U-371 video clip

[Katuna]

Alright, I know this is a real long shot but, does anyone ever remember seeing this image in a U-Boat documentary? I found this pic on Uboat.net of U-371. Someone was trying to identify the insignia. It is the insignia of Waldemar Mehl on U-371. It's one of only two images that can be positively identified as U-371, the other being a nice image of the insignia on the front of the tower prior to the Turm IV retrofit.


But I digress, I've been looking everywhere for this video clip (the original post on Uboat.net was in 2011 and the youtube link is dead). The main reason is, in the interrogation report, in the description of the flak weapons, the report contradicts itself. In the initial description of the boat it lists the Platform 2 gun as a single 37mm but in the report of the sinking, it is reported as a quad 20mm. If I can find that video clip, I can determine with certainty which flak gun it had.

[dougie47]

Hello Katuna,

It is easy to get mixed up between U 410 and U 371 in this report so we need to discuss both.

On page 33 it states that U 371 got the Vierling in September 1943 between patrol 13 and patrol 14. It does not state when the Vierling was replaced by the 37mm on U 371. But we may assume that it was because of the entry on page 4 which states that U 371 had the 37mm (when she was sunk on her final patrol in May 1944).

Page 53 suggests that the Vierling was added to U 410 in late 1943. On page 42 its states that U 410 had the quadruple 20mm (Vierling) and this must be when U 410 was sunk in March 1944. So the 37mm never got fitted to U 410.

If you look at page 37 of The Wolf Pack II I have included details of when the Vierlings were progressively replaced by 37mms. I guess that U 371 got her 37mm either before her final patrol or perhaps earlier?

If you are modelling U 371 during her final patrol I think you can be reasonably sure that the 37mm was on the lower platform at that time.

Cheers,

Dougie

[Katuna]

Dougie


Wow. Thank you for clarifying that for me. I'm actually modelling the 14th patrol so she would have had the Quad 20. I wasn't aware that the Quad 20's were replaced so soon after they had been installed. Not enough punch?


There is still a discrepancy in the report (although inconsequential to this topic). On pg 28 it states Mehl in command of the 16th and 17th patrol and Fenski on the "Last" (18th). However, pg 34 states the 16th as Mehl's last and Fenski in command on the 17th when the boat was sunk, which puts the total at 17 patrols. I'm not sure why I care about it, it just seems strange that the same report would have two different counts. Hmm, a conspiracy perhaps? Better get my tin foil hat!


Thanks again for the info. Now I don't have to watch anymore documentaries on YouTube and see the same clips over and over (and over and...).