German submarine U-219
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-219 |
| Ordered | 6 August 1940 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number | 625 |
| Laid down | 31 May 1941 |
| Launched | 6 October 1942 |
| Commissioned | 12 December 1942 |
| Fate | Seized by Imperial Japanese Navy at Jakarta, 5 May 1945 |
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | I-505 |
| Commissioned | 15 July 1945 |
| Captured | Empire of Japan, 5 May 1945 |
| Fate | Surrendered at Jakarta, August 1945; sunk, 3 February 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | tanker in 1944) |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.71 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft) |
| Complement | 5 officers, 47 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record (Kriegsmarine)[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 49 090 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | None |
| Service record (IJN)[3] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Commanders: | None |
| Operations: | None |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-219 was a
Initially built as one of eight submarine
Design
The Type XB submarine was designed in 1938 to serve as a minelayer. Weighing at 2,710 tons when submerged and fully loaded, it was the largest class of U-boats ever built, and therefore had reduced maneuverability and agility. The Type XB could carry 66 Schachtmine A mines in 30 mine shafts, with several in the forward hull and several in saddle tanks on each side of the submarine. When the submarine was used for cargo duty, the mine shafts could be used to carry freight containers.[4]
Kriegsmarine
The U-boat was
First patrol
U-219 left Bordeaux on 5 October 1943 and traveled to
Although U-219's mission had been to lay mines off Cape Town and Colombo, when the group's U-tanker ("Milk Cow") was destroyed, U-219 was required to take its place, refueling the other submarines of the group at sea (including U-170, U-172 and U-510). Of this group, only U-510 continued to Penang, Japanese-occupied Malaysia.[5][7]
Her orders were then changed and she was told to return to Bordeaux. While U-219 was resupplying U-172 southwest of the
Second patrol
After her return, she was prepared to serve as a blockade runner to deliver supplies to the Monsun Gruppe in the Far East. U-219 was outfitted with cargo instead of mines. It took three or four months to complete her outfitting and planning for the operation, and the Allied invasion of southern France in the summer of 1944 meant that the submarine base at Bordeaux came under aerial bombings, but the U-boats remained undamaged. She underwent several trials between April and May to test her with the new fully loaded cargo, with 12th U-boat Flotilla engineers being aboard. In the first test, the fully-loaded U-219 began sinking quickly during a dive, but the engineers stabilized it. After the test they decided to reduce the weight, such as by removing her anti-aircraft gun and ammunition. She still carried some torpedoes, so as not to be completely defenseless.[6]
On her next voyage east, U-219 departed Bordeaux on 23 August 1944[5] with U-195 and U-180, two other converted transport submarines. Sources differ on her cargo. According to one source, she was carrying two Japanese officers, and freight which included uranium oxide, blueprints for advanced weapons and part of a consignment of twelve dismantled V-2 rockets for Japan shared with U-195.[8] Another source says there were no foreign passengers or parts for an atomic bomb, but that she was only carrying machine parts, torpedo parts, medical supplies, spare parts for a seaplane at the Penang base, mercury, aluminum, and optical equipment.[6] After leaving Bordeaux, she met up with U-195 and U-180 and they proceeded on their journey.[5]
As U-219 was on its way, it was ordered by U-boat Command to meet up with
Burghagen ordered the boat to dive after shooting down one of the planes with the boat's anti-aircraft gun, and they remained underwater, managing to evade the sonobuoys that were dropped by the aircraft. U-1062 was sunk with all hands on 30 September, as Burghagen continued waiting. He found a salinity layer in which the boat could drift while using a minimal level of its battery, and remained submerged for nearly 70 hours. The air quality became so bad that they had to return to the surface on 4 October as members of the crew became sick. Burghagen decided to abandon the rendezvous and proceeded to Penang, and avoided another aerial attack on 30 October 1944 off South Africa. It was the final attack on U-219 during the trip. She was redirected by U-boat Command from Penang to Batavia instead because of the frequent Allied attacks on the Penang base. U-219 reported firing torpedoes at a target and heard and explosion, but did not sink any ships. She arrived in Batavia on 12 December 1944, along with U-195.[5][6]
In Southeast Asia
U-219 spent the next several months from December 1944 until the German surrender in May 1945 between Japanese-occupied Indonesia and Singapore. She was slightly damaged in an incident on 26 December, when the Japanese ammunition transport ship Taicho Maru exploded near her and several other U-boats. U-219 suffered from technical problems that delayed its planned departure back to Germany with a cargo of war materials, and in April 1945 she was ordered to remain where she was by U-boat Command. On 5 May 1945, the crew is interned by the Japanese as they were informed by the German naval attaché in Japan, Admiral Paul Wenneker, as well as the commander of the U-boat base in Penang, Hermann Kandeler, that Germany surrendered and ceased all hostilities with the Allies.[5][6]
Following Germany's surrender, U-219 was seized by the Japanese at Batavia on 5 May 1945 and on 15 July it was placed into service with the
After the war
The former executive officer of U-219 during its mission to the Far East, Hans-Joachim Krug, later served as a consultant for the German war film Das Boot.[9]
References
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-219". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-219". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ "I-505". IJN Submarine Service – Ijnsubsite.info. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type XB Mine-laying boats". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-505.htm IJN Submarine I-505: Tabular Record of Movement
- ^ a b c d e f g h i White 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-510". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Beasant 1999.
- ^ Krug, Hirama & Niestl 2001.
Bibliography
- Beasant, John (1999). Stalin's Silver: The Sinking of the USS John Barry. ISBN 978-0-312-20590-4.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Krug, Hans-Joachim; Hirama, Yoichi; Niestl, Axel (2001). Reluctant Allies: German–Japanese Naval Relations in World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1557504654.
- Stevens, David (1997). U-boat Far from Home, The Epic Voyage of U-862 to Australia and New Zealand. ISBN 978-1-86448-267-6.
- White, John (2009). The Milk Cows: The U-boat Tankers, 1941–1945. London: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1844682614.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-219". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 219". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- IJN Submarine I-505: Tabular Record of Movement
