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P/W Machon interrogated by Lt. Gherardi, Nov. 11, 1942, 1445 to 1615.
  
 
Munitions chamber:   under the ladder in the Zentrale, amidships, starboard side.
Tagsseerohr:   both operated from the conning tower.  Regulated only by electric motors, not by hand, except for turning.
Schussplan:   determined by Zielrichtung, speed of both boats; no panoramic view.
Uzo:   two on the 10.5 cm. gun, 1 on small gun; binoculars on UZO are pressure-tight and removable.  Made by Zeiss.
Hauptlenzpumpe:   located in the Zentrale, starboard, used for draining bilge.  Manufactured by Siemens (Stettin).  Siemens said to manufacture all electric equipment.
Schüsselmaschine:   located in radio room.  The L.I. codes radio messages.
Luminous paint:   used throughout the boat; among other things, the Hauptlenzleitung and the torpedo tube breches are painted with the luminous color.
Ribs of the pressure hull:   60 cm. between each.
Pressure hull and conning tower:   thickness 18 mm.
Ramming:   they rammed 204-ton fish trawler in Danzig (?) or Stettin (?).
Repairs:   altogether, their boat was 4 times in yards.
Decoration of C/O:   EK 2, Verwundetenabzeichen, Schlachtschiffabzeichen.
Oblt. Siegfried KELLER:   has 500-ton boat, has decorations:  EK 1 and 2, U-bootsabzeichen.
Kommandantenschiessen in Stettin:   6 boats participated, all of which had as devices:  ACES of the various suits of cards, of various colors.
Shooting of MÜLLER:   a marine in the Naval Artillery he was shot for treason by 2 men from each of the six boats.
Bow Drain Slits (Bugschlitzen):   different yards may build boats with different numbers of bow drainage slits:
   
Wesermünde: 10 slits
        ?        ?   : 8 slits
Bremen (Deschimag): 12 slits
Danzig: not known by P/W.
Keller's Boat:   a 500-tonner, built at Danziger Werft, may have been commissioned in May 1942; 5 men of U-Endrass were drafted to this boat.
DEVICE of KELLER'S boat:   crown and 2 daggers, shield below.
Pressure Chamber:   at this test, the boat is submerged in the chamber and air is pumped from the boat to create artificial pressure.  One-quarter of the crew was on board for this test at Kiel.
High pressure air system:   consists of 8 flasks, of which one is located in the Zentrale.
Kommandantenschiessen:   first torpedoes on dummy convoy shot at a distance of 2000-3000 meters.
Zwergboote (2-man subs):   reported to have gone to Lorient.  Have one torpedo (?).
 
 
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Japanese submarine:   attacked late in June in Bay of Biscay, without damage.
Stettin:   described as Hauptstützpunkt, Heimat der U-boote".  UAK still in Kiel, however.  There are dummy bunkers in Stettin as in other places.
Camouflage:   all yards in Kiel camouflaged.
Gneisenau:   damaged in Kiel by air raid.  Hit on forward turret; 90 men killed.
S-Gerät:   this is installed on destroyers as well as subs; range about 30 kilometers.  Built in between forward torpedo tubes.  "Zwei Hörer, zwei Empfänger."
Entmagntisierung:   believed to work against ASDIC (wrong) and against mines.
Pillenwerfer:   none on board (?).
Mines:   none on board.
Italian sub:   supposed to have been sunk on the American Coast, and an American diver supposed to have determined that she was a minelayer.
Winkelschuss:   the greatest degree tried at Kommandantenschiessen was 45 degrees.  The turn starts after 200 meters.
Tanker sunk:   sighted late afternoon, one torpedo shot not a "hit".  Boat escaped and reengaged at 0100.  Surfaced within 100 meters, first hit from 300 meters.  Tanker's gun shot at submarine, but was put out of commission by sub's 10.5 cm. gun.  Crew of tanker abandoned ship 10 to 20 minutes after first shot.  Tanker showed no lights, sent SOS and blew whistle.
Freighter (large, 12,000 tons):   traveling alone, shot at 4 times, 2 torpedoes shot by day, 2 by night at a distance of 1200 meters.  1-WO shot torpedoes.
Attacks by aircraft:   two attacks by a/c: first in Saragossa Sea, when they were damaged seriously, being forced to travel eastwards making repairs to the high-pressure air system.  The CO was slightly wounded.
    Second attack was the sinking off Trinidad.
Amerika-Schaltung:   travel with Diesel engines slow; electric motors, half-speed.  Course 270 degrees.
Keller's boat:   conning tower painted buff, hull painted in waves blue-green (?).
Galley:   located abaft of Zentrale in 500 ton boats, forward in 750 tonners.
MÖHLE:   was 1-WO on Hardegen's boat, U-123.  Device: Eichenlaub mit Ritterkreuz, zwei Schwerter an der Seite.  Below this was the total tonnage sunk: 265,000 tons.
    Möhle or Hardegen (?) was on our boat.
9 dials on the C/T   including speed, angle of shot, etc. 4 and 1/2 seconds between shots.  One and 1/2 degrees between shots (approx.)  When four torpedoes are shot, men are shifted from stern to bow.
 
 
 
 
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Diesels:   Horsepower 2100.  Revolutions at 3xAK:  475/min.
Attacked by destroyer off Azores:   five depth bombs, little damage, lights went out.
Dates:   Night from 12-13, attack on Patrick Hurley.  (September)
    Sept. 16:  first Spanish ship
    Sept. 21:  second Spanish ship.  The interval between the Spanish ships may be longer.
    Oct. 2:  sunk
 
  First Spanish ship sighted at night - lighted - The next day the WO of the ship came aboard the sub.  
  From the second Spanish ship, a WO also came over, for a short time.  
  U-bootsabzeichen granted after 56 days, this being less than the average time for an American trip.  A U-bootsabzeichen is almost certain to follow a trip to America.  
  Many Poles sent to Arbeitsdienst in France.  
  Machon was the first German soldier from his street.  
  On furlough, submarine men can get three times as much food and drink in restaurants, as authorized in a letter signed by the flotilla chief.  
  Machon's schooling:  4 yrs. Volksschule, 2 yrs. Hochschule; also went to Gewewbeschule.  
  Machon has 1 brother and two sisters, both married.  
     
 
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