U-boat Archive

HMS Blankney - the Hunt (Type II) Class destroyer participated in the destruction of U 131, U 434, U-450 and U-371 and was a member of the Gunfire Support Bombarding Force K, assigned to “Gold Beach” during operation the Allied landings in Normandy June 6, 1944.

Photograph courtesy of Mr. David Page administrator of the "Navyphotos" website.

After his capture and interrogation, Heyda was interned in the Bowmanville POW Camp near Toronto, Canada. He and other U-boat officers were involved in an uprising known as the Battle of Bowmanville when German prisoners were handcuffed in retaliation for the cuffing of Canadians taken at Dieppe. Heyda later escaped from Bowmanville and traveled over 850 miles across Canada to meet a U-536 which BdU had ordered to wait off Maisonnette Point, New Brunswick. The Allies were aware of the plan, having discovered coded messages in mail between BdU and the officers in the Bowmanville POW Camp. Heyda was captured on the beach and U 536 narrowly escaped.

U-Boat Commanding Officers imprisoned at the Bowmanville POW Camp

Left to Right: Horst Elfe (U-93), Wolfgang Heyda (U-434), Friedrich-Wilhelm Wentzel (*), Otto Kretschmer (U-99), Hans Engel (*), Gerd Schreiber (U-95), Hans Ey (U-433), Curt von Goßler (U-49), Joachim Matz (U-70), Günther Lorentz (U-63) * Captured while undergoing U-boat commander training

Photograph courtesy of Mr. Hans Mair administrator of the "U-35 Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah!" website and author the forthcoming book by that name.

To proceed to David Page's "Navyphotos" website, click the icon at left

Navyphotos presents a collection of Royal Naval Warship Photographs From the Mid. 1800’s. to the 21^st Century. The collection includes photos of numerous WWII era Royal Navy warships.

To learn more about U-35 and proceed to Hans Mair's website click on the icon at left

From July 31, 1937 to August 15, 1937, U-35 was commanded by the famous Otto Kretschmer. During the war the boat was commanded by Werner Lott and in 3 war patrols sank 4 ships for a total of 7.850 GRT damaging 1 ship of 6.014 GRT. The boat was sunk 29 Nov, 1939 in North Sea, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Kingston, HMS Icarus and HMS Kashmir.