(Op-16-Z)
 19 May 1945
     
S-E-C-R-E-T
  PRELIMARY REPORT ON INTERROGATION
  OF CREW FROM U-858 SURRENDERED TO
  U.S.S. PILLSBURY AND U.S.S. POPE ON
  10 MAY 1945 AT 42.03 N. - 56.01 W.
   
I.  DETAILS  
   
Number: U-858.
   
Type: IX-C.
   
Tonnage: 750 Tons.
   
Commanding Officer: Kapitänleutnant Thilo BODE (P/W), Class of 1936.
   
Builders: Deschimag, Bremen.
   
Commissioned: September 1943.
   
Armament: Two Twin 20-mm.
  One 37-mm deck gun, which did not function.
   
Torpedoes: Fourteen.
   
Diesels: M.A.N.
   
Cut-Away Deck: Fitted.
   
Electric Motors: Siemens.
   
Schnorchel: Fitted.
                                          
GSR: Naxos, Tunis and Borkum.
   
Radar: Hohentwiel fitted.
   
Complement: Fifty-seven.
 
  II.  EARLY HISTORY  
     
          U-858 was commissioned 30 September 1943.  
          She was built by Deschimag, Bremen.  
     
 
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  EARLY HISTORY (Continued)  
          From Bremen U-858 left for Kiel for U.A.K. which lasted ten days.  Three days were spent at Danzig for U.A.G.  From Danzig she left for Gotenhafen for T.E.K.  After that, four weeks were spent in Agru-Front.  After the completion of Agru-Front, U-858 sailed to Danzig Schiessflotille for three weeks.  During the Schiessflotille period, trouble developed with the thrust bearing and the U-boat went to Königsberg yard for three weeks, for repairs.  Thereafter, U-858 went for tactical training for ten days, January 1944.  After completion of the tactical training, U-858 sailed for silent running tests at Bornholm, on way to final overhaul at Wesermünde, U-858 remained at Wesermünde for five months.  About the middle of May, U-585 went to Swinemünde for anti-aircraft practice.  From Swinemünde, U-858 left for Kiel for supplies, etc.  
     
  III.  FIRST PATROL  
          U-858 left Kiel for Kristiansand about 12 June 1944.  On 15 June left Kristiansand, with a doctor aboard, for her operational area in the North Atlantic, approximately 55 N. and 23 W. as a weather boat.  U-858 was restricted to a small area and was instructed to obtain weather information only and to make no attacks unless the circumstances were fortuitous.  Weather reports were transmitted twice daily, usually about mid-day and between 2400 and 0200.  On 19 September at 2004 the U-boat was attacked by a Sunderland with bombs and machine gun fire.  The bombs missed, however, one man lost a finger by machine gun fire.  During this attack it was discovered that the 37-mm. deck gun failed to function, and the twin 20-mm. anti-aircraft guns were used for defense.  However, there was little damage to the boat itself.  U-858 returned to Kristiansand about 25 September 1944 and left on the 26th for Hamburg.  On this trip U-585 had to wait several days in the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, because of mined waters.  She then proceeded to Howaldts Werke in Hamburg for overhaul until the end of February 1945.  
     
  IV.  SECOND AND LAST PATROL  
          U-858 left Kiel about 10 March 1945 for Kristiansand and left Kristiansand on 13 March for her operational area, which was in the North Atlantic.  At the time she left Kristiansand there were two other U-boats in the harbor which left at the same time.  One U-boat was a 500-tonner and the other a 750-tonner.  The identification of these two U-boats was not known.  On 27 April she was about 700 miles west of the Azores.  Previous to this attack a fire glow was observed on the horizon, for a very short time.  The first officer remarked that two neutral ships were sighted and on 8 May a ship which was recognized as an American freighter was seen.  This freighter was lighted up and he said no  
     
 
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  SECOND AND LAST PATROL (Continued)  
  attempt was made to attack since he believed that if it were lighted up it must all be over.  Later on the 8 May, after receiving ordered to surrender from Germany, U-858 surfaced and set a black flag.  On 9 May contact was made with station OZZ110.  
          When asked whether there were other ships in the vicinity or known to be in the Atlantic, the first officer thought that there were five other U-boats in the western Atlantic.  
     
  V.  CREW  
          In general the crew was very young and inexperienced.  There were, however, several who had made patrols on other U-boats.  
          Maschinenmaat Willi JUNG made the following patrols on U-505, which was then commanded by Korvettenkapitän LOEWE.  
          Sailed 6 January until 30 January 1942.  Nothing sunk.  This was simply a patrol from Kiel to Lorient.  
          The third patrol left Lorient in the middle of June 1942.  Operational area was the Caribbean where two ships and a sailing vessel, about 12,000 tons, were sunk.  Returned to Lorient 1 September 1942.  
          U-505 was then taken over by Kapitänleutnant ZSCHECH and she sailed from Lorient 1 October 1942.  Her operational area was the Caribbean where she sank one ship, 6,500 tons.  U-505 then returned to Lorient 20 December 1942.  
          In 1943, P/W was attached to U-803, under Kapitänleutnant SCHIMPF.  U-803 hit a mine near Swinemünde.  The boat sank but the crew was rescued.  
          Funkmaat Erich STOLTZKE also had previous experience, and sailed on U-505, under Kapitänleutnant BAHR, February 1943 to Newfoundland.  She sank 16,000 tons and returned to Brest April 1943.  His second patrol with BAHR left 10 May and returned 1 June.  While on this patrol they were attacked by A/C and the U-boat was damaged.  (O.N.I. Note:  Klt. Rudolf BAHR, according to O.N.I. records, was commanding officer of U-305.  There is no information that any officer by that name commanded U-505.)  
          Maschinenmaat Willi LEPS made the following patrols on U-226 under Kapitänleutnant FRANKE:  
     
 
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          U-226 sailed from Kiel for Kristiansand September 1942.  During this patrol they were attacked by planes.  Because of the damage, she sailed into Bergen and from there went to Narvik.  Her duties were to protect convoys to Narvik.  She left Narvik for La Rochelle in November 1942 and arrived at that port 20 December.  She sank 6,000 tons and two destroyers.  
          On his second patrol in U-226, she sailed from La Rochelle in February 1943, operational area the Atlantic.  U-226 sank two tankers totaling 20,000 tons and returned to La Rochelle about the middle of March 1943.  
          U-226 left La Rochelle early a May and returned the middle of June 1943.  No sinkings.  
          Leps left on his fourth patrol in U-226 from La Rochelle end of July and returned the last of September 1943, no sinkings.  
          On her fifth patrol, she sailed on the 15th of October and returned the 10th of December 1943, sank one corvette and 15,000 tons.  
          U-226 was then taken over by Oberleutnant WIEDUWILT.  She sailed from La Rochelle the early part of February and returned the last of May 1944, no sinkings.  (O.N.I. Note:  This U-boat number is believed to be U-262, commanded by FRANKE until early 1944 and then taken over by Oberleutnant Helmut WIEDUWILT.)  
          Maschinenmaat Heinz SCHWEINEBERGER served on U-24 under Kapitänleutnant PETERSON in the Black Sea and based at Constanza, Rumania.  Made seven patrols between October 1942 and October 1943.  She simply made patrols as an observation boat.  
          Maschinenmaat Karl-Heinz MEYER, made one patrol on U-219 with Korvettenkapitän BURGHAGEN in the Atlantic from October 1942 to January 1943, sank nothing.  (O.N.I. Note:  At variance with O.N.I. records, which indicate U-219 not to have been commissioned until about November 1942, and reported as taking provisions at Gotenhafen in March 1943.  According to several reports, she sailed from Kiel on her first patrol in the Fall of 1943.)  
          Mechanikermaat Johannes SCHÖNAU, served on U-29 under Kapitänleutnant SCRUHART.  Made one patrol in North Atlantic from last of August to 30th of September 1939 and sank 6,500 tons.  From the 26th of October to 3rd of December 1939 sank nothing in Atlantic.  (O.N.I. Note:  Dates may be questionable.)  
          Went on one patrol on 18 May 1942 to 6 June on U-214 under Kapitänleutnant REEDER, nothing sank.  13 June to 19 June attacked in the Bay of Biscay and returned to Brest.  Sailed again 6 August, operational area Azores, and west coast of Africa.  Returned 9 October, sank 98,000 tons.  
     
 
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  CREW (Continued)  
          San.Ob.Mt. Gerhardt SCHUBERT, served on U-233 with Kapitänleutnant CREMER from 21 October 1943 to 1 December, operational area Middle Atlantic and sank one destroyer.  From 15 February 1944 to 20 April 1944, U-233, under CREMER, operational area between Ireland and Scotland, no sinkings.  (O.N.I. Note:  O.N.I. records indicate this to be U-333, C.O. Erich CREMER.  U-233, now sunk, made only one patrol on which she left 27 May 1944.)  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
     
 
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