MOROCCAN SEA FRONTIER FORCES
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  (British MOST SECRET)                                                                       August 7, 1943  
     
 
PRELIMINARY REPORT
 
 
 
 
INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM
 
 
U-527
  
 
Sunk by A/C from USS BOGUE on
 
 
July 23, 1943
 
 
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  I.  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.  
     
                  U-527, a 750 ton German U-boat, was sunk by aircraft from USS Bogue in position 35025'N. 27056'W., at 1405 GCT on 23 July, 1943.  Three officers, including the C.O., Kapitänleutnant Herbert UHLIG, and ten men were picked up by USS CLEMSON, escorting the carrier.  The three officers, the Chief Quartermaster, and the Warrant Machinist were transferred to USS BOGUE and all 13 survivors were landed on August 1 at Casablanca, French Morocco, where preliminary interrogation was conducted.  The Executive Officer, Oberleutnant z. S. BEHLE, drowned after sustaining chest injuries from the explosion and the two midshipmen carried also perished.  The total complement of U-527 is believed to have been 50 - 52 men.  
     
                  U-527 is believed to have been commissioned on September 2, 1942.  Her history was relatively uneventful, as she had sunk only 2 ships, both during her first war cruise, and was sunk herself toward the end of her second patrol, having had no success.  UHLIG was not an experienced commanding officer, but morale and discipline aboard U-527 are believed to have been good.  The ship's company had been kept fairly intact from commissioning to sinking.  
     
                  The explosion of the aircraft depth charges which sank the U-boat was so severe that everyone onboard appears to have been stunned or completely disabled.  All of the survivors suffered from contusions and possible internal injuries which were still pronounced two weeks after the sinking.  
     
                  Whereas the surviving officers were exceedingly security conscious, a number of the enlisted men talked freely.  No torpedo or radio men survived, and no documents were recovered.  
     
  II.  DETAILS OF U-527.  
     
 
  Type: IX C.  750 tons.
  Building Yard: Deutsche werft, Hamburg.
  Armament:  
      a)  Guns:  One 105 mm. forward.
    One 20 mm. on platform immediately abaft bridge; one 20 mm. on second platform below, adjoining and abaft the first.
    Four MGs (demountable type; model 34) on bridge.
      b)  Torpedoes: 15 electric believed carried in boat, and 4 air stowed
 
     
 
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                                    in upper deck containers; no indication of "Curly" type carried.
      c)  Torpedo tubes: Four forward, two aft.
  Diesels: M.A.N. (9cylinder).
  Radar:  Not believed fitted.
  G.S.R.: Fitted (both Southern Cross and ring type antennae).
  S.B.T.: Fitted.
  Conning-Tower Device:  Wooden plaque bearing coat of arms of MEHLDORF (Holstein), a small town where the C.O. was married and which adopted the U-boat.  The plaque was fiddle-shaped and the device represented a medieval walled fortress before which flowed a stream.
  F.P.N.:  M-51963.
  Flotilla: 10th Lorient.
 
     
  III.  FIRST WAR CRUISE.  
     
                  U-527 is believed to have left Kiel on her first war cruise during the first week of February, 1943, in company with several other U-boats, as yet unidentified.  After putting in for a night at the Norwegian port of EGERSUND, she proceeded to an operational area in the North Atlantic, entering between Iceland and the Faeroes.  High seas and stormy weather prevailed throughout the patrol.  U-527 registered he only successes during a 48 hour period in March, when she sank 2 ships.  Both ships were attacked in daylight from periscope depth, while the U-boat was in transit to a new operational area, and were stated not to have been in convoy.  The first ship was estimated to have been a 4500 tonner, the second an 8000 ton freighter.  In connection with U-527's attack upon the second vessel, prisoner stated that they were informed upon return to port that another U-boat had also claimed credit for the sinking.  It was believed, therefore, that the freighter had been attacked simultaneously from two sides, but it was emphasized that U-527 had not been aware of the presence of the other U-boat.  It was stated that U-527 had taken on fuel from a 1600 ton supply U-boat during this patrol, and several prisoners believed that this boat was commanded by WOLFBAUER.  The chief Quartermaster stated that the exchange of fuel had been undertaken as a practice operation rather than through necessity.  
     
          U-527 is believed to have undergone no air attacks on this cruise, although planes had approached them from time to time.  It was stated that, in every instance, U-527 had ample time to submerge and avoid attack.  Survivors were of the opinion that the sinking of two ships by their boat constituted a remarkable achievement in view of the high seas running at the time of the attacks.  U-527 returned to LORIENT at the beginning of April, and entered a U-boat shelter.  The crew went home to Germany on 14 days leave.  
     
  IV.  SECOND AND LAST WAR CRUISE.  
     
                  U-527 is believed to have left Lorient on her second and last war cruise on Monday, May 10, 1943.  Several of the survivors stated that they had left port precisely 12 weeks before their arrival in Morocco as prisoners-of-war.  It was stated that she put out from LORIENT in company with another 750 ton boat which they had been told was not a combatant boat but one leaving on a "special mission".  
     
 
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  The identity of this boat was stated not to have been divulged to those aboard U-527.  The two U-boats were escorted to sea by a Sperrbrecher (minesweeper).  
     
                  In the course of this long cruise, U-527 appears to have sunk nothing.  It was stated that four torpedoes had been fired at various targets without success.  The exact position of her operational area has not been established, and survivors indicated that their boat had received orders several times during the patrol to proceed to a new area.  She was not attacked directly by air of surface craft, but had dived on occasion to avoid aircraft and depth charge detonations had been heard frequently.  About five days before she was sunk, U-527 joined company with a 500 tonner and the two U-boats proceeded homeward together, traveling on the surface entirely except for a few trial dives.  The identity of the 500 ton U-boat has not been established, but several survivors stated that her C.O. was named STAHL.  
     
                  When asked why the two U-boats cruised together for such an extended period, prisoners replied that the commanding officers had felt that this procedure would afford greater mutual protection against aircraft attack.  In this connection, survivors added that the G.S.R. aboard U-527 had broken down some days before, thus obliging the U-boat to rely entirely on lookouts.  
     
                  Some 40 hours before the fatal attack, oil lines were passed and U-527 refueled from the accompanying boat.  The transfer was stated to have lasted from evening until the following forenoon (12 - 14 hours).  It was emphasized that U-527 had not refueled previously during this patrol.  
     
  V.  SINKING OF U-527.  
     
                  At 1400 GCT on July 23, 1943, U-527 and the accompanying 500-ton U-boat were proceeding on the surface at cruising speed and about 50 yards apart when sighted by the gunner of a TBF type aircraft on anti-submarine patrol from USS BOGUE, in position 35025' N., 27056' W.  The day was overcast, with low clouds, intermittent rain squalls and fog, and choppy seas.  The TBF was flying at 300 feet, just below the clouds.  Upon sighting the U-boats, the plane climbed to 600 feet to take advantage of the low cloud cover and then dived on U-527, approaching from astern and ten degrees to port.  The 500-tonner had crash dived at the instant when the aircraft had sighted the two boats, but U-527 remained on the surface.  
     
                  Survivors stated that the U-boat had been completely surprised and that it was realized at once that it would be suicidal to crash dive.  UHLIG decided to fight the attacking aircraft, and the 20 mm. guns were ordered manned.  Only a few rounds were fired before a stick of four aircraft depth charges with 25 foot setting were dropped by the TBF from 100 feet.  The charges exploded almost simultaneously, tearing open the pressure hull abaft the conning tower and completely disabling the U-boat, which settled rapidly by the stern, and sank almost vertically within two minutes.  
     
                  The thirteen survivors were either on the bridge, in the conning tower or in the control room at the time of the attack.  According to their statements, everyone in the U-boat must have been stunned by the explosion, and she sank so quickly thereafter that no one had a chance to escape from the forward compartments.  It is believed that all men in the after compartments were killed outright.  
     
                  UHLIG immediately gave the command to abandon ship, and it is believed that about 20 men escaped.  Two men were blown off the bridge and killed by the explosion,  
     
 
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  while the Executive Officer , BEHLE, and several other men drowned.  The survivors remained in the water over two hours, the majority without life jackets, before a life raft was dropped for them by USS CLEMSON, which ship took them aboard shortly thereafter.  
     
  VI.  EARLY HISTORY OF U-527.  
     
                  It is not known when U-527 was laid down.  Several of the survivors came to her in July, 1942, shortly after she had been launched.  She is believed to have been commissioned at Hamburg on September 2, 1942, and to have proceeded at once to Kiel for trials.  After commissioning she was attached (for the period of her trials) to the 4th Flotilla, based at STETTIN, but prisoners maintained that she had put into this port only once, remaining for one day for some minor adjustment.  From Kiel, where the normal trimming, diving, and pressure trials were carried out, U-527 proceeded to PIllau for torpedo firing and other exercises.  She is believed to have arrived in the Eastern Baltic in mid-October.  Survivors stated that all trials, including the "Agrufront" at Hela and her subsequent tactical exercises, were carried out without incident.  She returned to Hamburg early in December for overhaul and adjustment (Restarbaiten), and entered the Howaldtswerke Yards, remaining there for about two months.  During this period, her after deck gun (37 mm.) was removed and the additional 20 mm. gun platform and gun were installed.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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APPENDIX
  
     
  VII.  CREW OF U-527.  
     
                  a)  SURVIVORS  
     
 
Kapitänleutnant UHLIG, Herbert
Oberleutnant (Ing.) LEWANDOWSKI, Walter
Leutnant z. S. ABEL, Heinz
   
Obersteuermann GUTTAU, Paul
Obermaschinist SCHREIBRE, Bruno
Maschinenmaat RADEMACHER, Helmut
Matrosenobergefreiter RITTER, Hans
Matrosengefreiter KAESTEL, Herbert
Matrosengefreiter TRAUTMANN, Walter
Matrosengefreiter KINNEMUND, Alfred
Matrosengefreiter STEINMETZ
Maschinengefreiter ZWECK, Adolf
Maschinengefreiter KIBBAT, Willi
 
     
                  b)  CASUALTIES  
     
                          (Note:  A partial list of casualties follows.  No further information had been made available to date).  
     
 
Oberleutnant z. S BEHLE
Fähnrich z. S. SCHMIDT
Fähnrich z. S. STOLTE
   
Obermaschinist STEUDLER, Gustav
Bootsmaat HELMS
Bootsmaat SOLLER, Albert
Bootsmaat KRUECKE
Mechanikersmaat ROKOTTA
Mechanikersmaat FRIEDRICHS
Maschinenmaat FUEGEMANN
Maschinenmaat LEUTHAEUSER
Maschinenmaat GRENZ
Maschinenmaat DIMMLICH
Funkmaat HELLWIG
Matrosengefreiter DOLL (Cook)
Matrosengefreiter VAHLKE
Matrosengefreiter SPOHNER
Matrosengefreiter WUNNER
Mechanikersgefreiter FLASCHENTRAEGER
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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