Op-16-Z

NAVY DEPARTMENT

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS

WASHINGTON

O.N.I. 250 - G/ Serial No. 8

REPORT ON THE

 INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM U-164

SUNK ON JANUARY 6, 1943

March 20, 1943

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter I		INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Chapter II		CREW OF THE U-164
Chapter III		EARLY HISTORY OF U-164
Chapter IV		FIRST WAR CRUISE OF U-164
Chapter V		SECOND WAR CRUISE OF U-164
Chapter VI		DISAPPEARANCE OF U-164
Chapter VII		DETAILS OF U-164
Chapter VIII		GENERAL REMARKS ON U-BOATS
Chapter IX		U-BOAT BASES

ANNEX

CREW LIST OF U-164

Chapter I.  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

        U-164 was discovered on the surface and attacked by a United States PBY plane at noon on January 6, 1943, about 65 miles from the northeast coast of Brazil, in position 01:58 S - 39:23 W.  In addition to the bridge watch, two men, a coxswain and a seaman 2cl., were on deck, bathing.  These two men found the conning tower hatch closed against them when they reached it, and they were blown off the bridge into the water by the explosion of the aircraft's bombs.  Both succeeded in climbing aboard a rubber life raft that was dropped by the plane.  This raft was their home for the next seven days.  After an adventurous journey they finally succeeded in reaching a small native settlement on the coast of Brazil.  They were kindly treated and well cared for, and after a few days they were sent on to Sao Luiz and delivered to the police.  By the courtesy of the Brazilian government the prisoners were then turned over to the United States Navy.  They were taken to Natal, and were soon brought to this country for interrogation.

        This report is based on the statements of these two men, a coxswain and a seaman, and is limited by that fact.  The prisoners eventually became cooperative and yielded a considerable amount of information to the interrogators.

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Chapter II.  CREW OF U-164

        The information concerning the crew of U-164 is limited to what could be furnished by the two survivors, who seemed willing to give what they knew, though it was meager in spots.

        U-164 seems to have been carrying 55 men on her second cruise.  Her complement numbered 51, and there were four supernumeraries, namely one student commander, one doctor, and two midshipmen.  The officers were the following:

        Commanding Officer:  Korvettenkapitän (1) Otto Fechner of the 1924 naval term.  He was stated to be due for promotion to Fregattenkapitän (Commander).  His age was given as 36.

        Executive Officer:  Oberleutnant zur See Werner Schopper, of the 1937(B) naval term.  He was said formerly to have commanded a patrol vessel, to have been a "prima Officer", and to have been very popular on board.

        Second Officer:  Leutnant zur See Freiherr von Ramberg, said to have been about 23 years old and to have been a midshipman at the outbreak of the war.

        Engineer Officer:  Oberleutnant (Ing.) Hellmut Arlt, of the 1936 naval term.  He had been in the navy for 16 years and had come up from the lower deck, according to one prisoner.  He was said to be due for promotion.

___________________________________________________________________________

(1)  For translations of the ranks and grades in U-164 see the Annex.

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        Student Commander:  Kapitänleutnant Hissen, of the 1934 naval term, said to be about 30 years old.

        Surgeon:  Oberassistenzarzt Maler or Mahler.

        Midshipmen:  Fähnrich Heun and Molwe.  The latter's nickname was "Molotov".  One was an engineer, and the other a line midshipman.  They were in training and were said to have performed various duties such as working on charts, standing watch as lookouts, and relieving the coxswains.  Fähnrich zur See Zech made the first cruise of U-164 in the same capacity.

        The crew consisted of 47 men, among whom there were said to be one extra fireman and one extra seaman.  Six new members had come aboard at Lorient for the second cruise.  There were 16 petty officers, including two warrant machinists, one warrant quartermaster, seven machinist's mates, three coxswains, one torpedoman's mate, and two radiomen.  The crew list as it was remembered by the prisoners is given in the Annex.

        The two prisoners offered little to distinguish them from the average run.  The more interesting one, a coxswain (Bootsmaat), entered the Navy in April, 1939, and was assigned to the 12th Ship's Manning Division at Braake (Oldenburg).  This training lasted 7 months, after which he was sent to Wilhelmshaven for instruction in signaling, Morse code, etc.  Here he lived aboard the depot ship Medusa.  Early in 1940 he was assigned to the torpedo boat, T 11, under the command of an officer named Hoffmann, on which he served for some months.  T 11 put out from Kiel and operated successively out of Frederikshaven, Denmark, and Wilhelmshaven.  Then in August she proceeded to Cherbourg, making the trip through the Channel in one day.  During the week the prisoner was in Cherbourg the city was bombed, and he was wounded aboard the boat.  As a result he was transferred

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to a hospital at Leer, Ostfriesland, and subsequently received a wound stripe.  After two weeks in the hospital he joined the 8th Ship's Manning Division at Leer in which he helped with the training of recruits.  This was chiefly infantry training except for an hour a day of seamanship, and the trainees wore naval uniform on Sundays only.  On April 1, 1941, he was sent to the Petty Officer's School at Glückstsdt for 8 weeks and then was drafted, much against his will, to the U-boat School at Pillau, where he remained about two months.  A period of three to four weeks in the Replacement Company at Neustadt followed before he reported, about the middle of September, at Wesermünde to stand by for the final construction of U-164.  The prisoner had been awarded the U-boat badge and the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, but he displayed a remarkable lack of interest in U-boats and their operation, being true to his first love, the torpedo boat.

        The second prisoner is a seaman 2cl.  He joined the Navy in January, 1941.  His six weeks of basic training was done at Stralsund.  He was then assigned to the replacement company at Flensburg, and from there he was drafted to the U-boat School at Pillau.  His stay there was interrupted by a six weeks' gunnery course at Swinemünde, which he failed to complete successfully.  He was therefore sent back to Pillau, and at the end of his training there he once more went into a replacement company at Flensburg.  From there he was assigned to U-164.  Together with several other members of the crew, he joined his U-boat in September as she lay at the dock in Wesermünde.  Upon U-164's return from her first war cruise, the prisoner was awarded the U-boat badge.

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Chapter III.  EARLY HISTORY OF U-164

        U-164, a 750-ton boat of the series commencing with U-161, was built at the Deschimag-Seebeck yard at Wesermünde.  It is not known when she was laid down or launched, but by mid-September some of her ship's company had already been drafted to stand by during the final stages of construction, and on November 29th, nearly 3 months after U-162, she was commissioned in the presence of a veteran petty officer who had served in another U-164 during the last war.  Owing to the absence of any diaries or other written evidence, and the understandable inability of the two survivors to remember exact dated, the chronology of this chapter is necessarily vague, but it is believed that it has been reconstructed with reasonable accuracy.

        About December 11th U-164 arrived in Kiel for her first trials, but it had been discovered on the way from Wesermünde that there were serious defects in the Diesels and she proceeded almost immediately to the Deutsche Werke yards where her engines received a thorough overhaul.  The general opinion on board was that sand had been mixed with the oil supplied at Wesermünde with the result that the pistons had seized, but certain officers who were appointed to investigate this allegation decided that it was unfounded.  Nevertheless the prisoners stated that sand had also been found in the oil supplied to other U-boats in this yard and that slogans such as "Sabotiert die U-boote" ("Sabotage the U-boats") were to be seen scrawled on the walls of the buildings.

        Repairs to the Diesels lasted a considerable time, and a further delay was caused by the ice which blocked all the Baltic ports during the winter of 1941/42.  The removable part of the hull over the engines was not lifted, although the Diesels had to be stripped; one prisoner gave as the reason, that this could

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not be done more than twice without endangering the stability of the pressure hull; it does not appear to have been done later in Lorient either when further extensive repairs were undertaken on the Diesels.

        It was probably not until the beginning of April that she went through the usual UAK (U-boat Acceptance Command) trials.  These were performed without further incidents and soon after April 21 she left Kiel for the Baltic ports.  While in Kiel she bore on her conning tower, as yard sign, a black ace of spades with one black horizontal bar beneath it.  At all times until she sailed on her first patrol she belonged to the 5th Flotilla which is based on Kiel.

        The remainder of her trials and working up proceeded smoothly in the usual sequence.  After a few days under the TEK (Torpedo Trials Command) in Gotenhafen and a visit of one day to Danzig where she lay in the Old Harbor, U-164 proceeded to Pillau for about one week's torpedo firing exercises.  When this was completed she arrived in Hela about the beginning of May and spent some ten days with the Agrufront, during which time she went to sea almost daily; on occasions Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Gerd Suhren came on board and the training was principally concerned with the operation of the electrical circuits under difficult circumstances such as might be expected in an emergency at sea.

        When the Agrufront trials were over she received the Frontreif ("ready for war") badge and after a stay of three or four days in Danzig left in the middle of May for Gotenhafen which remained her base for about a fortnight while she made an extended trial patrol in the Baltic; this included the usual operational training with mock convoys and aircraft attacks.  On completing her working up she proceeded to Rönne for silent running tests and thence to Stettin where she remained for three days, being moored near the SS Usambara.  She left Stettin about 1 June and on her way out, while in the vicinity of the seaplane

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base at Swinemünde, she ran aground owing to the faulty navigation of a train ferry which passed on the wrong side of the channel; by blowing her forward tanks however and going astern on both engines she succeeded in getting off within 15 minutes.  She called for a few minutes at Swinemünde to pick up the Engineer Officer who arrived there with his wife from Stettin, stayed one day in Kiel, where she lay alongside the St. Louis; and proceeded to Wilhelmshaven for final overhaul.

        U-164 arrived in Wilhelmshaven about June 5 and remained until about July 14.  During this period she lay in the Kriegsmarinewerft yard and is stated to have been the only boat there.  She underwent a general overhaul during the course of which her KDB Listening Gear was removed completely.  The ship's company were quartered in small clean wooden barracks on shore.  The boat was covered with brown netting to camouflage her from aircraft.  There were several air-raids while she lay in Wilhelmshaven and both prisoners said that considerable damage was done, but no details were obtainable.  The ship's company were sent on leave in two watches.

        Torpedoes and dry stores were taken aboard in Wilhelmshaven.  An air-raid started while the last torpedo was still being loaded, but the operation was successfully concluded.  On July 14 she left for Kiel, being seen off by an old Korvettenkapitän who appears to have been in charge locally and who had formed a reception committee of himself and 30 or 40 enlisted men when U-164 originally arrived in the middle of the night.

        She arrived in Kiel on July 15, having bumped a merchant ship in the Kiel Canal on the way.  She again lay alongside the St. Louis, and, after oiling from a small tanker, took fresh provisions on board.  On July 18 she sailed from Kiel on her first war cruise.

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Chapter IV.  FIRST WAR CRUISE OF U-164

        U-164 sailed from Kiel early on the morning of Saturday, July 18, 1942.  She was in the company of two 500-ton U-boats, one of which has been identified as U-210, in command of Kapitänleutnant Rudolf Lemcke.  The other soon left the group, having fouled her propellers on a buoy wire, and put into a small southerly Danish harbor for repairs.  U-164, together with U-210, continued through the Great Belt, the Kattegat, and the Skagerrak, and put into Kristiansand on the evening of Sunday, July 19, 1942.  She remained in the harbor only over night, and according to prisoners the crew spent the night aboard.  Drinking water was taken on, according to one prisoner.

        U-164 left Kristiansand early on the morning of Monday, July 20, 1942, still accompanied by U-210, and protected by an escort vessel.  She followed the coast of Norway for some distance and then turned west to enter the Atlantic between Iceland and the Faeroes.  She passed over the bank there, known to the Germans as the "rose garden", on the surface at half speed ("America speed"), not zig-zagging.  Many floating mines were seen, and one was shot at, according to one prisoner's story.

        U-164's course can next be traced to a position south of Iceland, where she experienced her first aircraft attack.  Prisoners were agreed that the plane was four-motored and that it dropped four bombs which fell about 30 meters away, and one thought it was an American Liberator or Fortress, the other guessed a Sunderland.  Time of the attack was stated to be 0740 (German Time).  Glass on various instruments, including that on the gyro compass, and lamp shades were stated to have been shattered, and fuses blown out.  (ONI Note:

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It seems highly likely that this is the incident referred to by a British report of an RAF plane's sighting of a German U-boat at 0948 (G.M.T.) on July 23, 1942, in position 61.45 N - 16.18 W.)

        U-164 next turns up some distance SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland, where she had an adventure with a convoy.  Prisoners relate that a U-boat which was some distance behind U-164 radioed her that a convoy was approaching, escorted by destroyers and planes.  The two survivors agree that U-164 remained in the general vicinity of the convoy for several days, but they disagree on whether or not she actually attacked.  According to the story of the talker in the torpedo room, she made an attack on a 12,000-ton steamer in the convoy, from the surface at night, in which the Executive Officer shot two torpedoes from the after tubes and missed, and was then driven off by an escort vessel.  The coxswain stoutly denies this story.  Both prisoners were agreed however that about two days later U-164 and the other U-boat, now close behind her, were sighted by destroyers.  Both U-boats dived, and a two hour depth charge attack followed, apparently meant for the second U-boat.  Prisoners were concerned over her fate, especially as her captain had only a week previously received a message from the Admiral in Command of U-boats that his wife had just borne twins, a boy and a girl.  This detail of course identifies the captain in question as Kapitänleutnant Rudolf Lemcke, and his boat as U-210, which was sunk on August 6, 1942, in position 54.25 N - 39.37 W.  On July 31, U-210 was subjected to a prolonged depth charge attack while she and several other U-boats were shadowing convoy O.N.115, bound for Newfoundland.  (Cf. ONI 250 G--Serial No. 4)  It is therefore quite likely that during the last days of July U-164 was in the vicinity of convoy O.N.115 with U-210, as part of a wolf pack gathering there.  Prisoners were of the opinion that she was then ordered away from the convoy,

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though they did not know why.

        At any rate, U-164 now proceeded to her real operational area, the Caribbean.  Here she had some small success, prisoners claiming a Dutch ship of 6,000 tons and a small American freighter of 2,000 odd tons.  Both were traveling alone, and were attacked by day.  Four torpedoes were used to sink the Dutchman.  The first two were thought by one prisoner to have failed to explode, by the other to have done possible damage to the propellers of the ship.  At any rate, two more torpedoes were sent into her some time later, while she was drifting and listing.  The ship has been identified as the Stad Amsterdam, Dutch freighter of 3,780 G.T., sunk at 1615 EWT on August 25, 1942, in position 16.42 N - 73.41 W, while en route from New York to Trinidad via Key West.  (ONI Note:  According to the Survivor Report, survivors from the Stad Amsterdam thought the first explosion in their ship, evidently caused by the first shots referred to above, had been caused by a mine.)

        The American freighter claimed by U-164 has not been identified.  She is stated to have been sunk some weeks after the Dutchman, to have been en route from Aruba to the U.S., to have carried drums of oil on her decks, and to have been manned chiefly by Negroes, one of whom told the U-boat the ship's tonnage in German.  The attack is described as having taken place in daylight, after the crew had been given time to abandon ship; one torpedo was fired which hit directly under the bridge and caused the ship to break in two.

        U-164 evidently roamed widely in the Caribbean area until about the middle of September.  Prisoners report having seen Cuba, Jamaica, a French island which they thought had been seized by American troops (ONI Note:  probably Martinique), and having been near Curacao and, at the end, Trinidad.  Several aircraft

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attacks were experienced, none of which was effective.  She finally set out for Lorient about September 15 or 17, 1942.

        There is good evidence that U-164 was twice met by supply U-boats during this cruise.  The first meeting was stated to have taken place in the Atlantic, before she entered the Caribbean, about 14 days before the first sinking, i.e. about August 11, 1942.  Prisoners reported that 14 tons of fuel oil were taken on, that provisions were transferred in a rubber boat, and that the Engineer Officer, a coxswain, and a fireman 3cl. came aboard U-164.  The supply boat was stated to have been under the command of an officer named Stiebler.  (ONI Note:  Kapitänleutnant Stiebler is believed to command U-461, known to be a supply U-boat.)

        The second meeting was described in considerable detail.  It took place also in the Atlantic, shortly after U-164 had left the Caribbean and was homeward bound, therefore probably, just before or about September 20.  The supply U-boat was said to have carried a half-moon device on the conning tower.  U-164 signaled her with a lamp.  Another U-boat was encountered near the supply U-boat.  She had been there about five hours, according to this story, and had already been serviced.  On leaving she circled U-164 and blew her horn twice.  Her captain was stated to be named Pfeffer.  (ONI Note:  THe number of this U-boat is not known.)

        U-164 herself was supplied with 35 tons of oil, as well as with water and provisions, among which there were potatoes and canned bread.  She was taken in tow by the supply U-boat, and the transfer of oil took about two hours.  A doctor also came over to her and attended various members of the crew who were suffering from skin trouble on the arms and legs.  He treated one of the prisoners for an infected ear, and several other ratings for injuries received during the cruise.

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        A final incident of the homeward voyage was an aircraft attack in the Bay of Biscay by a British plane.  No damage was sustained.  One prisoner stated that this attack brought the total of the bombs aimed at U-164 during the entire cruise to 28.  U-164 was more fortunate in negotiating the British mines around Lorient than several other boats that arrived about the same time.  Prisoners reported that a short time before U-164 arrived in Lorient, U-165, under command of Korvettenkapitän Hoffmann, had struck a mine there and had been lost with all hands, and that one or two days after they arrived Pfeffer's U-boat, the same one that had been supplied with them, also was sunk by a mine only a half hour outside Lorient.  Twenty-three men, including the captain and the executive officer, were stated to have been saved from this boat.

        U-164 arrived in Lorient, the base of the 10th Flotilla to which she belonged, late in the afternoon of October 8, 1942.  She had been out exactly 83 days.  She tied up alongside the old French barracks, in which a welcoming celebration was held that evening.  The next day was spent clearing out the boat.  She was then moved to one of the new sheltered dry-docks in Keroman, where she remained for several weeks.  After this she was moved to a wet-dock in the older Pont Guesion shelters on the left bank of the River Scorff, where she lay in berth number 4.  Five weeks were spent in these locations, and during this time thorough repairs were undertaken, the most important of which was an extensive overhaul of the Diesels.  These had given trouble during the homeward voyage, a bearing of the cooling system having burned out, causing the engines to run hot.  Upon completion of these repairs the engines were subjected to a stationary trial of 90 hours, and to a trial run inside the harbor.  It developed that the Diesels were still not functioning properly because metal shavings had gotten into the mechanism of the oil pumping system.  Torpedoes which had been loaded in anticipation of departure

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were therefore given up again to the torpedo depot, and U-164 went back into her old wet-dock berth for a further two weeks.  The engines were flushed with high pressure oil and again repaired.

        A second trial run in the harbor was made on Saturday, November 28, 1942, and the Diesels were now found to be in order.  However, the diver who went down to make the final inspection of the hull before sailing found a length of wire wrapped around one of the propellers.  Prisoners described the wire as belonging to the camouflage net which had been thrown over the U-boat during the time that she lay outside.  Another trip to the dry-dock in Keroman was called for.  The damage was repaired by the next day, Sunday, November 29, and U-164 was ready to sail again.

        During U-164's stay in Lorient the crew had 14 days' leave, in two watches, and traveled to Germany.  Both of the prisoners experienced the Lorient raid of October 21, 1942.  They said that the bombs penetrated the shelters only 40 to 50 cm.  All crew members got the U-boat badge for their long cruise from the chief of their flotilla, Kuhnke, and the Second Watch Officer, a warrant quartermaster, and the coxswain prisoner got the Iron Cross, 2nd class, from Admiral Dönitz himself.

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Chapter V.  SECOND WAR CRUISE OF U-164

        U-164 sailed from Lorient for her second war cruise on Sunday, November 29, 1942.  She was preceded by a minesweeper and followed by a smaller escort vessel.  Her run through the Bay of Biscay was enlivened by three night aircraft alarms and crash dives.  All of the planes were reported by the G.S.R. operator, and prisoners expressed their appreciation of the effectiveness of this new device.  They stated that they experienced no further alarms on this cruise until the last one.

        U-164 was bound for an operational area off the northeast coast of South America.  She proceeded at slow speed on Diesel-electric, making four knots, according to the coxswain, who said that from four to five weeks were occupied in the crossing.

        A most unusual incident further contributed to the delay.  After they had been out some time it was discovered that there was a leak in the bilges beneath the batteries.  Investigation revealed two small holes, variously estimated as about 8 or 15 mm. in diameter, in the pressure hull, between the battery compartment and Diving Tank No. 5, starboard side.  Prisoners were at a loss to explain what had caused the holes, being able to suggest nothing better than battery acid, although one did wonder whether a corrosive might have been poured on the plates in an attempt at sabotage.

        At any rate, U-164 was stopped to effect repairs just off St. Paul's Rocks.  The starboard side was raised as high as possible out of the water by blowing the tanks there and flooding those on the port side.  The coxswain was ordered to rig a cofferdam of wood around the opening into the tank, but he was unable to do so, and finally collision mats were used.  The Engineer Officer and

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a machinist climbed into the tank and did the work.  They tried to weld the holes but were unable to, and they finally forced screws into them.  The whole operation was said to have taken about six hours.  Before leaving, U-164 engaged in a little sport by firing at an abandoned lighthouse on the rocks with both of her guns.  The distance was stated to have been from 200 to 300 meters.

        At some point during this cruise repairs also had to be made on the Junkers compressor, one stage of which had broken down.

        U-164 celebrated New Year's Day of 1943 with her only success of this cruise.  She sank the SS Brageland, Swedish motor freighter of 4800 G.T., at 1000 GMT, in position 00.19 N - 37.30 W.  The ship was enroute from Santos, Brazil, to Philadelphia with a cargo of coffee, wool and other products.  She was traveling alone.  The Survivor Report gives the following excellent description of the sinking:

        "At 0930 GMT submarine was sighted on surface on port quarter at a distance of one mile.  Sub overtook ship in a few minutes, came alongside, blinkered the vessel to heave to, and ordered Master to come aboard sub.  Master went aboard deck of sub and was interrogated as to name of ship, destination, cargo, etc.  In answer to the statement of the Master that the vessel was a 'neutral' ship the sub commander replied that the cargo was non-neutral.  After checking a book which contained a list of ships allowed to run in trade without danger of attack, the sub commander asserted that he was obliged to sink the vessel.  Shortly after the Master returned to the Brageland, the sub commander in the Swedish language, ordered the ship abandoned.  This was accordingly done within a few minutes.  At 1000 GMT after the sub had maneuvered on the surface to a point on port beam 500 yards away, it released a torpedo which struck the ship

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in the after section of the engine room; which opened a large hole; ruptured main deck and plates on boat deck and caused an immediate flooding of the engine room.  The ship's engines had been secured prior to abandonment; no distress signals were sent; vessel was unarmed; codes and confidential publications went down with the ship."

        U-164 continued on her patrol, cruising fearlessly on the surface much of the time, according to the survivors.  There she was found to her sorrow at midday on January 6 by a U.S. Navy plane, which took violent exception to her being there, and spoiled her plans for a cruise which was to have lasted 16 weeks.

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Chapter VI.  DISAPPEARANCE OF U-164

        Shortly before noon on January 6, 1943, a PBY-5A plane of Squadron 83-P-2 was returning to its base at Natal, Brazil, from a patrol.  According to her report, a white streak on the horizon attracted her attention, she found that it was caused by a U-boat traveling on the surface.  Keeping a cloud between herself and the enemy, she got into position and dived to deliver an attack with four Mark XVII bombs set at 25 feet, releasing three of them simultaneously and the fourth a split second later.  The attack was made eight minutes after the target was sighted, from a height of only 35 feet.  The U-boat maintained the same course and speed throughout, and the decks were not yet awash when the bombs exploded.  Several men were seen lying on deck, apparently sun bathing, and these leaped up only a moment before the drop was made.  The position was 01.58 S - 39.23 W, only 65 miles from land, and the hour was 1153, local time.

        Two explosions were observed.  One was very large, about five feet to port of the U-boat and abeam of the conning tower, and was apparently caused by the first three bombs exploding simultaneously.  The second was smaller, about 60 feet to starboard and slightly abaft the conning tower, and was undoubtedly the fourth bomb.  The stern of the U-boat appeared at the forward edge of the large TNT residue spot, rising almost vertically eight to ten feet out of the water, bobbing up and down.  It stayed there for a time estimated as 25 seconds to three minutes, and then sank straight down.

        The plane observed much evidence of damage.  The U-boat appeared to rise out of the water and to break at least partly in two pieces.  Three large tanks, thought to be about 20 feet long, emerged from the broken area as the bow settled under.  Much miscellaneous debris was briefly seen before it disappeared.

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The observers reported seeing several mangled bodies, and also three men alive, one of whom may have been killed immediately by the gunfire with which two of the three tanks were sunk.  On the return of the plane, one man had disappeared, one was clinging to the top of the remaining tank which was floating vertically, and one was still in the water.  Two rubber life rafts were dropped, and the man in the water succeeded in reaching the second one.  He paddled it to the tank and took his comrade aboard.  The plane then lost contact because of the rough water, and could not regain it during a search continuing for over three hours.

        The two men last seen on the raft are the prisoners upon whose statements this report is based.  Their account of the event agrees in the main with the plane's report, but differs in some details.  They were on the deck at the time of the attack, but they were bathing, not sunning themselves.  Their watch on the bridge had just been relieved, and after going below the two survivors came up again for a few minutes.  Upon sighting the plane they dashed up to the bridge, but found it deserted and the hatch already closed.  The water was just breaking over the bow of the U-boat as she began her dive.  It was at this very moment that the bombs exploded.  The two men were blown from the bridge into the water, and it seems quite possible that they were a few moments regaining complete awareness of the scene around them.  Yet they were able to give a fairly good description of it.  They identified the three tanks as upper deck torpedo containers that had been blown loose.  They saw the stern of the boat rise up out of the water and go down almost vertically.  They denied, however, the presence of a third swimmer, and said they were definitely the only ones locked out or swimming in the water.  They also denied emphatically seeing any mangled bodies.  They were consequently, quite strong in their belief that the U-boat might have escaped, and were skeptical of the suggestion that she had been sunk.

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        It seems hard to believe that U-164 could have survived such a severe and well-placed attack, and it must be borne in mind that the survivors could have been prevented from seeing all of the evidence of damage by the rough condition of the water, and the fact that the U-boat made no known effort later to pick up the men she had deserted.  On the other hand, it is quite possible that what appeared to the plane to be the U-boat breaking in two may very well have been only the superstructure being blown up, that the debris may all have come from the storage space under the deck, and that what appeared to be a vertical sinking may have been the conclusion of a steep dive which the prisoners knew the boat had begun.  It seems, therefore, that the fate of U-164 must remain uncertain for the time being.

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Chapter VII.  DETAILS OF U-164

TONNAGE.

        750

TYPE.

        IX

BUILDING YARD.

        Deschimag (Seebeck), Wesermünde

FLOTILLA.

        10th, Lorient, under command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Kuhnke.

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per hour at Full Speed.

S.B.T.

        Not fitted.  Supposed to have been fitted at Lorient, but not supplied because of lack of time, according to one prisoner.

G.S.R.

        Carried by U-164, but not in use at the time of the final attack.  Prisoners stated that it was used only at night, and that lookouts exclusively were relied upon by day.  They considered it highly effective, stating that it had saved them several times in the Bay of Biscay.

        They stated that U-164 had received the gear at Lorient.  The aerial was made of wood, and was known as the "Southern Cross" ("Kreuz des Südens").  It was brought up at night, and the watch turned it around.  It could be turned in a full circle, in any position desired.  There were two very small jars, called amplifiers (Verstärkungen).  They were brownish in color, about 3 inches high and 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

        The radio man was said to operate the instrument, passing the information regarding the direction of the approaching plane to the captain, who orders "Alarm".

KDB LISTENING GEAR.

        Originally fitted, but removed at Wilhelmshaven after the trials because it leaked at the gland and was considered very poor.  Stated never to have been replaced.

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ARMAMENT.

        One 10.5 cm. gun forward; one 3.7 cm. antiaircraft gun aft; one 20 mm. antiaircraft gun on the bridge.  The last was stated never to have been used on U-164, since it was not trusted.  Four MG34 machine guns were also carried, according to prisoner's statements.  Ammunition for the 10.5 was stated to be brought forward from the conning tower.  The ammunition locker was under the control room.  Scuttling charges were also said to be carried there.

TORPEDOES.

        23 were carried; 15 electric inside the boat, -- 10 forward, 5 aft --, 8 air in the deck containers.  The location of the 8 deck torpedo containers was given as follows:  the 1st pair extends from the hydroplanes to the tip of the barrel of the 10.5 cm. gun; the second pair extends from the gun barrel to the conning tower breakwater; the 3rd pair extends from the breakwater to the engine room hatch; the 4th pair extends from the engine room hatch to the after torpedo hatch.

DIVES.

        A prisoner stated that U-164's deepest dive had been to a depth of 120 meters, although the depth gauge was marked to 200 meters.  The steepest angle ever attempted was 35⁰; a dive of over 40⁰ would have caused the battery acid to spill.  (ONI Note:  This would seem to indicate that U-164's batteries were not equipped with the new type of safety stopper.)  The record time for a crash dive, starting with four men on the bridge and going to 15 meters, was stated to be 42 seconds.  The prisoner pointed out that a 750 tonner cannot dive as fast as a 500 tonner.

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BRIDGE WATCH.

        The lookout watch was described as consisting of a coxswain and two ratings, each of whom was assigned a sector of 120⁰.  A watch officer -- the warrant quartermaster served as the third watch officer -- was always present also, to supervise.  Prisoners insisted that this unusual arrangement prevailed on their U-boat.

FIELD POST NUMBER.

        The field post number of the U-boat was M 41384.

OPERATIONAL GROUP.

        U-164 was stated to have belonged to Group Lohs on her first cruise.

BUNKS.

        The radio men had one bunk each, while there were two seamen assigned to one bunk.

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engine room personnel.  One cut his shin open on the deck in rough weather, the other hurt his knee in the engine room.  These injuries were treated by the Captain himself in his cabin.

        On the second cruise the crew members were suspected of having contracted venereal diseases, and the doctor did turn up several cases.  Prisoners were still amused by the fact that so many of the crew had to have their pubic hair shaved.  The doctor's time was not fully occupied by professional duties, however, and he also acted as ship's barber.

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Chapter VIII.  GENERAL REMARKS ON U-BOATS

3.7 Gun:        Prisoners report that the 3.7 gun used on the 750-ton U-boats abaft the conning tower has proved unsatisfactory and is being removed, and that instead a twin 20 mm. gun is being mounted on the bridge.

Doctors:        A prisoner stated that all U-boats leaving from Lorient (750-tonners) now have a doctor aboard, since they are operating in the South Atlantic and illnesses are frequent because of the heat and longer trips, and since the supply U-boats reach them too infrequently.

Vitamins:        A prisoner stated that every man on a war cruise is supplied once a week with a package of 12 cream colored tablets wrapped in tin foil and cellophane.  They are vitamin tablets, and are described as extremely sweet to the taste.  Prisoner ate all of his at one time without any ill effect.  A prisoner from another U-boat stated that this weekly vitamin supply was insufficient, since the condition of many men's teeth shows they deteriorate badly from lack of vitamins during a long cruise.

        Schoka - Kola is a chocolate used as a stimulant.  It is handed out with hard candy and is considered food and not medicine.

        Black pills were available on board U-164 for use in strengthening the eyes.

Radar Aerial:        A prisoner knew that the radar aerial was located on the forward part of the conning tower on some boats, but said he had never seen the aerial itself, because it is always covered with something like a metal Venetian blind when U-boats are in port.

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Superstition:        A prisoner stated that U-boats never leave Lorient on a Friday.

Firing by Sound:        Neither prisoner had ever heard of U-boat firing solely by sound.  They said that German sound apparatus, which U-164 apparently did not carry, was inadequate for this purpose.

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Chapter IX.  U-BOAT BASES

BORDEAUX

        A prisoner stated that 1200 and 1600 ton U-boats are based on Bordeaux.

HELA

        According to one prisoner the well known naval disciplinary camp is no longer located at Hela but has been removed inland.  Men who have been punished there may never go to sea again, but serve in the naval artillery and other shore positions.  (ONI Note:  The reinstatement of Kapitänleutnant Rudolf Lemcke of U-210 (cf. ONI 250 G No. 4) after 3 months at Hela must have been an exception.)

        A prisoner stated that the Swakopmund, one of the two depot ships at Hela, was built for Turkey originally but had never been delivered.  Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) Gerd Suhren lives on board the Swakopmund as it is the headquarters of the Active Service Training Group (Agrufront) to which he is attached.

KIEL

        It was stated that the Berlin, formerly used as a Gunnery Training Ship at Kiel had been broken up for scrap.

        According to a prisoner's statement the burning of the Monte Sarmiento at Kiel-Wik was accompanied by considerable loss of life, with sailors' bodies wedged in the portholes in a futile attempt to escape.

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was received.  Two more flotillas were reported scheduled to be moved to Lorient.

        A prisoner believed that 7 shelters are building at Keroman of which 3 are completed.  In these 2 boats lie side by side and move up and down with the tide.  These are located on the southwest tip of the Keroman peninsula on the left bank of the Tor River between the projected Basins and the large Basin.

        The demagnetizing range is located just north of the Pont Guesdon above the disused building slips.  Prisoners knew of none at Pointe de Penmané.

        A bomb was said to have penetrated 40 to 50 cm. into the roof of a shelter during an air raid in which 4 hits were scored on shelters.  The "Siemens Lager" burned out completely as the result of an air raid.  Germans laugh at English and American flyers who attempt to bomb shelters but this does not alter the fact that 150 Frenchmen, Italians, and Belgians were killed in this raid.

        The former U-boat commander Fregattenkapitän Herbert Friedrichs was said to be in Lorient as commander of the naval guard.  He was considered too old to have a U-boat, being about 50.

        The crew of U-164 was stated to have been well-known in Lorient.  At their departure each member of the crew was presented with a rose by French kitchen girls and by brothel inmates.

        A prisoner stated he lived in barracks, Haus Rugler, formerly "l'École de Musique", just north of the place Alsace-Lorraine, next door to the Canteen where U-boat men also live.

        Brothels in Lorient charge 30 francs for a room and 50 francs for a girl.  The franc is worth 5 pfennig, or 20 francs equal 1 mark.

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There were many civilians aboard the latter.  The Hessen is equipped with a vertical aerial (Stabantenne).

WESERMÜNDE

        It was stated that when U-164 was at Wesermünde during October and November, 1941, U-163 was fitting out in the Handelshafen, U-164 and U-165 were in the Ausrüstungshafen, and U-166 and U-167 were on the stocks behind a high wall so that they were hidden from view.  No more U-boats were to be built at Wesermünde after U-167.

        A number of flak-ships were located alongside the west dock of Fischerei Hafen I.  The barracks for crews during the final stages of construction (Baubelehrung) of U-164 were located on the west bank of the Ausrüstungshafen.

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Annex.  CREW LIST OF U-164

Name	Rank	U.S.N. equivalent
Fechner, Otto	Korvettenkapitän	Lieutenant Commander
Hisson	Kapitänleutnant	Lieutenant
Arlt, Hellmut	L.I. Oberleutnant (Ing.)	Lieut.(jg) Engineering duties only
Schopper, Werner	I.W.O. Oberleutnant z.S.	Lieutenant (jg)
von Ramberg, Freiherr	2W.O. Leutnant z. S.	Ensign
Haler	Oberassistenzarzt	Lieutenant (Medical Corps)
Heun	Fähnrich	Midshipman
Molwe	Fähnrich	Midshipman
Janke	Obersteuermann	Warrant quartermaster
Rohn	Obermaschinist	Warrant machinist
Berthold	Obermaschinist	Warrant machinist
Jörissen	Obermaschinenmaat	Machinist's mate, 2 cl.
Raum	Obermaschinenmaat	Machinist's mate, 2 cl.
Kemmisies	Obermaschinenmaat	Machinist's mate, 2 cl.
Folkers	Obermaschinenmaat	Machinist's mate, 2 cl.
Schönfelder	Bootsmaat	Coxswain
Knauf	Bootsmaat	Coxswain
Radke	Bootsmaat	Coxswain
Schuster	Funkmaat	Radioman, 3 cl.
Arens	Funkmaat	Radioman 3 cl.
Naumann	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1 cl.
Grosstad	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1 cl.
Kienberger	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1 cl.
Weidlich	Mechanikermaat	Torpedoman's mate, 2 cl.
Streiphart	Matrosenobergefreiter	Seaman, 1 cl.
Knobloch	Matrosenobergefreiter	Seaman, 1 cl.
Ulbrich	Funkobergefreiter	Seaman, 1 cl.
Melchior	Maschinenobergefreiter	Fireman, 2 cl.
Bednarek	Maschinenobergefreiter	Fireman, 2 cl.
Saller	Mechanikerobergefreiter	Fireman 2 cl.
Rowold	Mechanikerobergefreiter	Fireman 2 cl.
Kurka	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Strübing	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Jädike	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Hugenschmidt	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Podlofski	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Kompe	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Volkmer	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Bierbaum	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Kretechmer	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Pfeifer	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Willwersch	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Reimann	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Mohrmann	Funkgefreiter	Seaman, 2 cl.
Hisbuhr	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.

Name	Rank	U.S.N. equivalent
Malow	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Muller	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Geisler	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Hardt	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Bucholz	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Engfer	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Somer	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3 cl.
Becker	Matrose	Apprentice Seaman

Note:  The names of two ratings are missing, prisoners being unable to remember them.

SUMMARY OF CREW

Officers		8
Petty Officers		16
Men		31
Total		55

U-boats Identified by Number

U-161	The first of the series of 750 ton U-boats built at the Deschimag-Seebeck Yard at Wesermünde is stated to have been U-161.  It was confirmed that Kapitänleutnant Achilles is her commanding officer.
U-163	U-163 was commissioned in September or October 1941 during the Baubelehrung of U-164.  She is commanded by Korvettenkapitän Engelmann of the 1923 term,  and according to prisoners was entering Kiel about June 3, 1942 as U-164 was leaving on her way to Wilhelmshaven for final overhaul; she was presumably about to sail on her first patrol.  When U-164 reached Lorient on October 8, U-163 was in the port and sailed some three weeks later.  It was believed that she was operating near Trinidad and there is some suggestion that she was at one time operating in conjunction with U-164.
U-165	U-165 was launched in September or October 1941.  When U-164 left Wesermünde for Kiel early in December she had not yet been commissioned and was still fitting out.  Her captain was named Hoffmann and both prisoners were insistent that he was a Korvettenkapitän.  He may, therefore have been Eberhard Hoffmann of the 1925 term (not to be confused with the other Eberhard who was lost with U-451), or either Heinrich or Dietrich of the 1932 naval term.
	U-165 entered Kiel soon after April 21, 1942 as U-164 was leaving on the completion of her repairs and UAK trials.  Before U-164 entered Lorient at the end of her first patrol on October 8, 1942, U-165 had run onto a mine off Lorient at the end of her first patrol and was a total loss, none of the ship's company being saved.  The prisoners confirmed the story told by survivors from

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	U-517, that the body of one rating was washed ashore and buried in Lorient.
U-166 and	U-166 and U-167 were still on the stocks when U-164 left
U 167	Wesermünde early in December 1941, and one prisoner who had looked behind the boarding erected round the ships stated that these were the only two U-boats then building.  There was a totally unconfirmed rumor that U-166 was subsequently lost off Brazil.
U-171	One prisoner recollected having seen U-171 in Lorient.  This must have been between October 8 and November 29, 1942.
U-175	U-175 had as a device on her conning-tower two paragraph signs, the reference being to the famous paragraph 175 in the German Criminal Code, which deals with homo-sexual offences.  She is stated to have sailed from Lorient about November 22, 1942.  Both prisoners insisted that U-175 and U-176 were of only 750 tons, not 1250 as suggested by survivors of U-517.
U-176	U-176 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Dierksen of the 1931 term.  While U-164 was in Kiel, probably in January 1942, her ship's company played handball with U-176's.  She sailed from Lorient about November 22, 1942.  Her conning tower was then painted completely white, which might mean that she was bound for the St. Lawrence.  One prisoner stated that U-176 was mined off Lorient, but it is thought that he was probably confusing her with U-165 or U-Pfeffer (see below).
U-253	U-253, whose commanding officer they believed to be Kapitänleutnant Friedrichs, was stated by survivors of U-595, to have sailed in company with

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	them from Gotenhafen on 1st May 1942.
U-461	According to one prisoner U-164 met a supply U-boat commanded by Kapitänleutnant Stiebler during the first half of August on her way to the Caribbean.  Stiebler is believed from previous information to be in command of U-461 which is known to be a supply U-boat.  U-164 was supplied with 14 tons of fuel oil.
U-513	One prisoner was quite certain that U-513 was commanded by an officer named Wolf and that she carries a wolf's head, with open mouth, as device.  He stated that Wolf became ill at the end of his first or second patrol, and that an Oberleutnant (not the First Lieutenant) took over command of U-513.  The prisoner had never heard of Ruggeberg, who was previously reported to be in command of U-513.  A Matrosengefreiter Gretelbach is serving in her.
	A U-boat with a wolf's head device sank SS DAGOMBA on November 3, 1942.
U-595	Owing to an oversight the date of her departure on her last patrol was omitted from the U-595 report.  She sailed from Brest on 31 October 1942.
U-596	According to survivors from U-595, U-596, whose captain was said to be Kapitänleutnant Jahn, was in Gotenhafen from January 14 until April 1.  She is said to have put into Hamburg about June 29, 1942.  She had been on her first patrol for two weeks and was on her way between the Faeroes and Iceland when there was an explosion in her batteries, the cover blowing off, and the captain's cabin being flooded with acid.  She put back into Hamburg for repairs
U-755	From subsequent information it appears that the account of U-755's trials contained in the final report on U-595 was not accurate in respect of the

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	duplication of the TEK trials and the tactical exercises.  It is possible that she did not do her tactical exercises in two halves, but that she did duplicate her UAK and TEK trials owing to her being rammed by a Danish vessel, as mentioned in the report, which necessitated her return to Kiel for repairs and further trials thereafter.  The TEK trials took place at Gotenhafen, not Eckenförde.
U-boats Identified by Commanding Officer's Name
U-Pfeffer	The information obtained from prisoners from U-517 about the U-boat commanded by Kapitänleutnant Gunther Pfeffer of the 1934 term was corroborated and supplemented by the survivors of U-164.  On October 9 there was an air-raid alarm in Lorient and British planes were known to have laid mines.  Shortly afterwards and not more than two days later Pfeffer's boat when only half an hour from Lorient on her return from a 15 weeks' patrol, and already under escort by a minesweeper, ran into a mine.  The boat sank and 23 survivors were eventually rescued, including the Commanding Officer and the first lieutenant.  It was stated that all those who escaped from the boat when she had gone down got out from the bow-compartment with life-saving apparatus and that those who were aft were trapped; they could be heard tapping on the hull for many hours afterwards.  One prisoner understood that some of the survivors had escaped through the torpedo-tubes.  There were some injuries, survivors later being seen in the Canteen in Lorient with bandaged heads.
	Pfeffer's boat, which was of 750 tons had previously met a supply U-boat towards the end of September in the Atlantic not far from the Caribbean, and having finished oiling, was still lying nearby when U-164 rendezvoused with the same supply boat.  It was explained that the reason for U-Pfeffer arriving off Lorient some 48 hours later than U-164 despite their both being homeward bound

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	when they met the supply U-boat, was that U-164 crossed the Bay of Biscay on the surface whilst U-Pfeffer proceeded submerged.
U-Stein	A U-boat commanded by an Officer named Stein was stated to have done her tactical exercises at the same time as U-164.  This is probably Oberleutnant Stein of the 1936 term who was known from intercepted correspondence to have been standing by a new 500 ton U-boat in March 1942.
U-Ibbeken	One prisoner had seen Kapitan zur See Ibbeken wearing a white cap, which he states to be the mark of a commanding officer, in Kiel early in 1942.  He understood at the time that Ibbeken had command of a new U-boat of a new larger class, which accords with reports from other sources to the same effect and with the statement of the other prisoner that Ibbeken has a 1200 ton U-boat.
U-Hartmann	Both Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Rollmann and Korvettenkapitän Werner
U-Rollmann	Hartmann are said to be in command of 1200 ton U-boats similar to Ibbeken's.
U-Moehle	Korvettenkapitän Moehle, who was previously in charge of the 5th Flotilla in Kiel is now said to have command of a 750 ton U-boat.
U-boats Identified by Devices
Shark	An old 750 ton boat, which still has a net cutter mounted forward, has an open-mouthed shark painted on the bow.
Ratings' Badges	Another old 750 ton boat with the older small galley, has a Matrosenobergefreiter's badge on the port side of the conning tower and a Maschinenobergefreiter's on the other side.  She is said probably to be in the series which

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	starts with 122.
Grey U-boat	Prisoners stated that a grey U-boat painted on the forward part of the conning tower is carried by all the boats in the 10th Flotilla.
Miscellaneous U-boats
U D ?	Prisoners stated that they saw one of the series of Dutch-built boats, now in German service, at Lorient.  She had a Dutch girl as conning tower device.
Japanese U-boat	A Japanese U-boat, presumably the one which has been publicized by the Germans, had left Lorient before U-164 arrived there on October 8, 1942.  She was said to have carried a plane on board.
Ürdingen	Survivors from U-595 stated that Ürdingen is a small vessel used for the supply of torpedoes to U-boats during the commanding officers' torpedo firing at Danzig and is generally berthed in Neufahrwasser.  She supplied U-595 with torpedoes at Danzig.

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