1st U-boat Flotilla
The 1st U-boat flotilla (German 1. Unterseebootsflottille) also known as the Weddigen flotilla, was the first operational U-boat unit in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy). Founded on 27 September 1935 under the command of Fregattenkapitän Karl Dönitz,[1] it was named in honor of Kapitänleutnant Otto Weddigen. Weddigen, a U-boat commander during World War I, died on 18 March 1915 after his submarine U-29 was rammed by the British battleship HMS Dreadnought in the North Sea.[2]
1st U-boat flotilla | |
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Active | Raised 1935, Dissolved 1944 |
Country | Nazi Germany |
Branch | Kriegsmarine |
Type | U-boat flotilla |
Base | Kiel, Brest |
Nickname(s) | Weddigen flotilla |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Fregattenkapitän Karl Dönitz |
The flotilla at first only consisted of U-9, a Type IIB boat commissioned on 21 August 1935. Later, boats U-1 to U-12 were included in the flotilla, but U-1 to U-6 were only used as training boats and were attached to the U-boat training school in Neustadt.[3] Originally based in Kiel from September 1935-May 1941, it was moved to Brest, France in June 1941. In September 1944, the flotilla was disbanded and its remaining boats were distributed to other flotillas.
Flotilla commanders
Duration | Commander |
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September 1935 – October 1936 | Kpt. z. S. Karl Dönitz |
October 1936 – September 1937 | Kpt. z. S. Otto Loycke |
October 1937 – September 1939 | Kptlt. Hans-Güther Looff |
September 1939 – December 1939 | Kptlt. Hans Eckermann m.d.F.b. |
January 1940 – October 1940 | K.Kapt. Hans Eckermann |
November 1940 – February 1942 | K.Kapt. Hans Cohausz |
February 1942 – July 1942 | Kptlt. Heinz Buchholz i.V. |
July 1942 – September 1944 | K.Kapt. Werner Winter |
U-boats assigned to the flotilla
Notes and references
- 1. Unterseebootsflottille Archived 16 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Uboatnet.de. Retrieved 21 July 2006.
- 1st Flotilla. Uboat.net. Retrieved 21 July 2006.
- Gordon Williamson. Wolf Pack: The Story of the U-Boat in World War II, Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-84176-872-3
External links
- uboat.net – comprehensive website dedicated to U-boat history.