U-25 a Few Days Before the Outbreak of the War

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Date: Friday, 25 August 1939
Place: Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Here we see U-25, a type IA boat from Unterseebootsflottille "Saltzwedel", alongside an old M-boat from the First World War. In this photo, taken a few days before the outbreak of the war, U-25 wears an immaculate pale gray finish. Visible in the background is the light cruiser Karlsruhe. Photo below must depict one of the last times U-25 took on torpedoes, prior to departing for its final patrol on 1 August 1940. It was the second patrol under Kapitänleutnant Heinz Beduhn (11 August 1907 - 1 August 1940), who had taken over the successful boat from Korvettenkapitän Victor Schütze (16 February 1906 - 23 September 1950). It is believed that U-25 struck a mine in position 54.14N, 05.07E, one day after leaving port, part of minefield no.7 laid off Terschelling by British destroyers. None of the crew (49 men) survived the sinking. Note the unusual white patches on the front of the conning tower and the "Lucky Fellows" emblem (Glückspilze, literally "Lucky Mushrooms", translate as "Lucky Fellows", hence the depiction of mushrooms in the emblem).

Source:

Bibliotek für Zeitgeschichte

"U-Boot im Focus" magazine, edition No.2 - 2007, page 4