Kriegsmarine Destroyer Escort vs. U-Boats: U-505, 515, 546, 858

[Erik Krogh]

In anticipation of Gordon's new book "U-Boats vs. Destroyer Escorts", I am posting a grouping I recently acquired which belonged to a Radarman on the United States destroyer escort USS Pillsbury (DE-133). Pillsbury was a member of several hunter-killer groups formed around "Jeep" carriers, most notably Task Group 22.3, which sunk U-515 and captured U-505. Pillsbury also participated in sinking U-546 and the capture of U-858.

I am personally interested in U-505, which I first visited as an 8-year-old at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and which sparked a lifelong interest in U-Boats. U-515 is also interesting particularly because of Werner Henke's tragic story.

Following are some highlights of this rather large grouping.

Task Group 22.3's Presidential Unit Citation for the capture of U-505:

Edited May 12, 2008 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

USS Pillsbury

[Erik Krogh]

U-505 from the Pillsbury

[Erik Krogh]

Looking down on U-505 from the Pillsbury

[Erik Krogh]

Another shot looking down on U-505's conningtower from the Pillsbury

Edited October 27, 2007 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

U-546 survivors aboard the USS Guadalcanal (Jeep carrier)

[Erik Krogh]

Fragment of a life raft used by crewman from U-546. The Pillsbury crew must have cut the raft into strips and given them out as souvenirs. The grouping came with this fragment as well as the following one.

Edited October 27, 2007 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

Second fragment of a life raft used by crewman from U-546.

[Erik Krogh]

U-858 Surrenders off of Cape May, New Jersey on May 14, 1945. Note the two blimps overhead and the two destroyer escorts, one of which is the USS Pillsbury:

[Erik Krogh]

New York Times account of the U-858 surrender

[Erik Krogh]

U-858's kommandant, Thilo Bode, in captivity. Interesting to note that Bode was 1WO on U-505 under Kapit?nleutnant Peter Zschech.

Edited May 12, 2008 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

U-858 crew:

[Erik Krogh]

New York Times account of the capture of U-505. All participants of Task Group 22.3 did an outstanding job of keeping the capture quiet from June 4, 1944 until the story was finally revealed to the public after war's end. This clipping from the NYT is dated May 17, 1945.

[RichardT]

In anticipation of Gordon's new book "U-Boats vs. Destroyer Escorts", I am posting a grouping I recently acquired which belonged to a Radarman on the United States destroyer escort USS Pillsbury

Nice group Erik. I picked up Gordon's book yesterday at my local book store. Haven't had a chance to sit down with it yet.

Richard

[Erik Krogh]

A letter containing the personal impressions of Radarman Wenger regarding the sinking of the Destroyer Escort USS Frederick C. Davis by U-546.

Edited May 12, 2008 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

Page 2 of the letter.

[Erik Krogh]

Although not part of the original grouping above, I just picked up these two interesting items from the 1982 U-505 crew/Task Group 22.3 reunion in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry U-505 exhibit. First is a tile made especially for the reunion, with many crew member's signatures including Hans G?beler, Otto Dietz, Heinz Kohlmann, Werner H?nemann, and Albert Weinhold. Unfortunately, some of the signatures are so smudged that it is difficult to determine the name of the signer.

[Erik Krogh]

Also included in this new acquisition is a signed U-505 exhibit souvenir book. The participants have signed on the back cover of the book. In addition to the U-505 crew members mentioned above, several U.S. Navy Task Force 22.3 members have signed including Lt. Commander (later Rear Admiral) George W. Casslemann, CO of the Pillsbury, and Ensign Fred Middaugh of the USS Guadalcanal boarding party. Also signing are some U-Boat veterans not associated with U-505, including Oberleutnant Ernst Schmidt of U-133, U-345, U-821, and U-1231.

[Erik Krogh]

Here is a picture of the reunion taken from the book "Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-Boat War in the Atlantic". The reunion took place on September 9, 1982.

[Sprocket]

A number of years ago I was putting together a package for aviation artist Robert Taylor to do a painting of the capture of the U-505. I had rounded up Hans Goebeler, plus one other crewman, and several of the U.S. crew from the boarding party. It would have been a wonderful painting, and subsequent limited-editioned print, but in the end the publisher turned it down because many years before somebody did a POSTER of it. I know that Robert could have outdone a poster any day... now these men are all but passed on. I miss seeing Hans at militaria shows... he was a real gentleman.

Bob