U-995 - 4th War Patrol

Translation by Jerry Mason with help from Andi Forster

Departed	Date	Arrived	Date	Days at Sea
Narvik	25 September 1944	Skjommenfjord	3 October 1944	9

 

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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  9  9  5  "
				3rd Operation (first part)
			Kommandant:  Kaptlt.  K  ö  h  n  t  o  p  p  .     Beginning:    15.9.44. Ending    :     3.10.44.
			Distribution:     Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine Copy No. 1   Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine Copy No. 2   Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine 2.Skl.B.d.U.-Op- Copy No. 3   Kommandierenden Admiral der Unterseeboote Copy No. 4   Führer der Unterseeboote Norwegen Copy No. 5   Führer der Unterseeboote Ausbildung Copy No. 6   Kommando der 27. Unterseebootesflottille Copy No. 7   Kommando der 13. Unterseebootsflottille Copy No. 8
			Enclosures:     1 Track chart to Copy No. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8   1 Summary of important Radio Messages     to Copy No. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
				© U-boat Archive 2023 - all rights reserved

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

	- 3 -
		15. - 24.09.44		Lay period Narvik
		25.09.44
		20.00	Narvik	Cast off.
		23.35	Lødingen	Passed and embarked pilot.
		26.09.44
		03.40	Harstad	Made fast.  Disembarked pilot and supplied with provisions.
		08.00	Harstad	Cast off.
		11.41	Andfjorden	Carried out test dive.
		12.30		Passed Andenes.  Set off from the coast at high speed and zig zag courses.
		15.32	AB 9591	Dived.
		16.00	AB 9591	Proceeded submerged.
		20.00	AB 9567	Surfaced.
			E 3-4, Sea 3, 5/10, Vis. 6 nm, 986 mb
		23.02		Detection on Wanze, dived.
		24.00	AB 9299
			ENE 3-4, 5/10, Vis. medium, 986 mb
		27.09.44
		00.00	AB 9347
		04.08		Surfaced.
		05.08		Dived.
		08.00	AB 9348	Proceeded submerged.
		12.00	AB 9346	Day's run:    Surfaced        98.5 nm
				Submerged     29.6 nm
				128.1 nm
		16.00	AC 9351
		20.00	AC 9351
		20.07		Surfaced.
		24.00	AB 6993
			EbyS 3, Sea 3, overcast, Vis. 6 nm, 995 mb
		28.09.44
		04.00	AC 4755
			SE 3-4, Sea 3, 6/10, Vis. 6 nm, 997 mb
		04.26		Dived.
		08.00	AC 4468	Continued submerged transit to position line.
		12.00	AC 4489
		16.00	AC 4541
		19.58		Surfaced.
		20.00	AC 4517
			SSE 3, Sea 3, 1/10, Vis. 5-6 nm, 1018 mb
		23.18		Dived.
		24.00	AC 4259
		29.09.44
		03.56		Surfaced. Boat is in ordered position.
		04.00	AC 4264
		04.30		Dived.
		08.00	AC 4237
		12.00	AC 4234	Boat proceeded on changing courses in patrol strip.
		16.00	AC 4237
		16.33 - 18.15		Continual detonations, total of 56.
		20.00	AC 4238
			SSW 3, Sea 2, 7/10, Vis. 5-6 nm, 1004 mb
		21.30		Incoming Radio Message from U-Ley
				Convoy AC 4526.  Course 230°, 10 knots.

	Sun and Moon Data 25.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 26.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 27.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 28.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 29.09.44

	- 4 -
		continued
		29.09.44
		22.43		Incoming Radio Message from F.d.U.
				Groups Grimm and Zorn operate at highest speed on convoy reported by Ley in AC 4526 at 15.20 hours, expect course 250°, 10 knots.
				Came to course 240° to maneuver ahead.
		24.00	AC 4243
			S 4-5, Sea 4, overcast, Vis.  300-3000 meters, 1001 mb
		30.09.44
		04.00	AC 4185
			SW 3-4, Sea 5, overcast (passing showers), Vis. moderate to bad, 1005 mb
		05.15		Dived.
		06.39		Surfaced.
		08.00	AB 6635
			S 5, Sea 4, overcast, Vis. medium, 1004 mb
		08.19	AB 6635	Aircraft in 0°T, range 6000 meters, turned towards the boat.  Probably 4-engines.  No detection, crash dive.
				After the dive, found a cable break in Tunis, gear was knocked off multiple times by seas.  The mounting options on the radio direction finder are too weak.
		09.30	AB 6635	Sound bearing in 345°T, turned towards it, later turned out to be a noise buoy.
		08.45 - 09.30		Sound in 355°T.  Nothing seen at periscope depth.  Took as a noise buoy thrown from aircraft.
		12.00	AB 6629	Day's run:    Surfaced       127.4 nm
				Submerged        15 nm
				142.4 nm
		16.00 - 18.00	AB 6625	The same noise again in the listening gear, like an vessel, that that continually changes his RPM and stops now and again.
		18.10		Incoming Radio Message from U-Bentzien
	[typo AC 7110 corrected to AC 4775 at 16.58]			Convoy AV 7110.
		18.40		Multiple detonations.  Operated on the report from Bentzien at highest speed on course 230° and later 220°.
		19.58		Surfaced.
		20.00	AB 6619
			SSW 3, 9/10, Sea 3, Vis. changing 500 to 5000 meters, 1008 mb
		24.00	AB 6597	Maneuvered ahead at highest speed.
			SbyW 2, Sea 2, 9/10 (mist)m Vis. greatly changing, misty
		01.10.44
		04.00	AB 6797
			SW x, Sea x, 8/10, Vis. bad to moderate, 1008 mb
		05.15	AB 9152	Detection aircraft in 220°T.  Crash dive.
		07.30		Sound bearing, lost again in approximately 210-250°.
		08.00	AB 9152

	Sun and Moon Data 29.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 30.09.44
	Sun and Moon Data 01.10.44

	- 5 -
		continued
		01.10.44
		08.30		In 135°T to 150°T briefly a sound bearing that disappeared in a few minutes.  I took that is was a U-boat both times.
		12.00	AB 9115	Day's run:    Surfaced       152 nm
				Submerged      26 nm
				178 nm
		16.00	AB 9158
		19.30		Sound bearing.
		19.57		Surfaced, nothing seen.  Proceeded on the surface to ordered position line.
		20.00	AB 9181
			NNW 3, Sea 2, overcast, Vis. 6 knots, 1018 mb
		23.00	Vis. deteriorating	Dived.
		24.00	AB 8394
		02.10.44
		03.56		Surfaced.
		04.00	AB 8385	Boat is positioned in the strip, back and forth.
			NW 3-4, Sea 3, overcast, rain, Vis. 1-3 nm
		04.45		Dived.
		05.35		Incoming Radio Message
				Break off convoy operation, begin return transit.
		08.00	AB 8358
		12.00	AB 8358	Day's run:    Surfaced       47 nm
				Submerged    42 nm
				89 nm
		16.00	AB 8383
		19.10		Surfaced.
		20.00	AB 8398
			NNW 2, Sea 2, overcast, Vis. 6-7 nm
		21.49		Shadow in 230°T, target angle 0°, small low silhouette, high bow sea, range 1000 meters.  Turned away hard, dove.  Shadow could not be perfectly identified as enemy, may have been an own U-boat.  Boat went to depth A +60 meters.  Little by little there are 4 sound bearings from what appear to be motor vessels, one could be a destroyer, because of the heavier propeller beats, continually changing course and in two groups.  Now and then lay stopped.
		23.27		Suspect search group.  Surfaced, to follow a sound bearing, nothing seen.
		24.00	AB 9426
			N 2-3, Sea 2, 6/10, rain, Vis. 1000-5000 meters, 1016 mb
		03.10.44
		00.20		Detection on Fliege, showed small silhouette, ran off.  Continued return transit.
		04.00	AB 9582
			N 3, Sea 3, overcast, Vis. 2000-3000 meters, 1016 mb
		08.00	Andenes	Abeam.
		11.04	Harstad	Made fast.
		14.05	Harstad	Cast off with pilot.
		10.00 [20.00?]	Skjommenfjord	Made fast.
				Kapitänleutnant and
				Kommandant

	Sun and Moon Data 01.10.44
	Sun and Moon Data 02.10.44
	Sun and Moon Data 03.10.44

 

	Enclosures to U-995'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

 

	Führer der Unterseeboote Nordmeer
	B. No. -Gkdos 6510 -                                                   On board. 22 October 1944
	6 Copies
	Copy No. - 1 -
	To     Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine - 1.Skl. -,     Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine - 2.Skl.B.d.U.Op.-,     Kommandierenden Admiral der Unterseeboote,     Führer der Unterseebooteausbildung,     Kommando 27. Unterseebootsflottille,     Kommando 13. Unterseebootsflottille. Subject:  Reporting: U-995" - 2 + 4 Enclosures-     The enclosed K.T.B. of "U-995" from   15.9.   to   3.10.44.  Copy No. - 1 + 2 - with enclosures in accordance with Standing Kriegsmarine Order B.d.U., 501 and the comments of the F.d.U.-Nordmeer" is presented and forwarded.
		On behalf of!

	Enclosure 1 to F.d.U. Nordm. Gkdos - 6510-
	Comments of the "F.d.U. Nordmeer
	on the K.T.B.  "U 995" from 315.9. to 3.10.1944
	1) The operation on the westbound convoy, which had been reported several times, in no way corresponded to even the simplest laws of U-boat warfare.  Rather, it appears the Kommandant found it difficult to make decisions and, as if the need of the hour had not become clear to him at all, namely to operate immediately on the convoy reports, regardless of unfavorable circumstances, taking advantage of all indications and with all possible means.  Instead, on the two crucial days, he stood submerged for an incomprehensibly long time, despite almost no enemy air, he did not do anything about a sound bearing reported by his Watch Officers, which was reported as a convoy, and in this way only had a fraction of the distance of all the other boats behind the convoy and thus avoided contact with the enemy, while Leadership and other boats relied on his participation in the convoy as ordered.           Like another boat, he could have gained contact, maintained contact when it was about to be lost, brought the distant boats closer and thus made a decisive contribution to mutual success.  Defying any fighting spirit, he stayed safe, leaving his share of the expected defense to his comrades who advanced in a natural readiness for action. The Kommandant was removed from his position and must answer for this breach of duty before a court martial. 2) On 29 September 21.30 and 30 September 18.10 hours he had to surface immediately and pursue at AK. 3) On 30 September submerged for nearly 12 hours submerged for an aircraft with out attack, on 1 October after a detection nearly 15 hours submerged, instead of continuing the search for the convoy with vigor using the sound bearings and at least staying ahead. 4) Incomplete K.T.B.
	On behalf of!

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