Die Schnellboot-Seite
S-Boats in the Kriegsmarine 1935 - 1945
War-Zones of the S-Boats
Arctic Sea 1942
The planned march of the 8. SFltl from Tromsø to Kirkenes could not start before the January 3rd 1942 due to bad weather.
Bad weather also further on delayed the transit; on January 6th 1942 the boats arrived at Vardø, on January 12th 1942 Madsø. From there the two boats, "S 44" and "S 46", performed a reconnaissance operation to Kirkenes and back. On January 13th 1942 they sortied towards the Fisher-peninsula. On the same day also "S 42" and "S 45" joined the flotilla after completion of repairs. On January 14th 1942 the flotilla transitted to Madsø. "S 42" and "S 45" transported depth chages for "UJ 1205" which had depleated its stores.
Two planned advances into Motowski-bight were prevented or had to be broken off premature due to bad weather. At temperatures of - 6 bis - 8o and strong seastate the weapon fell out due to icing. Commandstand crews and boats had to suffer much from icing.
Icing of the Boats in Northern Norway - Picture: Archives Erling Skold
Not before January 27th 1942 the flotilla transitted to Semskefjord north of Kirkenes, which was to be the berthing position for the flotilla and tender "Adolf Lüderitz" for the next five months. There they first were held back by the weather also. But there the flotilla was kept in a firm hold by the weather until the February 18th 1942. A sortie the Febrary 19th 1942 against Kildin was broken off due to bad weather. Thereafter no activities were conducted until Mach 9th 1942 due to the bad weather.
On March 20th 1942 "S 42", "S 44", and "S 46" of the 8. SFltl together with four submarine-chasers escorted the laying of the flank-minebarrier "Bantos A" by minelayers "Cobra" and "Brummer" off Northernnorway. Thereafter the boats again were stopped due to bad weather. Only a tactical exercise with the destroyergroup "Nordmeer" ("Z 24" und "Z 25") could be executed on April 28th 1942.
"Adolf Lüderitz" and S-Boats at Semskefjord - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
Boats alongside "Adolf Lüderitz" - Picure: Archives Erling Skjold
S-Boats of 6. SFltl at Semskefjord - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
S-Boat of the 8. SFltl and DS "Leuna" near Kirkenes - Picture: Archives: Erling Skjold
Camouflaged Boat of the 8. SFltl in the Semskefjord 1942 - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
Thereafter the flotilla was again in a firm hold at Semskefjord until May 19th 1942. The task to provide an anti-submarine-screen for tender "Tanga" on May 11th 1942 could not be fulfilled. A transport of depth-charges to the emptied submarine-chasers "UJ 1104" and "UJ 1108" had to be abandoned due to bad weather.
Because of the weather also a planned minelaying action north of Kildin by 8. SFltl with boats "S 42", "S 44", S 45", and "S 46" on June 14th 1942 had to be broken off because of too good visibility.
On June 24th/25th 1942 the 8. S-Fltl transitted from Semskefjord to Tromsø. The flotilla arrived at Kiel on July 5th 1942 and was decommissioned immediately.
On February 15th 1942 it been ordered by SKL, to detail the 6. SFltl with eight boats and tender "Tsingtau" for the deployment in the area Lofot-Islands - Narvik. The flotilla, therefore, had transitted with "S 19" (Lt.z.S. Hörning), "S 24" (Oblt.z.S. Nolte), "S 69" (ObStrm.d.Res. Licht), "S 71" (Oblt.z.S. Thomsen), "S 73" (Oblt.z.S. Goetschke) , "S 74" (Oblt.z.S. Witt), and "S 75" (Oblt.z.S. Nitsche) from Heligoland to Stavanger on March 15th 1942 and was stopped there by bad weather.
On April 3rd 1942 the flotilla had gotten orders to transit to Kristiansand. On April 10th 1942 they had left harbour to carry out reconnaissance against British blockade-breakers of the "Gay Viking"-class (modified 95' Camper & Nicolson Motor Gun Boat) having left Göteborg harbour. They returned to Kristiansand without success. On April 14th 1942 "S 75" had joined the flotilla, the command of her was taken over by Oblt.z.S.Hörning on the day thereafter.
%20utsnitt.jpg)
"Tsingtau", "S 19", "S 69", "S 71", "S 73", "S 24", "S 74" at Kristiansand - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
On April 16th 1942 "S 19" and "S 24" had sailed in accordace with orders from Krisitiansand to Kiel, to be handed over to the 5. SFltl. For the transit to Kiel Oblt.z.S. Nolte had taken command of "S 24" and Oblt.z.S. Rebensburg of "S 19".
On the next day the flotilla with "S 69", "S 71", "S 73", "S 74", and "S 75" had transitted to Bergen.
On April 20th 1942 the 6. SFltl had transitted to Aalesund. After an intermediate stop at Molde Trondheim had been arrived at on April 22nd 1942. "S 69" had a motor-breakdown and had to stay at the shipyard to change motors.
On April 25th 1942 the flotilla with "S 71", "S 73", "S 74", and "S 75" transitted to Bodø and the day after from there to Svolvær the future base for the flotilla.
There "S 69" was was damaged by fragments and had to be reported aKB. in an attack by 23 Halifax- and 11 Lancaster-bombers on April 29th 1942 against battleship "Tirpitz".
On May 2nd 1942 "S 69" repaited in the meantime arrived at Svolvær.he in the meantime repaired "S 69" followed.
On May 1st 1942 "S 76" (Oblt.z.S. Meyering) was commissioned and arrived at Svolvær on MAy 12th.1942.
"S 113" (Oblt.z.S. Schnebel), commissioned on March 14th 1942, joined the flotilla at Svolvær on May 1st 1942 and Oblt.z.S. Nitsche commissioned on the same day "S 114" at Travemünde. The boat arrived at Svolvær on MAy 26th 1942.
On 11.05.1942 the tender of the 6. SFltl ,"Tsingtau" had arrived at Semskefjord. The planned escorting against submarines by the 8. SFltl had again became a victim of the weather. A planned supply of submarine-chasers "UJ 1104" and "UJ 1108" with depth charges by the boats had been made impossible by the seastate.
During a check-out trip of the 6. SFltl with "S 69", "S 71", "S 73", "S 74", "S 75", and"S 76" on MAy 18th 1942 "S 113" had a grounding off Måløy-Skarholmen at the entrance of Leinesfjorden and had to be reported aKB. She was towed to Svolvær by "S 69" and from there by fishery vessels to Bodø and finally to the shipyard at Trondheim. All proppellers, shafts and shaft-bearings had to be exchanged. She stayed at the shipyard until August 1942 for repairs. She was reported KB again on August 9th 1942.
"S 113" being towed by "S 69" - Picture: Archivers Erling Skjold
"S 113" on the Slipway at Trondheim - Picture: Archives Förderverein
"S 113" at Trondheim Mekaniske Verksted June 1942 - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
On May 25th 1942 the boats at Svolvær, "S 69", "S 73", S 74", S 75, and "S 76", were used as antisubmarine-screen for Heavy Cruiser "Lützow" (ex "Deutschland"), which was part i "Kampfgruppe II" in Narwik-area under command of VAdm. Kummetz at that time, and the tanker "Nordmark". All boats returned to til Svolvær besides of "S 74" which sailed to Narvik.
6. SFltl as Anti-Submarine-Screen for Heavy Cruiser "Lützow" in Northnorway 1942 - Picture: Archives A. Hullmann
Heavy Cruiser "Lützow" in Northnorway 1942 - Picture: Archives A. Hullmann
"S 113" of Svolvær 1942 - Picture: Archives Urs Heßling
No actions were possible until the June 22nd 1942. The attempt of the 8. SFltl, to carry out a minelaying on June 14th 1942 failed because of
the weather.The 6. SFltl transitted with five boats to Semskefjord, which was arrived on June 23rd 1942 while boats "S 69", "S 76", and "S 113" remained at Westfjord with Svolvær as base as group "Narvik". From there various escort- and transporttasks for Adm. Nordnorwegen were executed.
Boat of the 6. SFltl in Northern Norway 1942 - Picture: Archives A. Hullmann
Exchange of Flotillas in Semskefjord - Picture: Archives Freundeskreis Schnellboote und Korvetten
"Tsingtau" and S-Boats of 6. SFltl in Semskefjord 1942 - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
On June 30th 1942 the planned minelaying action of 6. SFltl was broken off due to bad weather. While the boats were laying passively alongside the tender only seven boats were reported ready for action (KB) at the Westfront.
Loading of Mines for 6. SFltl 30.06.1942 - Picture: Archives E. Skjold
On July 8th 1942 the 8. SFlt with exchanged tender, "Tsingtau", was ordered to Kiel, were it was disbanded on July 12th 1942. The boats went into shipyard overhaul and got a 40mm gun. Then they were distributed to different flotillas.
Early July 1942 the 6. SFltl was sat in alarm readiness at Semskefjord a number of times, which then was cancelled every time.
Two boats of the 6. SFltl in Skjomen (Ofotfjord near Narwik) alongside "Christian Radich", in the foreground MT-"Kärnten" with U 408 and U 457 the 16.07.1942 - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold
On July 26th 1942 also the 6. SFltl - ineffective for the northern war zone Arctic Sea - was called back from Norway and marched southward.
On August 16th 1942 five boats of the 6. SFltl were laying in the shipyard at Rotterdam, "S 76" was aKB at Kiel and "S 69" and "S 113" were on march back to Germany. All boats got a stay at the shipyard for several weeks and transited then back to the Channel.
On December 1st 1942 was the 8. SFltl formed again. Commander became Kptlt. Zymalkowski. He got assigned the boats "S 44" (Lt.z.S. Quistorp) from the 6. SFltl, "S 64" (Kptlt. Wilcke) and "S 66" (Lt.z.S. Schuur) from the 4. SFltl, "S 69" (Oblt.z.S. Ritter von Georg) from 6. SFltl, "S 108" (Lt.z.S. Osterloh) and "S 118" (OFhnr.z.S. Fanger) from the 2. SFltl as well as "Carl Peters" and as torpedo-control-engineering ship and torpedo stock steamship "Hernøsand".
The flotilla had orers to transit to Northern Norway but was delayed by bad weather and left harbour not before December 16th and 17th 1942. They were blown in at Stavanger. On January 19th 1943 four boats arrived the harbour of Bodø, the other four were still laying at Trondheim.