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Kriegsmarine U-boat crews supported the Royal Navy during Tests and Trials in 1945

Through the fruitful cooperation with our British friend Derek Waller another detail of the fate of German U-boats and their crews at the end of WW II in 1945 came to light, that has been reported about only scarcely so far.

 Of those 156 U-boats, that surrendered in May 1945 at sea or in habour to the victorious Allies, some 137 were interned initially at Lisahally, Northern Ireland and Loch Ryan, Scotland, until their further fate was decided about. The vast majority was to be scuttled at sea soon (e.g. through Operation “Deadlight”), some U-boats, however, were to be distributed among the three Allies for further tests and trials. This was true in particular for the “Electroboats” of Type XXI, Type XXIII and the revolutionary Type XVII, which were of great interest to the Allies due to their technical and operational features The tests and trials were only feasible by at least some initial cooperation by personal from German U-boats interned. In this context, some astonishing figures are on record. Minutes of a meeting on 25 June 1945 chaired by the Royal Navy “Admiral (Submarines)”, Rear Admiral George E. Creasy, tell how the further execution of tests and trials of German Type XXI and Type XXIII UBoats was discussed and decided.

Apart from the “400 to 600” Royal Navy personal engaged in guarding and maintaining the German UBoats interned, the protocol mentions some 1,200 German U-boat sailors, which were still with their boats. During the following tests and trials many of these German U-boat personal was actively involved in the tests of their boats. We have many reports of that, which would be worth doing a special comprehensive research about that last chapter of the history of the U-boat force of the Kriegsmarine.

Source:

  • German U-boat Museum 5-2011