. There was no water entry and even the lights were still on. The attacking Sunderland was severely hit by the 20 mm. gun on the bandstand and was seen to crash. |
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| About ten minutes later the upper works of destroyers were seen and it was then that one of the three scuttling charges which had previously been fixed in the bow compartment, the exhaust and the stern compartment respectively, was according to the Captain, fired. No attempt was made to dive. | ||
| The Junior Engineer Officer, who was jointly responsible for scuttling the boat, stated that she was scuttled by opening the vents and that the charge were not fired since the Captain did not wish to endanger the lives of his crew by covering the water with Diesel oil. | ||
| Several ratings stated that scuttling charges had been fixed the night before at every outboard vent. The charges were described as small containers, each with a short piece of cable as thick as a pencil protruding and all connected to a main switch in the control room. | ||
| The order to abandon ship had been given before the scuttling, and all but the Senior Engineer Officer were well away in the rubber dinghies when there was a loud explosion in U.489. Most prisoners thought this was caused by a delayed action depth charge which had lodged on the deck, but it may have been a scuttling charge if one was actually fired, as the captain maintained. It wounded the Senior Engineer Officer so severely that he died shortly afterwards aboard the rescuing vessel. The entire complement were picked up by CASTLETON and ORWELL in about half an hour. | ||
V. |
GENERAL REMARKS ON U-BOATS. | |
| (i) Infra-Red. | ||
| A prisoner described a sort of infra-red telescope, called "Seehund", intended to be used only by the Captain and the First Lieutenant of U-boats. Its purpose was to detect infra-red searchlight or exhaust from Diesel or aircraft engines. | ||
| The apparatus is stated to have been employed while U.489 lay in Kiel-Wik, to establish the right color and tone of her anti-infra-red camouflage. | ||
| The instrument was shaped roughly like a pistol, and contained an electric lens, two photo-electric cells, and an optical sighting device. It was held across the face of the person using it, and a rubber-covered electric cable about 1" in diameter led away from it. | ||
Prisoner had seen the instrument while attending a G.S.R. course in Kiel, in the room where officers' courses were held. |
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A similar piece of observation gear, or possibly the same one, was referred to as "Thermogerät." |
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(N.I.D. Note: This is generally similar to apparatus described by G.A.F. prisoners and apparently used for detecting aircraft by heat radiation from the engine). |
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| (ii) R.D.B. | ||
| A prisoner sated that balloons were actually released by U.489 and were believed to have decoyed a searching aircraft temporarily until she sighted the U-boat through the clouds. | ||
| He added that the cable, was about 200 ft. in length. | ||
| Attached to the cable are three strips of "silver paper" about 6 ft. long by 2" broad. They are spaced at intervals of 8". | ||
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| The endurance of the balloon is expected to be as much as five or six hours in good weather conditions. | ||
| The balloons are intended to be released as soon as the U-boat surfaces, according to the prisoner, and with each boat releasing 50 to 60 of them during passage of the Bay of Biscay, the theory is that A/S aircraft will be completely confused. | ||
| (N.I.D. Note: The dimensions and arrangement of reflectors differ from those given in C.B. 04051 (74) Section II. Various arrangements may be under trial. The use of the balloons mentioned above is considered unlikely. They are more likely intended to confuse individual searching air or surface craft during a specific operation). | ||
| (iii) G.S.R. | ||
| A prisoner had listened to a number of Radar transmissions, both German and British, on the land-based G.S.R. instruments at Sylt. It was known that British A/S aircraft have reduced the S.E. wavelengths, but prisoner did not know what the new one was. | ||
| He stated that gramophone records are used to train G.S.R. operators. | ||
| About a week before sailing the operators of U.489 had about 1-1/2 hours of G.S.R. instruction in the depot ship ST. LOUIS at Kiel. | ||
| One prisoner said that about end July, 1943, a signal from Control was received to the effect that G.S.R. had to be used carefully because the British were supposed to be D/F'ing it. It was also stated that shortly before U.489 was sunk she was ordered to cease using her G.S.R. from then onwards. | ||
| (iv) Radar. | ||
| A prisoner stated that orders had been given shortly before U.489's sailing that Radar should be used continuously, since the British had no search receiver which would deal with it. | ||
He also said that a new type of Radar, working on 5 cm. with a mattress-type aerial, is now in experimental production, and is being fitted even into new 500-ton U-boats. (N.I.D. Note: This is considered to be unlikely.) |
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| (v) Observation Kites. | ||
| A prisoner stated that some 1,200-ton U-boats were now being fitted with a one-man kite, which can be flown at a height of 3000 metres (984 feet) while the U-boat is under way. | ||
| This kite provides the lookout with a much greater horizon range, and it can be hauled in very readily when danger approaches. Method of communication with the bridge was not clear. An officer referred to this device as a "Drachen". | ||
| (N.I.D. Note: This may be the basis of previous reports which stated that 1200-ton U-boats were equipped with aircraft.) | ||
| (vi) New U-boats. | ||
| (a) U.474, U.476 and U.479 were stated to be new 740-tonners, built at Germania Werft, Kiel. | ||
| (b) Three supply U-boats at Kiel, Hela and on tactical exercises respectively in July were described as having been converted from a new series of 1,600-ton minelayers. | ||
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| (c) Germania Werft in Kiel is stated to be building supply U-boats with two tubes forward, and also large minelaying U-boats. | ||
| (d) Germania Werft, Kiel, and Deutsche Werke, Hamburg, were stated by a prisoner to be working on a new small U-boat with two torpedo tubes and speeds of 25 knots on the surface and 20 knots submerged. Propulsion was by means of a gas-driven turbine, with exhaust gasses collected in bottles and no batteries were needed. This boat could only operate in conjunction with a supply U-boat. (See C.B. 04051 (74), Section V.) | ||
| (vii) New Giant Transmitter. | ||
| A powerful new 1,000 kilowatt radio transmitter is reported to have been built in the Harz area. Four frequencies only are employed, two of which are 500 kc/s and 250 kc/s. Reception of signal strength 5 is reported at a depth of 11 fathoms off the American coast, in trials ordered by Control. (N.I.D. Note: See C.B. 04051 (74), Section VIII. This refers presumably to a new VL/F transmitter which has been used recently ,but not on 500 or 250 kc/s.) | ||
| (viii) "Meine" Receiver. | ||
| The new short-wave receiver-transmitter in U.489, built by Lorenz and named "Meine", was stated to receive on wavelengths between 15 and 100 meters. It is described as being fitted with a special oscillator, to be beneath audio-frequency, and to be proof against being D/F'd. (N.I.D. Note: This is obscure but may mean that the receiver does not re-radiate). | ||
| (ix) U-boat Tactics. | ||
| An order is stated to have been issued late in July, 1943, directing U-boats to proceed alone through the Bay of Biscay instead of in groups as formerly. They were to submerge by night and surface by day and to use R.D.B. continuously. | ||
| (N.I.D. Note: These orders were probably only temporary and may only have referred to individual boats.) | ||
| (x) Reporting to C.-in-C. U-boats before sailing. | ||
It is stated that, before sailing, Captains of U-boats must report to Control, who exhorts them to make every effort to succeed, "as the English are now a nose-length ahead." |
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VI. |
BASES, TRAINING ESTABLISHMENT, ETC. | |
| (i) Cologne. | ||
| A new naval training establishment (Marine Lehr Abteilung) was said to be based on Cologne. | ||
| (ii) Strasbourg. | ||
| It was stated that there is a new Manning Division (Schiffs-Stamsabteilung) at Strasbourg. | ||
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APPENDIX "A" |
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BUILDING AND WORKING UP OF U.489. |
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| U.489 was built at the Deutsche Werft, Kiel, one of a new series of supply U-boats built in this yard, of which U.487 has already been sunk, on 15th July, 1943. | ||
| She was launched on 24th December, 1942, and commissioned on 8th March, 1943. | ||
| Training of Guns' Crews. | ||
| Several of the ship's company were drafted to stand by her construction during December, 1942, and during January and February a large number were trained in the use of the 20 mm. (0.79") gun. During this period the A.A. guns' crews also attended a course at Swinemünde. | ||
| "Agru-Front" Trials. | ||
| U.489 remained in Kiel for three or four weeks after commissioning, before proceeding to the "Agru-Front" at Hel. Prisoners stated that during the four to five weeks which U.489 spent a Hel, special trials were carried out in connection with the transfer of fuel to seaplanes. | ||
| Silent Running Trials at Rönne. | ||
In early May she left Hel and proceeded to Rönne, Bornhelm Island, for silent running trials. Here it was discovered that the new hand-worked trimming system, which had been fitted to U.489, instead of the usual automatic gear, was extremely noisy and, therefore, useless. |
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Refit at Kiel. |
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| U.489 returned to Kiel for a refit, and it was decided to fit the old type of automatic trimming gear. The refit also included the construction of an additional lower gun platform and the removal of the after 37 mm. (1.45") gun. During this time the ship's company were accommodated in "SIERRA CORDOBA" at Kiel-Wik. U.489 remained in dock until early July, 1943. | ||
| Silent Running Trials at Sonderburg, Denmark. | ||
| U.489 then proceeded to Sonderburg, on the Island of Alsen, Denmark, for further silent running tests. One propeller was found to be defective and she returned again to Kiel for repairs. | ||
| U.489 is Rammed. | ||
| Subsequently, while lying at the pier, she was rammed by a small fishing vessel, which necessitated a further day in dock. | ||
| U.489 Ready for Sea. | ||
| In mid-July U.489 was finally ready to provision for her first patrol. | ||
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APPENDIX "B" |
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NOMINAL ROLL OF U.489. |
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