Submarine U-234

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#1

I hope no one has posted this before

On 25th March 1945 U-234 left Kiel for Japan. U-234 was build as a Mine-Layer boat Type XB (See: http://uboat.net/types/xb.htm ) and then rebuilt as a Subtransporter.

It carried 240 tons of important freight for Japan. For Example an complete Me-262 Jet-Fighter, Parts of a V-2 rocket, drawings and 560 Kilogram of Uranium Oxyde 235)

There where also some German VIP’s on board (e.g. Genaral Kessler, Luftwaffe, Dr. Heinz Schlicke etc.) and 2 Jap’s; Genzo Shoji and Shinchiro Tomonaga, specialized on planes, rockets and u-boats. They where introduced by german scientist into german weapons.

The boat has an accident with another u-boat in the skagerrag and has to be repaired in Kristiansand. After repair, it left Norway on 16th April 1945 now for Japan.

Kapitänleutnant Fehler learned about the german surrender on 10 May 1945. He beliefed in a trick by the allies and dived with his boat. Then decided to sail to hallifax after another german submarine nearby also gets the doenitz-order to surrender to the allies.

The two japans on board committed suicide with luminal and where buried at sea. The americans know about the heavy and secret freight on U-234 and so they intercepted the boat on their way to hallifax. So on 14th May 1945 U-234 surrendered to USS-Sutton (see article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:U-234NewsPaper1.jpg )

The 560 kilogram of U-235 on board where more then the USA have produced in the whole Manhattan project and it ist necessary for nukes.

The amircan hisorian Robert K. Wilcox beliefes that the german U-235 was used for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs because the americans could not have produced it in such a short time.

Feel free to discuss

Ben

Also see:

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-234
Http://www.spiegel.de/sptv/special/0,1518,230670,00.html
http://www.uboat.net/U-234

#2

It is extremely unlikely that the whole cargo of uranium oxide was U235-containing. The Germans did not have facilities to separate U238 from U235 on that scale.

#3

Perhaps as relevant they had 500kg of the stuff - and once you’ve got that far building a bomb is a matter of a few weeks work for any vaguely competent weapons team. It might have taken the Germans rather longer, but they would have got there. Depending on enrichment, bomb design, etc. that would be enough for 10 nuclear weapons - so they were highly unlikely to send that to Japan at that stage in the war!

#4

Benjamin-Synopsis of some of my research shows:
That amount of uranium oxide contained about 3.5 kilos of U-235. That is about 1/5th-1/3rd the amount needed to make a nuclear bomb. The material certainly found its way to Oakridge but there is no way of knowing specifically what device it was used in.

The Japanese had a substantial amout already gleaned from scouring China for their nuclear research facility in North Korea. They had developed gas centrifuges to refine uranium back in the 1930s. The Germans got into that technology about 1942. The benefit was the lack of heavy water needed. Decrypts of messages point to Germany/Japan transfering this technology and material in 1943-44. When Italy capitulated in 1943 a sub with uranium oxide bound for Japan was surrendered in South Africa.

Also on board the U-234 was lots of cargo. Cargo containers were built to fit in the original mine shafts forward, midships and astern. Four cargo containers were carried topside. 240 tons of cargo were loaded for departure March 25,1945. Cargo included three crated Messershmitt Me-262 jet fighters and an ME-163 rocket-propelled fighter, Henschel HS-293 glider-bomb, extra Junkers jet engines, 10 canisters of uranium oxide, a ton of diplomatic mail, and over 3 tons of technical drawings, plus other technology (torpedo, fuses, armor piercing shells, etc.) Passengers were 9 high technical officers (one general) and civilian scientists.

U-129 and U-195 had delivered 12 V-2s to Japan in 1944. U-859 sunk in 1944 was carrying uranium.

#5

The sole reference found so far revealed that it was U-219 instead of U-129.

U-195 sailed from Bordeaux for Asian waters on 21 August 1944 under the command of Oberluetnant Steinfeld. Amongst her cargo were parts of 12 dismantled V-2 rockets for the Japanese military. U-219 also carried part of the same V-2-rocket consignment. Both U-boats arrived at Djakarta in December 1944. These two U-boats are also thought to have carried Uranium oxide requested for Japan’s atomic bomb project by General Toranouke Kawashima in July 1943. The signals requesting Uranium were part of PURPLE decrypts which have since been declassified by the United States.

Reference for this atomic bomb project can be found in the book “Japan’s Secret War” by Robert K Wilcox.

Source

No reference found on http://www.ubootwaffe.net/index.html and http://uboat.net/index.html

#6

21 August 1944:
The U-195 departs Bordeaux, France. She carries mercury and lead, steel, uncut optical glass and aluminum in her keel for Japan and spare torpedoes and a spare propeller for the U-boat base at Penang.

Source

More:
http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature3.html
http://www.u-boote-online.de/dieboote/uindex-gr.html

#7

I think I transposed numbers there, but a pair of U-boats did haul a dozen V-2 to Nippon-Go in mid-44. :slight_smile:

#8

More references would be welcomed.

#9

Twas the U-195, a Type IXD, and the U-219, type VII, that deliverd V-2 to Jakarta 12/44. The U-219 was turned over to the Imperial Navy to become the I.505. The U-195 became the I.506. There were something like 98 known attempts or successful voyages to Japan so we can only imaging what goodies were sent.

See:
Lenton, H.T.
German Submarines Vols. 1 & 2
Macdonald & Co., London, 1965

Of course there is probably stuff on the web abou this. I seek out past published sources and don’t rely much on the web for information I can trust. Perhaps uboat.net has some more.

#10

Just as a related aside - which way round did these voyages run - East or West or both? I notice mention of South Africa so I guess at least East?

I presume even if a (much shorter) pole route were navigable, the Bering Straits would be denied by the US and USSR? It’s one hell of a journey without friendly ports on the way too - unless the odd South American or African country was obliging?

They probably met up with a re-fuelling Sub downroute somewhere.

#11

I haven’t looked up all the many boats involved in the voyages but the cruise reports of the ones I have reflect the Cape of Good Hope route and sailing across the Indian Ocean.

#12

Benjamin wrote:

It carried 240 tons of important freight for Japan. For Example an complete Me-262 Jet-Fighter, Parts of a V-2 rocket, drawings and 560 Kilogram of Uranium Oxyde 235)

There where also some German VIP’s on board (e.g. Genaral Kessler, Luftwaffe, Dr. Heinz Schlicke etc.) and 2 Jap’s; Genzo Shoji and Shinchiro Tomonaga, specialized on planes, rockets and u-boats. They where introduced by german scientist into german weapons.

Twitch wrote:

Also on board the U-234 was lots of cargo. Cargo containers were built to fit in the original mine shafts forward, midships and astern. Four cargo containers were carried topside. 240 tons of cargo were loaded for departure March 25,1945. Cargo included three crated Messershmitt Me-262 jet fighters and an ME-163 rocket-propelled fighter, Henschel HS-293 glider-bomb, extra Junkers jet engines, 10 canisters of uranium oxide, a ton of diplomatic mail, and over 3 tons of technical drawings, plus other technology (torpedo, fuses, armor piercing shells, etc.) Passengers were 9 high technical officers (one general) and civilian scientists.

Is it me or would it have been very crowded on board!!!

#13

This and many other boats were converted for cargo use exclusively. The information is out there.

#14

Thank you! I would imagine that to go one way with any frequency, there’d be compelling reasons to go that way all the time.