More questions and answers for and from our Members.

ANSWERS

Gerat 104 Recoiless Gun on JU-288

GARY YEE (3779-1994) writes: “Concerning the GERAT 104 recoilless gun; the gun was mounted on a JUNKERS 288 bomber. The gun was ‘extended forward hydraulically and returned under the firing recoil.....’ The latter is interesting since the GERAT 104 was a recoilless weapon. Per Col. Chinn, it did recoil and the Germans were working on reducing the recoil further. Designed to attack warships. it was expected to penetrate 400mm of armor steel. The JUNKER 288 never reached production status and a few serviceable prototype aircraft were issued (without a GERAT 104) for operational use.

The GERAT 104 365mm recoilless cannon was designed to fire a 1,400 pound projectile from an airplane at a velocity of 1,035 feet per second! The tube was rifled with a right-hand twist its entire length. The projectile and cartridge were pre-engraved and the weapon featured an electric firing system.”

U-550 Submariner

PAUL COLLERAN (3175-1993) writes: “There are several possibilities to the question by DONALD TITCOMB (2516-1992) about the man from U-550 buried in Newport R.I. (KTB #109 p31)

According to my records, U-550 was sunk on 16 April 1944 at approximately 40.07N x 69.24-30W (south of Nantucket Island) by the DE’s USS JOYCE, USS GANDY & USS PETERSON. U-550 had just torpedoed the American tanker PAN PENNSYLVANIA which was sailing with 27 merchant and six escorts from New York City toward the UK as Convoy CU.21.

USS JOYCE picked up 13 U-Boot men, including the C.O. One man died shortly after rescue. TITCOMB’s ‘Günther Heder’ could have been among those captured or.....

In the month of May, four U-550 bodies were recovered and one recovered and one recovery date matches Heder’s tombstone date. On 5/6/44 coastal Picket Patrol Boat (CCR 3082) found a body from U-550 floating at 39.55N x 71.44W with just burns on head and face. The body appeared to have been on a raft or some other sort of float for some time and closer examination estimated that the man had died within five days of recovery. My records say that the body carried no I.D.

The CCR 3082 also recovered a body on 5 May 1944 at 39.51N x 71.58W with the name ‘Hube’ on the clothes.

On 11 May CCR 1989 recovered the body of Wilhelm Flade (17 years old) at 40.12N x 71.45W and on 10 May SC 630 recovered an unidentified body at 40.28N x 71.00W.

Torpedo Reloads

WILLIAM PLEXICO (4037-1994) writes: “In answer to the question by JOE McCARTHY (3853-1994) about the number of torpedo reloads were kept on a TYPE VII boat:

TYPE VII-A carried 6 reloads, all internally and all in the fwd compartment; 4 under torpedo room deck and two on bulkheads.

TYPE VII-B and all subsequent mods. of the TYPE VII carried these six plus 3 additional reloads - one under the aft torpedo room floor plates and the other two externally between the deck and pressure hull; one forward and one aft.

I think I should point out that there were 6 TYPE VII boats with NO stern tubes at all, and there were 5 TYPE VII boats with only two bow tubes although the latter did have a stern tube.

Those with no stern tube: U-203, U-331, U-351, U-401, U-431 and U-651. Those with only two fwd tubes and 1 stern tube: U-72, U-78, U-80, U-554 and U-555.

For a brief time after May of 1943 U-Boats discontinued use of external torpedo storage as being prone to damage (or explosion) during depth charge attack. Their use was continued after storage containers were ‘beefed up’.

Harry's Note - we have a photo of U-505 after taking a direct bomb hit on an external torpedo storage container. The bomb hit the propulsion end of the torpedo rather than the explosive head, otherwise the boat would have been instantly sunk

To my knowledge, only G7A steam torpedoes could be stored externally at any time during WW II. the electric G7E eels were always stored in the pressure hull.”

QUESTIONS

JOHN WALSH (4415-1995) asks: “I was Engineering Officer on the CROATAN 1944-1945 on anti-submarine patrol in the Atlantic. I would greatly appreciate any information on Oberleutnant Wilhelm Gerlach, C.O. of U-490. Our task force captured Captain Gerlach and his entire crew of 60, bringing them to Casablanca.”

JOE McCARTHY (3853-1994) asks: “Could a submarine shift a torpedo from the bow torpedo room to the stern torpedo room while at sea and unassisted? Could some submarines do this while others could not?”

LARS SUNN PEDERSEN (3783-1994) was one of the leaders of the group that salvaged U-534. He asks: “Is it possible to locate survivors or get information on the sinkings of two mysterious transport vessels? They are FEDOSIA sunk near Göteborg Sweden on April 4, 1945 and HANSA I sunk in same area April 17, 1945? These transports were said to be carrying one-man submarines of various types.”

ROGER BESAW (4229-1995) asks: “How long did it take to rig the topside torpedo handling equipment - pierside & underway? Stern and forward reloading positions? How long did it take to remove a torpedo from the deck storage containers? What was the maximum speed a U-Boat could make while handling torpedoes topside? How long did it take to strike down a torpedo? If the crews’ ability and training was a major factor, what are the times?”

MAJOR MICHAEL STACK (4259-1995) asks: “During the course of the war, what small arms were carried on board U-Boats of TYPE II; TYPE VII; TYPE IX; TYPE XXI and TYPE XXIII? Was there a provision for a set number and type of small arms compliment at the beginning of the was? How did wartime shortages and changing rules of engagement affect the carrying of small arms aboard U-Boats?”