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Old 12-13-05, 01:17 PM   #7
CV-707
Stowaway
 
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You're right, Knights Cross indeed!
This is from uboat.net

U-107
Type IXB

Laid down 6 Dec, 1939 AG Weser, Bremen
Commissioned 8 Oct, 1940 Kptlt. Günther Hessler
Commanders
8 Oct, 1940 - 1 Dec, 1941 KrvKpt. Günter Hessler (Knights Cross)
1 Dec, 1941 - 6 Jun, 1943 Kptlt. Harald Gelhaus (Knights Cross)
Jul, 1943 - Aug, 1944 Kptlt. Volker Simmermacher
Aug, 1944 - 18 Aug, 1944 Ltn. Karl-Heinz Fritz
Career 14 patrols 8 Oct, 1940 - 31 Dec, 1940 2. Flottille (training)
1 Jan, 1941 - 18 Aug, 1944 2. Flottille (front boat)
Successes 37 ships sunk for a total of 207.375 GRT
2 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 10.411 GRT
3 ships damaged for a total of 17.392 GRT
1 auxiliary warship damaged for a total of 8.246 GRT
Fate Sunk 18 Aug, 1944 in the Bay of Biscay west of La Rochelle, in position 46.46N, 03.49W, by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (Sqdn 201/W). 58 dead (all hands lost).

U-107 under Kptlt. Günther Hessler put out from Lorient, France at 19:30 on 29 March, 1941 for what would become the most successful patrol of the entire war against allied merchant shipping. She left the base along with U-94 commanded by Kptlt. Kuppisch but then U-107 headed southwards.

Her operational area was around the Canary Islands and nearby Freetown where she sank 14 ships for a total of 86,699 tons, starting with the British merchant SS Eskdene which required some 2 torpedoes and 104 rounds from the heavy 105mm fast firing deck cannon. The largest ship sunk during that patrol was the British Calchas of 10,305 tons. On 1 June, 1941 they sank the British U-boat-trap Alfred Jones of 5,013 tons.

On 3 and 4 of May U-107 refuelled from the German support ship Nordmark. There they also met U-105. Five days later they took on board 14 torpedoes and some food, fuel and water from the support ship Egerland. The boat returned to Lorient on 2 July 1941.

Kptlt. Hessler married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula, in November 1937. At that time Hessler was serving on the torpedo boats but in April 1940 he joined the U-boat force. Because Hessler was his son-in-law Dönitz had trouble giving Hessler his deserved Knights Cross and eventually Grand Admiral Raeder signed the papers.

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-107 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

~S~
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