Minefields laid by U Boote in the Mediterranean 1941-1943

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hello Gentlemen,

I would like to know which minefields (where and when) were laid by the German submarines in the Mediterranean Sea on 1941-1943.

Greetings

    EC       

 

[Schorsch]

Hello Enrico,

the Informations I have, are fragmentary. But they could be a initial point for further research. You find the results of my search in the EXEL-file in the appendix.

In the first columns you find the type and the number of all boats served in the mediterranean sea.
The following six columns contain the shipyard, yardnumber, date of ordering, date of keel laying, date of launching and the date of commissioning.
The columns 9 and 10 show the length of afflication to 23. respectively to 29. U-Flottille.
Some boats were not fitted with devices for mine laying, that is subject of column 11.
Column 12 shows successes of the Boats, caused by hits of dropped mines. For the names of these victims see www.uboat.net.
The last column contains date, position and the number of mines in minefield, which are mentioned in the literature. Exact data originate from Busch/Röll: "Der Ubootkrieg 1939-1945" Band 3, the remaining from K. Wynn: "U-boot-Operationen im zweiten Wetlkrieg", Band 1 (U 1 – U 501). The remark "probably none" shows my opinion about enforcement of minelaying operations by this boat.

Greetings
Schorsch

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Thank you very much Schorsch.

An Italian source (I don't know how much trustworthy) wrote that U 81 laid a minefield off Haifa on April 1942 while U 561 did the same off Famagosta and U 562 mined off Port Said, both durign the same month.

May you confirm such a statement?

   Greetings

      EC

 

[kgvm]

Confirmed by Chronik des Seekrieges:
http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/42-04.htm
Go down to 13.-26.04.42

[Schorsch]

Hello Enrico,

your information about U 81 are right. I overlooked the fact of minelaying by U 81 off Haifa in the Book of Wynn. The operation of U 81 was an element of a concerted minelaying action of four boats with U 331 in the waters of Beirut, U 561 in the outlet of the Suez Canal near Port Said and U 562 off Famagusta. (See also the posting by kgvm.) I found these informations in C. Blair: "Der U-Bootkrieg", Band 1.

Then I had not seized some boats redeployed in the Mediterranean, since they were sunk, before them could be subordinated to the 23. or 29. U-Flottille.

I inserted and emphasized these information still into the table.

Greetings
Schorsch

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Well, it seems international partnership worked again. Sehr gut 

    EC