U-99 - 1st War Patrol

Translation by Jerry Mason with the help of Andi Forster

Departed	Date	Arrived	Date	Days at Sea
Kiel	18 June 1940	Wilhelmshaven	25 June 1940	8

 

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Ships Hit

None

Note:  The positions in the table above and in the Google Earth patrol summary are derived from the KTB and in many cases do not match those set forth in authoritative references such as Jürgen Rohwer, Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two or the Uboat.net website.  The goal here is to present the picture relative to the U-boat and not the absolute position that the ship was attacked or sank.

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			K  r  i  e  g  s  t  a  g  e  b  u  c  h
				"  U  99  "
		08.04.40		Commissioning.
		09.04. - 20.05.40		Testing at U.A.K.
		21.05. - 08.06.40		U-Ausbildungsflottille.
		09. - 16.06.40		Shipyard.  Final adjustments.  Torpedo loading.  Outfitting.
		18.06.40		Put to sea for 1st remote patrol.
				Signed in draft    K  r  e  t  s  c  h  m  e  r
				For correctness:
				© U-boat Archive 2025 - all rights reserved

Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB

 

			K  r  i  e  g  s  t  a  g  e  b  u  c  h
			- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
				"U  99"
			Kommandant:  Kaptlt.    K  r  e  t  s  c  h  m  e  r  .
			Beginning:    18.6.40
			Ending:         25.6.40

	- 1 -
		18.06.40
		xx.30	Kiel, Tirpitz Mole	Put to sea, transit through the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal.
			Cloudless, E 1-2
		19.06.40	Brunsbüttelkoog
		xx.40	NW 2, Sea 1, fair, Vis. very good, due to full moon very bright night	Anchored in the Roadstead to await mine escort.  Aircraft Alarm.  Enemy aircraft over the Elbe and Canal throw parachute flares.  Own heavy anti-aircraft guns at Cuxhaven and Hamburg.  Transit to the Elbe.  Escort:  Sperrbrecher 9.
		xx.00 - xx.20	Elbe
		08.00	AN 9582 center
			NW 3, Sea 2, overcast, Vis. medium
		12.00	AN 9512 center	2 own Vorpostenboote to the west on opposite course.  Recognition Signals exchanged with Vorp.Boot 205.
			NNW 4, Sea 3
		16.00	AN 6638 center-right	St.Ob.Masch. Prochnow reports he is sick.  Apparently rheumatoid arthritis.
			NNW 5, Sea 4
	["Ärztlicher Ratgeber für Unterseeboote" - standard medical treatment publication carried on board]			Severe pain in the joints of the right shoulder and right elbow. Treatment in accordance with "Ärztlicher Ratgeber."
		20.00	AN 6361 lower-right corner
			Fair, Vis. good
		24.00	AN 6316 center
		20.06.40
		04.00	AN 3757 center	Dived, to cover the rest of square 3700 by day.
		08.00	AN 3743 center
		12.00	AN 3715 center-right	Day's run:    152 nm
				26 nm    total 78 nm
		1x.x5		Surfaced.
		16.00	AN 3711 upper-right	At times St.Ob.Masch. Prochnow's pain becomes extremely severe. Right arm as is paralyzed.  Disembarking is necessary.
			NNW 7, Sea 6,
		1x.05		Requested permission to run into a Norwegian Harbor by Radio Message.

	Sun and Moon Data 18.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 19.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 20.06.40

	- 2 -
		continued
		20.06.40
		20.00	AN 4698 upper-center edge
		20.30	NbyW 7, Sea 6, cloudy	Began transit to Bergen on Radio Message orders from B.d.U.:  Deliver patient tomorrow to a vessel from Bergen at 10:00 hours tomorrow at Børnestangen.  Proceed through the Korsfjord submerged. Surfaced at Marstein briefly and shot a Recognition Signal.
				Due to weather conditions cannot meet the appointed time.  At RPM for 7 knots only 5 knots over the ground, lookout is just still guaranteed, therefore weather Short Signal and reported arrival 24 hours later to B.d.U.
		21.38	AN 4692 lower-left	Crash dive for approaching aircraft bearing 2x°T (2-engined monoplane with retractable landing gear).
		23.20		After completing repairs to the port diesel surfaced again.
		24.00	AN 4668 center
			Overcast, Vis. good
		21.06.40
		04.00	AN 4637 upper-right
		08.00	AN 4394 center
			NNW 6, Sea 5, fair
		10.45		Do 18 flew past to the west.
		11.15 - 11.50		Dived for aircraft.  Bombs in the vicinity.
		12.00	AN 4362	Day's run:    95 nm
			NNW 4, Sea 3	19 nm    total 114 nm
		12.40		Vessel bearing 300°T below the horizon, dived so a large U-boat, avoided to the east.
		12.50 - 13.05		Dived for approaching aircraft, bearing 1x°T
		15.35 - 16.10	AN 2883 lower-left	Dived for approaching enemy flying boat, (Short Sunderland).
			NNW 3, Sea 3

	Sun and Moon Data 20.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 21.06.40

	- 3 -
		continued
		21.06.40
		16.23		Dived before - apparently own - float plane (monoplane).  When boat was at depth 20 meters, bomb detonation over the conning tower.  There followed further bombs after a few minutes and then at intervals of 1/4 hours until 18.30 hours, lying always quite close despite course changes after diving.  I suspect an oil trace, because aircraft held contact and apparently other aircraft participate.  Minor failures in the boat (lamps, fuses, water level glasses, amp meters, for a short time also manometers in the control room, rudder angle indicators and others.
		20.00	AN 2856
		2x.05		Surfaced, in so doing determined that the attack periscope was out of service.  Protective glass of the objective burst.  No light reaches the eyepiece.  Starboard regulating and reserve fuel oil tank leaks, therefore indeed an oil trace.
		24.00	AN 2833 center
			SW 3, Sea 2-3
		22.06.40
		02.17		Dived off the Korsfjord, to run in .
		03.30		Surfaced briefly at Marstein Lighthouse.  Shot Recognition Signal.
		04.00	AN 2485 center-right
		05.00		Surfaced briefly at Børnestangen Lighthouse attempt to put the boat on the bottom in Høylands Bay given up due to irregular rocky bottom.  Moved back and forth in position in Korsfjord.
		09.00		Surfaced at Børnestangen.  No vessel to come and meet the patient at the location.
		10.10		Crash dive for several aircraft.
				In the assumption that the time of the disembarkation was given in "Norwegian Time - MEZ,

	Sun and Moon Data 21.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 22.06.40

	- 4 -
		continued
		22.06.40		waited 1 more hour back and forth in position.
		10.48		Surfaced at Børnestangen.
		11.05 - 11.15		Motor vessel "STÖR" alongside.
				Ob.Masch. Prochnow disembarked.
		11.18		Dived, put to sea for return transit in accordance with Radio Message order "Begin return transit Route Green."
		12.00	Korsfjord	Day's run:    95 nm
				28.7 nm    total 123.7 nm
		16.00	AN 2479 upper-right corner
			SbyE 3-4. Sea 3, overcast, rain
		20.00	AN 2478 center
		22.30		Surfaced.
		24.00	AN 2836
		23.06.40
		01.29	AN 2863 center	Avoided a drifting mine.
		04.00	AN 2977 upper-left
		06.00		Recognition Signal shot and dived before approaching aircraft bearing 90°T.  After 10 minutes several bombs over the boat.  About hourly further aircraft bombs in the immediate vicinity, the last 3 1/2 hours after diving.
		08.00	AN 3141 center-right	Apparently the aircraft held contact on the boat's oil trace.
		10.45		Surfaced, after more than 1 hour passed since the last bomb.
		11.30	AN 3175 center-right	Passed a drifting mine.
		12.00	AN 3179 center-right	Day's run:    90 nm
				45.5 nm    total 135.5 nm

	Sun and Moon Data 22.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 23.06.40

	- 5 -
		continued
		23.06.40
		12.43		4 aircraft flew past to the north on an easterly course.
		12.53 - 16.25		Dived before approaching aircraft.  Fired a Recognition Signal while getting in.  After exactly 1 hour a single bomb over the boat.
		17.32		Evaded to the west - on Radio Message from B.d.U. concerning enemy U-boat position, because the course proceeds exactly though this square.
		18.15	AN 3428 center-left	Drifting mine.
		20.00	AN 3732 upper-right	I decide to pass square 3700 and square 3800 , because the bright night is less favorable than the day for recognizing enemy U-boat attack.
		24.00	AN 3844 upper-center
		24.06.40
		04.00	AN 9171
		06.10		2 own patrol vessels to the east at the limit of visibility.
		06.43		Drifting mine.
		08.00	AN 9352 center-right
		12.00	AN 9535 center	Day's run:    264.5 nm
				11 nm    total 275.5 nm
		14.00	Helgoland	Made fast U-boat harbor.
		15.45	"	Departed for Lightship "F".
		16.20		Recognition Signals exchanged with Vorpostenboot "1503".
		17.35	At Lightship "F".	Anchored in fog.
		18.40		On Radio Message orders returned to Helgoland.
		18.50		Recognition Signals exchanged with Vorpostenboot "1207".
		20.15	Helgoland	Made fast U-boat harbor.
		21.32		Departed.
		22.08		Recognition Signals exchanged with Vorpostenboot "1201" and air danger.
		23.20	Lightship "F"	Transit behind Sperrbrecher 9 to Wilhelmshaven.
		24.00		Aircraft Alarm, everywhere searchlight cones, anti-aircraft fire, parachute flares.

	Sun and Moon Data 23.06.40
	Sun and Moon Data 24.06.40

	- 6 -
		25.06.40
		01.25	Wilhelmshaven Roadstead	Anchored, ready to lie on the bottom.
		03.30		Aircraft Alarm ended.
		04.23		Weighed anchor, through the 3rd Entrance to the U-boat base.
		05.20	U-boat base	Made fast.
		08.00		Shifted to the Westwerft.  Have further damage from the aircraft bombs on 21 June.  Crack between starboard regulating tank and regulating and reserve fuel oil tank.

Sun and Moon Data 25.06.40

 

	Enclosures to U-99's KTB - click on the text at left to proceed to the document
Chart	Track chart of entire patrol
Radio	Excerpt of the Radio Log

 

	U-99.
	Comments of the B.d.U.
	On the aircraft attack on 21 June:  the attack was carried out by an embarked aircraft, because "U-99" was closer than the ordered 30 nm to the known to him "SCHARNHORST" course line.  Identification of the further attacks are in progress.
		Signed in draft:    D  ö  n  i  t  z  .
		For the Befehlshabers der Unterseeboote
		The Chief of the Operations Department.

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