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REPORT IN ACCORDANCE WITH CB.3074, PARA 37. |
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On Sunday the 17th, October, 1943, one Officer, five Non-Commissioned Officers and twenty-one other were rescued from a U-boat. |
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No one on board this ship can talk German or French and the Officer was the only person who could speak English, although one or two of the men spoke a few words. |
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The Submarine was U 841 of the 750 ton class. The name of the Commanding Officer was Captain Lieut. Bender, age 27 who was not saved. The crew consisted of 5 Officers including a doctor and 45 Ratings. This was her second war cruise and they had been 14 days at sea. |
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They were attacked by a surface vessel during Saturday night when coming in submerged to attack the convoy - no apparent damage was done but they broke off attack. It appears to be part of their present tactics to come in submerged at night at about 22 meters, and surface close ahead or in the convoy to attack, although he admits this is dangerous. |
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They were attacked by an aircraft on Sunday morning but no damage was done. |
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He states that U-boats prefer to be fully surfaced when attacked by aircraft with Depth Charges if they have not time to go deep as the force of the explosion is lessened. He also states that U-boats have returned after being attacked when Depth Charges only missed by two or three meters while on surface. |
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He states they would not go deeper that 70 meters and that he has never been deeper than this. |
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Depth Charges broke containers of main battery cells and caused some leaks aft and amidships which apparently got at the Acid, and the presence of Chlorine Gas caused them to surface. |
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He had apparently never heard of the acoustically homed torpedo and stated that anything like this would not generally be known but he seemed certain none were carried in U 841. |
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REPORT IN ACCORDANCE WITH CB.3074, PARA 37. |
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No radar was carried. |
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U 841 sailed from Norway passing between Fair Island and Shetlands. |
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On the day he was sunk his wife was expecting her first child and this fact may help interrogation. |
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Photographs of U-boat were taken and will be forwarded as soon as they are developed at first port of call. |
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Lieutenant Commander, R.N. |
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In Command. |
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COPIES TO: The Commander in Chief, Western Approaches. |
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The Captain (D), Belfast. |
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The Commanding Officer, Fourth Escort Group. |
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