[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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Sunday, 28 February 1943 - Danzig

At Danziger Werft AG, for Repairs and Overhaul.

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712 RAF aircraft (457 Lancaster, 252 Halifax, and 3 Mosquito) attack Berlin; 20 terror-bombers are shot down.

Admiral Hipper is decommissioned from service and Werner Ehrhardt is named the commanding officer of Cruiser Prinz Eugen.

U 757 (Kptlt. Friedrich Deetz) reported a large freighter at 16 knots at 1930 in BE 1991 probable hit by F.A.T. torpedo.

U 435 (Kptlt. Siegfried Strelow) starboard thrust bearing burnt out, repairs 48 hours. On the 20th February group of patrol vessels with aircraft in BF 4234.

Convoy No. 13 (HX.227; Group "Neptun"):
U 566 (Oblt. Hans Hornkohl) reported several hydrophone fixes: 1230 AD 9771 - 3300, 1530 - AD 9751 - 2600, 1815 in 9721 - 0°. At 0130 fix on a underwater telegraphy. Weather sea 5, misty, wind southeast 5-6. U 405 (KrvKpt. Rolf-Heinrich Hopman) contacted 5 steamers in AJ 3341 90°.
Control considers that reports from U 566 concern the main convoy and that the 5 steamers reported by U 405 are part of a convoy. At midnight U 405 reported part of a convoy dispersed with course 60°, 11 knots. One steamer was hit twice and left burning. At 1045 on the 1st March U 759 (Kptlt. Rudolf Friedrich) reported unescorted steamer in AK 1132, course northeast probably part of the convoy. U 709 (Oblt. Karl-Otto Weber) and U 634 (Oblt. Eberhard Dahlhaus) were also ordered to operate against the convoy. The following are returning: U 135 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Heinz Schütt) owing to damage and fuel, U 376 (Oblt. Friedrich-Karl Marks) owing to serious defects and fuel. At the present there is only contact with single vessels presumably separated.

U 448 - 359 - 638 - 89 - 529 will join Group "WILDFANG" (432 - 758 - 664 - 84 - 409 - 591). The Group is ordered to take up patrol line at 0800 on the 3rd March from AJ 4686 to 9112. If U 448 - 359 - 529 are, however, operating against Convoy No. 13 they should continue the operation.

New objective for U 119 (XB; Kptlt. Alois Zech) is BD 36.

U 358 - 707 - 303 - 604 - 454 have refueled as ordered for return.

Six newly arrived Norwegian agents of the British Special Operations Executive (code named Gunnerside) join the four agents already in place since Oct 1942 (code named Grouse) in sabotaging the Norsk Hydro-Elektrisk Vemork heavy water production plant in Telemark, Norway, thereby depriving our atomic weapons scientists of 500 kilograms of heavy water and near-future heavy water production capability.

Meanwhile, construction begins on the first full-scale plutonium production reactor in the world at Hanford, Washington, United States.

U 648 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Peter-Arthur Stahl) arrives at Blohm & Voss shipyard Hamburg, for Final Repairs.

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RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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Monday, 1 March 1943 - Danzig

At Danziger Werft AG, for Repairs and Overhaul.

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Heinz Guderian is appointed Inspector-General of Armoured Troops.

Our troops begin falling back from the Rzhev area in Russia.

U 510 (Korvkpt. Karl Neitzel) reports absence of traffic from area EO 66 to EP 73, and slight air activity. Owing to the breakdown of "Metox" the intended operations in the lower section of ED are doubtful. The oil track experienced earlier has not yet been eliminated.

U 218 (VIID; Kptlt. Richard Becker) - on the return passage owing to rudder breakdown - sighted an eastbound convoy at 1527, speed 8-10 knots in CE 8688. Shortly afterwards the boat was beaten off and at 1800 lost sight of the convoy during a squall. Two steamer masts were sighted, a smoke trail and a light grey two-funnel destroyer.
U 513 (KrvKpt. Rolf Rüggeberg) presumably had contact with the same group at 1230 on CE 8989 and also lost it. Both boats continue their passage. Operation was not possible as there were no other boats in the vicinity.

U 511 (Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind; ex Steinhoff) reported convoy on a course of 310° in CG 8433 at 2352. Boats of the Group "Robbe" who should have been able to attack the same night were ordered to operate. U 511 was fired at from smoke cover in CG 8433. Contact was lost in the subsequent hydrophone activity. No further reports were received from any of the boats. The operation was broken off.

U 406 (Kptlt. Horst Dieterichs) pursued an isolated vessel on a course of 200°, speed 15 knots in BD 3938. Contact was lost after an eight hour chase.

Convoy No. 13 (HX.227; Group "Neptun"):
Isolated messages: U 405 (KrvKpt. Rolf-Heinrich Hopman) sank a motorship of 9,000 GRT similar to type Perthshire, at 0039 on 1.3 in AK 1385. It subsequently sighted another steamer with destroyers in AK 1383, very low speed, and at 1355 a suspected "Q-boat" on a variable course of 0° - 270°. Further the boat chased 2 large steamers on a course of 250° at 1900 in AK 1442, one of which sank at 2056 suddenly without an explosion. The pursuit of the second ship continues.
U 759 (Kptlt. Rudolf Friedrich) chased large steamer on a course of approx. 60° and speed 11 knots at 1150 from AK 1133 to AD 7859. After a single miss is broke off operations owing to Diesel damage. U 634 (Oblt. Eberhard Dahlhaus) operated on this ship from AK 3171 and sank it in AD 8264 after three hits. According to call sign the "Mary Weather Sayis" of 6,800 GRT.
U 566 (Oblt. Hans Hornkohl) did not establish contact in spite of the previous hydrophone bearings and continued further operations on presumed convoy course of 90°.
At 1321, U 608 (Kptlt. Rolf Struckmeier) encountered a westbound convoy in AK 1328. At the same time, U 376 (Kptlt. Friedrich-Karl Marks) chased a tanker on a westerly course in AK 1191 and sighted in the meantime another steamer group in AK 1319. The boat presumes this to be the southerly part of U 608's convoy. The general course is 250, speed 8 knots. The Command conjectures that these are 2 different convoy sections. "Neptun" boats have received orders to operate on the target at the most favorable range. Both boats have apparently great differences in positions. U 608 pursued its group via AK 1347 to AD 9861 and was beaten off by destroyers at 2230 in AD 9852. The last course was west.
According to a possible new fix, U 376's convoy was in AK 1324 on a southwesterly course at 2100. This is a fast group of 10 steamers who made a strong deviation to the north as far as AK 1172 at night ad then proceeded to the southwest. The boat was beaten off by the apparent extremely strong and constantly attacking escort.
At 0230 contact was finally lost and was not re-established until morning.

On the supposition that the replenishing of supplies from "Milkcow" U 461 (Kptlt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler) was carried out before the evening of 2.3, U 504, 66, 43, 202, 558, 106 and U 521 are incorporated in Group "Tümmler" and disposed in patrol channels from DF 6899 to DS 1125 at 0000 on 3.3. Interception of the convoy made known on 27.2 in a Radio Intelligence report (special). The boat was directed to maintain strict wireless silence, also the Group "Wildfang" and "Burggraf".

U 68 (Oblt. Albert Lauzemis; ex Merten) received the ops. area center and eastern third of grid EC after repairs to its "Metox" apparatus have been carried out.

U D 3 (Krvkpt. Hermann Rigele; ex Dutch submarine O 25) is detailed as training ship for the home front.

Cruiser Köln is taken out of service and will remain so for one year.

U 648 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Peter-Arthur Stahl) undergoes Final Repairs at Blohm & Voss shipyard Hamburg.

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RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115