Excellent shots, as always Jimbuna!
okay, a little background, U-221, although listed as a type VIIC, was actually a type VIIE with a pair of V-12 desiel engines built by Deutz. The light weight offered by the new engines gave it an incredible boost in speed (22 kts) and a phenonenal increase in range, as most of the bigles were cut out to install the engines. Recently declassified reports listed the one Type VIIE to have range equivalent to a type IXB. Although U-221 was listed to be a regular front-line boat with a regularly stellar career, She actually served in almost every theater, excluding the pacific and Black Sea. To keep this vail of secrecy maintained, Donitz ordered that no pictures were to be taken of her, and that her ingresses/egresses kept completely secret. However, with todays declassified reports, and the technology offered, only
3 pictures were found that seemed relevant to the U-221, painted black, with no tower emblem, so that she could not be identified at night, or in the daytime. Please note that all pictures have been enhanced, and color has been added.
From a passing Bf-109, U-221 appears to be in the upper right quarter.
Taken from an English lightship, which was NOT sunk by U-221. No explanation has been found, or offered.
The closest known picture of U-221 ever taken. Taken by a dockyard crewman who fell and broke the camera later that day and managed to recover the film. Note that there seems to be an emblem on the tower.
