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  REPORT ON INTERROGATION OF THE CREW OF  
  U-1228 WHICH SURRENDERED TO THE USS  
  NEAL A. SCOTT ON 11 MAY 1945, IN POSITION  
  45°-54'N  -  44°-45'W.  
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 

     

   
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  REPORT ON INTERROGATION OF THE CREW OF  
  U-1228 WHICH SURRENDERED TO THE USS  
  NEAL A. SCOTT ON 11 MAY 1945, IN POSITION  
  45°-54'N  -  44°-45'W.  
     
 
D E T A I L S
  
     
 
Number: U-1228.
                                
Type: IX-C.
   
Yard Number: 1081.
   
Tonnage: 750 Tons.
   
Building Yard: Deutsche Werft, Hamburg.
   
Commanding Officer: Oberleutnant Fredrich-Wilhelm MARIENFELD, (P/W) - Class of October 1938
   
Commissioned: 22 December, 1943.
   
Armament: 6 Torpedo tubes.
  2 Twin 20 mm. on Platform I, Type C-38.
  1 37 mm. Automatic on Platform II, Type 42.
   
Torpedoes: On first and second patrol carried 5 T-5s and 9 T-3s.
  On last patrol carried 6 T-5s with Pi 4C pistols and 8 T-3s with Pi 2 pistols.
   
SBT: Fitted.
   
Diesels: 2 MAN 9 Cylinder.
   
Supercharger: Rootes Type.
   
Schnorchel: Deschimag Bremen, Type I fitted
  Schnorchel covered with rubber.
   
Cut-away Deck: Not fitted.
   
Electric Motors: Siemens.
   
Switchboard: Siemens.
   
Auxiliary Electric Motors: BBC.
 
     
 
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Batteries: MAL C-44 AFA.
                                   
G.S.R.: 2 Amplifiers, type ZM4 and Tunis antenna
  1 Borkum for Runddipol.
  2 Runddipol fitted, one on bridge and one atop Schnorchel.
   
Radar: Hohentwiel with matress antenna.
   
D/F Gear: Fitted, covering ranges of 70 - 12,000 kilocycles and 15 - 33 kilocycles, by Telefunken.
   
Transmitters: 1-200 Watt short wave transmitter (20 - 80 meters).
  1-150 Watt long wave transmitter (600 - 80 meters) by Lorenz.
   
Receivers: 1 "Main" type (1.5-25 Megacycles).
  1 All-wave receiver (20 - 20,000 kilocycles) by Telefunken.
   
Echo Sounding Gear: Atlas Type fitted.
   
Underwater Sound UT: Fitted - (8415 - 87 cycles).
   
Hydrophones: G.H.G. A.N. 301 type fitted (Balkongeraet).
  Consisted of 46 receivers - 23 on each side.
  2 Receivers were for the NHGL (navigating hydrophones).
   
RDB: Carried.
   
Scuttling Charges: 8-2 1/2 kilogram scuttling charges carried in munitions chamber.
   
Flotilla: 31st at Hamburg and later assigned to Norway.
 
     
 
E A R L Y   H I S T O R Y
  
     
          The early history and working up trials of U-128 approached the normal pattern with but few exceptions. From her building yard she proceeded to Kiel for the usual U.A.K. trials. She then suffered several delays in her working up period and it was April 1944 before she was able to complete Agru-Front trials at Hela. From Hela she proceeded to Pillau for torpedo firing practice. During this practice, the commanding officer of U-1228 received a rather high score of 7 which was stated to be the equivalent of 98% hits. From Pillau she proceeded to Gotenhafen for tactical exercises.  
     
     
 
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She arrived in Hamburg and entered the Howaldt Werke on 20 May for final overhaul. During this period, which lasted until the end of June, Schnorchel was built in and the quadruple mount 20 mm. gun was replaced by a 37 mm. automatic gun. From Hamburg she proceeded to Kiel for Schnorchel exercises and minor adjustments. After this, she went to Stettin and was in the Holm Werft for 10 days to make final adjustments for her patrol. She was likewise provisioned in Stettin with food stuffs, torpedoes and ammunition for her patrol.
     
 
F I R S T   P A T R O L
  
     
          U-1228 arrived in Kiel during the middle of August and after 5 days of Schnorchel trials, topped up with fuel and provisions. From Kiel she proceeded to Horten and here had 3 more days of Schnorchel trials and from there went to Kristiansand. She left Kristiansand on her first patrol on 12 February, 1944. When one week out and about 150 miles northwest of Bergen, she had a G.S.R. contact strength 5 while proceeding on the surface at night. The commanding officer elected to remain on the surface and some 30 or 40 minutes after the first contact had been received, U-1228 was attacked with four aircraft bombs. She immediately dived and after surfacing some hours later, discovered that her Schnorchel had been damaged by the attack. She was then forced to return to Bergen and during the following three weeks repairs were made and the crew given leave.  
     
 
S E C O N D   P A T R O L
  
     
          U-1228 left Bergen on her second patrol on 12 October, 1944. Her operational assignment was in the Cabot Straits, where she arrived without incident. On 25 November, while proceeding toward Cape Race, a short distance off shore she sighted an English destroyer of the "S/T" Class. U-1228 submerged to periscope depth and fired a T-5 from one of her stern tubes at 0234 German Wintertime. After a four minute torpedo run, a detonation was heard and water and smoke plumes were observed through the periscope. Within a matter of minutes the destroyer had completely disappeared and no survivors were seen. About 20 minutes after this attack, U-1228 was attacked by 6 depth charges, 2 of which were fairly close. However, only superficial damage was suffered aboard the U-boat. Lights came off the board and some of the gages were broken. On 8 December, U-1228 left her operational area and set course for Bergen. Her patrol was cut short when her Schnorchel was again damaged during a 190 meter dive. Repair facilities in Bergen were inadequate so on the afternoon of her arrival she proceeded to Stavanger, from there to Farsund and Kristiansand. She arrived in Flensburg on 4 January, 1945, and then proceeded to Wesermünde where she arrived on 9 January. She entered drydock in Wesermünde at the Seebeck yard for repairs and the usual overhaul. She was there until the end of February and then went to Kiel to be equipped for her next patrol.  
     
 
T H I R D  A N D  L A S T  P A T R O L
  
     
          U-1228 left Kiel on 31 March, 1945; was delayed in Horten for a few days because of the illness of her commanding officer. She then proceeded to Kristiansand and left on Friday, 13 April, on her third patrol. The day and date of departure caused considerable uneasiness among the crew.  
     
 
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Her operational area was off New York and she was to operate alone. The trip after leaving Kristiansand was uneventful and she made no attacks nor was she attacked.
     
          U-1228's first signal which led them to believe that impending events would force them to surrender their boat, came on the "Distel" series on the 3rd or 4th of May, which stated that they were not to obey any open signals from Allied stations. During the following two days, no additional signals were received and they attributed this to a change in series of which they had not been informed. Then on the 6th of May incomplete signals were received from "Soldaten Sender West" on the 1st U-boat series. Then again for two days no complete signals were received; but, subsequently, she received an uncoded signal on the "Distel" series giving her complete instructions for surrendering. After this signal was received, she jettisoned her torpedoes and destroyed several code books. She then proceeded according to instructions on a 260° course for St. Johns, and later was instructed by USS NEAL A. SCOTT to change course to 130°. On 11 May at 1500Z in position 47°-54'N. and 44°-45'W, she was met by the destroyer and a prize crew boarded her. She arrived in Portsmouth on 17 May, 1945.  
     
 
C R E W
  
     
          The officers of U-1228 at the time of commissioning were:  
     
 
                 Commanding Officer - Olt. Freidrich-Wilhelm MARIENFELD.
  1 W. O. - Olt. Günter Spohn. (Class of Oct. 1940)
  2 W. O. - Günter Schüller. (Not in GNL)
  L.I. - Olt. Johannes Gröhn. (Not in GNL)
  Medical Officer: Ober Assistant Arzt. Dr. Fritz Duge.
 
     
          After the first patrol, Olt. Spohn was replaced by Schüller and Schüller was replaced by Lt. Gottfried Forck. During the Agru-Front trials, Gröhn was replaced by Olt. (Ing.) Friedrich Asmussen (Not in GNL).  
     
 
O T H E R  U - B O A T S
  
     
          U-868 and U-1226.  U-868 commanded by Klt. Dietrich Rauch and U-1226 commanded by Olt. August Wilhelm Claussen were with U-1228 during her tactical exercises.  
     
     
     
     
     
 
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