Senior Member
Time to reveal the answer. K61 your efforts are to be admired! Those links you posted make for fascinating reading
So, we 'KTB' was the 'Kriegstag-buch' or war diary. K61 you got that.
As for the 'A' well, according to the Glossary section of Lawrence Paterson's 'U-Boat War Patrol - The Hidden Photographic Diary of U564' the 'A' that frequently appeared in the 'KTB' was actually shorthand that meant 80 metres. Thus a boat at a depth of 110 metres depth could be referred to, and recorded as being 'A+30'.
Which kind of begs the question why bother to abbreviate '80' into 'A'? I don't know, but I'd like to. Was a depth of 80 metres a significant and commonly used depth used to such an extent it was abbreviated?
Anyhow, K61 - the floor is yours.....
Senior Member
Thanks, RJ.
Those of us who have viewed the film "Das Boot" will recall the scene where U-96 enters the Spanish port of Vigo, to lay alongside a merchantman named Weser to take on torpedoes and supplies. Such vessels, interned in neutral ports, helped to extend the time of U-boats at sea, and thus to increase their tonnage scores. That such ships managed to get to neutral ports in time for the start of the war demonstrated that Germany was thinking ahead. Doenitz knew what was coming, ill prepared as he was, but he did what he could with the resources at hand. Knowing that war was coming, the German navy sent laden ships out to neutral ports, with the idea they would be confined when war came.
In 1939, two such German merchant vessels had themselves confined at Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Name these two vessels. These two ships quietly supplied U-boats until June, 1941, when complaints from Britain forced the Spanish to put an end to their activities.
Senior Member
Anybody? Time is about to expire on this question. I'll be home in another couple of hours [I am writing this from work] and if nobody has solved it by then, I'll reveal the answer. I haven't checked, but it may be possible to get the answer to this question by firing up GWX2 and checking the Canary Islands for the presence of German supply ships. The GWX2 devs may just have consulted historical records for the names of the ships concerned.
Senior Member
I know that the steamer "Corrientes" was in Las Palmas as i read about the crew of U-167 that were temporary hidden aboard her. But that was in 1943.
U-167 recieved fatal damage in a air attack and had to be scuttled. All 53 men of the crew were hidden aboard the "Corrientes" and later brought back to Germany.
Senior Member
Senior Member
You are correct about Corrientes. One more ship name required to answer this question. Note that my question stated that the British pushed the Spanish to stop these ships from undertaking active assistance to U-boats. Obviously, at least Corrientes was still there in 1943, although it may no longer have been supplying U-boats with torpedoes and other supplies. From your account, it is evident that they still tried to supply aid surreptitiously. I imagine British spies kept a close watch on these ships.
Senior Member
Sure, no problem. If nobody gets it in the meantime, I'll hold off on the answer for a bit.Originally posted by Realjambo:
It's a great question K61 - one that is informative and educational too. I'd like to have a stab myself, give me a little time - what with my PC problems I've been a bit preoccupied
In the meantime of course, anybody else feel free
Senior Member
Senior Member
Celeon correctly answered half of the question with "Corrientes." The other ship that was interned at Las Palmas in September, 1939 was "Charlotte Schliemann." U-boats put in there from time to time, slipping in and resupplying under cover of darkness and slipping back out to sea by sunrise, much as we see in the film, "Das Boot." This occurred with the connivance of the pro-German Spanish authorities, until pressure from Britain compelled them to put a stop to this in July, 1941.
My printed source for this question, Donald Macintryre's "The Battle of the Atlantic," page 84, did not state one way or the other whether these ships were expelled. Obviously at least one remained in port, as Celeon detailed above.
Okay, Celeon, next question is yours.
Senior Member
Great question K61.