Anyone here interested in knowing........

about U-boat losses? If I get positive response, I will start posting this info which is translated from the German verlag book. This info will be on U-Boat losses, by date causes casualties etc. Let me knoow what you think......

 

Dear Carl,

Although I did not have any relatives in the Kriegsmarine, I recently discovered that one of my co-workers' father died at sea on a U-boat and I volunteered to help him find more information. I found his father's information at the VDK site, it is as follows:

Nachname: Kost
Vorname: Helmuth
Dienstgrad: Maat
Geburtsdatum: 30.09.1922
Geburtsort: Hochheim
Todesdatum: 17.06.1943

Ihr Angehöriger hat sein Leben auf See verloren. Sein Name ist entweder in dem

U-Boot-Ehrenmal Möltenort bei Kiel an Wandtafeln

Carl, can you shed any more light on this? Such as which U-boat, what does the rank abbreviation "maat" mean, and any other info I could pass on to my friend. Thanks.

Roland

 

Roland, give me till Saturday since the library is about to close for today, and I can send you a list of all the U-Boats sunk on that date, plus positions, times, causes and by whom and their commanders etc. Since its 1943, that month will be a pretty big loss for the Kriegsmarine. I will get the Verlag Buch and I will post all it says on losses for that time.

I think it will help him greatly because if he has to write to Horst in Altenbruch, it will greatly narrow the search for him.

Horst for sure can tell him more but check back here tomorrow and I will list what I have. Take care and see you then.

 

Sorry I forgot to answer your question on what is a Maat. A Maat an enlisted man. I dont have my list with me on Kriegsmarine ranks, but I can tell you that info tomorrow also.

 

Dear Roland: The only U-boat loss that will coincide with the time of your coworkers relitives death is U 97.

U 97 was commanded by Kapitanleutnant Hans-Goerg Trox. Apparently it was sunk by Hudson bombers from Royal Australian Airforce Squadron 459. Apparently if I am translating correctly, the U-Boat was first sighted on June 16 1943, and sunk late that day or early on the 17th. The reported position of the sinking is: 33,00 N, 34,00 E. 27 killed and 21 survived. I think the time was possibly at about 8:00 pm, and the position was possibly to the near west of Haifa?

If you can translate German better than I can, please let me know and I will type it all for you as exactly is in the Verlag buch vol 4.

Hope this helps.....

 

Anyone know how you get promoted?

 

Thanks Carl,

I would like a copy that orginal entry if you could email a scan of it to me. I will pass this on to my co-worker. Many Thanks!

 

Quite welcome, glad I could give you something back. I wish I could do it that way but I will have to post it here or by email. Let me know and I can send it to you tomorrow afternoon or monday.

Also many thanks for the book, I just recieved it today and started reading it, it looks real gooood.

 

Demosthenes, you just got your first promotion.

 

Dear Roland: Do you want it posted on this site or by email since it is in German and not many people here probably can read much of it? just let me know either here or by email.

 

Roland, I almost forgot but here is the answer to your rank question.

A Maat is the Kriegsmarine equivilent to the rank of Sergeant or Unteroffizier or SS-Unterscharfuhrer. He is an NCO, sorry for my previous mistake.

 

of 842 boats launched, 779 were sunk

 

Hello Ryan. Unfortunately, and and speaking of U-boat losses. I will be doing a project for this site concerning ALL u-boat losses which I have to translate from German and these will be in order of the dates of losses