Die Boote konnten die
Sunderland zwar abschießen, jedoch wurde U 564 so stark beschädigt,
dass es tauchunklar war.
Deshalb
musste U 564 in Begleitung von U 185 den Rückmarsch nach Bordeaux
antreten.
Während des
Rückmarsches wurde U 564 am 14.06.1943 um 14:39 Uhr von der Whitley G,
geflogen von Sgt A.J. Benson, gesichtet.
Benson setzte
Fühlungshaltermeldungen ab, musste aber den Booten zwei Stunden lang
folgen, ehe er den Befehl zum Angriff bekam.
Gegen 17:00 Uhr wurde
das Boot von der Whitley überflogen und mit fünf bis sieben
Wasserbomben belegt.
Nachdem die
Wassersäulen zusammengefallen waren, lag das Achterschiff von U 564
bereits unter Wasser. Der Kommandant gab sofort den Befehl zum
Aussteigen, jedoch stellte sich das Boot schnell auf und sank dann über
das Heck.
Bis zuletzt feuerten
die Flak-Waffen des Bootes. Nachdem das Boot gesunken war trieben
einige Überlebende in einem Ölteppich.
18 Überlebende,
einschließlich des Kommandanten, wurden von U 185 gerettet.
Nach dem Eintreffen der
beiden deutschen Zerstörer Z 24 und Z 32 übernahmen diese die
Schiffbrüchigen und brachten sie nach Bordeaux.
Aber auch die Whitley
wurde bei diesem Angriff von der bis zuletzt feuernden Flak getroffen
und Benson hatte alle Mühe die Maschine in der Luft zu halten.
Die Hydraulik war
beschädigt, und um 19:20 Uhr fiel der rechte Motor aus.
Das Flugzeug musste
notwassern. Die im Schlauchboot sitzende Besatzung wurde erst nach drei
Tagen von einem französischen Fischkutter aufgenommen.
Benson wollte dessen
Kapitän überreden, sie nach England zu bringen, aber er weigerte sich
aus Furcht davor, was die Deutschen seiner Familie antun würden, wenn
sie es herausbekämen.
Letztendlich setzte er
sie in Morgat südlich von Brest an Land und sie kamen in deutsche
Kriegsgefangenschaft.
Besatzungsliste U 564
(Alle,
die jemals auf dem Boot gefahren sind...)
Abel,
Reinhold
MaschMt(Z).Nr.2
Amrhein,
Karl
OFkMt
Anderheyden,
Willi
FkMt
Apitz,
Werner
FkOGfr.A
Bartels,
Heinrich
OStrm
Becker,
Horst
MechGfr
Bendziula,
Hermann
OFähnr.z.S
Bigge,
Wilhelm.
MechMt
Brock,
Helmut
Christ,
Walter
OMasch.A
Corbach,
?
Domanowski,
Fritz
OMaschMt
Ehlers,
Gerhard
MechMt
Ehm,
Ulrich
BtsMt
Elkershausen,
Rudolf
OFkMt
Elter,
Wilhelm
Ewert,
Bernhard
Feuerhake,
Heinrich
Fähnr.z.S
Fiedler,
Hans
KpLt.
Fischer,
Karl-Johann
MaschGfr
Freude,
Marcellus-Alphons
BtsMt
Frohme,
Karl-Heinz
MaschMt
Gabler,
Ulrich
OLt.d.R.L1.ing
Gaiser,
Edwald
FkMt
Geisler,
Hans-Ferdinand
OLt.z.S.
Geiss,
Peter
Mtr.IV.Flak
Gilbert,
Alfred
OStrm
Goldschmidt,
Herbert
Grade,
Emil
OMasch
Grassl,
Walter
MaschGfr
Graumann,
Gustav
MaschMt(D)
Grunert,
Werner
MtrOGfr
Harsch,
Josef
OMaschMt
Hartleb,
Max
MtrOGfr
Hausruckinger,
Hermann
Mtr
Heil,
Friedrich
MaschMt
Heinrich,
Hermann
MaschGfr
Heinze,
Werner
MaschGfr.A
Herhaus,
Ernst
Hild,
Friedrich
MechMt
Hummel,
Friedrich
OMaschMt
Hymmen,
vonReinhard
KKapt.
Janßen,
Karl
Lt.z.S
Kalbach,
Eduard
Keller, von
GrafAlexander OLt.z.S.
Kiel,
Erwin
OStrm
Klein,
Dr.Heino Marinestabsarzt.d.R
Kolouch,
Herbert
OLt.z.S
Kräh,
Hermann-Josef
Omasch
Labahn,
Walter
MaschGfr
Lawaetz,
Ulf
OLt.z.S.
Lehmann,
Ottfried
MaschMt
Limburg,
Karl
OStrm
Mahler,
Hermann
MaschGfr
Mattern,
Heinz
OMasch
Maus,
Eduard
Mtr.I
Meidorn,
Alfred
MaschMt
Merck,
Hans
MaschGfr
Meyer,
Karl
MaschGfr
Mistereck,
Heinz
MaschGfr
Möller,
Ernst-August
OLt.L1.ing
Mumm,
Friedrich
KpLt.
Neumann,
Johannes
OMasch
Ney,
Günter
OLt.z.S.
Nordmann,
Heinz
OMasch
Pfans,
Fritz
MaschGfr
Pfledl,
Joseph
MaschOGfr
Rahm,
Heinrich
MtrOGfr
Rehren,
Hellmut
OLt.z.S.
Richter,
Freimut
OLt.z.S.
Rieckhoff,
Werner
Maat
Rieger,
Eberhard
OLt.z.S.
Rothbarth,
Kurt
MaschMt
Sass,
Ludwig
MaschGfr
Schiedhelm,
Roland
BtsMt
Schilling,
Johann
Schlägel,
Werner
MaschMt
Schlittenhardt,
Ernst
Mtr
Schmutzler,
Heinz
MtrGfr
Schöler,
Clemens
KpLt.
Schramm,
Alfred
Schröter,
Gerhard
OMaschMt
Schwaiger,
Günther
MaschGfr
Seifert,
Johannes
Maat
Sengpiehl,
Rudolf
Staretz,
Alfred
Steinert,
Richard
MtrOGfr
Steinhauer,
Wilhelm
OMaschMt
Stephan,
Paul
MtrOGfr
Stocker,
Franz
OMaschMt
Suhren,
Reinhard
FKapt.
Suttner,
ErichMech
OGfr
Thiel,
Karl-Ernst
Tolksdorf,
Paul
MaschGfr
Wagner,
Heinrich
Waldschmidt,
Herbert
OLt.z.S.
Webendorfer,
Heinz
OBtsMt
Weirauch,
Erich
Weise,
Werner
FkMt
Westphal,
Willy
MaschOGfr
Wolters,
Hans
Wörner,
Philipp
MaschMt
Zapf,
Erich
OMasch
Zenk,
Johann
MaschGfr
Abkürzungen:
BtsMt.
Bootsmannsmaat
Fkapt.
Fregattenkapitän
FkMt.
Funkmaat
FkOGfr.
Funkobergefreiter
KpLt.
Kapitänleutnant
Marinestabsarzt.d.R.
der Reserve
MaschGfr.
Maschinengefreiter
MaschMt.
Maschinenmaat
MaschOGfr.
Maschinenobergefreiter
MechMt.
Mechanikersmaat
Mtr.
Matrose
MtrOGfr.
Matrosenobergefreiter
OBtsMt.
Oberbootsmannsmaat
OFähnr.z.S.
Oberfähnrich zur See
OfkMt.
Oberfunkmaat
Ogfr.
Obergefreiter
OLt.z.S.
Oberleutnant zur See
Omasch.
Obermaschinist
OmaschMt.
Obermaschinistenmaat
OStrm.
Obersteuermann
OLt.d.R.L1.ing
Oberleutnant der Reserve Leitender erster Ingenieur
OLt.L1.ing
Oberleutnant Leitender erster Ingenieur
Alle Informationen
entstammen folgenden Quellen:
http://www.u-boote-online.de
Lawrence Paterson „U 564 auf
Feindfahrt – 70 Tage an Bord“ ISBN 3-613-02528-0
Fritz Brustat-Naval /
Teddy Suhren „Nasses Eichenlaub“ ISBN3-7822-0734-3
English Version:
Type:
VIIC
Feldpost
Number:
M 40 175
Construction
Yard:
Blohm und Voß, Hamburg
Yard
Number:
540
Ordered:
24th Oct 1939
Keel
laid:
30th Mar 1940
Launched:
7th Feb 1941
Commissioned:
3rd Apr 1941
Commanders
03.04.1941
-
01.10.1942
Oblt.z.S./Kptlt./Korv.Kpt.
Reinhard Suhren
01.10.1942
-
14.06.1943
Oblt.z.S. Hans Fiedler
Flotillas
03.04.1941
-
00.06.1941
Ausbildungsboot(under
training)
1. U-Flottille, Kiel
00.06.1941
- 14.06.1943
Frontboot
(operational)
1. U-Flottille, Brest
Operations
Number
of
Operations:
9
Sunk
Ships:
19
Sunk
Tonnage:
96.444 BRT
Damaged
Ships:
5
Damaged
Tonnage:
31.036 BRT
Operations information for U-564
17.06.1941
- 27.07.1941
1st
War Patrol:
U-564
left Kiel under the command of Reinhard Suhren on 17th Jun 1941 for
operations in the North Atlantic and arrived at return on 27th Jul 1941
after more than five weeks.
Reinhard
Suhren hit four ships on this patrol, three of these ships were in
convoy, all of them from convoy HX-133.
•
On 27th Jun 1941 he sank the British 8,651 ton Malaya II, sailing with
convoy HX-133.
•
On 27th Jun 1941 he sank the Dutch 8,812 ton Maasdam, a member of
convoy HX-133.
•
On 27th Jun 1941 he damaged the Norwegian 9,467 ton Kongsgaard, part of
convoy HX-133.
•
On 29th Jun 1941 he sank the Icelandic 1,215 ton Hekla.
Kriegstagebuch
1st War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
16.08.1941
- 27.08.1941
2nd
War Patrol:
On
the 16th Aug 1941, U-564 left Brest under the command of Reinhard
Suhren for operations in the North Atlantic and after one and a half
weeks arrived at return on 27th Aug 1941.
Reinhard
Suhren hit four ships on this patrol and all of them were in convoy,
all of them from convoy OG-71.
•
On 22nd Aug 1941 he sank the British 484 ton Empire Oak, from convoy
OG-71.
•
On 22nd Aug 1941 he sank the Irish 1,203 ton Clonlara, sailing with
convoy OG-71.
•
On 23rd Aug 1941 he sank the British 900 ton HMS Zinnia, a member of
convoy OG-71.
•
On 23rd Aug 1941 he damaged the Norwegian 2,129 ton Spind, part of
convoy OG-71.
Kriegstagebuch
2nd War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
16.09.1941
- 01.11.1941
3rd
War Patrol:
U-564
departed under Reinhard Suhren from Brest on 16th Sep 1941 for
operations in the North Atlantic and arrived at return on 1st Nov 1941
after six and a half weeks.
Reinhard
Suhren hit three ships on this patrol and all of them were in convoy,
all of them from convoy HG-75.
•
On 24th Oct 1941 he sank the British 1,352 ton Alhama, from convoy
HG-75.
•
On 24th Oct 1941 he sank the British 2,176 ton Ariosto, sailing with
convoy HG-75.
•
On 24th Oct 1941 he sank the British 3,670 ton Carsbreck, a member of
convoy HG-75.
Early
in this patrol U-564 and U-204 were detailed to escort the blockade
runner Rio Grande, and after this both U-Boats were re-supplied in
Cadiz (Spain) by Thalia on the night of the 14th/15th October.
Kriegstagebuch
3rd War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
18.01.1942
- 06.03.1942
4th
War Patrol:
On
the 18th Jan 1942, U-564 left La Pallice under the command of Reinhard
Suhren for operations off the US East coast and arrived at return on
6th Mar 1942 after more than six weeks.
Reinhard
Suhren hit two ships on this patrol.
•
On 11th Feb 1942 he sank the Canadian 11,410 ton Victolite.
•
On 16th Feb 1942 he damaged the British 6,195 ton Opalia.
U-564
was re-fuelled by U-107 for the return from this patrol.
Kriegstagebuch
4th War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
04.04.1942
- 06.06.1942
5th
War Patrol:
U-564
departed under Reinhard Suhren from Brest on 4th Apr 1942 for
operations off the US East coast and after nine weeks arrived at return
on 6th Jun 1942.
Reinhard
Suhren hit six ships on this patrol.
•
On 3rd May 1942 he sank the British 7,174 ton Ocean Venus.
•
On 4th May 1942 he damaged the British 9,767 ton Eclipse.
•
On 5th May 1942 he damaged the American 3,478 ton Delisle.
•
On 8th May 1942 he sank the American 6,078 ton Ohioan.
•
On 9th May 1942 he sank the Panamanian 7,138 ton Lubrafol.
•
On 14th May 1942 he sank the 4,000 ton Potrero del Llano.
Kriegstagebuch
5th War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
09.07.1942
- 18.09.1942
6th
War Patrol:
U-564
left Brest under the command of Reinhard Suhren on 9th Jul 1942 for
operations in the Caribbean and arrived at return on 18th Sep 1942
after just over ten weeks.
Reinhard
Suhren hit five ships on this patrol, four of these ships were in
convoy: two were from convoy OS-34 and two were from convoy TAW(S).
•
On 19th Jul 1942 he sank the British 5,372 ton Lavington Court, part of
convoy OS-34.
•
On 19th Jul 1942 he sank the British 5,724 ton Empire Hawksbill, from
convoy OS-34.
•
On 19th Aug 1942 he sank the British 5,969 ton Empire Cloud, sailing
with convoy TAW(S).
•
On 19th Aug 1942 he sank the British 6,940 ton British Consul, a member
of convoy TAW(S).
•
On 30th Aug 1942 he sank the Norwegian 8,176 ton Vardaas.
Kriegstagebuch
6th War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
27.10.1942
- 30.12.1942
7th
War Patrol:
On
the 27th Oct 1942, U-564 left Brest under the command of Hans Fiedler
for operations off of Gibraltar and after just over nine weeks arrived
at return on 30th Dec 1942.
Kriegstagebuch
7.th War Patrol
With friendly permission from Captain and Mrs.
Jerry Mason, USN (ret.)
11.03.1943
- 15.04.1943
8th
War Patrol:
U-564
departed under Hans Fiedler from Brest on 11th Mar 1943 for operations
in the North Atlantic and arrived at return on 15th Apr 1943 after five
weeks.
15.05.1943
- 14.06.1943
9th
War Patrol:
U-564
left Bordeaux under the command of Hans Fiedler on 15th May 1943 and
after two days arrived at return on 17th May 1943.
On
the 31st May 1943, U-564 left Bordeaux under the command of Hans
Fiedler and arrived at return on 3rd Jun 1943 after three days.U-564
aborted this patrol due to defects.
U-564
departed under Hans Fiedler from Bordeaux on 9th Jun 1943 for
operations in the North Atlantic. Boat damaged and destroyed
on 14th Jun 1943.
Notes
for U-564
U-564
was one of a group of 5 U-Boats including U-159, U-185, U-415 and U-634
that were sailing outbound through the Biscay together during the
period of the 'Fight Back' order.
This
meant in effect the boats had to stay on the surface if attacked by
air. They were passing through Coastal Command's area designated as
'Seaslug' on the 13th when they were located by a Sunderland of 228 SQN
RAF.
U-564's
gun crews indeed fought back, shooting down the Sunderland. None of the
aircrew survived. Their attack was not in vain as the boat was damaged
and was forced to abort, being escorted by U-185.
Meanwhile
19 Group had been alerted to the location of the U-Boats and had sent
more aircraft to hunt them. On the afternoon of the 14th a Whitley of
Coastal Command's 10 OTU (Sgt A Benson) found U-185 and U-564, and
circled while calling for assistance. Another Whitley failed to arrive,
and Benson carried out an attack on his own.
U-564
once more fought it out, damaging one of the Whitley's engines.
Benson's
attack was good, and U-564 was severely damaged. The Whitley aircraft
were never good at flying on one engine, and Benson was forced to ditch
when the damaged engine failed.
The
aircrew were rescued by a fishing boat, and landed in France where they
became PoWs.
Meanwhile
U-185 tried to take U-564 in tow, but the badly damaged boat could not
be saved. OL Fiedler and 17 of his crew were taken off by U-185, the
other 28 having been killed during the earlier attack. The survivors
were then taken by the Destroyers Z24 and Z25 that evening.
