U-Boat offensive against Australia

[smith]

I heard that toward the end the Germans launched a U-boat offfensive against Australia. IIRC this was early in '45. Why did they attack such a remote country so late in the war?

[DougRichards]

First that I have heard of it: there was quite a bit of Japanese submarine activity off the Australian coast 1942-1943, see

http://www.ozatwar.com/japsubs/japsubs.htm

 

but in doing some google-fu into this I found:

 

http://www.ozatwar.com/subsoz.htm

 

which isn't so much a German U-Boot offensive in 1945 but a single U-Boot that turned privateer, so to speak, in late 1944.

[Jussi Saari]

Never heard of particular U-boat offensive in Australian coast myself either, but after the escorts became too tough and air most of the air gaps were covered in atlantic, Doenitz did start to send U-boats to Indian Ocean where ASW opposition was very weak. Long transit made it much less efficient way of utilizing the boats of course, but that way he could still take a toll on British shipping with reasonable exchange ratio of U-boats to merchants sunk, something that had become impossible in the Atlantic. That was pretty much how the germans operated the U-boats throughout the war: if there was a particular U-boat offensive in any area, the reason was that Doenitz had figured that to be the place where escort and ASW air cover is weakest. After allies plugged that hole in the defence, he moved to the next weak place, and gradually after all of northern Atlantic was more or less we protected, he had to go further and further around South America and Africa to find weak spots...

[Colin]

Never knew they got that far!

[KingSargent]

Never knew they got that far!

Some U-boats actually operated out of Japanese bases, or at least refuelled and replenished.

 

Then there were the blockade runners that brought parts and blueprints for German tanks and a/c to Japan.

[Jussi Saari]

Then there were the blockade runners that brought parts and blueprints for German tanks and a/c to Japan.

 

IIRC not many made it through, though.

[JOE BRENNAN]

AFAIK the only U-boat to operate deep in Australian waters was U-862 a Type IX D-2 sent to the German sub base at Penang (Malaya) by way of a war patrol in Indian Ocean from March-Sept. 1944. Her next operational patrol was around southern Australia, and even to the coast of New Zealand from November 1944. She sank two American Liberty ships, one off Sydney and one off Western Australia, but was fought off by a Greek ship off Adelaide. She returned to Batavia (ie Jakarta) DEI in Feb '45, was turned over to the Japanese at Singapore when Germany surrendered as I-502 but was still working up for first patrol with them when Japan surrendered.

 

Joe

[smith]

Then there were the blockade runners that brought parts and blueprints for German tanks and a/c to Japan.

 

I think only I-boats attempted to bring German cargo to Japan, whereas U-boats or Italian cargo carriers headed for Penang.

Edited April 4, 2008 by smith

[smith]

IIRC not many made it through, though.

 

That's right. Most German/Italian subs heading for the Far Est early in '44 were lost. Of the I-boats only I-8 completed the round trip. But while I-29 was sunk before reaching Japan, a few officers had disembarked at Singapore and then flew to Japan with samples amd bluprints for German jet/rocket technology.

[R011]

AFAIK the only U-boat to operate deep in Australian waters was U-862 a Type IX D-2 sent to the German sub base at Penang (Malaya) by way of a war patrol in Indian Ocean from March-Sept. 1944. Her next operational patrol was around southern Australia, and even to the coast of New Zealand from November 1944. She sank two American Liberty ships, one off Sydney and one off Western Australia, but was fought off by a Greek ship off Adelaide. She returned to Batavia (ie Jakarta) DEI in Feb '45, was turned over to the Japanese at Singapore when Germany surrendered as I-502 but was still working up for first patrol with them when Japan surrendered.

 

Joe

Do you happen to know what happened to the crew?

[Degenerate]

Do you happen to know what happened to the crew?

 

 

From Wikipedia

 

The German crew of U862 suffered no casualties, and some returned to Germany several years after the war.

 

Others having been interned at Kinmel Camp, Bodellwyddan North Wales were to remain in Wales and settled in the neighbouring communities of Rhyl, Rhuddlan and Prestatyn. This was due to the risks of returning to the Soviet occupied areas of Germany after the war.

 

Two of the crew are buried at the new cemetery at Rhuddlan North Wales on nearby plots

[R011]

I found a bit more info:

 

http://www.ozatwar.com/subsoz.htm

 

U-862 arrive Jakarta on 15 February 1945. U-862 arrived back in Singapore on 27 February 1945. Her crew were taken prisoners of war by the Japanese and its crew were interned following the German surrender. U-862 was then surrendered to the Allies in Singapore in August 1945 where the crew were held by the British in Changi prison. By then U-862 ha been renumbered as I-502 by the Japanese. The crew were then taken to England in July 1946 and then finally repatriated in 1947. U-862 was eventually scuttled in the Strait of Malacca on 15 February 1946 by the British.

Edited April 5, 2008 by R011

[Jim Martin]

The Japanese made them POW's? Oh, niiiiicccceee...

[capt_starlight]

You could also try to obtain a copy of Battle Surface! : Japan's Submarine War Against Australia, 1942-44 by David Jenkins. The last chapter mentions the voyage of the U862. The ultimate is of course U - BOAT FAR FROM HOME: The Epic Voyage of U 862 to Australia and New Zealand by David Stevens