U-756 - 1st War Patrol

Translation by Jerry Mason with the help of Ken Dunn, Rainer Kolbicz and Andi Forster

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			Commissioning	Copy No. . . 4 . .
		K  r  i  e  g  s  t  a  g  e  b  u  c  h
		=======================
		"  U  756  "
		========
			Kommandant:	Kapitänleutnant     H  a  r  n  e  y
			Copies to:
			6. U-Flottille                   B.d.U.                   2. A.d.U.-Boote                   O.K.M.	Copy No. 1 " 2 " 3 " 4 and 5
			Enclosures:
			None
				Beginning:  30.  December 1941,
				Ending    :  14.  August 1942.
				© U-boat Archive 2020 - all rights reserved

Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB

		30.12.41	Wilhelmshaven	Commissioning at the Kriegsmarinewerft
		31.12.41 -		Took over the boat from the shipyard, fitting out, degaussing, and compensation.
		03.01.42
		04.01.42 -		Transfer to Kiel.
		05.01.42
		06.01.42 -	Kiel	U.A.K. trials
		24.01.42
		25.01.42 -		Education duties due to ice impediment.
		17.04.42
		18.04.42 -		Transit to the East, to Cape Arkona under escort from "KMS SCHLESIEN".
		20.04.42
		21.04.42 -	Hela	Agru -Front training.
		04.05.42
		05.05.42 -	Rönne (Bornholm)	Sound trials.
		09.05.42
		10.05.42	Hela	Agru - Front training, transit to Danzig.
		11.05.42	Danzig	Transit to Gotenhafen.
		12.05.42 -	Gotenhafen	T.E.K. - trials.
		13.05.42
		14.05.42 -		D.W.K. - Gotenhafen.
		17.05.42
		18.05.42	Danzig	Transit to Danzig.
		19.05.42		U.A.K. - test run to Hela.
		20.05.42 -		Torpedo firing with the 25. U-Flottille.
		31.05.42
		01.06.42 -	Gotenhafen	Tactical training with the 27. U-Flottille.
		10.06.42
		10.06.42		Transit to Danzig.
		11.06.42	Danzig	Transit to Königsberg.
		11.06.42 -	Königsberg	At the U-boat base.
		14.06.42
		15.06.42		Begin final adjustments and overhaul at Schichau yard
		24.07.42		First sea trial.

		27.07.42		2nd sea trial.
		01.08.42 -		Transit via Swinemünde for Rönne (Bornholm).
		03.08.42
		04.08.42	Rönne	Sound trials.
		05.08.42		Transit to Kiel.
		06.08.42 -	Kiel	K.M.W. because of noise from the diving planes.
		12.08.42
		13.08.42 -		Arming.
		14.08.42
				Kapitänleutnant and Kommandant

		K  r  i  e  g  s  t  a  g  e  b  u  c  h  "  U  756  "
		===============================
		Kommandant:  Kapitänleutnant Harney   (Reconstruction by BdU)
		1942
		15.08.42	Kiel	Put to sea with orders to proceed to AL 22.
		19.08.42		To U-756:  On 20.08.42 at 08.00 switch to Ireland circuit.
		22.08.42		Request for weather report.
		23.08.42		Request for weather report and ordered to proceed to AK 39.
		24.08.42
		08.23	AE 5219	From U-756:  AE 87 east side heavy patrol cordon with air.  North-south.  Sighted during breakthrough.  117 cbm.
		25.08.42
		18.36		Radio message from BdU:  . . . . . Harney . . . . . form Group "Vorwärts".  In order mentioned with economical speed occupy patrol line from AK 3765 to 6629.   Depth 20 nm.
		31.08.42		U-756 reports smoke cloud AK 0213 upper-right.
		01.09.42
		00.15		U-756 reports:  Driven off by destroyers during day attack. Depth charges without damage.   Chasing after.   Last location convoy 24.00 hours quadrant AK 3771.   General course 70 degrees, 7 knots, about 20 steamers, 8 destroyers and escorts.
			The boat made no further reports, message requesting position of 3 September remains unanswered.  It is probable that the boat was lost at the convoy.
			Effective 3 September 1942 to 22.10.42 U-756 is missing - one star, on 07.03.43 missing - two stars.  A total loss must be accepted.
				For the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote
				- The Chief of Operations -

	Sun and Moon Data 31.08.42
	Sun and Moon Data 01.09.42

Note: the position on 24 Aug at 08.23 (AE 5219) plots off the NE coast of Iceland and therefore must be in error.  U-411 recorded the position in this radio message her KTB as AS 5219.  This is a disguised grid square and with the method of disguising grid squares in use at the time, the AS and 5 are substituted and the 219 is correct.”  The most likely square given a SE course passing through AE 87 towards AK 37 and ending in 219 is AL 2219.  This is also the same square that U-756 was ordered to make for when she departed on patrol so it is reasonable that the breakthrough was considered to have been achieved when it was reached and is a likely position from which to send the breakthrough message.

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