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Much of this information, the data, the photos etc. comes directly from the veterans, the veterans' organizations and is the most accurate available anywhere..............much of this information is not even known elsewhere.
 

TYPE BUILDER LAUNCHED
II-B Deutsches Werft (Kiel) 14 Nov 1935
     
COMMISSIONED FELDPOST Nr. SUNK
 3 Dec 1935 M25322  2 May 1945
     
SUNK BY LOCATION SUNK POSITION SUNK
her crew Wilhelmshaven  

                    No men lost

Commanders of U-17 include:

LAST NAME FIRST NAME RANK FROM TO OTHER BOATS COMMENTS
Fresdorf   Kplt   3 Dec 1935      
Behrens Udo KK   Nov 1939   June 1940 U-7, U-16 and U-24  
Rigele Hermann FK Training   U-10, U-31, UD-1 and UD-3  
Stiebler Wolf KK Training   U-8, U-21, U-61 and U-461  
Wollschläger   Kplt Training   UC-1, UC-2 and U-721  
Schultze Wolfgang Kplt Training   U-512  
Bartsch   Oblt zS Training   U-18  
Collmann Herwig Kplt Training   U-562  
Jeppner-Haltenhoff Harald KK Training   U-24  
Schmidt K.  H. Oblt zS Training   U-37, U-1103 and U-3529  
Sitek   Oblt zS Training   U-981  
Baumgartel   Oblt zS Training   U-142  
Heydemann Ernst Oblt zS Training   U-269  
von Reiche   KK Training      

U-17 was attached to the U-Bootflottille Weddigen and had several Feindfahrten (war patrols) in the North Sea as well as a mine laying operation off Dover on 5 September 1939.  On 26 April 1940 U-17 rescued the crew of a downed German plane off Norway.  In May 1943 U-17 was transferred to the 22nd U-Bootflottille, a training flotilla, and was a schulboot (school boat) for the rest of the war.

On 2 May 1945, she was scuttled by her own crew in Wilhelmshaven in Operation Regenbogen (Rainbow) against orders.

                  SHIPS SUNK BY U-17 (Behrens commanding)

DATE NAME NATION TYPE GRT
 2 Mar 1940 RIJNSTROOM Netherlands Freighter    695 tons
 5 Mar 1940 GRUTTO Netherlands Freighter    920 tons

 

SS RIJNSTROOM SS GRUTTO

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SPECIAL NOTE; MORE INFORMATION - There is much more information on this boat and others in our book "The Rare Types".   CLICK HERE for more information on this boat.

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Many thanks to our friend and Sharkhunters Member since 1987 GEORG HÖGEL for all the conning tower emblems used in our monthly KTB Magazine and also here on the pages of our website.  GEORG was radioman aboard U-30, the first boat into combat, the first to sink a ship (the liner ATHENIA) and the first into an occupied French port.  When that Skipper (Lemp) took command of U-110, GEORG was one of the former crew to transfer to the new boat under Lemp.  After the war, he was Professor of Art at a major German university.