Much of this information, the data, the photos etc. comes directly from the veterans, the veterans' organizations and is the most accurate available anywhere..............most of this information is not even known elsewhere.
The 30.U-Bootflottille (30th U-Boat Flotilla) was a Frontflottille based at Konstanza, Rumania from October 1942 until October 1944.
This was that very unusual U-Flot in which six Type II-B boats were pulled from training service in northern bases, taken apart, moved by truck on the Autobahn then by barge down the Donau (Danube) River to Konstanza (Costanta), reassembled, recommissioned there and put into service on the Black Sea to attack Soviet shipping there. These six boats were:
U-9, formerly the boat of Wolfgang Lüth, destroyed dockside by Soviet aircraft
U-18, scuttled by her crew, raised by the Soviets and used for training until 1960
U-19, formerly the boat of Viktor Schutze and Joachim Schepke, scuttled by her crew
U-20, formerly the boat of Karl Heinz Möhl, scuttled by her crew
U-23, formerly the boat of OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-+-1987), scuttled by her crew
U-24, scuttled by her crew, raised by the Soviets and used for training
After these Type II boats were pulled from front service in their combat flotillas, they were used for training and so, many other Skippers commanded them during training. The Skippers listed above were combat commanders in the early days of the war. The boats were then removed from training and sent to Konstanza. Recently in 2008, U-19, U-20 and U-23 were found.
Flotillenchefs of the 30th were:
Kapitänleutnant Helmut Rosenbaum from October 1942 until May 1944
Kapitänleutnant Klaus Petersen from May 1944 until October 1944
Kapitänleutnant Schöer for a very short time in October 1944
Helmut Rosenbaum
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