U848 under attack (photos)

[GREY WOLF 3]

Type IXD2
Ordered 20 Jan 1941

Laid down 6 Jan 1942 AG Weser, Bremen (werk 1054)
Launched 6 Oct 1942

Commissioned 20 Feb 1943 Korvkpt. Wilhelm Rollmann (Knights Cross)
Commanders 20 Feb 1943 - 5 Nov 1943 FrgKpt. Wilhelm Rollmann (Knights Cross)

Career
1 patrol 20 Feb 1943 - 31 Jul 1943 4. Flottille (training)

1 Aug 1943 - 5 Nov 1943 12. Flottille (front boat)


Successes 1 ship sunk for a total of 4,573 GRT
Fate Sunk 5 Nov, 1943 in the South Atlantic south-west of Ascension Island, in approximate position 10.09S, 18.00W, by depth charges from 3 Liberator and 2 Mitchell aircraft (VB-107 & US Army 1st Compron). 63 dead (all hands lost).

Photographs by Attacking Aircraft
Photographs taken during attacks by LT Charles A. Baldwin, USNR, 107-B-12

First attack - 6 Mk-47 DB's spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 75 feet/215 knots, target angle 2700- bomb explosions straddled the conning tower, first two to port and four to starboard, third DB was a dud - no AA fire encountered

DB's splashing, sixth DB in the air

DB's splashes

Start of DB explosions

U-848 turned tightly to starboard foiling the second run - no DB's were dropped - no AA fire encountered

Second attack - 3 Mk-47 DB's spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 25 feet/speed unreported, target angle 600- bombs fell short, nearest DB estimated from photographs at 200 feet - AA fire encountered after pulling out hit the port vertical fin

Gunners take cover as DB's begin to explode

DB's explode

Photographs taken during attacks by LT William R. Ford, USNR, 107-B-4

Third attack - 6 Mk-47 DB's spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 125 feet/190 knots, target angle 1000- bombs fell short, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 250 feet - heavy AA fire was encountered

Fourth attack - 3 Mk-47 DB's spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 100 feet/215 knots, target angle 240 0- bombs fell short, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 50 feet - no AA fire was encountered

Start of DB explosions

DB explosions

No photographs were taken during attacks by LT W. E. Hill, USNR, PB4Y-1, 107-B-8

Fifth attack - 6 Mk-47 DB's spaced 65 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 150 feet/180 knots, target angle 900- bombs fell short, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 100 feet - heavy AA fire was encountered, # 2 engine set afire - aircraft returned to base without making a second attack

Photographs were taken during attacks by CAPT Philip Main, USAAC, B-25-C, 41-12540

Sixth attack - 2 500 lb. demolition bombs, spaced 50 feet, fused 1/10 sec. delay, dropped from 1480 feet/200 knots, target angle approximately 600- bombs fell short, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 200 feet - heavy AA fire was encountered

U-boat maneuvering as aircraft approaches
Seventh attack - 4 500 lb. demolition bombs, spaced 50 feet, fused 1/10 sec. delay, dropped from 1480 feet/200 knots, target angle approximately 600- bombs fell short, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 20 feet - heavy AA fire encountered damaging hydraulic system

U-boat maneuvering as aircraft approaches

No photographs were taken during attacks by MAJ R. T. Akins, USAAC, B-25-C, 41-12629

Eighth attack - 6 500 lb. demolition bombs, spaced 50 feet, fused 1/10 sec. delay, dropped from 2400 feet/210 knots, target angle approximately 210 0- bombs fell over, nearest explosion estimated from photographs at 25 feet - heavy AA fire was encountered

Photographs taken during attacks by LT S. K. Taylor, USNR, PB4Y-1, 107-B-4

Ninth attack - 5 Mk-47 DBs spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 70 feet/225 knots, target angle 3150- third and fourth bombs of string were reported to have straddled the submarine just forward of the conning tower - heavy AA fire was encountered

DBs splashing

Start of DB explosion

DB explosion

Tenth attack - 4 Mk-47 DB's spaced 60 FT fused at 25 feet, dropped from 50 feet/165 knots, target angle 000 0- all three bombs exploded very close to the submarine's starboard side - heavy AA fire was encountered

DB splashes, last DB in air

[psykopatsak]

poor guy...

[sergei]

Good stuff Grey Wolf

[KL-alfman]

great shots!
I wonder why U-848 hasn't crash-dived but tried to fight the allied air-crafts?? IMO there were too many to seriously stand a chance .....

[GREY WOLF 3]

Stick em up...the more the merrier

Jim

[Jimbuna]

That must have been a truly terrifying ordeal for the U-boat crew.

[urfisch]

terrifying...

if a boat was encounterd by more than one aircraft (most happend if hunter groups where near by) it mostly had no chance. these pics are really pathetic...if the guys would have thought during the attack, that 65 years after this had taken place, we are looking at these pics? documents of war, documents of death.

they are all dead. may they rest in peace.

amen

[GREY WOLF 3]

Originally Posted by urfisch

terrifying...

if a boat was encounterd by more than one aircraft (most happend if hunter groups where near by) it mostly had no chance. these pics are really pathetic...if the guys would have thought during the attack, that 65 years after this had taken place, we are looking at these pics? documents of war, documents of death.

they are all dead. may they rest in peace.

amen

these pics are really pathetic....
pics taken at the time records events true events, they would have not been recorded if ADOLF HAD NOT INVADED EUROPE

[urfisch]

Originally Posted by GREY WOLF 3

these pics are really pathetic....
pics taken at the time records events true events, they would have not been recorded if ADOLF HAD NOT INVADED EUROPE

ohhh...i forgot. it was legitim, to kill them. and they do not deserve any mercy. understand.

sorry, i missed that point in history. we are the bad germans, deserved to die and all the allies where send "by god" to clean the world from "bad nazis". right you are.

i am a step further on in that topic. i see there was a war, which was started from germany. but this is no legitimation for any one, to blame dead people. yes, they where soldiers of nazi germany, but they where also young men. young man, manipulated and mostly without a choice. as soliders always are, otherwise they would not be soliders. same happened to many merchant sailors from britain and the us. and i am german, lost a grandfather in russia 1941, whos family lost everything in the firestorm hamburg 1943, we lost our land in eastern germany and many estate. my grandmother lost her whole family, which was raided from the soviets 1945, as they tried to escape as refugees from prussia. BUT when i see a burning ship on photos or swimming dead people in water, i do not feel good and think: they shouldnt have crossed a uboats way, as germany was rightfully conquering the whole world and everyone, who fought against us must die.

and please do not call yourself "Grey Wolf" with that kind of opinion, its a shame for every german U-Boat sailor, who went on service and died for nothing.

To die in a war always means to die for nothing... war ist the biggest stupidity that has ever evolved...
hmm... what does this means for us, playing war...

The Germans had very little choice about being a soldier or not. Only some special boys didn't have to go, like a farmers firstborn. The only choice was, what your uniform would be and sometimes this choice wasn't even given.
It's stated that the SS was a all-volunteers institution. Well, most volunteered and some were volunteered (1/4... if that's "some").
Even the "Freikorps Dönitz" wasn't a all-volunteers show in the end.
I am a German too and such remarks like "You had your Adolf and this means you're always responsible" make my stomach churn. After the signing of the Versailles Treaty even Clemencau (for not-historical people the by-then French Prime Minister) acknowledged that another war was inevitable. Hitler could only rouse the people enough for breaking hell loose again. If it wouldn't have been Hitler another one would have arisen in time to release the fury.
So please cut this crap!

[Fido]

Not sure why, maybe because it involved a PB4Y, but these photos made me think of the Laconia Incident in which the U-156 nearly suffered the same fate while Red Cross flags were draped over her decks, with men, women and children crammed inside her hull, on her upper deck, and a further 200 survivors in tow aboard four lifeboats. She was also attacked by a PB4Y. The terror this people must have suffered is almost unimaginable, especially after seeing these pictures.

P.S.
The action of Captain Robert C. Richardson III (who ordered the attack) was considered by many as a war crime, although no formal charges were ever placed. As a result of this incident, Admiral Donitz issued an order forbidding U-boats from attempting any rescues and furthermore, from providing any assistance whatsoever to survivors of submarine attacks. He was quoted to say "no attempt of any kind must be made to rescue the crews of ships sunk". This order became to be known as the "Laconia Order".

Fido

[ryanglavin]

Originally Posted by gmuno

To die in a war always means to die for nothing... war ist the biggest stupidity that has ever evolved...
hmm... what does this means for us, playing war...

The Germans had very little choice about being a soldier or not. Only some special boys didn't have to go, like a farmers firstborn. The only choice was, what your uniform would be and sometimes this choice wasn't even given.
It's stated that the SS was a all-volunteers institution. Well, most volunteered and some were volunteered (1/4... if that's "some").
Even the "Freikorps Dönitz" wasn't a all-volunteers show in the end.
I am a German too and such remarks like "You had your Adolf and this means you're always responsible" make my stomach churn. After the signing of the Versailles Treaty even Clemencau (for not-historical people the by-then French Prime Minister) acknowledged that another war was inevitable. Hitler could only rouse the people enough for breaking hell loose again. If it wouldn't have been Hitler another one would have arisen in time to release the fury.
So please cut this crap!

We can't forget that without war, you can't have peace. Without somethings negative, it won't happen.
IMO, there will always be war as long as people are different from one another.
And we can't blame the Germans for WW2, blame the assassin in 1914.
Without him, both wars wouldn't have happened. But out of the wars, we got radar and microwaves. I'm german also, and it really annoys me when they blame the germans for everything. 10% german, 50% macedonian, and an assortment of others .

[Frank0001]

It's stupid to blame 'the Germans' for anything, they've given us so much more;

- BMW and Volkswagen
- The góód beer
- Tokio Hotel

No it's useless pointing fingers after 65 years.

[Schroeder]

Can it be that there is a misunderstanding in the word pathetic? The German Pathetisch is not equal to the English pathetic. Pathetic means something like pitiful, unworthy etc.

I don't find the pictures pathetic. They are a witness of what war is. It's never nice to see people die, but let's face it: That is war. To hide those aspects would be to betray oneself.
This is a U-Boat game forum so I think those pictures can be shown here.

Originally Posted by Frank001

- Tokio Hotel

O.K. now you really managed to make me feel ashamed being German....
Actually Tokio Hotel is a nice example of the word pathetic!

[java`s revenge]

But why didn`t crashdived that u-boat??