S-Boats in the Kriegsmarine 1935 - 1945

War-Zones of the S-Boats

Aegaen Sea 1943 - 1944

Mid of August 1943 there were the two boats assigned to the 3. SFltl, "S 36" (ObStrm. Ahlers) and "S 55" (Oblt.z.S. Weber), which had been sent from Northafrica to Salamis into the shipyard.

Early November "S 55" becam clear for action again and took part in the action "Unternehmen Leopard" - the landing of German troops on the island Leros on12.11.1943. 

On 12.12.1943 covered "S 55" and "S 36" a troop transport from Piräus to Samos on minelayer "Drache" together with the torpedoboats "TA 14" and "TA 15" and the clearance boat (Räumboot) "R 211". On the march back Italian prisoners of war were transported to the  mainland. The unit entered Piraeus harbour on 14.12.1943. Thereafter transitted "S 55" and "S 36" into the Adriatic Sea.

Early December 1943 had "S 54" (Oblt.z.S. Schmidt) arrived at Salamis. "S 54" covered various troop and material transports, so allso on  20.12.1943 a troop transport to Samos, from 22. to 24.12.1943 a coal transport to Greece, on 25. to 27.12.1943 a convoy of the steamers "Sabine", "Susanne", and "Petrella" and some Siebel-ferries from Saloniki to Piraeus. 

Therafter "S 54" lay interrupted clear for action in Salamis for weeks. During this time she occasionally carried out covering tasks. On 22.04.1944 "S 54" run into a mine and could only with difficulties be tugged to Saloniki. The damages were so grave that the boat was never repaired again. On 08.09.1944 she was decommissioned and on 31.10.1944 at the surrender of Saloniki she was blown up.

On 01.11.1943 the 24.SFlt (Kptlt. Meyer, H.J.) had been formed. The first assigned  boats were Italian loot-boats of type MS, these had been built by Lürssen in 1936 to 1938 for Yugoslavia and taken by the Italians on 17.04.1941 at Tiwat and commissioned as boats of type MS.

Initial assignments:

"S 511" had deserted to the German side on 19.09.1943. On 04.12.1943 it was attacked by seven Beaufighter-aircraft off Makronisi. Since it had to take heavy hits it was sat on the beach. There it was destroyed. Two men fell.

On 25.01.1944 "S 601" und "S 603" were to transit from Salamis to Korfu. On "S 603" all main engines fell aout, so that it had to sail on marchmotor. Shortly befor arrival of the island Korfu on 27.01.1944 the boats were attacked by Spitfire-fighters. "S 601" shot one aircraft down. Both boats had taken many hits. On "S 601" fell two men, one man was wounded; on "S 603" there were two severely and two slightly wounded, under them also the commanding officer.

On 22.02.1944 "S 601" and "S 603" departed from Korfu. Shortly after passing the harbour barriers ther occurred a carburettor-fire with fire in the ship. Shortly after extinguishing the fire there was another carburettor-fire with fire in the ship. The repairs lastet for some days. During the trial sail on 26.02.1944 there happened another carburettor-fire. Two men were wounded. On 14.03.1944 exploded on "S 603" the march motor at starting it. One man was severely and two men slightly wounded. The boat had taken heavy damages. All main engines had fallen out. With help of "S 601" which partly tugged the mishap "S 603" could transit to Patras from 23.03. to 29.03.1944.

On the same day "S 601" carried out an action against the partisans on the islande Oxia. In its course was a motorsailer loaded with gasonlinbarrels blewn up. The next day "S 601" together with a motorsailer and "MAL 12" transported German troops to the island, in order to search for partisans, however, without finding any.

In September 1943 the 21. SFltl (Kptlt. Wuppermann, from 01.03.1944 Kptlt. Grasermann) had been formed in Eckernförde. It had LS-Boote being assigned to it. On 01.05.1944 the flotilla arrived at Athens with the first four boats - "LS 7" (ObStrm.Schipke), "LS 8" (ObStrm. Klaiber), "LS 92 (ObStrm. Huckebrink), "LS 10" (ObStrm. Breitschuh). The boats had, however, first to be made clear for action.

The commander 1. S-Div. intended to bring the boats from Korfu into action against Allied convoys in the Otranto-Straits. Shortage in covering forces led the Admiral Aegaeis to using the four boats also as covering forces during daytime. In July 1944 the four boats were laying at Rhodos, than three boats at Phaleron - "LS 8" was laying aKB at Leros. In the second half of Juli 1944 the boats transited back and forth between Phaleron, Arteni, and Piraeus, preparations for a base on Korfu started.

"LS 7" in the Aegaen Sea (Pictures: Archives P. Schenk)

End of Juli 1944 the flotilla got with "LS 11" (StbsObstrm. Henseleit) its fifth boat. The sixth boats, "LS 12", was still performing trials in Germany, was delivered on 12.07.1944 and prepared for transport to the Aegaen Sea but came not there due to the development of the military situation. It was stopped in Yugoslavia and came to the torpedo trials establishment as a trials boat. It became Soviet warloot.

On 01.10.1944 operated "LS 7", "LS 9", and "LS 10" from the island Leros. "LS 8" and "LS 11" were for repair of damages in the shipyard at Athens.

On 10.10.1944 "LS 8", "LS 9" und "LS 11" were blewn up off Athens-Phalkeron because of the retreatment from the Aegaen Sea. "LS 10", the only seaworthy boat, joined a convoy to Saloniki. Off the harbour of Volos "LS 10" was hit by a bomb on 14.10.1944 and sank. 

The flotilla personnel started their march to the north on 12.10.1944. It was assembled on 18.10.1944 near Skopje by the 22. Mountain Corps (XXII. Gebirgskorps). 74 men with special training for S-boats could get home with a JU 52 upon recommendation, 200 men remained in land combat.

"LS 7" undertook a remarkable trip on its own to the northern Adriatic Sea. In sailing aroung a mine barrier the boats run into a sandbank near the island Grado on 13.10.1944. The crew disembarked and fought their way through to the base Palmanova. On 14.10.1944 the boat laying high on the sand was destroyed by British fighterbombers.

On 15.12.1944 FdS applied for disbanding of the 21. SFltl.