Admiralty Reports on Capture of U-570

Gustav Schiebert · 11-19-12, 07:45 AM

Hi all, quick one for you all:

U-570 was the U-Boat captured by a British Hudson aircraft in Aug 1941. It was the first complete capture and provided invaluable intelligence to the Allies, which helped in the development of counter-submarine measures. I'm sure a lot of people have heard of this, and seen the U-Boat Archive website, but there's some fascinating reports on there which are well worth a read.

The photos are good but the two most interesting parts are the Admiralty technical reports and the interrogation report.

Both are a little bit heavy going (over 50 pages!) but the first one is crammed full of technical details and capability assessments. It differs from the vanilla 'Wikipedia stats' because it doesn't only include all the figures in great detail, but also prose assessments on its performance compared to other contemporary assessments. Almost every nut and bolt is scrutinised, and it is mercifully well-indexed so you can use the contents to look up different bits and have a quick read.

The second interrogation report is even more interesting as it shows the state of mind of the U-Bootwaffe in 1941 (albeit a pretty bad example). It talks about the men, their backgrounds, attitudes and has some fairly detailed profiling of the officers. My favouite part is the section entitled 'Obscenity':

Among personal property captured from "U 570" were a number of parodies, skits and poems, all of an unrelievedly coarse and obscene nature, there being scarcely a single redeeming witty phrase in the whole. A strong undercurrent of unashamed blasphemy was apparent, and may well be a result of modern Hitler Youth training.

I love the idea that a Naval Intelligence officer sat there trawling through dirty poems and saucy photos, expecting to find 'a redeeming witty phrase'.

Anyway, both are well worth a look for background reading. I'd love to hear what other people make of them if they get chance to look.

nikimcbee · 11-19-12, 09:57 AM

Clay Blair's book talked about the capture of this sub. If I recall, the entire (vast majority) crew were green and they were all horribly seasick.

When the bomber flew over, they just ran up the white flag.

nikimcbee · 11-19-12, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Clay Blair's book talked about the capture of this sub. If I recall, the entire (vast majority) crew were green and they were all horribly seasick.

When the bomber flew over, they just ran up the white flag.

I read the interrogation report and it backs up my memory

.

Great thread! Thanks for posting this with the links.

Sailor Steve · 11-19-12, 10:52 AM

You've just discovered this? We've been referring to it for years. Both the British and the American reports were vital in our discussions about periscope values and limitations.

Gustav Schiebert · 11-20-12, 09:20 AM

@nikimcbee: I read a book I picked up in a shop for a few quid recently on this which is what got me hunting ... it's great to read once you know the story!

@Sailor Steve: Aha I knew a gem like this wouldn't be news to everyone!

11-19-12, 07:45 AM	#1
Gustav Schiebert Sparky Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: AM52 Posts: 151 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Admiralty Reports on Capture of U-570 Hi all, quick one for you all: U-570 was the U-Boat captured by a British Hudson aircraft in Aug 1941. It was the first complete capture and provided invaluable intelligence to the Allies, which helped in the development of counter-submarine measures. I'm sure a lot of people have heard of this, and seen the U-Boat Archive website, but there's some fascinating reports on there which are well worth a read. The photos are good but the two most interesting parts are the Admiralty technical reports and the interrogation report. Both are a little bit heavy going (over 50 pages!) but the first one is crammed full of technical details and capability assessments. It differs from the vanilla 'Wikipedia stats' because it doesn't only include all the figures in great detail, but also prose assessments on its performance compared to other contemporary assessments. Almost every nut and bolt is scrutinised, and it is mercifully well-indexed so you can use the contents to look up different bits and have a quick read. The second interrogation report is even more interesting as it shows the state of mind of the U-Bootwaffe in 1941 (albeit a pretty bad example). It talks about the men, their backgrounds, attitudes and has some fairly detailed profiling of the officers. My favouite part is the section entitled 'Obscenity': Among personal property captured from "U 570" were a number of parodies, skits and poems, all of an unrelievedly coarse and obscene nature, there being scarcely a single redeeming witty phrase in the whole. A strong undercurrent of unashamed blasphemy was apparent, and may well be a result of modern Hitler Youth training. I love the idea that a Naval Intelligence officer sat there trawling through dirty poems and saucy photos, expecting to find 'a redeeming witty phrase'. Anyway, both are well worth a look for background reading. I'd love to hear what other people make of them if they get chance to look. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] GWX 3 + OLC Gold + 100% Realism + Commander "Attack! Always attack!"

11-19-12, 09:57 AM	#2
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,925 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Clay Blair's book talked about the capture of this sub. If I recall, the entire (vast majority) crew were green and they were all horribly seasick. When the bomber flew over, they just ran up the white flag. __________________

11-19-12, 10:52 AM	#4
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	You've just discovered this? We've been referring to it for years. Both the British and the American reports were vital in our discussions about periscope values and limitations. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-20-12, 09:20 AM	#5
Gustav Schiebert Sparky Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: AM52 Posts: 151 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	@nikimcbee: I read a book I picked up in a shop for a few quid recently on this which is what got me hunting ... it's great to read once you know the story! @Sailor Steve: Aha I knew a gem like this wouldn't be news to everyone! __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] GWX 3 + OLC Gold + 100% Realism + Commander "Attack! Always attack!"