Iron Coffins
Herbert Werner, author of the bestselling Iron Coffins, passed away a year ago (April 6, 2013) at age 92. Despite a number of inaccuracies, pertaining to tonnage totals e.g. in March 1943, and METOX, which did not really betray U-boat locations, Werner's book is outstanding. Among other things, it describes the experience of U-230, commanded by Paul Siegmann. Patrolling the North Atlantic during the crucial month of March 1943, U-230 sank one ship, the Egyptian, from convoy SC-121. This was not a bad performance when survival, let alone success, was getting difficult.
The Allies used evasive routing to avoid U-boat patrol lines. One day, Siegmann came to the bridge, where lookouts had not seen any targets for days. "So chief," he asked Werner, "what's the matter with the English? Don't they go to sea anymore?" A wave then knocked away Siegmann's cigarette. "The guy upstairs won't even let me have a cigarette."
U-230 barely survived its second patrol, in May 1943. By then, the Allies had closed the air gap in the central Atlantic. Viewing convoy HX 237 through the periscope, Werner said it seemed to be the largest ever (it was, in fact, only an average size convoy--46 ships). When the U-boat surfaced to chase, aircraft attacked. Werner personally shot down one of them. Repeatedly forced to dive, U-230 had a difficult time catching up. After diving into the projected path of HX 237, the U-boat was thwarted. Siegmann was apparently a bit incautious with the periscope, raising it too high, so an escort spotted it. The ensuing depth charge attack nearly destroyed U-230. At one point, depth charges sent the boat careening down toward the bottom. The crew reversed the descent but for a moment they were all "sure the end had come." That month alone, over forty other U-boats didn't survive at all.
Even before its ordeal, U-230 heard frequent messages from other boats in their death throes. The tide had irrevocably turned against them.
The Allies used evasive routing to avoid U-boat patrol lines. One day, Siegmann came to the bridge, where lookouts had not seen any targets for days. "So chief," he asked Werner, "what's the matter with the English? Don't they go to sea anymore?" A wave then knocked away Siegmann's cigarette. "The guy upstairs won't even let me have a cigarette."
U-230 barely survived its second patrol, in May 1943. By then, the Allies had closed the air gap in the central Atlantic. Viewing convoy HX 237 through the periscope, Werner said it seemed to be the largest ever (it was, in fact, only an average size convoy--46 ships). When the U-boat surfaced to chase, aircraft attacked. Werner personally shot down one of them. Repeatedly forced to dive, U-230 had a difficult time catching up. After diving into the projected path of HX 237, the U-boat was thwarted. Siegmann was apparently a bit incautious with the periscope, raising it too high, so an escort spotted it. The ensuing depth charge attack nearly destroyed U-230. At one point, depth charges sent the boat careening down toward the bottom. The crew reversed the descent but for a moment they were all "sure the end had come." That month alone, over forty other U-boats didn't survive at all.
Even before its ordeal, U-230 heard frequent messages from other boats in their death throes. The tide had irrevocably turned against them.
posted by starman at 2:52 AM
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