German submarine U-396
VII C
52 277
HDW in Kiel
April 10, 1941
028
June 6, 1942
August 27, 1943
October 16, 1943
- October 1943 - March 1944 Oblt.z.S. E.-G. Under Horst
- March 1945 - April 1945 Kptlt H. Siemon
- 5 U- Flotilla October 1943 - May 1944
- 1 U- Flotilla June 1944 - September 1944
- 11 U- Flotilla October 1944 - April 1945
5 patrols
No
U 396 was a German submarine Type VII C, a so-called " Atlantic Boat". It was used by the Navy during the U-boat war, mainly as a weather boat.
Specifications
A VII -C boat had a length of 67 m and a displacement of 865 cubic meters under water. The drive was carried out by two diesel engines, which enabled a speed of 17 knots over water. In the underwater drive two electric motors drove the boat to a speed of 7 knots. The armament consisted of a 88mm cannon and a 2 -cm Flak C/30 on deck and four Bugtorpedorohren and a stern torpedo tube to 1944. Usually introduced VII- C boat 14 torpedoes with it. U 396 equipped with a snorkel that zuführte fresh air in the submerged state and the toxic diesel exhaust derived. The two diesel engines could be used under water, which allowed for a faster ride and longer residence time under water.
Commander
Ernst -Günther Under Horst was born on 5 April 1919 in Haderslev and in 1937 joined the Navy. After completing his officer training, he was ordered to report to the Air Force and returned in the spring of 1942 returned to the Navy to begin his submarine training. Then he went to the summer of 1943 as a first officer on watch on U 403 In the summer of the same year he graduated from the Command course and initially received a Baubelehrung for U 395, which was not put into service due to damage [A 1]. After a few days as commander in representation on U 394 received Oblt.zS Under Horst command of U 396
- March 1945 and April 1945
Also the successor of Oblt.z.S. Under Horst as commander of U 396 was born in present-day Denmark. Hilmar Siemon came on 29 March 1915 in Aabenraa to the world and joined the Navy in 1934. He completed his submarine training in the spring of 1943, drove first as a first watch on U 97 and took over the same year after completion of the command course command of U 334 From the spring of 1943, Lieutenant Siemon as a staff officer at the 13th U flotilla used in Trondheim, then he was a company commander in the naval Academy Mürwik. In the spring of 1944, took over the command to Lieutenant Siemon U 396
History
First contact with the enemy
U 396 had the first contact with the enemy already on the first drive from Kiel to the planned operational area off the Norwegian coast. The boat was attacked by a British maritime reconnaissance aircraft type Consolidated PBY " Catalina ". The attackers damaged the snorkel boat, which several members of the crew suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. To repair was commander under Horst on July 3 unscheduled call at Bergen. U 396 had actually intended to join a submarine group, which was in a defensive position along the Norwegian coast. Because of the damage to the boat this group joined belatedly.
Submarine group " Mitte"
In June 1944, U 396 submarine group was assigned to "center", 21 boats that take a defensive position along the Norwegian coast and were involved in fierce battles with the bombers and fighters of the RAF Coastal Command. After six of the boats sunk and five more had been damaged, the submarine group "Center" was dissolved. U 396 was damaged in Trondheim.
Weather Boat
In autumn 1944, U 396 was supposed to patrol together with other boats in the North Channel, but a few days after the expiry failed the snorkel. Under Commander Horst drove to repair back to Trondheim and the boat was a different command because of the time delay: use as a weather boat. Basis of such operations was the fact that the weather in Europe is heavily dependent on the meteorological processes in the Arctic. The tasks of such boats included the determination of temperatures and weather observations from which instantaneous and expected weather status could be derived to support further operational planning of the Navy. From October to December 1944 was 396 U, used in conjunction with U 546 and U 170, which were both returned from unsuccessful distance trips off the African coast in the North Atlantic as a weather boat.
Loss of the boat
The fate of U 396 is unclear. The last message of the boat was received on 11 April 1945. Lieutenant Siemon stated that he finds it on the way back from a weather patrol in the North Atlantic. There is no evidence of what happened after this time with U 396, so a diving accident is considered to be the cause of the loss of the boat.