Die Schnellboot-Seite
S-Boats in the Kriegsmarine 1935 - 1945
Coat of Arms of 1. SFltl
Until the outbreak of the war the 1. SFltl was under command of Kptlt. Erich Bey and Kptlt. Günther Schubert initially known under the name of 1. UZ (S) - Unterseebootzerstörer (Schnell) - Halbflottille, from 1932 under the name 1. Schnellboothalbflottille and from 1935 as 1. Schnellbootflottille. It was equipped with the boats "S 1" to "S 10" and subsequently with "S 11" to "S 21". Boats "S 1" to "S 6" were sold to Spain on 10.12.1936, boats "S 7" to "S 10" were given back.
As insignia all boats had the so called "Hoheitsadler" (German eagle with swastica) on the quarterdeck below the bridge since 1935 and displayed their number on the bow. It is unknown at which time the animals were introduced as coat-of-arms. Some boats did not show animals as coat-of-arms, e.g. "S 40", which belonged to the flotilla since Operation Barbarossa.
"S 14" with the so called "Hoheitsadler" - Picture: Archives Förderverein
At the outbreak of the war the flotilla consisted of the following boats and Tender "Tsingtau". Commander of the flotilla was Kptlt. Kurt Sturm:
| Boat | Rank | Name | Coat-of-Arms |
| S 11 | Oblt.z.S. | Hans Schultze-Jena | |
| S 12 | Oblt.z.S. | Hans Kecke | |
| S 13 | Lt.z.S. | Hans Trummer | |
| S 17 | - | - | |
| S 18 | Oblt.z.S. | Götz Frhr. von Mirbach | |
| S 19 | Oblt.z.S. | Hans Dethlefsen | Tiger |
| S 20 | Lt.z.S. | Siegfried Wuppermann | |
| S 21 | Oblt.z.S. | Bernd Klug | |
| S 22 | ? | ? | |
| S 23 | Oblt.z.S. | Georg Christiansen | |
| S 24 | Oblt.z.S. | Kurt Fimmen | Tiger |
| S 25 | Lt.z.S. | Max Günther | Sun |
"S 13" was in the drydock as result of a collision with survey ship "Meteor", "S 17" was at the shipyard Wilhelmshaven.
The 1. SFltl was deployed to guard the Danzig Bight and the Baltic Approaches during the Poland Campain. During the Norway Campain (Unternehmen Weserübung) the 1. SFltl took part in the occupation of Bergen and purged the fjords north of Bergen subsequently.
On 14.05.1940 the 1. SFltl was after the 2. SFltl also retreated from Norway and transferred to Borkum on 19.05.1940. During the nights 20./21. and 21./22.05.1940 the first deployments off the Dutch and the Belgian coast were carried out.
It was not possible to find the point in time when the boats of the 1. SFltl got animals as coat-of-arms. The flotilla had a unique flotilla-coat-of-arms which was shown on the forward side of the bridge on Tender "Tsingtau" while the boats did not display it. The coat-of-arms determined so far were:
Coat of Arms of the 1. SFltl - Picture: R. Beh
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| S 19 - Tiger | S ? - Jaguar |
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| S 25 - Sun | |
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| S 26 - Jaguar | S 27 u. S 51 - Squirrel |
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| S 28 - Panther | S 102 - Mosquito |
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| S 51 - Squirrel | S 52 - Tiger (here S 24) |
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| ? - Fox |
On 20.06.1941 the 1. SFltl was ready for Operation Barbarossa, the campain against Russia, with the following boats:
| Boat | Rank | Name | Coat-of-Arms |
| S 26 | Oblt.z.S. | Kurt Fimmen | Jaguar |
| S 39 | Oblt.z.S. | Felix Zymalkowski | |
| S 40 | Oblt.z.S. | Karl Schneider-Pungs | |
| S 101 | Oblt.z.S. | Georg Christiansen | |
| S 102 | Oblt.z.S. | Werner Töniges | Mosquito |
| S 103 | Oblt.z.S. | Karl Friedrich Künzel |
The boats "S 27", "S 28", and "S 29" had belonged to the 1. SFltl but had been turned over to the 5. SFltl under command of Kptlt. Bernd Klug established on short notice.
1. SFltl in Camouflage-Painting at Kiel - Picture: Archives Bunkermuseum Ijmuiden
Boat of the 1. SFltl in Finnland camouflaged but without coat-of-arms - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
Unknown Boat of the 1. SFltl camouflaged and without identified coat-of-arms - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
"S 25" (Lt.z.S. Günther) at Rotterdam - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
The Flotilla was dismissed from Finnland on 13.11.1941 and returned home on 24.11.1941 due to bad weather not permitting the voyage any earlier. In the meantime it had been decided that the flotilla should be transferred to the Black Sea.
For the transport to the Black Sea initially the following boats were earmarked:
| Boat | Rank | Name | Coat-of-arms |
| S 26 | Kptlt. | Kurt Fimmen | Jaguar |
| S 27 | Oblt.z.s. | Hermann Büchting | Squirrel |
| S 28 | Oblt.z.S. | Karl Friedrich Künzel | Panther |
| S 40 | Kptlt. | Karl Schneider-Pungs | no |
| S 72 | Oblt.z.S. | Walter Schneider | ? |
| S 102 | Oblt.z.S. | Werner Töniges | Mosquito |
The boats "S 26" and "S 28" arrived at Konstanza on 24.05.1942, followed by the boats "S 27" and "S 40" on 24.05.1942 as well as boats "S 72" and "S 102" on 02.06.1942. "S 27" was sunk on 06.09.1942 by a circle-running torpedo of "S 101".
"S 19" assisted by Tug on the Elbe with the Tiger - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
"S 24" with the Tiger - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
"S 26" with the Jaguar - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
"S 28 off the coat of the Black Sea with the Panther - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
"S 40" leaving Iwan Baba - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
Two boats of the 1. SFltl without coat-of-arms entering Iwan Baba - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
"S 102" in the Black Sea with the Mosquito - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
"S 51" in the Black Sea with the Squirrel - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
Unknown Boat with a Fox as Coat of Arms - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
During the war in the Black Sea the following reinforcements were transferred:
| Boat | Rank | Name | Coat-of-Arms |
| S 42 | Oblt.z.S. | Heinz-Dieter Mohs | ? |
| S 45 | Oblt.z.S. | Günther Lutherer | ? |
| S 46 | Lt.z.S. | Günther Weisheit | ? |
| S 47 | Oblt.z.S. | Otto Schlenzka | Squirrel |
| S 49 | Kptlt. | Karl Schneider-Pungs | ? |
| S 51 | Kptlt. | Hermann Büchting | ? |
| S 52 | Kptlt. | Werner Kaldewey | ? |
"S 47" after installation of the scull-bridge with the Squirrel - Picture: Archives K.F. Künzel
"S 52" in Rotterdam with the Tiger - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson
On 01.07. 1944 the flotilla consisted of 14 boats since "S 131", "S 148", and "S 149" had joined as reinforcement:
| Boat | Rank | Name | Coat-of-Arms |
| S 26 | Lt.z.S. | Carl Silies | Jaguar |
| S 28 | Lt.z.S. (KrO) | Peter Neumeier | Panther |
| S 40 | Oblt.z.S. | Günther Weisheit | ? |
| S 42 | Oblt.z.S. | Heinz-Dieter Mohs | ? |
| S 45 | Oblt.z.S. | Günther Lutherer | ? |
| S 47 | Lt.z.S. | Gerhard Behrends | Squirrel |
| S 49 | Lt.z.S. | Reinhard Bucher | ? |
| S 51 | Kptlt. | Ernst-August Seevers | Squirrel |
| S 52 | Kptlt. | Werner Kaldewey | Tiger |
| S 72 | ObStrm. | Deckert | ? |
| S 102 | Oblt.z.S. | Günther Lutherer | Mosquito |
| S 131 | ObStrm. | B. Gurke | ? |
| S 148 | Oblt.z.s. | Hubertus von Dülong | ? |
| S 149 | Oblt.z.S. | Bernhard Wülfing | ? |
On 08.07.1944 sank "S 102" in the Street of Kerč due to a mine-hit. Due to bomb-attacks on 19.08.1944 the boats "S 26", S 40", and "S 72" were lost at Sulima, on 23.08.1944 the boats "S 40" and "S 131" at Konstanza, because of the severe damages by the bombs the boats "S 28" and "S 149" were blown up by their crews the day before Oblt.z.S. von Dülong had scuttled boat "S 148" after a hit by a mine.
The remaining four boats "S 45", "S 47", "S 49" and "S 51" were scuttled off Varna on 29.08.1944.
The crews reached Germany after an adventurous escape from an interment-camp close to Varna and formed the basis for the new 1. SFltl with the boats "S 216", "S 217", "S 218", "S 225", "S 226", "S 707", and "S 708". Whether the boats and if so which boat had which coat of arms is not known.
On 01.04. 1945 die newly formed 1. Flotilla consisted of the following boats:
| Boat | Rak | Name | Coat of Arms | Whereabout |
| S 170 | Lt.z.S.d.Res. | ... Arnhardt | ? | UdSSR-loot |
| S 208 | ObStrm. | ... Mauroschat | ? | Brit.-loot |
| S 216 | Kptlt. | Ernst-Aug. Seevers | ? | US-loot |
| S 217 | Stbs.ObStrm. | ... Gurke | ? | Brit. loot |
| S 218 | Oblt.z.S. | Günther Lutherer | ? | US-loot |
| S 225 | Oblt.z.S. | Gerhard Behrends | Eichhörnchen | US-Beute |
| S 226 | Lt.z.S.d.Res. | Hans-Heinr. von Glasenapp | ? | (+) 3.5.45 Heiligenhafen |
| S 707 | Oblt.z.S. (KRO) | Peter Neumeier | ? | UdSSR-loot |
| S 708 | Oblt.z.S. | Carl Silies | ? | UdSSR-loot |
Who can provide information about on which boats of the 1. SFltl animals were shown as coat-of-arms already before the Russia-Campain? Who can provide information about animals as cota-of-arms not shown here? Who can provide us with photographs suitable for this site?
Please contact the WEB-master, Kalle Scheuch
