S E C R E T
	Op-16-Z
	NAVY DEPARTMENT
	OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
	WASHINGTON
	Final Report - G/Serial 24
	REPORT ON THE
	INTERROGATION OF SURVIVORS FROM U-409
	SUNK 12 JULY 1943
	Distribution:
	1 Cominch (F-21)
	2 Cominch (FX-40)
	1 Op-16
	1 Op-16-FA-4
	1 Op-16-P
	4 BAD
	1 DNI, Ottawa.
	2 SONRD
	1 Comnaveu
	1 Ensign Tweedy (CSDIC, ME)
	1 Lieut. Plaut (CSDIC, AFHQ)
	1 Lt.(jg) Mullen
	1 Lt. V. R. Taylor
	1 Lt. K. W. Dowie
	1 G-2 (Col. Jones)
	25 October 1943
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	TABLE OF CONTENTS
	Page Chapter I.   INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 1           II.   DETAILS OF U-409 2           III.   CREW OF U-409 7           IV.   EARLY HISTORY OF U-409 9           V.   FIRST PATROL OF U-409 10           VI.   SECOND PATROL OF U-409 11           VII.   THIRD PATROL OF U-409 12           VIII.   FOURTH PATROL OF U-409 13           IX.   FIFTH PATROL OF U-409 16           X.   SIXTH AND LAST PATROL OF U-409 19           XI.   SINKING OF U-409 22           XII.   BASES 25           XIII.   MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ABOUT U-BOATS 36                 ANNEX A.   CREW LIST OF U-409 43
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	Chapter I.  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
	The 500-ton U-409 was built at Danzig, and overhauled at Königsberg.  Her Baltic trials followed the usual pattern.  On her first four patrols in the Atlantic, she met with average success.
	In May 1943, her career took another turn.  New radio search gear was installed and three F.A.T. torpedoes were taken aboard.  When they were well at sea, the crew learned for the first time that they had been selected for Mediterranean duty, given a "ticket to heaven" (Himmelfahrtkommando), as one rating put it.
	On 8 June 1943, U-409 made the passage of Gibraltar.  At 1030, 12 July 1943, 13 days after leaving Toulon on her sixth patrol, she was sunk by H.M.S. Inconstant after a prolonged depth charge attack in position 37017N.  03055'E.
	H.M.S. Inconstant picked up the Commanding Officer, Kapitänleutnant * Massmann, three other officers and 35 ratings.  Preliminary interrogation of seventeen of the survivors, including the four officers, was conducted in Algiers.  Five selected prisoners were given a final interrogation in the United States.
	Interesting information furnished by prisoners on new submarine types, procedures, and equipment will be found in Chapter XIII.  Considerable information on the U-boat bases at Brest and Toulon will be found in Chapter XII.
	__________________________________________________________________________
	*  For U.S.N. Equivalents of German Navy Ranks, see Annex A.
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	Chapter II.  DETAILS OF U-409
	TONNAGE.
	500 tons.
	TYPE.
	VII C.  Unmodified.
	BUILDING YARD.
	Danzinger Werft, Danzig.
	FLOTILLA.
	Formerly 9th Flotilla, Brest.  Transferred to 29th Flotilla, at Toulon.
	F.P.N.
	M 24443.
	PATRON.
	City of Teschen.
	INSIGNIA.
	On both sides of the conning tower and well forward:  the blue sawfish insignia of the 9th Flotilla.  Abaft the sawfish on the starboard side appeared a drawing of the commander's thumb pushing a sinking ship below the surface.
	CAMOUFLAGE.
	None.
	THICKNESS OF PRESSURE HULL.
	25 to 28 mm.
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	DIVING.
	Said to have attained an estimated depth of 230 meters at time of sinking.  Frequently went to 200 meters during depth charge attacks.
	Crash dive:  best speed, 27 seconds; average speed 30 seconds.
	GUN PLATFORMS.
	No special superstructure modifications.
	ARMAMENT.
	Guns - - 88-mm. gun on deck forward.  It was stated that this gun was to have been removed had U-409 returned from her sixth patrol.  One 20-mm. single mount, type 30, on the regular platform abaft the bridge.  Two demountable twin mounting No. 81 machine guns on the bridge.  The No. 81 machine guns replaced No. 40 machine guns on the fifth patrol.
	Ammunition for the 20-mm. gun consisted of tracer shells only, which were flattened on the end, ringed with yellow, and packed in wooden cases.
	Torpedo Tubes - - Four forward, one aft.
	Torpedoes and their Stowage - - Air torpedoes, stowed in the upper deck containers, were carried on the first patrol only.  Upper deck containers were removed before the fifth patrol.  The twelve electric torpedoes carried inside the boat were stowed in the usual manner.
	On the last patrol three electric F.A.T. torpedoes
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	were carried, in tubes 2, 4 and 5.  None was fired; one became a hot tube runner and had to be ejected.  All torpedoes were equipped with MZ pistols on last patrol.  Depth setting 8 meters.  Effective about 30 meters from target.
	SCUTTLING CHARGES.
	Five cylindrical scuttling charges approximately 5 cm. by 30 cm., to explode fifteen minutes after being armed.  They were carried in the following locations:
	1.  In the forward compartment, between the torpedoes stowed below the plates, and about 1 meter forward of the bulkhead.
	2.  In radio room.  This charge is set by the radioman, 3rd class.  Exact location is not known.
	3.  In control room between hydroplane controls and the switch board, directly over the high pressure air bottles.
	4.  In the conning tower on the starboard side directly forward of the lead calculator.
	5.  In the electric motor compartment directly forward of the torpedo stowed below the plates.
	S.B.T.
	Fitted.  Apparently only electrically driven noise-making projectiles were carried.  Six were carried in the electric motor compartment.
	For further details see Chapter XIII, Miscellaneous Remarks about U-boats.
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	D.C.P.
	Not fitted.
	PROPULSION.
	G.W. Diesels.
	Siemens electric motors.
	BATTERIES.
	Dynamo
	COMPRESSORS.
	Junkers.
	Siemens electric.
	RADAR.
	Believed not to be fitted.
	G.S.R.
	Metox-fitted, drum-shaped dipole-type aerial.
	Cathode ray oscillograph used in connection.
	Southern cross aerial also carried.
	D/F GEAR.
	Fitted.
	COMMUNICATIONS.
	Main transmitter:  Telefunken, 200 Watts.  50 to 100 meters wave length.
	Emergency transmitter:  Telefunken, 40 Watts.
	Receiver:  Telefunken, all wave.
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	HYDROPHONES.
	G.H.G. fitted.
	K.D.B.  removed after first patrol.
	ECHO-SOUNDER.
	Fitted.
	ELECTROLOT.
	Not fitted.
	AIR PURIFICATION.
	After hours submerged, oxygen would be used alone for two hours.  Thereafter potash cartridges would be used in addition.  Four potash cartridges were carried in each of the following compartments:  forward compartment, control room, Diesel room, electric motor compartment.
	ESCAPE LUNGS.
	Rated to be effective to 60 meter depth.
	RUBBER BOAT.
	One carried.  Approximate size:  2 meters by 8 meters.  Said to be usually out of commission after about 8 days at sea.
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	Chapter III.  CREW OF U-409
	On the last patrol of U-409 she carried a complement of four officers, one midshipman, and 44 enlisted man, a total of 49.  Of these one officer and 9 men did not survive the sinking, and one died aboard the rescue vessel.
	The Commander of U-409 had succeeded in keeping his original crew of officers and men fairly intact until the last cruise, when several replacements were received for those who left for additional schooling.  The crew seemed to have an unusual proportion of low ratings; but several of the petty officers were men of considerable experience, two of them having been in the Navy since 1934.
	The Commander of U-409. Oberleutnant Hans Ferdinand Massmann, was born in Kiel in 1917, and was of the 1936 Naval Term.  In 1939 he served on U-17, probably as Second Watch officer, and in 1940 he was Executive Officer of U-137 under Korvettenkapitän Herbert Wohlfarth.  U-137 returned to Kiel after her third cruise, and when Wohlfarth was given command of U-556 in December 1940, Massmann took over U-137.  Massmann left U-137 sometime prior to her sinking in the fall of 1942, and in December 1942 he arrived in Danzig to assume his new command, U-409.
	Massmann was generally well liked by his crew, and was described as being daring, almost to the point of recklessness.  To interrogators he was pleasant, courteous, and very security conscious.
	The Executive Officer, Leutnant Erich Jautschus of the December 1939 Naval Term, had been with U-409 since her commissioning.  After the first patrol he was promoted from Oberfähnrich to Leutnant, and after the
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	fourth patrol he became the Executive Officer.  He was generally disliked and held to be incompetent by the crew, and his reluctance to use glasses when on the bridge watch caused considerable uneasyness on board.  Jautschus was the only officer casualty.
	The Second Watch officer, Oberfähnrich Helmut Schürmann, age 21, entered the Navy in January, 1941.  Before coming to U-409 at the end of her fourth patrol, he had previously served on an unidentified 500 ton U-boat, and on a mine sweeper.  He was Gunnery and Radio Officer on U-409, and was generally well liked on board.
	The Third Watch officer, Leutnant der Reserve Richard Mader joined U-409 in Toulon, and was noticeably discouraged on being taken prisoner on his first patrol.  He had previously been on mine sweepers.
	The Engineer Officer, Oberleutnant Hans Hager, had been Engineer Officer on U-89, and made two patrols on her.  He was 24 years old and of the October 1937 Naval Term.  Interrogating officers found him to be pleasant but very security conscious.
	The Executive officer on the first two patrols of U-409 was stated by prisoners to have been Leutnant Erich Kolbus (ONI Note:  This name does not appear in the German Naval List, however a Hans Kolbus of the October 1938 term is listed).
	At the end of the second patrol Kolbus was succeeded by Oberleutnant Harald Muhs of the November 1938 term.  Muhs made two patrols and was replaced by Jauschus for the fifth patrol.
	The Engineer Officer for the first patrol was Leutnant (Ing.) Alfred Wellner, of the October 1938 term.
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	Chapter V.  FIRST PATROL OF U-409
	DEPARTURE AND PASSAGE
	U-409 left Kiel in the afternoon of 18 August 1942 on her first patrol.  She was escorted by one patrol vessel.  She arrived at Kristiansand late in the afternoon on the following day.  After topping up with fuel oil, she left Kristiansand the same evening without escort and set course for her operational base.  She proceeded on the surface without incident until well past the "Rosengarten" when she was attacked by a destroyer with six depth charges.  Prisoners thought the destroyer had sighted them before they became aware of the destroyer's presence and submerged.  This encounter severely damaged the attack periscope, which remained unusable until repairs were effected in Brest.
	BASE.
	Again proceeding on the surface U-409 reached Punkt Kern 9 September about 0800.  At 1400 she reached the first patrol line, passing the second at about 1700.  Here she was met by a mine destructor vessel, which proceeded her until they were well inside the harbor.
	Repairs to her damaged periscope and the usual routine overhaul were made in about a month.
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	Chapter VI.  SECOND PATROL OF U-409
	DEPARTURE.
	U-409 left Brest during the afternoon of 10 October, 1942.  Passing Punkt Kern early the following morning, she set course for her operational area around the Azores.
	TWO SINKINGS.
	Towards the end of October the masts of a convoy were sighted about mid day.  Before evening U-409 had maneuvered into a position ahead of the convoy, but the strength of the escort prevented her from making an attack.  The following morning, while submerged, U-409's hydrophones detected a vessel with uneven screw noises, which led them to believe she was a torpedoed straggler from the convoy sighted the previous day.  This vessel, one of about 7,000 tons was sunk at 0900 GST with a spread of two torpedoes fired from periscope depth.
	A second vessel, a tanker of 7,000 tons was sunk shortly afterwards.  (O.N.I. Note:  It has been impossible to identify or verify these sinkings from available information.)
	RETURN.
	U-409 claimed 14,000 tons of shipping on this patrol which lasted about one month.  She arrived back in Brest 11 November.
	In somewhat less than a month, U-409 was ready for her third patrol.
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	Chapter VII.  THIRD PATROL OF U-409
	DEPARTURE.
	U-409 left Brest for her third patrol 6 December 1942 for an operational area in mid-Atlantic.  From the start she encountered stormy weather, which persisted throughout most of the patrol.  The trip was described as being very uneventful, no attacks were made or sustained.
	ORDERED TO ESCORT BLOCKADE RUNNER.
	One prisoner stated that on or near Christmas day U-409 was ordered to meet an incoming blockade runner and escort her into a French base.  Three or four days later U-409 arrived at the designated point, and shortly thereafter was informed that the blockade runner had been intercepted and sunk.  (O.N.I. Note:  The blockade runner in question was probably Rhakotis which was sunk about 200 miles north east of Cape Finisterre on 1 January 1943).
	RETURN.
	U-409 arrived back in Brest 7 January 1943.  Some 5 weeks later she was ready for her fourth patrol.
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	Chapter VIII.  FOURTH PATROL OF U-409
	DEPARTURE AND CAPTURE TWO SURVIVORS.
	The longest and most successful patrol of U-409 began 14 February 1943 when she left Brest for an operational area in the middle North Atlantic.
	When eight to ten days out of Brest, U-409 encountered a life boat with 12 survivors from an English merchantman, 2 officers and 10 men.  She took the two officers aboard and gave provisions and sailing directions to those remaining in the life boat.  These two officers were on U-409 for the remainder of the patrol.
	ATTACK ON EASTBOUND CONVOY.
	After 14 days from her base U-409 joined a patrol sweep and after about eight days in this sweep an English bound convoy was sighted.  In preparation for attack on this convoy U-409 was ordered to join Gruppe Raubgraf, but somehow failed to make contact, and became instead attached to Gruppe Wildkatze.  (O.N.I. Note:  It is known that Gruppe Raubgraf attacked convoy H.X. 228, 11 March 1943 in approximate position 510 N. - 280 W.)  Shortly after the formation of Gruppe Wildkatze, U-409 sank three vessels from the convoy with four singly-fired torpedoes.  These sinkings were made near mid-night about 10 March, and consisted of one 5,000 ton vessel, and two 8,000 ton vessels.  Prisoners claimed the entire action lasted less than 30 minutes, and that all torpedoes were fired from periscope depth.  (O.N.I. Note:  It has been impossible to identify these sinkings; available evidence indicates that the three vessels may have been
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	in convoy S.C. 121).
	About two hours after sinking the three vessels, U-409 was attacked by an escort vessel with six to ten depth charges; however no damage was inflicted.
	REFUELING.
	About one week later, or near 18 March, U-409 was refueled by a supply U-boat, which was stated to be commanded by Wolfbauer.  (O.N.I. Note:  It is known that Korvettenkapitän Wolfbauer commanded U-463, a 1,600 ton supply boat recently sunk).  U-409 and U-463 were together about a day and one-half, waiting for the weather to moderate, before the refueling took place.  During this time a number of other U-boats had collected in the same general area waiting to be refueled.  U-409 was the first to be supplied, she took on a quantity of fuel oil and some canned provisions.  The doctor from U-463 came aboard and gave the crew a cursory examination.
	After refueling, U-409 acted as a special weather boat for several days then set course for her French base.
	ENGLISH CRUISER SIGHTED.
	When about five days from Brest, U-409 was traveling on a 90 degree course and sighted a British mine-laying cruiser dead astern of her.  After identifying the vessel, U-409 swung to port, notified the Commander-in-Chief U-boats, then submerged and prepares to attack from periscope depth.  Commander-in-Chief U-boats reported back to Massmann not to attack, as the vessel was, in reality, a German auxiliary cruiser.  After the mine-laying cruiser was well out of attacking range, Massmann was informed that his identification was correct.  It later developed
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	that the German vessel had been ahead of U-409, also traveling a 90 degree course.  Not long afterwards the British cruiser overhauled the German vessel and sank her.  (O.N.I. Note:  This incident undoubtedly refers to H.M.S. Adventure and the German blockade runner Silvapana.  H.M.S. Adventure intercepted the Silvaplana 10 April 1943 in position 43 18' N - 14 26' W.  The Silvaplana was scuttled by her crew.)  Massmann's reported rage on this occasion is perfectly understandable.
	PREPARATIONS FOR NEXT PATROL.
	U-409 arrived in Brest 12 April 1943, and turned her two British prisoners over to the authorities.  She was in Brest about three weeks preparing for her next patrol.  During this period several changes were made in the boat's equipment, possibly in preparation for her forthcoming new operational area.  These changes are noted in Chapter II, Details of U-409.
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	Chapter IX.  FIFTH PATROL OF U-409
	DEPARTURE.
	U-409 left Brest for her fifth patrol 17 May 1943 in company with U-435, but when just a few hours clear of the harbor she returned to have repairs made to the attack periscope.  Repairs required one day, and U-409 again put to sea, this time with U-214.  When about two days from Brest it was again discovered that the periscope was not in good working order, and she again returned to base.  On the return she encountered a French fishing vessel, and was successful in trading some cognac for fresh fish; during the exchange several planks of the fishing vessel were stove in by U-409.  Repairs to the periscope this time required about three days, so it was about 10 days later than originally planned that U-409 finally left Brest for her new operational area in the Mediterranean.
	The new assignment was announced to the crew during one of the false starts and was received with anything but enthusiasm.
	UNDERWAY TO GIBRALTAR.
	When finally underway, U-409 ran out from Brest and then set course for a point on the Spanish coast about 100 miles East of Cape Finisterre.  From here she proceeded parallel to the coast, and from three to four miles offshore.  At night she ran on the surface at about 10 knots, during the day she submerged and made about two knots.  She was said to be under orders to make no attacks while on her way to the Mediterranean.  On 6 June, when near the Straits of Gibraltar she was
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	spotted and attacked by an aircraft with machine gun fire, which was returned by the U-boat.  No bombs were dropped, and U-409 was undamaged.  (O.N.I. Note:  An R.A.F. Coastal Command Hudson picked up a U-boat on the surface by searchlight on the night of 6/7 June.  The plane fired on the U-boat but dropped no bombs.  The pilot was wounded and soon broke off the action).
	GIBRALTAR PASSAGE.
	U-409 lay before the Straits for several days before making the passage, passing twice from the Spanish to the African side.  These crossings were both made on the surface at night, traveling at full speed!  On two occasions she lay on a sand bank west of Tangiers at about 80 meters.  Massmann was wary of making the passage during the dark of the moon because of added patrol by planes and surface craft, and waited until he had a somewhat lightened and foggy night.
	The passage through the Straits was made on the Spanish side to avoid mine fields, reportedly laid on the African side by U-118 some months earlier.  (O.N.I. Note:  U-118 is known to have laid mines in the Straits of Gibraltar early in February 1943).
	U-409 proceeded on the surface until within several miles of Gibraltar.  She then submerged at about 2300 and went ahead on the set of the current using the electric motors to maintain steerage way.  When well past the rock, she ran submerged at full speed until about 20 miles beyond that point.  She then surfaced at about 0400 and ran at full speed close to the Spanish coast until dawn.
	One prisoner stated that seven other U-boats had been ordered
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	into the Mediterranean and were in the vicinity of the Straits about the same time as U-409.  Three of these were reported damaged by aircraft and had to return to their French bases.  The fate of the other four was not known but according to the congratulatory message received by U-409 in Toulon from the Commander U-boats, Mediterranean she was the only one of this group to make the passage.
	PASSAGE TO TOULON.
	Still running close to shore, U-409 reached Cape de Gata and then in accordance with original orders set course for La Spezia.  When opposite Mallorca, Massmann radioed the Commander-in-Chief U-boats, Mediterranean: "Massmann Durch" and shortly thereafter he receive the following, addressed to U-409 and the Commander U-boats, Mediterranean:  "Massmann Gut Gemacht".
	Once the passage through the Straits had been made, U-409 completed her trip on the surface.  When west of Sardinia, Massmann was ordered to put into Toulon instead of La Spezia.
	ARRIVAL AT TOULON.
	One prisoner complained that the lack of equipment and organization at Toulon was evident long before they entered the base.  He stated that U-409 got all the way to the mole without escort, without even being challenged.  Massmann was said to have expressed wonder that English submarines had not already found the approach to Toulon equally easy.  The tiny mine destructor vessel, the finally appeared to bring them into the harbor, in no way restored their confidence,
	U-409 tied up in the Mourillon Basin.  During the two weeks that she remained in Toulon, the crew spent several days in Nice.
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	Chapter X.  SIXTH AND LAST PATROL OF U-409
	MORALE ON DEPARTURE.
	On 29 June, in the early afternoon, U-409 left Toulon on her sixth and last patrol for an operational area along the African Coast between Oran and Ténès.
	In spite of the general feeling of hilarity demonstrated by the crew at the Soldatenheim on the evening prior to their departure (when so much glassware was broken that the crew anticipated punitive action upon their return to base) officers and crew were definitely uncomfortable about operating in the Mediterranean.  This feeling was intensified by frequent depth charge attacks.
	U-409 was accompanied by U-357 and an escort vessel.  The group entered Vignettes Road through the north end of the Grande Jette and proceeded to the end of the Road, where the escort turned back.  Shortly afterwards, U-409 submerged and set course for her operational area.
	MASSMANN'S PROCEDURE.
	Massmann was completely unacquainted with Mediterranean tactics, and in particular had no confidence in the technique of daylight attacks from periscope depth.  His general procedure in the Mediterranean was to remain at about 60 meters during the day and infrequently come to periscope depth for observation.  He generally surfaced at 2300 and remained on the surface until 0400.  On several occasions U-409 ran to within several miles of Ibiza Island and returned the same night.  U-409 found the search lights of Algiers an aid to navigation.
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	DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK.
	The first attack on U-409 in the Mediterranean occurred 3 July at about 2200 when she was attacked by a surface vessel with six or seven depth charges.  No damage was done during this attack.  About two days later, in the afternoon, she was again attacked by a surface vessel, this time with 49 depth charges, but again was undamaged.
	SINKING OF ST. ESSYLT.
	The sole success of U-409 was on the night of 4/5 July when she attacked a British vessel of estimated 5,000 tons with one torpedo and scored a hit.  She was counter attacked with 38 depth charges, and had no opportunity to observe the results of her attack but those aboard doubted that the ship had been sunk.  (O.N.I. Note:  The St. Essylt, 5,000 tons in eastbound convoy KMS-18 B was sunk with one torpedo in position 360 44' N - 010 40' E as 2114, 4 July 1943.  This is unquestionably the ship torpedoed by U-409; notation in a captured document stated that an electric torpedo was fired from Tube No. 1 on this date at 2047 hours.)
	It is believed that U-375 also made an attack on convoy KMS-18 B at about the same time as U-409.  U-375 may have been responsible for the sinking of City of Venice.
	HEAVY D/C ATTACK.
	On 6 July between 0100 and 0300, when near Ténès, U-409 was attacked by two bombs from an aircraft, and by a considerable number of depth charges.  An entry on this date in a captured  document reads "101 depth charges".  But again the U-boat was apparently undamaged.  (O.N.I. Note:  H.M.S. Wymbrel and H.M.S. Cygnet, corvettes escorting eastbound convoy KMF-18, sighted a U-boat on the surface at three miles in
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	position 360 46' N, 010 23' E and attacked with about one hundred depth charges" at 1325, 6 July 1943.)
	During one of the attacks on U-409, her manometer was damaged, and was out of order at the time of sinking.  Prisoners also stated that air vent No. 5 had been damaged, and several were of the opinion that their sinking was directly traceable to the trail of bubbles left from this damaged vent.
	HOT TUBE RUNNER.
	During the night of 7/8 July, while U-409 was 15 miles north of Oran, one of the three FAT torpedoes carried was activated while still in the tube (Rohrlaufer) and could not be discharges in the normal manner because of insufficient air pressure.  An explosive charge was set and successful ejection was effected.
	COUNTERMANDED ORDERS.
	At 0600, 9 July, while U-409 was near Ténès she, U-375, U-407, and U-617 received orders to proceed to an operational area near Sicily.  She proceeded eastwards in compliance with these orders.  Sometime before her sinking these orders were countermanded, and U-409 was given practically the same operational area as she previously had had, except that she was to patrol eastward as far as Algiers instead of Ténès.
	On the morning of 12 July, before reaching her recently assigned operational area, U-409 was sunk in position 370 17' N, 030 55' E by H.M.S. Inconstant.
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	Chapter XI.  SINKING OF U-409
	D/C ATTACKS.
	On 12 July, at approximately 0700, in position 370 17' N - 030 55' E, while U-409 was proceeding submerged on a westerly course she was intercepted by H.M.S. Inconstant.  A single depth charge was released, which according to prisoner's statements, was their first knowledge of an impending attack.  Prisoners were firm in believing that before they submerged on the morning of their sinking U-409 had been detected from land-based stations; and that a surface vessel had been dispatched to their anticipated position.  (O.N.I. Note:  The action report on the sinking of U-409 stated that the U-boat had penetrated the escort screen of a convoy, and was in favorable position to attack the Empress of Russia when she was intercepted.  When H.M.S. Inconstant obtained the first contact she was between the U-boat and the Empress of Russia.)
	During the ensuing two and one-half hours, U-409 received 41 depth charges.  Whereas they did no great damage to the boat, they were sufficiently accurate to create in the minds of the crew a feeling of helplessness and impending destruction.  This impression was intensified by the audible escape of high pressure air from the valve, damaged during a previous attack.  It was believed by some that the destroyer was equipped with a "new" device which revealed their depth and bearing.  (O.N.I. Note:  The Commander of H.M.S. Inconstant, a former submariner who had undergone extended depth-charge attacks in British submarines, utilized his echo-sounding gear purely for its sonic effect within the U-boat.  This maneuver was highly successful in unnerving the crew as the action developed.)
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	EVASIVE ACTION.
	U-409 maneuvered almost constantly during the attack, and gradually submerged to greater depths.  The Commander, reportedly, felt their only chance of escape was to find a stratified patch of concentrated salt water, which would allow him to use the S.B.T. to advantage, and at the same time make detection by Asdic difficult.
	FINAL PATTERNS.
	The third pattern of ten depth charges, exploding above the boat caused extensive damages, the hydrophones, lighting and electrical instruments were put out of order, and one propeller shaft was put out of line.  Massmann went still deeper.  In the next pattern one charge apparently exploded above the conning tower, causing a serious water entry through the unreinforced and removable section of the pressure hull over the battery compartment.  (O.N.I. Note:  The final pattern of depth charges which caused the water entry were set at 700 feet.  It is believed, however, that they actually exploded at a depth somewhat less than the indicated depth setting, due to changing of pistols.)  The U-boat immediately went down by the stern, and trim was lost completely.  All tanks had to be blown in order to keep the boat from sinking, and U-409 shot to the surface almost vertically.  Utter confusion reigned in the boat, crew members were standing on bulkheads, or frantically clutching any fixed support.  The boat broke surface vertically shortly after the last depth charge attack, she then slowly leveled off and sank several minutes later.  No radio message was sent advising the Commander-in-Chief U-boats of the sinking, and no scuttling charges were set.
	SHIP ABANDONED.
	Almost immediately the crew began abandoning ship, and when it
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	seemed as if an attempt were being made to man the forward gun, H.M.S. Inconstant opened fire and scored three hits in rapid succession.  No order was given aboard U-409 to man any of the guns.  This burst of fire was responsible for most of the casualties among the crew of the U-boat.
	About 20 minutes after the U-boat disappeared a whaleboat from H.M.S. Inconstant rescued 39 survivors.  Because of the rapidity of the final action, most of the survivors were without life belts or escape lungs.
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	Chapter XII.  BASES.
	BREST.
	U-boat Shelter
	The following information comes for the most part from one prisoner, whose statements, when checked, have proved reasonably reliable within the range of his knowledge.
	About one half of the additional roof on the U-boat shelter was in place when U-409 left Brest late in May 1943.  The deck of reinforced concrete was described as being supported on steel girders resting on the old roof.  By this means an air cushion half a meter thick is provided between the old deck and the new.
	Material has been assembled for the construction of about fourteen new pens adjacent to and to the north of the original shelter.  Work had yet not been started on this addition in May 1943.
	A photograph of the shelter shows in the foreground a floating bulkhead (Speerbock), being moved by a tug, this is used to close off the entrance to a wet pen, when it is necessary to pump the pen dry, i.e., for the purpose of cleaning the pen or to recover materials that have fallen into the water.  The float of the bulkhead is grounded at low tide and the framework above is used for a crosswalk.  Two or three floating bulkheads are said to be in use.
	The sketch plan of the shelter shows the arrangement and designation of the pens, the location of the various work, storage, office and guard rooms, and the approximate positions of the guard stations on the
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	approaches to the shelter.
	The dry pens are approximately as wide as the wet pens at their entrance, narrowing to one-boat width at the water tight bulkheads.  The last pen on the North end runs under the main passageway and is long enough to accommodate two U-boats.  The prisoner stated positively that, when three 500-ton U-boats are berthed alongside in a wet pen in the Brest shelter, there is a foot to spare between boats and no part of any boat protrudes from the entrance.
	No code names are used by Brest boats.  While in the shelter the regular boat number is temporarily painted on the conning tower.  A passage way about three meters wide runs directly behind the wet pens.  To the rear of this passageway on the ground floor are located the shops in which guns and practice torpedoes are repaired.  The main passageway running the full length of the shelter back of the rear line of the dry pens is wide enough to allow two trucks to pass.  It is constructed of heavy timbers.  The space under it is open.
	On the ground floor in the Electrical Room is the emergency power plant, known as Famo Werkstatt, consisting of four Diesel-electric generators of 250 h.p. each.  In this room also are stored the electrically propelled S.B.T. projectiles.  Inside the shelter on an upper floor to the rear are the offices, the cabinet maker's shop, and the repair shop for life preservers and escape lungs.  The Cordage Loft (Taklerei), in which lines are stored and rubber boats repaired, is on the upper level over two of the dry pens.
	Each wet pen is said to have a single armored door lowered from above.  Dry pens have divided doors, one lowered from above, one raised
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	from below.  The latter of these two is said to be close every night, the former only at the time of an air raid alarm.
	Anti-aircraft guns and barbed wire are located on the roof of the shelter.
	Watch and security at the U-boat shelter
	Buses coming from Brest are first stopped at the guard station on the north side of the First Flotilla Base in the Naval School.  Approaching the south entrance to the shelter where they discharge their passengers, they have to pass inspection first of a French guard unit then of an army sentry.  The two guards for the south entrance to the shelter are furnished by the First Flotilla Base Personnel.  Their guard room is just inside the south door.  The two guards at the north door are drawn from the Ninth Flotilla Base Personnel.  Their guard room is on the outside of the shelter next to the door.  The army guard room is on the upper level behind dry pen No. 2.  Six pairs of naval guards patrol the inside of the shelter.
	In addition, for each boat in a wet pen there is a guard detail of four men, of whom one petty officer and one seaman are drawn from the crew of the boat, and two seamen from the Personnel Reserve.  Each detail is on duty for twenty-four hours, from 1200 to 1200.  Only one man stands guard at a time; he is stationed on the deck of the boat.  Crew members follow their usual watch schedule, four hours on, eight hours off; men from the personnel reserve, when possible, stand guard two hours and are off four.  For boats in dry pens the detail consists of six men with a petty officer.  One man is posted at the end of the dry pen by the main passageway, the other at the gangplank.
	U-boat personnel have a blue pass to the shelter.  Loss of the
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	pass is severely dealt with, but there are the usual stories of irregularities and carelessness in examining passes.  Even when they are on guard duty, U-boat personnel wear only workclothes in the shelter - - in summer an nondescript shirt and trousers, in winter usually the gray U-boat trousers and jacket.
	Workmen report for duty at the shelter in three shifts:  0600 to 1400, 1400 to 2200, and 2200 to 0600.
	Demolition charges are disposed throughout the shelter.  It is said these charges may be set off from a central control in the First Flotilla buildings in the Naval School.
	Harbor Installations
	Only practice torpedoes are serviced in the U-boat shelter.  The regular torpedo depot is four kilometers away, on the left bank of the Pendfeld river, about a mile above the main bridge and a little less from the Ninth Flotilla Base in Kerebecam.  Repair and storage facilities of the Merchant Marine are adjacent to the torpedo depot.
	Torpedoes are transported between the torpedo depot and the shelter in harbor barges, of which there are two kinds.  The smaller barge is moved with a tug and carries 14 torpedoes at a speed of about 1 knot; the larger motor-driven barge carries 36 torpedoes.
	Oil tanks are reported to be located in the water of the Rade Abri not far from the northeast corner of the shelter.  These tanks are said to be surrounded with a net and to be visible at low tide.
	Anti-tank guns (Pak) for invasion defence are mounted on the mole in addition to the anti-aircraft guns previously reported there.
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	Trials
	Stationary Diesel tests are made alongside the mole in front of the shelter.
	The flotilla Engineer, his assistant and three technical specialists (Silberlinge) are usually aboard when a U-boat makes her diving and trimming tests before each patrol.  Other trials include a two to three-hour run at emergency speed.  The crew gets battle practice in the series of exercises known as Rollenschwof" (O.N.I. Note:  "Rollenschwof" suggests a period of great activity, more or less confused.  The word is based on term for whirling type of country dance):  all guns fired, torpedo tubes are tested with one practice torpedo each and also with water slugs (Kolbenschüsse).  Only in emergencies are torpedo tests carried out at night.
	Living quarters of the 9th Flotilla
	All officers and men including the Personnel Reserve of the 9th Flotilla are quartered in a group of buildings, known as the Stutzpunkt (Base) on the site of the old cycle track in the Kerebecam district.  The sketch plan of the base shows the arrangement of the buildings which were originally designed by the French for a sanitarium.  They were completed by he Germans and occupied in the latter part of 1942.  Commuting between the U-boat shelter and the base is by motor bus following the Rue de Siam.  Just north of the Place de la Liberté, known to the Germans as the Theater Platz, is the main gate to the Base.  Inside the wall the first building to the left contains the living quarters of the flotilla commander and visiting officers.  In another building to the right are housed the officers of the Personnel Reserve and a unit of the guard.  Behind these buildings lies
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	the long curved 4-story Haus Endrass in the left end of which is located the canteen, and the Mess for officers and men; the Personnel Reserve occupy other parts of the building.  The main driveway goes under Haus Endrass to reach the large and small air raid shelters, behind which are the crew headquarters in Haus Gilardone, the flotilla officers' quarters and the administrative offices in Haus Jürst.  Up the hill inside the rear wall are the swimming pool and the athletic field.  Outside the rear wall are storage facilities for gasoline and materials used by the Organization Todt.
	All is apparently not heel-clicking formality at this most luxurious of all German U-boat posts.  A juvenile, buccaneering spirit seems to animate the personnel from top to bottom and is evidently considered essential to morale.  The door of each administrative office is adorned with a cartoon.  The Flotilla Commander, Korvettenkapitän Lehmann-Willenbrock is pictured reaching out a welcoming hand to an incoming U-boat; the Kapitan beim Stab, Kapitänleutnant Wein, the Disciplinary Officer, is shown towering over and threatening punishment to a diminutive sailor; the administrative officer Kapitänleutnant Festner is portrayed handing out pay from a bag of gold; the records officer, Oberleutnant Festner, with his cap on the back of his head, is sweating over a pile of papers.
	The canteen, far more popular with the men than any of the cafes in town, is a colorful spot.  It carries a selection of French silk stockings and lingerie at prices that have a great appeal to the men returning on leave to their rationed home land.  Liquor, wine and beer flow freely, so freely in fact that the glass windows had to be replaced with an unbreakable material.  The crew of U-409 staged a jamboree once, which for
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	sheer destructiveness outraged even the tolerant standards of the base.  Lehmann-Willenbrock demanded that Massmann punish his men.  When the latter refused, he was confined to quarters for two weeks.
	Hunting with the No. 98 service carbine is popular on the hill back of the base.  Clashes between the hunters and the guard are not infrequent.  On one occasion two naval ratings and two Frenchmen were said to have been killed.  On another occasion youthful marksmen used tracer ammunition to bring down two of the barrage balloons protecting the rear approaches to the base.
	9th Flotilla Administration
	The administrative officers under Korvettenkapitän Lehmann-Willenbrock, who is now slated for command of a front boat, were given as follows, as of May 1943:
	Disciplinary Officer Kapitänleutnant Wein           (Not in GNL) Adjutant Oberleutnant Maier           (Karl or Wilhelm, both Kreigsoffiziere) Administrative Officers Kapitänleutnant Festner         (Verwaltungsoffiziere)         (Paul. Class of 1933.)   Leutnant (V) Ernst or Andreas Fischer   Leutnant der Reserve Kubel Records Officer Oberleutnant Kuwalsky         (Schrift Offizier)         (not in GNL) Base Officer Oberleutnant Michels         (Stutzpunktleiter)         (M.A. - Kriegsoffizier Was Oberfeldwabel early 1942) Doctor Kapitänleutnant Lorenz           (not in GNL) Dentist Kapitänleutnant Brünnagel Gunnery Oberfeuerwerlmeister Schwantes Provisions Oberproviantmeister Hertel Communications Leutnant Hildebrand           (recent promoted from Oberfunkmeister)
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	Torpedoes Obermechaniker Fichott Records Wachmeister Ziko Personnel Equipment Oberfeldwebel Lutzny Company Commanders Oberfeldwebel Holze         (Personnel Reserve)     Oberfeldwebel Meyer Navigation Stabsoberfeldwebel Hose
	The Adjutant, Oberleutnant Maier, was stated to be due to leave soon for U-boat Commanding Officers School.  Kapitänleutnant Michel and Kapitänleutnant Lorenz are said to have seen active service with U-boats.
	Rest and Recreational Centers
	The following rest and recreational centers in the vicinity of Brest are said to be maintained by the 9th Flotilla.
	1. At Trez Hir on the coast near Plougonvelin, 10 air miles west of Brest, five houses with gardens facing the beach are at the disposal of flotilla personnel.  The Flotilla Commander, Korvettenkapitän Lehmann-Willenbrock, had a blue villa here, in which he used to work in summer.  Trez Hir is reached in two hours by bus, following the westerly extension of the Rue de Siam.         2. A large single house, called Kerbibi, is located on the bay shore just beyond the long bridge over the Elorn river.  An hour's run by bus, Kerbibi is only two and a quarter air miles from Brest across the bay to the Southeast.         3. The officers have the use of a castle at Logonna, near
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	Daoulas beyond Keribi about nine and a half air miles southeast of Brest.
	DANZIG.
	Technical specialists (Silberlinge) conduct the tests of the U-boat Acceptance Group (U.A.G.).  Engine revolutions are checked at various speeds over a measured mile.  Depth gauges and diving controls are also checked.  These tests apply to the boat not to the personnel, which gets its training at Hela.
	Four other 500-ton boats were said to be building at the Danziger Werft at the end of 1941, when the crew of U-409 was standing by for final construction.
	KÖNIGSBERG.
	The crew of U-409 lived on the depot ship "Der Deutsche" while their boat was getting its final overhaul at the Schichau yards in July 1942.  One other 500-ton U-boat, not a Danzig-built boat, was being overhauled with U-409 and one prisoner stated that other 500-ton U-boats were under construction on the ways at the Schichau Werft at this time.
	The Cafe Pelikan was popular with the enlisted men.
	MARSEILLES.
	It was stated by prisoners that the submarine base at Toulon would be moved to Marseilles as soon as the concrete shelters under construction there were completed.
	TOULON.
	During her brief stay at Toulon, U-409 tied up at the Mourillon
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	basin, which is apparently being used by U-boats at present more than the Massiessy basin.  It was said, however, that the latter was likely to become the main U-boat base in Toulon.  Officers and men lived in old French naval buildings immediately back of the basin.
	Oil and torpedoes were taken on from a harbor tanker.  Ammunition was embarked at Port Lagoubran.  Some of the technical officers of the U-boat base were said to be located in the Lagoubran Magazines.  Repairs were made in the open dry docks, were salvaged French submarines were also under going repairs.  Prisoners complained that the facilities, particularly the cranes, were most unsatisfactory.
	U-boats usually entered and left the harbor through the opening in the mole by Grosse Tour Fort.  The flotilla engineer and a number of warrant officer specialists were aboard for final trials outside the jetty.
	The U-boats at Toulon were attached to the 29th Flotilla, which in June 1943 still had its main base at Spezia.  Korvettenkapitän d.R. von Freeden, who took command of the Toulon base early in 1943, is under the authority of the Flotilla Commander.
	Every third German in Toulon was said to belong to the Organization Todt, which has considerable construction under way.  A completely equipped base for naval personnel was said to be under construction in the woods thirty kilometers west of town.  A former member of the personnel reserve reported that they were quartered on the coast east of the town.  (O.N.I. Note:  In spite of the apparent conflict, it seems likely that the new personnel center near Hyeres may be referred to in both cases.)
	It is apparently part of the morale-building program to send Toulon U-boat crews on a trip to Nice for several days.  This experience
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	was a vivid memory in the minds of prisoners from U-409, some of whom had also visited Monte Carlo.  The Soldatenheim in Toulon across town from the harbor was much patronized.
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	Chapter XIII.  MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ABOUT U-BOATS
	"PUNKT KERN" FOR BOATS BASED AT BREST
	All Brest boats were said to pass through the same fixed point on their way to and from the base.  Outward bound they would there receive operational instructions from Commander-in-Chief U-boats.  Returning, they would receive instructions as to course and escort.  The exact location of "Punkt Kern" for Brest could not be determined.  One prisoner reported it to be on the 200 meter depth line on a bearing of 2400 from Brest.  It was said to be reached about four hours after passing the second patrol or sixteen hours after leaving the base.
	ESCORT OUT OF TOULON
	A prisoner from U-409 was contemptuous of the mine destroyer vessel used at Toulon.  It was a former French fishing boat of extremely slow speed and no large than the harbor pinnaces in Brest.  Forward it carried electrical detonating gear and a net four times as wide as the boat.  Astern it towed three guide buoys.  Armament consisted of one 3.7 gun, two quadruple mounting M.G.'s, one single 2-cm.  This vessel accompanied outgoing U-boats a little over a mile beyond the mole, an entirely inadequate distance in the judgment of the prisoner.
	U-BOAT TACTICS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
	U-409 was assigned to an operational area on the known convoy route near Oran.  During daylight hours she could listen submerged at a depth of about 60 meters.  One prisoner stated that other boats in the Mediterranean customarily maintain a depth of about 80 meters.  On hearing the sound of a merchant vessel's propellers, the U-boat would come up to
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	periscope depth and take a look.
	Most U-boats in the Mediterranean surfaced at night only, and then just long enough to charge their batteries.  Massmann, with a strong preference for surface operation, frequently stayed up longer.  A prisoner expressed the opinion that this dangerous habit was responsible for the loss of U-409; it had been observed that attacks generally followed two hours after the time when they had been DF'd on the surface.
	Only one bridge watch was stood during these variable periods on the surface.  The watch consisted of the Captain, the First Watch Officer, one of the mates and the Apprentice Quartermaster.  One of the mates, usually No. 3, would stand by one of the double mounting machine guns on the bridge.
	On two occasions, U-409 lay still under a layer of concentrated salt water (Gamma-schichte), through which they could not hear or be heard.  No such protective layer was encountered during any of the extended depth charge attacks made against U-409.
	Oberleutnant Brüller, Captain of U-407, who has a relatively long and successful career in the Mediterranean and is said to be credited with 80,000 tons, favors the following tactics:  after sinking a ship, he will run in to as close as possible to where his victim went down; in a convoy attack, after firing from a forward position, he will run back under the convoy, then turn and run with the convoy until it pulls away.
	MEDITERRANEAN SUPERSTITION
	The belief seems to be current among a surprising number of U-boat ratings that it is impossible for a U-boat to leave the Mediterranean
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	submerged on account of the easterly set of the current.  It might be interesting to know how they came by this opinion.
	GUNNERY
	A gunner from U-409 stated that the fire from quadruple mounting M.G's crosses at 800 meters and that from twin mounting M.G.'s crosses at 600 meters.
	He advanced the opinion that U-boats, which offer a relatively small target to aircraft, would never find it profitable to use barrage fire to the extent that larger ships were forced to use it.  U-409, which had only a single 2-cm gun on the after platform and two twin mounting 81 M.G.'s on the bridge, used to hold its fire until the aircraft came down to 200 meters, sometimes even lower.  He attributed to this tactic not only their success in crippling the plane that attacked them near Gibraltar, but also the failure of this plane to drop any bombs as it flew over, barely clearing the conning tower.
	He stated that the 3.7 gun had a maximum elevation of 900, the 8.8 and 10.5 a maximum elevation of 450.
	He stated that he had never seen a quadruple mounting 20-mm gun in Brest or Toulon.  All the quadruple mountings he had seen were type 81 M.G's.  The prisoner was last in Brest in May 1943.
	He stated that phosphorous incendiary ammunition is used in deck guns against surface ships, in the 2-cm gun against aircraft; in the Russian campaign it was used in the 98 service carbine to set fire to straw roofs.
	Against an aircraft's searchlight, he said it is considered better practice for small calibre guns to hold fire until the plane comes down to
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	200 to 250 meters.  At this height the blue light source can be clearly seen.  At a greater height, he said, there is not only the blinding glare of the beam but a distortion of the visual image that makes fire inaccurate.
	PROCEDURE IN BAY OF BISCAY
	Unescorted U-boats in the Biscay area had orders to be submerged between sunset and dark and for about an hour and a half after dawn.  An escorted U-boat does not submerge, does not even have its vent covers open, ready to submerge.
	S.B.T. AMMUNITION
	A prisoner from U-409 stated that there are three kinds of projectiles used in connection with "S.B.T." ("Rohr Sechs"), located on the port side of the after compartment of 500-ton U-boats.
	1. The type of projectile, used on U-409, which was in effect a miniature electric, noise-making torpedo, about 18 inches long and six to seven inches in diameter, driven by a battery and an electric motor.  The three-bladed, high speed propeller has very curved, cup-shaped blades.  The projectile is said to run approximately in circles and to sink when the battery is exhausted.  In a heavy sea it is said to make a sound hard to distinguish with listening gear from that made by a U-boat's electric motors.  In a calm sea the difference is a readily detectable.  Six of these projectiles were carried on the last five patrols of U-409.  The "Sixth Tube" is in charge of the electrical warrant machinist.  At the Brest base the projectiles were stored in the electrical room of the shelter.  When brought aboard, they were first kept in the radio room for security reasons, while workmen were aboard.  The projectiles were later moved to the after compartment.         2. The second type of projectile (not used by U-409) is the familiar chemical effervescent.         3. The prisoner was not familiar with the third type of projectile, but presumed it was the one whose purpose is to create an oil slick.
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	NEW TYPE U-BOAT
	A prisoner on U-409 described a contemplated new type submarine from his recollection of a blue print he saw in the secret map room at the submarine base at Toulon.  He states that such a boat would have the following purposes and characteristics:
	1.  The purpose would be to lay mines in and around Mediterranean and English harbors.  Fuel capacity is lacking for distant operational uses.
	2.  The prisoner stated that 90 mines would be carried on board.  These mines might be laid through non-freeflooding shafts on either side of the boat or they might be laid through No. 4 forward torpedo tube with the aid of mine expelling cartridges (Minenausstosspatronen).
	3.  As a part of her defensive armament, it is said that the boat would carry four mines stowed abaft the conning tower on the keel line.  Each of these mines is said to be equipped with 200 meters of cable and a depth gauge which registered in the control room, permitting the mine to be held three to five motors under the surface.  These mines may be released.  They carry a light charge, due to the danger of their damaging the U-boat itself.  Their purpose is to disable attacking vessels.
	4.  Six Diesels would give the boat high speed on the surface.  A bow propeller, driven by an electric motor in the forward compartment, would give her high speed submerged.
	5.  Heavy anti-aircraft armament would be provided by a 3.7 gun on the deck forward, a quadruple-mounting machine gun on a platform forward of the conning tower, two twin-mounting machine guns on the bridge, a single-mounting 2-cm gun on the platform abaft the conning tower and a quadruple-mounting M.G. on the after deck.  In addition the 10.5-cm. gun
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	on the forward deck has a maximum elevation of 45.  Ammunition would be supplied to the forward deck guns through an ammunition chute running from the conning tower through the forward platform.  Ammunition for the quadruple mounting M.G. on the after deck would be supplied through the galley hatch and stored in the Petty Officers' room.
	6.  As a protection against D/C attacks, the hydroplanes were to be housed-in, the water passing between armored shells above and below the hydroplanes.
	7.  Only four torpedoes would be carried, directly in the tubes.  No additional stowage space provided.
	8.  In addition to the usual attack periscope in the conning tower there would be two look-out periscopes with a 750 angle upward from the control room.
	9.  The length was to be 321 foot, which indicates a 1600 ton boat.
	10-MAN U-BOATS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
	A prisoner from U-409 stated that, when he was in Toulon in June 1943, he saw three small submarines in the shops.  He stated that these boats had been transported, ready built, over land by rail from Germany.  A petty officer from U-409 informed him that there were at the time ten U-boats in Toulon with the following characteristics:
	Crew
	Ten men, as follows:  Captain, Engineer Officer, Midshipman or mate.  Warrant Machinist or Machinist's Mate.  Two firemen.  Two men in control room (one a mate, one a fireman).  One radioman, one torpedoman, who would also have seaman duties.
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	Length
	40 to 50 meters
	Tonnage
	Approximately 150
	Propulsion
	Turbine-electric.  Prisoner was very vague about the motive power, which he said was obtained from a chemical reagent with sea water.
	Speed
	Submerged 28 knots.  Over 40 knots on the surface.
	Armament
	5 torpedoes carried in the five torpedo tubes - - three forward, two aft.  No additional torpedoes carried.  All torpedoes fired from the conning tower.
	One quadruple mounting machine gun on the after platform.  Two machine guns on bridge.
	Protective covering
	The entire shell of the U-boat, including the conning tower is covered with rubber.
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	ANNEX A  CREW LIST OF U-409
	Name Rank U.S.N. Equivalent Age             (Not on board) Korvettenkapitän Lieutenant Commander     (Not on board) Kapitänleutnant Lieutenant     Massmann, Hans Ferdinand Oberleutnant zur See Lieutenant (j.g.) 26 * Jautschus, Erich Leutnant zur See Ensign --   Mader, Richard Leutnant zur See Ensign 20   Hager, Hans Oberleutnant (Ing.) Lieutenant (j.g.) Engineering duties only     Schümann, Helmuth Oberfähnrich zur See Midshipman 22   Wagner, Karl Obersteuermann Warrant Quartermaster --   Hildebrandt, Ernst Obermaschinist Warrant machinist 27   Schnitzler, Peter Obermaschinist Warrant machinist 29 * Klempner Obermaschinenmaat Machinist's mate 2cl -- * Scheidhauer, Herbert Bootsmaat Coxswain --   Goedecke, Otto Bootsmaat Coxswain 27   Eckhardt, Wilhelm Bootsmaat Coxswain 25   Elser, Siegfried Funkmaat Radioman 3cl 24   Janetzke, Werner Funkmaat Radioman 3cl 23   Pohl, Gunther Mechanikermaat Torpedoman's mate 3cl 21   Martens, Herbert Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl ---   Keller, Will Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl 23   Hilgner, Art Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl 21   Haza, Hans Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl 24 * Timmer Maschinenmaat Fireman 1cl --   Schnitz, Hans Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 2cl 20   Kuss, Helmut Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 2cl 19   Giese, Horst Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 2cl 19 * Briger, Kurt Matrosenobergefreiter Seaman 2cl --   Lange, Willi Mechanikerobergefreiter Seaman 2cl 20   van den Berg, Kurt Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl 20   Harnisch, Kurt Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl 20   Dahm, Johann Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl 21   Schmidt, Gerhardt Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl 21   Gast, Paul Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl -- * Baluch Maschinenobergefreiter Fireman 2cl --   Godry, Heinz Funkgefreiter Seaman 2cl 19 * Sandmann Funkgefreiter Seaman 2cl --   Meyer, Hermann Mechanikergefreiter Seaman 2cl 21   Burkert, Erwin Mechanikergefreiter Seaman 2cl 19   Freundlich, Erich Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl 22   Korsus, Gerhardt Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl 20   Mandelkow, Lothar Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl 19   Riedel, Alfred Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl 19   Schmidt, Karl Heinz Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl 18 * Köppel Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl -- * Hartmenn Matrosengefreiter Seaman 2cl --   Blümel, Otto Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl --
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	Name Rank U.S.N. Equivalent Age             Schoknecht, Gerhard Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl --   Peters, Willi Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl 21   Pier, Walter Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl 20   Kessler, Helmut Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl 20 * Gieringer Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl -- * Günther Maschinengefreiter Fireman 3cl --
	__________________________________________________________________________
	*  Denotes Casualty
	d. R. - der Reserve:  Reserve Officer
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	Final Report - G/24 (U-409)
	OTHER U-BOATS
	U-boats identified by number.
	U-96         U-96 belongs to the 9th Flotilla Brest.  Oberleutnant Hellrigel who took command of U-96 about December 1941 had had little success.  In spite of this, most of the crew have been decorated with the Iron Cross, first or second class; this, in connection with Hellriegel being known as the "Küstenspecialist" (coast specialist), has given rise to rumors in Brest that U-96 has carried saboteurs to enemy shores.     U-211         U-211 belongs to the 9th Flotilla, Brest.     U-214         U-214 was stated to have belonged to the 9th Flotilla, Brest, since May 1942.  Her present commander is Oberleutnant Stock, (Olt. Ruppricht Stock of 1937 A term) formerly Executive Officer under Kapitänleutnant Günther Reeder of 1935 term.  Stock assumed command when Reeder received a neck wound during an aircraft attack in the Bay of Biscay.  This first cruise was stated to have begun in May 1943.     U-303         U-303 was torpedoed by a British submarine about 4 June 1943
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	a short distance out of Toulon.  She was making deep diving tests, prior to her first Mediterranean patrol, under observation of civilian technicians.  It was stated that about five civilians and an equal number of crew members were rescued by a German minesweeper.  The commander Kapitänleutnant Karl Franz Heine was saved, while the other officers were lost.     U-371         U-371 under Kapitänleutnant Mehl was in Toulon with U-409 sometime between 11 and 29 June 1943.  U-371 left on patrol during the first week of July, but soon returned to base to make repairs to al leaking periscope gland.  She was at sea again and reported damaged near the Straits of Messina shortly before the sinking of U-409 (12 July 1943).               The 88-mm gun was removed in toulon and the gun platform on U-371 was extended for extra machine gun mounts.               Her device was described as a yellow insect with green wings, standing on a torpedo.     U-375         U-375 under Kapitänleutnant Könenkamp was in Toulon with U-409, and left on patrol at about the same time, late June 1943.  She is believed to have operated in the Western Mediterranean from 1 to 15 July 1943 sinking another ship from the convoy from which U-409 sank a ship.                Her superstructure is reported to be unmodified.
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	U-404         U-404 belongs to the 1st Flotilla, Brest.     U-407         U-407 was commissioned about the same time as U-409 (January 1942)  (O.N.I. Note:  Another source gives the date of commissioning as 18 December 1941), and they were together during the tactical exercises in the Baltic.  After making one Atlantic patrol she was transferred to the Mediterranean and up to May 1943 had made five Mediterranean patrols.  During May and June she had a long overhaul in Toulon.     U-431         U-431 left Toulon on patrol about 11 June 1943 and returned shortly before 29 June, claiming a successful patrol.               Her device was stated to be "Horrido".     U-435         U-435 left Brest on patrol during the third week of May 1943.  Her commander, Kapitänleutnant Strelow, known as the Eismeerkönig (King of the Arctic) received the Oak Leaves to the Iron Cross sometime before sailing.  (O.N.I. Note:  This U-boat was recently reported as possibly lost.)     U-441         U-441 a Flak U-boat (Fliegenklätscher) commanded by Klt. Klaus Hartmenn belonged to the 9th Flotilla, Brest.  She was converted to a Flak U-boat during April 1943.  (O.N.I. Note:  Another
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	source indicates that U-441 is a 1st Flotilla U-boat.)  She returned to Brest after her first patrol as a Flak U-boat in May 1943 with her bow badly damaged by the impact of an A/C she had brought down.     U-561         U-561 was reported in Toulon sometime between 11 and 19 June 1943.     U-565         U-565 was reported to have been in Toulon shortly before U-409 arrived there 11 June 1943.     U-617         U-617 was reported to have left Toulon while U-409 was in dock (11 - 29 June 1943) and to have returned about 15 July.  During this patrol she claimed a destroyer and a 5,000-ton freighter.  Prisoners from U-409 reported U-617 was patrolling near the Straits of Gibraltar when ordered to proceed to Sicily at the same time as U-409, but due to a shortage of potash cartridges she was forced to return to base.     U-640         U-640 was stated to belong to the 1st Flotilla, Brest.     U-754         U-754, a U-boat of the 9th Flotilla was reported in Brest when U-409 was last there (May 1943).     U-755         U-755 was reported in Toulon shortly before 11 June 1943.  In addition to the device of the 9th Flotilla, she carries
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	"Es ghet weiter".
	U-boats identified by device.
	"U" with diving U-boat
	A U-boat based at Brest was stated to have the following device:  A large "U" with a diving U-boat between the arms and with word "Ahoi" above the boat.  P/W said that this was U-Stock.  (O.N.I. Note:  Apparently U-214 commanded by Olt. Ruppricht Stock.)
	Crossed Dagger
	A U-boat with a device of crossed dagger was reported present when U-409 was supplied by Wolfbauer (U-463 now sunk) in March 1943.
	U-boats identified by name.
	Suhren
	A prisoner from U-409 stated that Korvettenkapitän Reinhard Suhren had received command of a front boat, and that the boat was undergoing trials in the Baltic in the summer of 1943.
	Lehmann-Willenbrock
	It was stated by a prisoner from U-409 that Korvettenkapitän Lehmann-Willenbrock was soon to receive command of a front boat.
	Muhs
	A prisoner from U-409 stated that Oberleutnant Harald Muhs, former I.W.O. of U-409, who left her after her fourth patrol (April 1943), now has command of a U-boat at an Atlantic base.
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