Axis airmen rescued by German U-boats

[Merlin]

Rainer,

One of your incomplete reports could be solved:

13.02.42
He 111H-6 WNr. 4380 F8+CS from 8./KG 40 crashed P.Q. 0986 14West (which is some 240 miles west of Lorient)
FF Uffz. Kurt Maye (Mayer ?)
Bf Gefr. Herbert Gruber
Bm Gefr. Siegfried Hoffmann
Bs Ogefr. Ludwig Bahm
All survived

No match for a loss of a Ju 88 in the Baltic area on 22.05.41. The only accident with a Ju 88 on that day happened at Schippenbeil with all four crew members dead.

[Rainer]

Originally Posted by Martin Gleeson

Rainer,

Are you planning to do anything similar for Allied airmen rescued by U-boats ?

Hi Martin

Maybe I could do that in the Allied Forces section of TOCH later, but such incidents were very rare - probably less than 10 during the whole war.

[Rainer]

Originally Posted by Merlin

No match for a loss of a Ju 88 in the Baltic area on 22.05.41. The only accident with a Ju 88 on that day happened at Schippenbeil with all four crew members dead.

Hi Merlin

Thanks for identifying the He 111.

Do you know of any other crashes of a Luftwaffe aircraft in the Baltic Sea on 21 or 22 May 1941? It's quite possible that it wasn't a Ju88 after all.

[Rainer]

U-255 (Kptlt Reinhart Reche) rescued the crew of a Blohm & Voss BV 138 in M.Qu. ÄG 8188 (approx. 78°57'N, 20°45'E, about 5 nautical miles south-east of Wilhelmøya, Spitsbergen) at 1752hrs on 14 August 1942. The U-boat was co-operating with the flying boat since 11 August in preparation of Operation "Wunderland" (attack of the German heavy cruiser ADMIRAL SCHEER on the Siberian sea routes) and had refuelled it on occasion, but on 14 August the flying boat was forced to carry out an emergency landing near the U-boat after two engines failed due to contaminated fuel. It was taken in tow and they moved slowly with intermediate stops along the east coast of Spitsbergen until the BV 138 capsized due to strong winds at 1710 hrs on 17 August in M.Qu. ÄG 7969 (approx. 77°27'N, 18°15'E, in the Storfjorden) and had to be scuttled with gunfire.

1942-08-17, 3./KüFlGr 406, BV 138 C-1, 310117, K6+HL
Capsized in tow after emergency landing at sea due to engine trouble, loss 100%
ObltzS Dierschke, survived
Unknown number of crewmen survived

[gogh]

post 21 on 18th September 2015, 22:58 By EdNorth on this site
He 111H-6 WNr. 4380 F8+CS is given as F8+ES

[Merlin]

Rainer,

There were no Luftwaffe aircraft lost in the Baltic Sea on 21 or 22 May 1941 with a crew of four.

[RT]

There is one, a Ju88 of the KG51 9K+BR, "Wasserbrührung b. Tiefflug", that I couldn't trace in the usual records, 3 people safe, 1 dead

...

Rémi

[Adam]

Rainer,

Do you know of any other rescues/assists performed by non-uboats during the war? I have a photograph showing a Do18 of (presumably the 2 Staffel) of KFlGr 106 with the dinghy inflated on the port wing and a vorporstenboote in the background obviously there to provide assistance. Judging by the angle, the photograph was taken from another boat of some kind. Unfortunately the angle of the picture does not show the aircraft letter so I have nothing further to go on than this. Any clues as to vessels involved and perhaps even aircraft letter would be appreciated.

[Merlin]

post #27

the accident " a Ju88 of the KG51 9K+BR, "Wasserbrührung b. Tiefflug" happened on 16.05.41 at the river Donau near Preßburg in Slovakia.

[Rainer]

Originally Posted by Adam

Rainer,
Do you know of any other rescues/assists performed by non-uboats during the war?

I'm aware of two Do 18 crews of KüFlGr 106 rescued by Vorpostenboote:
1939-11-23, 2./KüFlGr 106, Do 18 G, V 851, M2+AK, crew rescued by V 804 and aircraft scuttled
1940-04-10, 2./KüFlGr 106, Do 18 G, V 854, M2+AK, crew rescued by V 806 and aircraft scuttled