S-Boats in the Kriegsmarine 1935 - 1945

War-Zones of the S-Boats

 Black Sea 1944

On 01.01.1944 in Iwan Baba six boats were available for operations - "S 26", "S 42", "S 47", "S 52", and "S 72". In Constanta in the shipyard were "S 28", "S 40", "S 45", and "S 51" - all not ready for action. With the arival of the new boats was not to count.

In January could only one operation against the Soviet ship traffic along the Caucasian coast and one minelaying operation off Tuaspe could be conducted due to bad weather.

Early February 1944 "S 40" and "S 52" got in Constanta scull-bridges (Kalottenbrücken = armoured bridges), the new boats were put together there and in Iwan Baba only four boats were ready for action - "S 26", "S 42", "S 45", and "S 49".

"S 40" with scull-bridge - Picture: Archives Förderverein

In March 1944 it came to the first operation off the Caukasian coast, in the course of which it came to a fight with Soviet gunboats. 

On 08.04.1944 the Red Army started the final attacks on the accesses to the Crimea. On 12.04.1944, two days before the Soviets occupied Feodosija, Iwan Baba was finaly given up. Since the evacuation of personnel had priority the majority of available mines, torpedoes and amunition were blown up. The flotilla transferred to Sevastopol.

On 15.04.1944 the Red Army arrived at the defence ring of the town and the boats saw themselves envisaged with enlarging danger by air attacks and fire from the artillery. Until 12.05.1944 the 1. SFltl executed escorting for the evacuation of the Crimea. On 11.05.1944 "S 28" had been damaged by an air attack. The flotilla contributed to the fact that from 12.04. to 08.05.1944 a total of 90.260 soldiers, 15.435 wounded, 11.358 evacuated, and 4.260 POWs could be transported from the Crimea to Sulima and Constanta. By air attacks some ships were sunk, 16.100 men were drowned.

During the last three evacuation days 09. to 11.05.1944 an amount of 25.697 soldiers and 6.011 wounded could be evacuated. The 1. SFltl transferred to Constanta on 11.05.1944.

In June the boats sortied several times into the sea area west and southwest of the Crimea, however, without finding targets. During this time there were 10 boats ready for actions on average.

In July transferred "S 26", "S 28", "S 40", and "S 42" to Sulima, the other boats were in the shipyard  

On 19.08.1944 were "S 26" (Lt.z.S. Silies), "S 40" (Oblt.z.S. Weisheit), and "S 72" (ObStrm. Deckert) destroyed by a Soviet air attack against Sulima. 13 men were killed in action. On 22.08.1944 "S 148" (Oblt.z.S. von Dülong) run into a mine north of Sulima and was scuttled in consequence. No personnel losses were encountered. On 23.08.1944 62 bombers, 80 fighters and ground attack aircraft conducted an attack against the harbour of Constanta, during which "S 42" (Oblt.z.S. Mohs), "S 52" (Kptlt. Kaldewey), and "S 131" (ObStrm. Gurke) were destroyed, "S 28" (Lt.z.S. Neumeier) and "S 149" (Oblt.z.S. Wülfing) were severely damaged. Three men were killed in action.

On 23.08.1944 The Romanian king deposed the Stateleader Antonescu and proclaimed the about-turn of Romania. The Admiral Black Sea (Admiral Schwarzmeer = ASM) ordered the 1. SFltl to opperate against Soviet units, which could sortie from the areas already in Soviet hands. "S 51", "S 49", "S 45", and "S 47" left harbour, the boats "S 28" and "S 149" being not ready for action were scuttled.The personnel of the base struggled through to area in German hands by lorries.

Since no orders arrived from ASM any more for the 1. SFltl it transferred to Varna/Bulgaria. After Bulgaria declared its neutrality, they scuttled the last four S-boats - "S 51" (Kptlt. Seevers), "S 49" (Lt.z.S. Bucher), "S 45" (Oblt.z.S. Lutherer), and "S 47" (Lt.z.S. Behrens) on 29.08.1944 off Varna. On 30.08.1944 the remaining about 200 German vessels which had retrieted to Bulgaria scuttled. The crews of the four S-boats were interned but could with Bulgarian consence escape from the camp and struggle through via Sofia, Belgrade, and Vienna to Saßnitz were they arrived on 21.09.1944 and formed the trunk for the new 1. SFltl.

With that the war at sea in the Black Sea ended.