Victory Marking of U-155

 

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Date: Tuesday, 15 September 1942
Place: Lorient, Brittany, France
Photographer: Unknown

Victory marking were seen far less frequently on the deck guns of U-boats than on Army or Air Force weapons, which were often adorned with rings or silhouettes to represent successes. Our photographs prove that this did, take place on occasion. The submarine is the U-155, which in September 1942 “booked” two sinkings by its 105mm gun in the form of ship silhouettes on the barrel. Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Adolf Cornelius Piening, the IX C boat achieved these sinkings on its third patrol (9 July – 15 September 1942), which took place in the Caribbean. First the Dutch coastal motor ship “Draco” crossed U-155’s path on 5 August 1942. The small freighter (389 GRT) had no chance to escape and apparently was not worth a torpedo to Piening. The freighter was therefore quickly dispatched by the deck gun after the crew had taken to the lifeboats. Five days later U-155 engaged the Dutch “Strabo”, another small ship of just 383 GRT. Piening remained true to his rule, sinking the vessel with its 105mm gun. All told, the U-155 sank ten ships on this patrol totaling 43,514 GRT. Also visible in the photo are two emblems on the conning tower: the first is the emblem of the sponsor city of Schwelm, introduced under Kapitänleutnant Piening. The second the emblem of the 10. Unterseebootsflotille (10th Submarine Flotilla), a type IX boat against a Balkenkreuz (bar cross). This reflected the fact that the 10th Flotilla was equipped exclusively with type IX boats.

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" edition no.2 - 2007

First Ledo Road Convoy to Reach Kunming, China

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Date: Monday, 5 February 1945
Place: Kunming, Yunnan, China
Photographer: Unknown

US Army Corps of Engineers General Lewis A. Pick leads 113 vehicles of the first convoy to use the new Ledo (Stillwell) Road to reach Kunming. Leaving Ledo, Assam, India on January 12, 1944, they arrived in Myitkyina, Burma on January 15, where they were held up by Japanese resistance until January 23. Crossing the Chinese border at Wanting, China on January 28, they had traveled 1,079 miles to reach Kunming. A representative of every engineering company that worked on the Ledo Road accompanied the convoy. Pick was assigned to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations in October 1943 and oversaw construction of the Ledo Road in India and Burma.  His driving force enabled the difficult task to be completed in 2½ years.  His men nicknamed the road "Pick's Pike".  After his return to the United States in 1945, he served again as Missouri River Division Engineer.  On March 1, 1949, President Truman appointed him Chief of Engineers.  Pick was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.  He died December 2, 1956, in Washington, D.C.

Source:

http://home.comcast.net/~ledoroad/Ledo_Builders_Pick.html

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1019

U-37 Returned to the Base at Wilhelmshaven

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Date: Sunday, 18 April 1943
Place: Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

On 18 April 1943 the type IX boat U-37 returned to the base at Wilhelmshaven after its fourth patrol. On this mission, the boat had operated off Norway under Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartmann’s (11 December 1902 - 26 April 1903) command as part of Operation “Weserübung”. It hadn’t been as successful though, as during its previous patrols. Having sunk 8 ships on both the 2nd and 3rd sortie, it “only” flew three pennants on its periscope this time. The Viking cry “Westward-ho!”, adorning the conning tower, was adopted by Hartmann for his new boat U-198 that completed its first and only patrol under his command very successfully in 1943. It should be mentioned that Kapitänleutnant Asmus Nicolai Clausen (2 June 1911 - 16 May 1943), former 1st Watch Officer and later captain of the U-37, also used the “Westward-ho!” emblem on it and the other submarines commanded by him, namely U-129 and U-182.

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" magazine 2nd edition 2007

http://uboat.net/boats/u37.htm

U-125 Returning To Lorient

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Date: Friday, 6 November 1942
Place: Lorient, Brittany, France
Photographer: Unknown

Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Folkers (6 March 1915 - 6 May 1943) was one of the most successful commanders of the 2. Unterseebootsflotille (2nd Submarine Flotilla). Here he is seen returning to Lorient in U-125 on 6 November 1942 after his fifth patrol and more than three months at sea. Folkers sank six British ships during this sortie in his Type IX C boat. The extended patrol has caused the submarine’s paint to become very weathered. Note the windscreen on U-125’s conning tower, something normally seen only on torpedo boats! On the night of May 6 1943 the destroyer HMS Oribi located the U-125 in a heavy fog with its radar set just before 0300 and rammed her while doing something close to 20 knots. The boat was severely damaged and the British believed her to be sunk. But she did survive and at 0331 Folkers radioed BdU with an urgent request for help and U-552, U-381, U-413 and U-260 were ordered to assist him (U-614 and U-402 also in the area were told to remain on station). The boats searched for the wounded boat until the morning of the 7th. The corvette HMS Snowflake got a radar contact 0354 and soon the contact had closed to 100 meters! The starlights were turned on and revealed a heavily damaged U-boat and apparently already sinking. The corvette tried to ram but the boat escaped the turn. The crew of U-125 scuttled their boat with 5 explosive charges while almost alongside the HMS Snowflake and waited in the water to be rescued. Another corvette HMS Sunflower did reach the scene about this time. The commander of the corvette radioed the escort commander in HMS Tay but was given the shocking reply: "Not approved to pick up survivors". The corvettes HMS Sunflower and HMS Snowflake then turned towards the convoy leaving the men in the water. Kptlt. Folkers and his crew of 54 men died during that night!

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" magazine 2nd edition 2007

http://www.uboat.net/boats/u125.htm

Adolf Galland Waiting for the Führer

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Date: Tuesday, 24 December 1940
Place: Château de Bonnance, Port-le-Grand, Abbeville, Picardie, France
Photographer: Unknown

Oberstleutnant Adolf "Dolfo" Galland, Kommodore of JG/Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter-Wing) "Schlageter" with his officers waiting for the Führer Adolf hitler one day before Christmas 1940 at château de Bonnance in Abbeville. In the background are three Gruppenkommandeur, from left to right: Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel (Kommandeur III.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"), Hauptmann Walter Adolph (Kommandeur II.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"), and Hauptmann Rolf Pingel (Kommandeur I.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"). Hitler arrived at the castle Point-de-Briques at 16.05 hours. There he visited the squadron Galland and he joined the Christmas activities of the squadron there. At 16.50 hours he was back at his train in Abbeville. From there he was taken to Laboissière. The train left at 19.15 hours and arrived at 21.15 hours

Source:

http://forum.axishistory.com/

http://www.hitlerpages.com/pagina33.html

U-455 Return From Her Patrol At St. Nazaire

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Date: Tuesday, 16 June 1942
Place: Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique department, France
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Vater

Kapitänleutnant Hans-Heinrich Giessler (center) with the type VIIC German submarine U-455 (under 7. Unterseebootsflottille) just back from war patrol at St. Nazaire, 16 June 1942, and then welcomed by the commander of 7. Unterseebootsflottille (7th U-boat Flotilla), Kapitänleutnant Herbert Sohler. In his third patrol (lasting 62 days from 16 April 1942), Giessler sunk two British ships, "British Workman" (3 May 1942, weight 6,994 tons from ON-89 Convoy) and "Geo H. Jones" (11 June 1942, weight 6,914 tons from SL-111 Convoy) with the total tonnage 13,908 tons. These would be his only victim on his entire career as a U-boat captain. U-455 listed as missing in the Mediterranean after 6 April, 1944, probably in or around the Ligurian Sea. No record of any action by any of the belligerents is listed and it is suspected that she may have been lost due to an accident! 51 crew dead (all hands lost) including her captain at that time, Kapitänleutnant Hans-Martin Scheibe.

Source:

Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-6434-20

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:U-455_%28submarine,_1941%29