Axis airmen rescued by German U-boats

[Rainer]

U-587 (Kptlt Ulrich Borcherdt) rescued five crewmen of a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 from a rubber dinghy in M.Qu. BE 6789 (approx. 45°39'N, 15°05'W, about 300 nautical miles north-west of Cape Finisterre, Spain) at 0100hrs on 15 February 1942. As the U-boat was at the begin of its patrol, the survivors were transferred to the homebound U-130 three days later, this proved to be their luck because U-587 did not return from patrol. The airmen stated that they made a strafing run on a three-masted sailing ship on 13 February, but were hit during the approach by heavy AA fire that killed the commander and forced the Fw200 to ditch.

1942-02-13, 3./KG 40, Fw 200 C-4, 0102, F8+FL
Shot down by shipborne AA fire, loss 100%
Fw Hinze, Kurt, +
Three crewmen lightly injured
Two crewmen survived