U-9 - 5th War Patrol

Translation by Jerry Mason with the help of Andi Forster

Departed	Date	Arrived	Date	Days at Sea
Wilhelmshaven	4 April 1940	Kiel	24 April 1940	21

 

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Ships Hit

None

Note:  The positions in the table above and in the Google Earth patrol summary are derived from the KTB and in many cases do not match those set forth in authoritative references such as Jürgen Rohwer, Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two or the Uboat.net website.  The goal here is to present the picture relative to the U-boat and not the absolute position that the ship was attacked or sank.

 

This KTB uses the depth notation "depth T = xx meters"  Under this scheme, the actual depth was twice the depth given after T = so for example, if the KTB entry read "depth T = 50 meters, the actual depth was 100 meters.  This was intended to hide the actual depth for security purposes. This notation was used from about January 1940 to December 1941.  In these KTBs, depths written without using "T =", for example "dived to depth 35 meters" were not so disguised.

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			K  r  i  e  g  s  t  a  g  e  b  u  c  h    " U  9"
			Kommandant:  Oberleutnant zur See    L  ü  t  h.
			Beginning:       20 March 1940
			Concluding:     24 April 1940.
				© U-boat Archive 2025 - all rights reserved

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

	- 1 -
		20.03.40	Wilhelmshaven	Boat ready to depart.
		20.00	U-boat Base
		21.03. - 02.04.40		Lay in readiness.
				Training.
		04.04.40	U-boat Base
		11.00		Ready for sea.
		11.00	1st Entrance	Cast off, put to sea with anti-aircraft escort.
			NNE 2, overcast
		13.35	Lightship "Fritz"	Transit to Route Green.
		15.00	Route Green	Transit at 11 knots.  Directly ahead 2 Vorpostenboote in sight in line abreast 80 meters distance,  Passed between them.
			Fog, Vis. 500 meters
		20.00	Route Green
			SE 2, fog
		24.00	Route Green
			SE 3-4, fog
		05.04.40
		04.00	Route Green
			EDE 4, Vis. 2000 meters
		05.00	Exit of Route Green
		07.00	E 5	Dived , after balancing the boat put it on the bottom in depth T = 24 meters [actual depth 48 meters].
		12.00	AN 3871	Day's run:  230 nm, 3 nm
		20.40	SSE 3, Vis. very good	Surfaced, transit to operations area.
		24.00	AN 3761
			SSE 2
		06.04.40
		04.00	AN 3475
			E 2
		08.00	AN 4637
			SSE 4
		12.00	AN 4343	Day's run:  144 nm, 4 nm
			S 7, cloudy
		13.04	AN 4372	Dived.
		20.00 - 22.00	AN 4372	Passed 5 fishermen.
		20.04	Twilight	Surfaced.
		20.05	SW 7	Crash dive for fisherman, which was not distinguished in the periscope in the twilight in the seas.
		20.30		Incoming Radio Message, that code word "Hartmut" is in effect.
		22.00		Surfaced, continued on.
		24.00	AN 2875	4000 ton steamer sighted in shooting position.
				Was not allowed to shoot.

	Sun and Moon Data 04.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 05.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 06.04.40

	- 2 -
		07.04.40
		04.00	AN 2815
			S 6
		08.00	AN 2345
			S 7-8
		09.00	AN 2345	Dived.
			S 7
		12.00	AN 2318	Day's run:  100 nm, 40 nm
		16.00	AN 2312
		20.00	AF 8777
		21.53	AF 8774	Surfaced.  Transit to waiting station.
			S 8, Vis. good
		22.30	AF 8775 Waiting station	Reached the center of the waiting station.
		24.00	AF 8770	Back and forth in position.
		08.04.40
		04.00	AF 8770	Passed an American 4000 ton steamer course for Bergen.
			S 6, Vis. good
		08.00	AF 8770
			SW 5-6
		11.43	AF 8778	Crash dive, aircraft from the SW, afterwards 4-5 depth charges detonated, however at great range.  Up to 12.00 hours still 8 distant depth charges.
			W 5-6, Sea 5
		12.00	AF 8778	Day's run:  70 nm, 20 nm
		14.00	W 6, partial overcast	Surfaced, took a sun navigation fix.
		15.00		Dived.
		21.00	N 7, overcast	Surfaced.
		22.12		Incoming Radio Message:  U-9 immediately to intermediate position.
				Proceeded.
		23.00	AF 8775	Incoming Radio Message:  U-9 to final position.
				Proceeded.
		24.00	AF 8784
			N 6, Vis. medium
		09.04.40	Final position.
		04.00	AF 8797 lower-right	Reached final position.  Inner beacons burn, outer beacon extinguished.
			Holmengrå entrance to Sojefjord
		06.38	Final position	Norwegian 2000 ton steamer sighted arriving in Fensfjorden.  In the course of the day sighted:  2 steamers arriving at Hellisøy, 3 steamers in the inner archipelago coming out of Bergen.
			N 8, Vis. very good
				In all 6 times crash dived for aircraft.
		12.00	Final position	Day's run:  54 nm, 20 nm
		17.50		Crash dive for aircraft.

	Sun and Moon Data 07.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 08.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 09.04.40

	- 3 -
		continued
		09.04.40
		18.28		Many loud detonations heard, must be German aircraft attacks on part of the English fleet off Bergen.  Range about 30 nm.  Surfaced to observe better.
		20.00	W 7, Vis. very good
		10.04.40	Final position	Back and forth in position on the port diesel.
		07.00 - 08.00	N 4, Vis. medium, rain showers	4 steamers on northerly course within the archipelago.
		10.41		Crash dive for aircraft.
				Visibility through the periscope about 15 nm.
		14.00	N 4-5, overcast, Vis. good	Surfaced.
		15.50	Sea 3-4	Crash dive for aircraft, at KF to LF back and forth in position, according to the Sea State.
		19.50	N 5-6	Surfaced.
		24.00	N 4, Vis. good
		11.04.40
		04.00	N 2, Vis. good
		09.00		Crash dive for aircraft.
		12.30	S 4-5	Surfaced.
		13.40	S 5, Vis. medium	Crash dive for aircraft.
		19.40	S 6-8, misty, driving snow, Vis. bad	Surfaced.
				The inner beacons are now only seen at 2000 meters.
		24.00	S 8, squalls	When moving back and forth stayed a bit further from land because of low visibility.
		12.04.40
		04.00	SSE 8-9, at times driving snow	During the darkness drove up to the north of Utvær.
		12.00	S 6, misty	Boat is positioned in the vicinity of Holmengrå because in the bad visibility the entire area cannot be seen and here is the most prominent objective point in the archipelago which the enemy can also make out in this weather.  In low visibility weather there must be two boats between Utvær and Holmengrå to be able to monitor the entrance to Sojefjord.
		12.18		Crash dive for aircraft.

	Sun and Moon Data 09.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 10.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 11.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 12.04.40

	- 4 -
		continued
		12.04.40
		12.25		Surfaced.
		12.42		Crash dive for aircraft.
		13.35		Surfaced.
		15.15	S 5, Vis. moderate	Crash dive for aircraft.
				Remained submerged to work on the torpedoes.
		xx.3x	SSW 4	Surfaced.
				We still have 11.5 cbm fuel oil of 21 cbm.  In the Sea State and the current here the boat consumes too much fuel moving back and forth.  Also the boat cannot search even in the protection of the archipelago because then the monitoring of the area is too uncertain and above all the boat can no longer reach shooting position in time.
		24.00	SSW 2-3	Today for the first time the inner beacons are extinguished.  In the calm weather in darkness charged with uncoupled engines to finish faster and save fuel.
		13.04.40	Final position	1000 ton steamer steered course 60° into the archipelago and ran o a southerly course in the inner archipelago.
		06.45	S 5	Dived, observed the steamer.  Seems small and harmless, had Norwegian flag set.
		07.30	S 5	Surfaced.
		07.56	S 6, Vis. bad	Dived, to be able to hear better.
		12.20	S 6, Vis. bad, rain	Surfaced.
		12.22		Crash dive for 2 aircraft.
		12.28		Surfaced.
		12.50	Vis. bad	Crash dive for aircraft.
		19.40	SSE 9, squalls, driving snow	Surfaced.
		24.00	SSE 8, squalls,m Vis. 1500 meters	We went close to Holmengrå Island, so that it bears 180°T and steamed against the sea.  Overnight we continually stayed in sight of the island, so as not to lose touch.
		14.04.40	Final position
		04.00	SSW 4-6, rain, misty
		06.30		Incoming Radio Message from B.d.U.:  . . . . enter Bergen . . . .  Entry was previously ordered generally by Korsfjorden.
				Proceeded to Bergen.

	Sun and Moon Data 12.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 13.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 14.04.40

	- 5 -
		continued
		14.04.40
		08.00	AN 2419
			SSW 3, rain, Vis. bad
		08.48	AN 2443	Crash dive for aircraft.
		09.04		Surfaced.
		11.50	AN 2481	Crash dive for aircraft.
		12.00	AN 2481	Day's run:  45 nm, xx nm
		12.22		Surfaced. "U-14" appears 3000 meters astern.
		12.48	AN 2484	Crash dive for aircraft.
		13.00		Surfaced.  Entered Korsfjorden. From Børnestangen entered Bergen behind patrol trawler.
				2 German aircraft in sight.  Recognition Exchange.
		16.00	Bergen	Entered.
				Made fast alongside "BREMSE".
				Began taking over fuel and provisions.  In the morning English aircraft were here.  MG C/30 was manned. Boat was ready to submerged with aircraft attack.
		19.00	Rain, Vis. bad	Boat received:  fuel, water, distilled water, provisions.  No alkali cartridges.  Departed behind Vorpostenboot.  Departure report via "KARL PETERS" to B.d.U.
		23.00	Korsfjorden	Took course north to new position square 8250.
		24.00	AB 2481
		15.04.40
		04.00	AN 2413	Transit to Frohavet.
			SW 2-3
		06.30	AF 8791	Dived to depth T = 15 meters [30 meters].  Filled the battery with distilled water.
		08.00	AF 8767
			E 3
		12.00	AF 8761	Day's run:  120 nm, 6 nm
		15.20	AF 8737	Surfaced.
		15.23		Crash dive for aircraft.
		15.47		Surfaced.
		16.01	AF 8734	Crash dive for 7 aircraft.
		19.55	AF 8731	Surfaced.
			NE 4, overcast
		24.00	AF 8466
			NE 3, Vis. good
		16.04.40
		04.00	AF 8279	Transit to Frohavet.
			NE 5

	Sun and Moon Data 14.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 15.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 16.04.40

	- 6 -
		continued
		16.04.40
		08.00	AF 8255
		08.55	AF 8255	Dived.
			NE 7
		12.00	AF 8253	Day's run:  92 nm, 30 nm
		13.50	AF 8253	Surfaced.
			NE 7
		14.45	AF 8237	Dived.
		16.00	AF 8237
		20.00	AF 8232
		21.09	NE 7, Vis. good	Surfaced.
		24.00	AF 5977
		17.04.40
		04.00	AF 5955
			ENE 3-4
		05.24	AF 5952	Recognition Signals exchanged with U-60.
			Vis. good
		07.00	AF 5937	Boat coming from the south.  Accept that it is U-14.
		07.50	AF 5938	In position, dived.  After the Halten Lighthouse is in sight and checking ship's position I want to enter Frohavet submerged, were my new waiting station is.
			ENE 3, Vis. good
		12.00	Frohavet	Day's run:  108 nm, 20 nm
			AF 5939
			NE 4, clear
		12.53		Dived, worked on the torpedoes, back and forth in position in Frohavet.
		21.19	SE 1, Vis. good	Surfaced.
		24.00	Moonlit night	Lay stopped.  Charged the battery.
		18.04.40	Frohavet
		04.00	W 1, twilight
		05.30		Dived.
		12.10	SW 4, partly low clouds	Surfaced.  Passed U-26 entering.
		13.00	Vis. bad against aircraft	Dived.
		15.12		Surfaced.  Passed "U-14" outbound.
		15.40		Dived.
		21.30	W 2, rain	Surfaced.  Charged the battery.
		21.43	AF 5938	Incoming Radio Message:  Begin return transit to Kiel.
				Began return transit.
		24.00	W 2, rain

	Sun and Moon Data 16.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 17.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 18.04.40

	- 7 -
		19.04.40
		04.00	AF 5957	Transit to Kiel.  Course in the direction of the Shetlands, to get clear of the coast and to avoid the air surveillance.  In the vicinity of the Shetlands I will meet more of the enemy.
			W 2, Vis. medium
		08.00	AF 8232
			NNW 3
		11.40	AF 8251	2 smoke clouds in sight on the coast at the level of Romsdalsfjord.  Closed. Quickly shifted out to the south.
			NNE 3, Vis. very good
		11.55	AF 8243	2 mastheads in sight to the SE.  Closed.  Shifted out to the W.  Tried to maneuver ahead at AK.  Enemy ran 2-3 knots faster, therefore angled in to identify the enemy.
		12.00	AF 8243	Day's run:  128 nm
		13.16	AF 8245	Sent Reconnaissance Signal:  2 light cruisers square 8250 medium speed westerly course.  Cruisers proceeded in line ahead formation without escort.
		13.40	AF 8245	Reconnaissance Signal:  The reported enemy warships out of sight in square AF 8176.
		15.40	AF 8195	Passed "U-14", which surfaced in the vicinity.
			NE 6
		20.00	AF 8419
			NNE 8, partly cloudy, Vis. medium
		22.08	AF 8444	Crash dive.  A vessel comes up quickly from astern,  Suspect U-boat and in fact U-51 must be in the vicinity.  In the periscope in the breaking darkness nothing more found.
			Twilight
		23.08	AF 8444	Surfaced.
			Moonlit night
		24.00	AF 7666
			NNE 8, bright moonlit night, Vis. good
		20.04.40
		04.00	AF 7687
			NNE 7
		06.30	AF 7915	Dived, steered course SW at listening speed.
			NE 7-8
		08.00	AF 7915
		12.00	AF 7942	Day's run:  162 nm, 18 nm
				Sounds of 2 vessels heard bearing 270°.  Shifted out to the NE.  Headed for it.
		12.34	AF 7945	Because nothing is seen in the heavy seas, I gave the boat strong negative buoyancy, to be ready to crash dive and surfaced on course NW, to be better able to distinguish the vessels.  30° to port, 3000 meters away 2 destroyers in line ahead formation in sight with bow right target angle 10°.  Course 70°.  Crash dive.  Before shooting I see the two destroyers once more, with target angle 10°, the target angle 60° and finally target angle 80°.  Boat was no longer balanced and so was difficult to hold in the seas, especially since
			NE 6, Sea 6, heavy Swell, Vis. medium

	Sun and Moon Data 19.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 20.04.40

	- 8 -
		continued
		20.04.40		the boat can mostly run only at LF and the boat could only be held at HF.
		12.48	AF 7945	Double shot with 2 G 7e (in tube 3 there was a G 7a) on the trailing destroyer.  Range = 700 meters, target angle 100°, enemy speed 15 knots, aim point forward 30 meters aft 30 meters.  Destroyer had 1 mast, 1 smokestack and belonged to the JERVIS destroyer class or former large Polish destroyer.  Boat cut under after the shot, after 48 seconds heavy detonation (shoting range = 720 meters) which immediately turns into a brighter and louder second detonation, as if a boiler exploded.  Only one destroyer is still heard in the listening gear which stopped immediately afterwards.  Boat went to KF, with this settled deeper, because there is not more than 3 hours air in the regulating tank, the boat settled to depth T = 40 meters [80 meters].
				In the next half hour the 2nd destroyer stopped 3 times and proceeded again with the engines.
		13.15		Sounds were fainter, far off in northeasterly direction.
		13.45		Surfaced to search the shooting location.  Masthead in sight in the SE.  Gave up the search for the shooting location and closed the steamer, matched speed and maneuvered ahead.  In the bow room in the meantime the torpedo from reserve storage was loaded.
		16.00	AF 7899	Steamer steered 220° for Kinnaird Head about 6.5 knots over ground and steered zigzags of 20-30°.
			NNE 4-5, Sea 4, Swell
		17.37	AF 7899	Miss on steamer from target angle 70°, enemy speed 8 knots at range = 500 meters.  I wanted to shoot the 2nd shot at target angle 90°.  Due to the Sea State the entire ship was first seen at the shot and was recognized as the Italian Steamer of the type "SILVIN TRIPCOWICH" 2500 tons.  Lightly loaded.  As a result G 7a secured.  Shooting data was carefully matched, the range was so close that a miss was unlikely.  After 12 minutes the torpedo detonated at the end of the running track.  Torpedo must have not detonated or steered too deep.
		20.00	AN 2211
		20.30	Vis. good, N 4	Surfaced, transit to Kiel.
		24.00	AN 2245
			N 5
		21.04.40
		04.00	AN 2737	Surface attack is only possible at long range.
			N 3, bright moonlit night, Vis. good
		07.30	AN 2849	Dived.
		12.00	AN 2881	Day's run:  140 nm, 18 nm
		12.20	NW 2, high clouds	Surfaced, to renew the air.

	Sun and Moon Data 20.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 21.04.40

	- 9 -
		continued
		21.04.40
		14.24	AN 4343	Dived.
			Vis. very good
		16.00	AN 4338
		22.xx	AN 4338	Surfaced.
			NW 2, Sea 0-1, very bright moonlit night
		24.00	AN 3176	Only submerged attack is possible.
		22.04.40
		04.00	AN 3461
			[illegible weather]
		06.15	AN 34xx	Crash dive before aircraft from direction [illegible line of text]
			[illegible weather]
		08.00	AN 3496
		12.00	AN 3499	Day's run:  117 nm, xx nm
		12.14	N 3, clear, [illegible weather]	Surfaced.
		135x	AN 3814	Crash dive before [illegible few words].
		16.00	AN 381x
		1x.57	AN 384x	Surfaced.  Continued on.
		20.06	AN 387x	Enemy drifting mine ahead.  Reported by Radio Message.
				Many [illegible few words].
		24.00	Route Green
			[illegible weather]
		23.04.40
		04.00	Route Green
			[illegible weather]
		x0x.35		Recognition Signal exchanged with Vorpostenboot.
		07.28		Dived.  Boat put on the bottom [illegible depth].
		12.00		Day's run:  130 nm, 15 nm
		12.10		Sound heard, shifted out to the north.
		12.25		Surfaced.  1 Mine Search Flotilla abeam.
		15.00	Route Green	4 Vorpostenboot 6 nm abeam.
		16.00	NE 5, cloudless
		19.30	Helgoland abeam
			NE 4
		21.30	Lightship N abeam.	Ran in behind the mine escort in the Elbe.
		23.30	Cuxhaven abeam	Requested [navigation] measures by Morse message.
		24.00	Elbe	Beacons were extinguished again.  Aircraft alarm.

	Sun and Moon Data 21.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 22.04.40
	Sun and Moon Data 23.04.40

	- 10 -
		24.04.40	Brunsbüttel Locks	Transit through the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal.
		01.30
		08.xx	Kiel, Tirpitz Mole	Made fast.
			E  x  p  e  r  i  e  n  c  e  s.
			I.) The area between Holmengrå and Utvær, the entrance to Sojefjord, cannot be monitored by one boat alone with bad weather and bad visibility, the boat arrives late especially for attack. II.) Arrival in Bergen by day is dangerous.  Safe supply is only possible in darkness. III.) Many alkali cartridges could be saved by air renewal by frequent brief surfacing. IV.) Sea State 6 together with heavy Swell is the limit for good depth control with a small boat.             I believe with certainty that the shot destroyer had sunk, since 1) The shot must have been a hit from the low range. 2) The destroyer with a depth setting of 4 meters and Zone Setting -4 was undershot and by MZ-detonation flew into the air.   I do not believe there was a failure, since 1) Detonation followed after 48 seconds = shooting range 720 meters, corresponding to the estimated range of 700 meters. 2) the detonation turned into a second, lighter, brighter, as if a boiler exploded, 3) before the detonation the radioman and the Watch Officer clearly heard sounds from 2 vessels; after, and during the short listening pursuit, only the sounds of one destroyer were heard. 4) in the case of an early detonator, the detonation of the 2nd torpedo would probably have to be heard as well. The two torpedoes were released with a time difference of 8-9 seconds.

Sun and Moon Data 24.04.40

 

	Enclosures to U-9's KTB - click on the text at left to proceed to the document
Torpedo	Torpedo firing reports

 

	Comments of the Befehlshabers der Unterseeboote.
	The sinking of a destroyer is accepted [illegible few words - perhaps with a high probability].
		Signed in draft
		for the Befehlshabers der Unterseeboote.
		- the Chief of the Operations Department -

 

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