German submarine U-120 (1940)
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-120 |
| Ordered: | 15 December 1937 |
| Builder: | Flender Werke, Lübeck |
| Yard number: | 268 |
| Laid down: | 31 March 1938 |
| Launched: | 16 March 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 20 April 1940 |
| Fate: | Scuttled 2 May 1945 at Bremerhaven. Raised in 1950 and broken up. |
| Badge: |
 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | IIB |
| Type: | Coastal submarine |
| Displacement: | 279 t (275 long tons) surfaced 328 t (323 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 42.70 m (140 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) |
| Draft: | 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × propeller shafts 2 × MWM four-stroke diesel engines, 700 shp (520 kW) 2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motor, 360 shp (270 kW) |
| Speed: | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–43 nmi (65–80 km; 40–49 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 22 men |
| Armament: | 3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: | Kriegsmarine: |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Hans Fiedler
|
| Operations: | No war patrols |
German submarine U-120 was a Type IIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 31 March 1938 at the Flender Werke, Lübeck as yard number 268. She was launched on 16 March 1940 and commissioned on 20 April under Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Ernst Bauer.
Emblem
U-120 's emblem was an oak leaf, with an anchor, and a knife or dagger. She also shared this emblem with U-3, U-29, U-747, U-1274 and U-1308.[3]
Built for China
The Chinese Nationalist government used 10,000,000 Marks to order two Type IIB U-boats in 1937. They also dispatched 80 men to Germany for training in submarine operations. The Japanese government complained about this transaction, so the Chinese took their money back and these two vessels joined the Kriegsmarine after the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe. They were U-120 and U-121.
Career
U-120 was active from 1940 until she was scuttled in 1945. She was one of two Type II U-boats built at the Flender Werke in Lübeck. Along with her sister boat U-121, she was originally built for export to China. The advent of World War II and increased training needs, led the German high command to assign U-120 and U-121 to the training command.[4] From 20 April 1940 to 30 June she was part of the U-Bootschulflottille. In July 1940 she became part of the 21st U-boat Flotilla as a training boat until 16 March 1945 when she became part of the 31st U-boat Flotilla (training) until 2 May 1945 when she was scuttled at Bremerhaven. The boat was raised in 1950 and broken up for scrap.
Many sources incorrectly report that U-120 sank due to a malfunctioning toilet. This submarine was actually the much larger U-1206.[5]
Commanders
- 20 April 1940 - 25 November: Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Bauer (Knight's Cross)
- 26 November 1940 - 19 May 1941: Kptlt. Wolfgang Heyda
- 20 May 1941 - 24 February 1942: Oblt.z.S. Willy-Roderich Körner
- 25 February 1942 - 30 September: Oblt.z.S. Hans Fiedler
- 15 September 1942 - 24 May 1943: Lt.z.S.Alfred Radermacher
- 24 May 1943 - 26 July 1943 Oblt.z.S. Adolf Gundlach[2]
- 26 July 1943 - 14 September 1944: Oblt.z.S. Joachim Sauerbier
- 15 September 1944 - 2 May 1945: Oblt.z.S. Rolf Rüdiger Bensel
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 67.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-120". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Emblems". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ↑ Blair (1996), 178-179.
- ↑ Sources asserting incorrectly that U-120 sank because of a malfunctioning toilet include:
- Justin Heimberg; David Gomberg (2009). Would You Rather...?'s Read It and Wipe: Condensed Comedy for the Can. Seven Footer Press. pp. 69. ISBN 978-1-934734-10-0.
- David Hatcher Childress (2001). A Hitchhiker's Guide to Armageddon. Adventures Unlimited Press. pp. 154. ISBN 978-0-932813-84-8.
- James F. Dunnigan; Albert A. Nofi (1994). Dirty little secrets of World War II: military information no one told you about the greatest, most terrible war in history. W. Morrow. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-688-12235-5.
- Mark Mirabello (2009). Handbook for Rebels and Outlaws. Mark Mirabello. pp. 185. ISBN 978-1-906958-00-8.
- Gordon Williamson (2006). Wolf Pack: The Story of the U-Boat in World War II. Osprey Publishing. pp. 166. ISBN 978-1-84603-141-0.
- Gordon Williamson; Darko Pavlović (2001). Grey Wolf: U-Boat Crewman of World War II. Osprey Publishing. pp. 26. ISBN 978-1-84176-312-5.
- Clay Blair (1998). Hitler's U-boat War: The hunted, 1942-1945. Random House. p. 673. ISBN 978-0-679-45742-8.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-120". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 120". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2015.
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