Unterseeboot 852

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Career (Nazi Germany)
Name: U-852
Ordered: 20 January 1941
Builder: AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number: 1058
Laid down: April 15, 1942
Launched: January 28, 1943
Commissioned: June 15, 1943
Fate: Scuttled on 3 May 1944 in the Arabian Sea.
General characteristics
Type: IXD2
Service record
Part of Kriegsmarine 4. Unterseebootsflottille (Training)
1943-06-15 — 1944-01-31

12. Unterseebootsflottille (Front Boat, 1 patrol)
1944-02-01 — 1944-05-03
Identification codes M 52 771
Commanders Kptlt. Heinz-Wilhelm Eck
1943-06-15 — 1944-05-03
Operations 1 patrols
Victories 2 ships sunk for a total of 9.972 gross register tons (GRT)

Unterseeboot 852 (usually abbreviated to U-852) was a German submarine built during World War II. She became notorious as the only Kriegsmarine U-boat crew to be accused, prosecuted and convicted of war crimes during the Second World War.

Built in Bremen and completed in June 1943, the boat was of the Type IX, which possessed long range cruising capabilities as well as six torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern). She was commanded throughout her brief lifespan by Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Wilhelm Eck, who led her through her sea trials and out onto her first war patrol on the 18 January 1944.

Contents

[edit] The SS Peleus

Her mission was to disrupt allied communications in the Indian Ocean by attacking sea lanes there; this involved a high level of secrecy and so she had to avoid conflict on her passage. This plan was jeopardized however, when on the 13 March on the latitude of Freetown, she spotted the lone Greek steamer SS Peleus. Despite his mission, Eck decided to attack her, and, after stalking her till night-fall, sank her with two torpedoes. What followed has been the subject of much dispute since.

The sinking Peleus left a large debris field, amongst which were a number of survivors clinging to rafts and wreckage. This field would have betrayed the presence of the U-852 to aircraft and shipping patrolling the area, so Eck then controversially decided to destroy the wreckage with the use of hand grenades and automatic weapons. Eck ordered his junior officers to fire into the wreckage; These were the ship's engineering officer, Hans Lenz, the ship's doctor,Walter Weisspfennig, the second in command August Hoffmann and an enlisted engineer, Wolfgang Schwender. The submarine's commander, Eck, was also present during the incident while the remaining crew were below decks.

[edit] The SS Dahomian

The submarine was able to evade pursuit, and two weeks later encountered, and managed to sink, the British cargo ship SS Dahomian, off Cape Town on the 1 April. This time U-852 hastily left the scene rather than pausing.

[edit] Fate

A few weeks later, on the 30 April, U-852 was in the Indian Ocean. There she was spotted by a Vickers Wellington bomber, flying from Aden, which managed to damage her with depth charges, thus preventing her from diving. Knowing all was lost, Eck made for the Somali coast, where his ship was beached on a coral reef while under extensive air attack from six bombers of 621 Squadron Royal Air Force.

58 of Eck's crew made it to shore, where they were captured by the Somaliland Camel Corps and local militia. Seven of the crew had been killed by the constant air attacks. The survivors were sent to various prison camps to wait out the end of the war.

[edit] Raiding career

Date Ship Nationality Tonnage Fate
13 March 1944 SS Peleus Greek 4,695 Sunk
1 April 1944 SS Dahomian British 5,277 Sunk

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
  • Bridgland, Tony, Waves of Hate, Leo Cooper, Great Britain: 2002. ISBN 0-85052-822-4.

[edit] See also

See Also: List of U-boats

See HMS Torbay and USS Wahoo for other boats alleged to be involved in war crimes