Thanks to the shooting of the film "U-571" here in Malta, the German Submarine that bore that number has now become a household name. There is no doubt that the authenticity of the models built here in Malta, the expertise of the film crews and modern technology will all help to impress upon the international audience a feeling of realism that would make the story credible.
U-571 'made in Malta' enters Grand Harbour
However, the reality is far from what the filmmakers would have us believe. In his excellent article "How Hollywood Sinks The Royal Navy" (Sunday Times, May 9, 1999), John A. Mizzi recounts how the first 'Enigma' machine fell into the hands of the Royal Navy and how the true protagonist was U-110. There was absolutely no American involvement in this historic event which eventually had such dramatic consequences on the course of WWII.
The scope of this article is to identify the true U-571 and, more specifically, to focus on the career of its first commander who was a winner of the coveted 'Knight's Cross'.
The real U-571 was a Type VIIC U-boat laid down on 8 June 1940 at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg. It was commissioned on the 22 May 1941.
Its first commander was Kapitänleutnant Helmut Möhlmann who was succeeded by Oberleutnant Gustav Lüssow in May 1943. The boat carried out a total of eleven patrols and sunk a total of seven ships (47,134 tons) and damaged a further three (25,052 tons). Its operational bases were Kiel (May 1941 to August 1941) and La Pallice, France (August 1941 to January 1944), in both cases as part of the 3rd U-Boot Flotilla. U-571 was sunk on 28 January 1944 west of Ireland, in position 52.41N, 14.27W, by depth charges from an Australian Sunderland aircraft (RAAF-Sqdn 461/D). The entire crew of fifty-two men, including Oblt. Gustav Lüssow, was lost.
Type VIIC U-Boat
The type VIIC boat was a slightly modified version of the successful VIIB. It basically had the same engine layout and power, but was slightly larger and heavier which made it not quite as fast as its predecessor. It had five torpedo tubes (four at the bow and one at the stern) which were installed in all but a few boats.
The VIIC was the workhorse of the German U-boat force in World War Two from 1941 onwards and boats of this type were being built throughout the war. The first VIIC boat to be commissioned was U-69 in 1940. The VIIC was an effective fighting machine and was seen in almost all areas where the U-boat force operated.
The VIIC came into service when the "Happy Days" (the period when German U-Boats controlled the seas) were almost at an end and it was this boat that faced the final defeat to the Allied anti-submarine campaign in late 1943 and 1944.
Perhaps the most famous VIIC boat was U-96 that is featured in the film "Das Boot".
Technical information
| Displacement (tons) 769 sf / 871 sm - 1070 total | Speed (kts) 17 - 17.7 sf / 7.6 sm |
| Length (m) 67.10 oa / 50.50 ph | Oil Supply (tons) 105.3 / 62.1 / 113.5t max |
| Breath (m) 6.20 oa / 4.70 ph | Torpedoes Mines 14 - 26 TMA |
| Draught/ Height (m) 4.74 / 9.60 | Crew 44 - 52 |
| Power (hp) 2800 - 3200 ehp sf / 750 ehp sm | Max Depth ca. 220 m |
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, ph = pressure hull, oa = overall, hp = horsepower.
Korvettenkapitän Helmut Möhlmann
Helmut Möhlmann was born in Kiel on 25 June 1913 and died in Prien am Chiemsee on 12 April 1977.
Möhlmann started his naval career in April 1933. He served on the light cruiser Nürnberg and, in the first months of the war, undertook a few patrols on the torpedo boat Luchs. In April 1940 he was transfered to the U-boat force. For three months he commanded U-143, a Type IID training boat. In May 1941 he was commissioned to the type VIIC U-boat U-571.
He operated mainly in the Northern Atlantic, but also in the Arctic Sea. His fourth patrol was his most successful; during one week he sank two ships (over 10,000 tons). He handed over U-571 to Oberleutnant Gustav Lüssow in May 1943, following which he
attended a course at the Naval Academy in Berlin. From September 1943 to December 1944 he served on the BdU (U-Boat command) staff. From December 1944 to the end of war Helmut Möhlmann was the commander of the 14th Flotilla at Narvik, Norway.
Throughout his U-Boat career, Möhlmann participated in a total of eight patrols (total 343 days at sea) and was responsible for sinking a total of seven Allied ships (47,134 tons).
Möhlmann's rank list in the Kriegsmarine was as follows:
| 23/09/1933 | Seekadett | (Sea Cadet) |
| 01/07/1934 | Fähnrich zur See | (Junior Officer Cadet) |
| 01/04/1936 | Oberfähnrich zur See | (Senior Officer Cadet) |
| 01/10/1936 | Leutnant zur See | (Ensign) |
| 01/06/1938 | Oberleutnant zur See | (Junior Lieutenant) |
| 01/04/1941 | Kapitänleutnant | (Senior Lieutenant) |
| 01/04/1945 | Korvettenkapitän | (Lieutenant Commander) |
| After the German surrender he spent more than four months in captivity. From July 1960 onwards he served in the West German Bundesmarine, occupying several staff positions. For more than four years he served as naval attaché at the German embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He retired as Fregattenkapitän in March 1970.
His decorations and the respective dates of award were as follows: |
| 06/06/1939 | Spanienkreuz in Bronze | (Spanish Cross, Bronze Grade) |
| 16/11/1939 | Eisernes Kreuz, II Klasse | (1939 Iron Cross 2nd class) |
| 01/12/1941 | Ubootskriegsabzeichen | (U-Boat War Badge) |
| 01/12/1941 | Eisernes Kreuz, I Klasse | (Iron Cross 1st class) |
| 16/04/1943 | Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuz | (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) |
| 16/09/1944 | U-Boots-Frontspange in Bronze | (U-Boat Comabat Clasp, Bronze Grade) |
3 Unterseebootsflottille "Lohs" - Frontflottille (Combat Flotilla) from September 1939
U-Flotilla "Lohs"* was founded on 4 Oct, 1937 under the command of Kptlt. Hans Eckermann and existed until December 1939. The flotilla was re-established as the 3rd Flotilla in March 1941 with its base in Kiel. In October 1941 the flotilla was moved to La Pallice and later to La Rochelle (France). In August 1944 the last U-boats left the base for Norway and the flotilla was disbanded in October 1944. Until 1939 it operated Type IIB boats but later employed
Type VIIB, VIIC and VIIC41 boats. A total of 110 boats served in this unit.
The Flotilla emblem
The Flotilla Commanders were:
10.37 - 12.39 Kptlt. Hans Eckermann
03.41 - 07.41 Korvkpt. Hans Rösing (Knight's Cross Winner)
07.41 - 03.42 Kptlt. Herbert Schulz (Knight's Cross Winner)
03.42 - 06.42 Kptlt. Heinz v. Reiche (deputy)
06.42 - 10.44 Korvkpt. Richard Zapp (Knight's Cross Winner)
(*Oblt. z. S. Johannes Lohs was during WWI Commander of UC-75 and UB-57. For a total of fifteen patrols he sank seventy-six ships (total 148,677 tons) and the British sloop HMS Lavender (1,200 tons). He died on 14 Aug 1918, when his UB-57 was sunk by a mine.)
Sources:
Dörr, Manfred "Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Bootwaffe" (Band 2. K - Z) Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück, 1989 (ISBN 3-7648-1759-3)
Rainer Busch/ H.-J. Röll "Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945" (Band 1-Die deutschen U-Boot-Kommandanten) E. S. Mittler Verlag Hamburg (1996 ISBN 3-8132-0490-1)
uboat.net - The U-Boat War 1939-1945 (http://uboat.net/) by Gudmundur Helgason
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