[Rainer]

Over the years I collected some information about the rescue of Axis airmen by German U-boats and I would like to share my research in this thread because my main historical interest is clearly focused on naval warfare and I hope the visitors of this forum with their vast knowledge about the Luftwaffe/Regia Aeronautica can help me to correct or add some details.

I found 26 such incidents so far and will post the details in chronological order in separate posts.

1. 1939-09-12: U-13 rescued crew of a Dornier Do 18
2. 1940-03-29: U-30 rescued crew of a Dornier Do 18
3. 1940-04-26: U-17 rescued crew of a Dornier Do 18
4. 1940-06-06: U-47 rescued 3 airmen of a Dornier Do 18
5. 1941-05-22: U-564 rescued crew of a Junkers Ju 88
6. 1942-02-05: U-105 rescued crew of a Dornier Do 24
7. 1942-02-14: U-86 rescued 3 airmen of a Heinkel He 111
8. 1942-02-15: U-587 rescued 5 airmen of a Focke-Wulf Fw 200
9. 1942-02-15: U-331 rescued 5 airmen of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
10. 1942-06-15: U-431 rescued crew of a Do 24 and 3 airmen of a Ju 88
11. 1942-06-15: U-83 rescued crew of a Do 24 and pilot of a Bf 109
12. 1942-08-14: U-255 rescued crew of a Blohm & Voss BV 138

After two rescues of German airmen in February 1942 the BdU (Admiral Karl Dönitz) made the following entry in his war diary:

However satisfactory the rescue of the crews of 2 planes by submarines in the last few days may be, and however natural such help at first appears, it is nevertheless always difficult to decide whether submarines on their outward voyage should be used to search for the crews of planes that have been forced down. Under present conditions every drop of fuel is vital for the boats, if they are to maintain sufficient operational freedom in distant operational areas. It may well happen that a request for help will have to be refused for the sake of operational duties.

However, his superiors were not of the same opinion:

So much depends on the rescue of the experienced crew of a plane that has been used for naval warfare, that a very serious reason would have to be given if such a request were refused.