Naval History and Heritage Command
The Navy Department Library
U-505 Personal Diary
Anonymous author, possibly Oberfunkmaat (Signalman First Class) Gottfried Fischer
Cover and back of the U-505 personal journal. The journal measures 14.5 cm. in height by 10.5 cm in width. Pages 31 through 41 are blank.
Becker UO 13707/41S
Wilhelm UN 4514/41KS
Kraus UO 38927/42S
Huse UN 29367/41S
Knöss UO 4705/38S
Blau UN 15433/40S
Leave papers for Duhme
Huse's serial number
Disbursement list for 2nd U-Flotilla
Becker's home address
Travel orders for Mi[...]
Lt. Leuschke (radio)
Mess strength on 4 February :
4 officers
2 senior petty officers
10 petty officers
27 enlisted men
43 [total]
| Mess strength 5 Feb. 44 4 officers 1 senior petty officer 9 petty officers 27 enlisted men total: 41 men ------ Mess strength 7 Feb. 44 3 officers 1 senior petty officer 7 petty officers 21 enlisted men total: 32 men ------ --on 8.2.44 1 officer 1 senior petty officer 7 petty officers 21 enlisted men total: 30 men ------ -- 9.2.44 1 officer 1 senior petty officer 8 petty officers 20 enlisted men ------- |
Leave: Becker 13.2.-23.2. Kraus 13.2.-23.2. Duhme 4.2.-14.2. Sauer 7.2.-17.2. CPO Möller 5.2.-13.2. Wenz 13.2.-23.2. Weinhold 2.2.-14.2. Reh 2.2.-14.2. Holdenried 2.2.-14.2. Gauder 11.2.??-26.2. Schiller 2.2.-12.2. Hänemann 2.2.-12.2. Kalbitz 2.2.-12.2. Lau, Engelbarth, Schubert, Krug 2.2.-12.2. |
| S. Jahn - 23 Jan. ‚44 end of confinement (Kiel) ------- Laundry: 1 mechanics rig 1 undershirt 1 drawers ------- |
Harbour watch 5.2.-6.2. 6.2.-7.2. petty officer of the watch: petty officer mechanic engineering mess strength 10.2.43 [should be 44] |
Mess strength 11 Feb. 44 2 officers 2 officers 2 officers 2 officers |
[7th leaf - all of the following entries until the beginning of the numbered pages have been made by a different person] Harbour watch 16.-17.II. PO(ME) [...] 17.II.-18.II. |
18-19.II. 19.-20.II. |
20.-21.II. 21.-22.II |
22.-23. 23.-24. |
Flour, coffee, butter, baking soda, milk, Boatswain's mate Weinhold Harbour watch on 2.III.44: [...] |
[Numbered Pages:]
Page 1 Communications/Signals Department 1. G.H.G. [group hydrophone] defective |
Page 2 [...] 16.3.44 Sailed [from] Brest 1830 hrs. 235° until 24.3.44, then 210° -- 25.3.-- 180° [continued on page 6] |
Page 3 [out of chronological sequence] Refit period -- to do: Order: |
Page 4 [out of chronological sequence] For leave. 4 flasks of Eau de Cologne, small Shirts (silk) |
Page 5 [out of chronological sequence] Ask Bubi for the poem that Chief Petty Officer Heidgen presented during the comms department party the other day. [see pages 44 and 46] |
Page 6 14th day |
Page 7 nearly hit my head. It is a relief to submerge in this kind of weather. Miraculously, even though we had pudding, apple compote and other sweets, everything stayed inside me. Small wonder, after all, our ancestors were all seafarers!! April 1st |
Page 8 The warmer climate is already beginning to make itself felt. How is it going to get once we cross the equator in a few of days? April 3rd |
Page 9 I was unable to eat anything at all. [...] It is always lunch I have to skip, because we've turned the day into night and vice versa. So, when it is noon at home, we're submerged and we call it midnight over here. Due to the heavy seas, which meet us head on, we've made only slow progress. Even though we run on the surface 12 hours every day. Our area of operations is still unknown, we don't know whether we're bound for America or Africa. The mystery should be solved within the next few days, once we get our instructions by wireless. Easter Sunday, 2100hrs |
Page 10 Plum Cakes were made to celebrate the holiday. In spite of the Sunday feeling the atmosphere is a bit tense. The officers and senior petty officers had butter cream with their pastry. And I thought there were supposed to be no exceptions on a U-boat on combat patrol. 3 days ago we rendezvoused with U-123. Since it was on its way back, they took on board everybody's letters to their families. Since two days our threat receiver is down. Trouble shooting. To wrap up the day I spent nearly 4 hours repairing [the equipment] and sweating. |
Page 11 We have been on a 180° heading for a few days now. The sea has calmed down but the heat has become more intense. 14 April |
Page 12 have shown any mercy with us. Fortunately, we were able to fix our threat receiver again - after 4 long night shifts. Rations have been reduced drastically. We have already gone three evenings without sausage. They say that provisions have to last for a total of 17 weeks, even though we only took on provisions (including fresh groceries) for 14 weeks. That's how it is being a poor U-Boots-Schwein, as they call us. Yesterday we logged our 200th hour of surface transit during this patrol. 15 April |
Page 13 all right back home. Our position is 14° North, another 10 days until we reach the area of operations. Sea state: 3-4. 17 April 25 April |
Page 14 Of all things this has to happen now and here. Yesterday the echo sounder broke down. Just our luck. Repaired it and fitted new neon lighting-tube. For a few days now we have been "enjoying" the tropical heat. Everybody is perspiring freely. Even in the bunks it takes only a few minutes until everything is soaked wet. From sweat, mind you! Water temperature is 29° C [84° F]. The temperature inside the boat is 35-40° C [95-105° F]. And this is only the beginning. The heat is so intense that I sometimes wish I could shed my skin. 30 April 1944 |
Page 15 Thus I spend most of my off-watch time in my soaked-through bunk. The day before yesterday we sighted our first steamer. After a very swiftly executed interception maneuvre, the ship turned out to be a neutral Portuguese. He was lit up like a Christmas tree. 3 May 1944 |
Page 16 mere 200 nm separate us from the equator. We won't get there, though. Instead, we'll hang around close to the shore and prey on passing steamers. Unfortunately, with the exception of the neutral ship, nobody has done us the favour to show up yet. Just now we've gone up to periscope depth again to survey the area. We're at 7 - 20m again [periscope depth] and the Commanding Officer announces over the intercom that anybody who wishes to see two young sharks should come to the bridge. Indeed, when I looked through the periscope |
Page 17 I saw two of those cute animals that had somehow latched on to the 2cm gun and were fooling around, enjoying a free ride. What a nice diversion! 7 May |
Page 18 The day before yesterday the bridge ordered all communications equipment to be switched off because of a severe thunderstorm. Almost instantly the CO ordered the leading radioman [petty officer] of the watch to strip to his trousers and come up onto the conning tower. And so, on 4 May in the evening between 2200 and 2230, I stood outside on the conning tower for the very first time on this patrol. I breathed the fresh and humid air of Africa and let the rain wash down my body. What a feast!! The patrol is winding down now. In 14 days we will leave our area of operations and |
Page 19 begin our journey home. |
Page 20 needs to be punctured. 15 May 1944 |
Page 21 19 May 22 May |
Page 22 [out of chronological sequence] Pay 20.2.-29.2.44 18.- |
Page 23 [blank] |
Page 24 [out of chronological sequence] 29. II. 44 For spirits 67.- |
Page 25 [blank] |
Page 26 23 May 30 May |
Page 27 talent as a baker by producing a little cake for each of us. He used empty tin cans as forms. Otherwise the holidays were like every other day at sea. No radio, no music from the record player, no light, and very little air. Today was a particularly dismal day. Within minutes of [...] surfacing during the evening hours we picked up radar emissions. We had no choice but to go down again. We went through that routine four times. In the end we remained on the surface and manned the anti-aircraft guns. After |
Page 28 a short while we picked up a second radar emission. Submerged again. Probably a surface anti-submarine group working together with aircraft. Now we tried out something which, I believe, is not commonly done. At a distance of about 100nm from the shore, shortly after noon, we surfaced and raced eastward, away from the radar emissions, for half an hour. The enemy was certainly unprepared for this, because we remained undetected. Now the CO wants to continue the transit under water throughout the entire 31st of May, and surface again only |
Page 29 in the small hours of the 1st of June. Therefore we are conserving air and electricity. All off-duty personnel are confined to their bunks. Even so we will be gasping for air during last few hours. It really is a comforting thought that we'll be back home in 4-5 weeks. I can't wait to see the sights of green forests and gardens again, of which we have been deprived for so long. Sunday, 4 June 1944 |
Page 30 on the surface today, and we'll try to remain on the surface the entire night tomorrow. We had to conserve air during the past few days, because every time we only had a few minutes on the surface. 10 contacts in 4 days is quite a lot. We are at latitude 22° north. [end of chronological narrative] |
Pages 31 through 41 are blank.
Page 42 Transmission of situation report on 15 May 44 on QOA "Pi" beginning on 0045 (Afrika II). |
Page 43 canteen debts until 14.3.44: |
Page 44 [poem referred to on page 5] And now somebody of a higher class/ |
Page 45 Quimper 325,5 kHz |
Page 46 he takes a look an tells you:/ |
| [Last leaf, unnumbered, entries crossed out; see original for column of numbers.] |
Notes:
The author of the document is most likely Oberfunkmaat (Signalman First Class) Gottfried Fischer -- the only U-505 sailor killed during the battle leading to the capture of the submarine. This identification is based upon an entry of 7 May 1944 in which the author refers to himself as the leading radio man (see diary page 10). At that time, the leading radio man aboard U-505 was Fischer. Identification of the probable author was made by Dave Kohnen who is the U-505 Exhibit Developer at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois.
[END]
