RCAF423 Sqdrn and U-311

I am seeking anybody who may know if the following are still alive:

Crew:

F/Lt F. G. Fellows - died Jan 1 2009
Sgt. E. G. Dyer
FO R. G. Scott
FO H. Niblett
FO H. M. Calvert
WO J. Carslake
WO S. Cowan
Sgt R. Guiver
Sgt T. H. Edwards
Sgt R. Oliver
Sgt G. Stevenson


These brave men of 423 sqdrn were aboard a Canadian Sunderland on April 24, 1944 when they attacked a U-boat off the coast of Ireland. They were based out of Castle Archdale

They were first credited with the sinking of U-311, but the records were later changed in 1986 to claim that they attacked and only inflicted severe damage to U-672.

I have in my possesion, what I believe to be sufficient evidence to have the story changed back to it's original version and would prove that it was indeed U-311 they encountered that day, and not U-672.

Anyone who may hold any info on U-311, U-672 or any of the airmen in question, please contact:

john_picken2002(at )yahoo.com

 

Welcome John.

Was a family member part of the crew that initiated your research?

 

John, here is MY file on U 311. No mention as you see of attack / sinking by 423 Sqdn. Will look into it :

U 311
Type: VII.C, ocean-going, fitted with Hohentwiel radar.
Constructor: Flenderwerft, Lubeck.
Armament: 14 Torpedoes, 1 x 88mm, 1 x 20mm.
Commissioned: 23.3.43. Operational: November, 1943.
Service Life: 13. Operational Life: 4. Patrols: 2.
Theatre: Atlantic. Sank 1 m/v (10,342 grt); Shot down Fortress of
206 Sqd. RAF Lagens, on 12.3.44. Departed: 9.3.44, Brest; for waters
West of UK. Last Action: 24.4.44, 1.U-Flotille, while attempting to
attack HMS Biter (CVE) sunk by HMCS Swansea (FF Cdr C.A. King) of
9th. SG, and HMCS Matane (FF) of 7th. SG, in position 52.09N 18.07W,
West of Ireland. The Commander and all the crew were lost.
Commander: KL J. Zander 03.43-04.44.
M/V attacked/damaged/sunk : Seakay(S), (Zander).

Regards Sadsac

 

Welcome John.

Was a family member part of the crew that initiated your research?


I am the grandson of F.G. Fellows.

 

John,
Welcome to the forum and I wish you well in your quest.
The Coastal Command, as we have said before on the forum, received little acknowledgement for their fine achievements.
I hope that your grandfather was able to pass over a few of his memories to you before he passed away.

Regards
Tom

 

John, here is MY file on U 311. No mention as you see of attack / sinking by 423 Sqdn. Will look into it :

U 311
Type: VII.C, ocean-going, fitted with Hohentwiel radar.
Constructor: Flenderwerft, Lubeck.
Armament: 14 Torpedoes, 1 x 88mm, 1 x 20mm.
Commissioned: 23.3.43. Operational: November, 1943.
Service Life: 13. Operational Life: 4. Patrols: 2.
Theatre: Atlantic. Sank 1 m/v (10,342 grt); Shot down Fortress of
206 Sqd. RAF Lagens, on 12.3.44. Departed: 9.3.44, Brest; for waters
West of UK. Last Action: 24.4.44, 1.U-Flotille, while attempting to
attack HMS Biter (CVE) sunk by HMCS Swansea (FF Cdr C.A. King) of
9th. SG, and HMCS Matane (FF) of 7th. SG, in position 52.09N 18.07W,
West of Ireland. The Commander and all the crew were lost.
Commander: KL J. Zander 03.43-04.44.
M/V attacked/damaged/sunk : Seakay(S), (Zander).

Regards Sadsac




The reason I am debating the "official' account of that day is beacuase:


1) I have a copy of my grandfather's flight log with details of the attack.

2) I have in my possesion a funeral card for a sailor by the name of Rudi Fiola, crew member of U-311, the funeral card lists the death date of April 24, 1944, the same day of the attack by my grandfather.


3) The eyewitness account states the following:

A sighting in April was the squadron's first in more than six months. It came early in a creepingline-
ahead search by Flight Lieutenant F. G. Fellows and his crew of "A"-Able on the afternoon of the
24th. Visibility was unlimited when skipper Fellows saw what he thought was a wake. He increased
the airspeed to 140 knots while the second pilot trained his binoculars on the spot and confirmed the
discovery. A U-boat was ploughing along on the surface about sixteen miles dead ahead. The first
phase of the struggle was one of jockeying for position, as the U-boat, now five miles away, began
trying its utmost to outmanoeuvre and remain ''stern towards" the Sunderland, meanwhile popping
away ineffectually with its heavy artillery. Fellows kept turning with the U-boat until he came
between it and the sun, whereupon he began his more-or-less straight-in attacking run. At a range of
1200 yards the bristling snout of the Sunderland went into action with its four fixed and two turret
guns. Some 1500 to 1600 rounds were directed to such good effect that the enemy batteries were
silenced for the final 300 yards of the bombing run. Up to this point "Able" had taken numerous hits,
but its captain, concentrating on an accurate attack, held his evasive action to a minimum, making
only slight deviations of course.
The Sunderland tracked directly over the still-surfaced U-boat, dropping six depth charges at 60-
foot intervals. As the rear gunner, with his guns fully depressed, saw the U-boat enter his sights and
pressed the firing buttons, there was a violent explosion. (It was later presumed that the blast had
originated from the premature detonation of No. 4 depth charge, which had possibly struck the
submarine's hull.) The force of the upheaval was enough to render airborne everything in the kite that
wasn't nailed down. Floorboards, I.F.F. set, crockery, crew— and eggs—were the ingredients of a
new and messy kind of omelette. The rear gunner was knocked unconscious, while the wirelessoperator-
mechanic was thrown from his perch in the astrodome and momentarily dazed. All electrical
circuits were made unserviceable, the R/T cable was severed, wing seams were opened, and the port
flap was made useless. Also, as was later learned, the airframe was twisted and the rear turret
damaged. The principal damage, however, was to the elevators, which were now functioning so
poorly that all the strength and skill of the captain and the second pilot were needed to counteract the
aerodynamic forces affecting the aircraft. Extremely tail-heavy, the Sunderland favoured a climbing
attitude, and "even though trimmed fully nose heavy, still required pressure on the control column to
remain straight and level. The entire crew had eventually to be stationed forward of the main spar in
order to effect the desired balance.
While the aircraft was being brought under control, the results of the attack were being watched as
closely as circumstances would allow. Several seconds after the drop, a brownish pool appeared just
behind the U-boat, which was stern down and listing somewhat. Of the U-boat itself nothing more
was seen, as it took two or three minutes for the damaged Sunderland to climb to a convenient
reconnoitering altitude and turn back to the position of the attack; in that interval the enemy had
disappeared, leaving a sizeable patch of oil but no wreckage. Both visual and photographic
confirmation of the attack's accuracy and immediate aftermath were precluded by the blast from the
premature explosion, which had severed the rear-facing camera leads after the second exposure and
knocked out the only crew members who could otherwise have seen the results. Consequently, the
assessors' initial verdict was "damaged" only. Evidence was later brought forward, however, which
offered conclusive proof that the submarine, U311, had been destroyed in this attack.


The report states that the Short Sunderland flown by F.G. Fellows which attacked a surfaced U-Boat on April 24th, 1944 did not sink U-311 as previously reported but actually attacked and damaged U-672. It is now recorded that U-311 was actually sunk on April 22, 1944 by 2 Canadian warships. In my opinion, I believe that the original report is in fact the correct one. Two things lead me to believe this. Firstly I've spoken with my grandfather, F.G. Fellows about the attack, I also have a copy of his flight log, which contains a record of the attack, Secondly I've have the death card for a German sailor, Rudi Fiola, who was reportedly a member of the crew of U-311. The date reported for his death is April 24th, 1944.

What evidence is there to indicate that U-311 was actually sunk 2 days earlier?

The submarine that attacked HMCS Matane and HMCS Swansea undoubtedly remained submerged during the attack and since there were no survivors, it can safely be assumed that it never surfaced after the attack. Therefore there is no hard evidence to identify the the submarine which was attacked on that day.

Additionally looking at the patrol of U-672 (Feb., 24 - May 12, 1944), records indicate that there were no men lost from U-672 during this patrol." This runs contrary to the description of the attack carried out by F.G. Fellows on April 24th. The report states that the surfaced U-Boat opened fire on the Sunderland after which, once within range the Sunderland returned fire, silencing the AA defenses of the submarine. I think it's reasonable to assume that this return of fire caused casualties amongst the subs crew not to mention the detonation of the bombs dropped by the plane, with one of the depth charges actually striking the U-Boat itself.. There obviously had to be some casualities on the sub on April 24, 1944.
The information on U-672 states:

U-672


Type

VIIC

Ordered20 Jan, 1941
Laid down24 Dec, 1941Howaldtswerke, Hamburg (werk 821)Launched27 Feb, 1943
Commissioned6 Apr, 1943Oblt. Ulf LawaetzCommanders6 Apr, 1943 - 18 Jul, 1944 Oblt. Ulf LawaetzCareer4 patrols6 Apr, 1943 - 30 Sep, 1943 5. Flottille (training)
1 Oct, 1943 - 18 Jul, 1944 6. Flottille (front boat)
SuccessesNo ships sunk or damagedFateSunk 18 July 1944, in the English Channel north of Guernsey, in position 50.03N, 02.30W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Balfour. 52 survivors (No casualties).



As you can see..zero casualaties listed, which as I stated before, would be hard to believe given the fact that the Sunderland silenced the subs guns within 300 yards..(no time for anybody to take cover at so close range one would suppose), also the depth charge explosion obviosly would have killed anybody on top easily, never mind the damage it would do to the sub...


I would be most interested hearing escpecially from anyone who may have had a family member involved with either 423 sqdrn, u-311, u-672, Canadian frigates HMCS Matane and HMCS Swansea or anybody who may help shed light to this mystery.

 

John,
Welcome to the forum and I wish you well in your quest.
The Coastal Command, as we have said before on the forum, received little acknowledgement for their fine achievements.
I hope that your grandfather was able to pass over a few of his memories to you before he passed away.

Regards
Tom


Thanks Tom.

Yes, he was, I am trying in his memory to get the facts corrected. My grandfather told me that he indeed did attack U-311 that day. He went on to work for the Canadian embassy at the pentagon during the Cuban missle crisis, and retired a Lt/Col and CO of North Bay Bomarc base.

 

Here is a copy of the flight log for the day in question.

 

This is a copy of the funeral card for sailor Rudy Fiola, given to me by his family.

 

JOHN, most interesting `summary' of attack on U-boat. Find here MY file on U 672 - seems that IF she was attacked by A/423 then she managed to get away. No great surprise as it often happened that because a UB was ON THE SURFACE then the explosions of D/C's would maybe have blown the boat UP & OUT of the water the damage to hull etc being `softened'. Know this to have happened in other cases (U 373) !! Seems however that 672 was sunk by HMS BALFOUR as the rescue of the crew of 672 proves. Will have further `looks'.

Keep On, Keeping On !!! Sadsac

U 672
Type: VII.C, ocean-going, schnorkel equipped (June, 1944).
Constructor: Howaldst-werke, Kiel.
Armament: 14 Torpedoes, 1 x 88mm, 1 x 20mm.
Commissioned: 6.4.43. Operational: September, 1943.
Service Life: 15. Operational Life: 9. Patrols: 3.
Theatre: Atlantic. On 24.4.44, attacked by Sunderland A/423 Sqd.
RCAF Lough Erne, (Flt Lt F.G. Fellows) in position 50.36N 18.36W
with 6 DC's, extensively damaging U 672. Departed: 6.7.44, St.
Nazaire; for Channel area. Last Action: 18.7.44, 6.U-Flotille,
scuttled after attack by HMS Balfour (FF L.Cdr C.D.B. Coventry) in
position 50.03N 02.30W, North of Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK.
The Commander and 51 crewmen being made POW.
Commander: OL U. Lawaetz 04.43-07.44.

 

I do know that there was both a great amount of both diesel fuel and oil on the surface afterwards, don't know if this helps shed light or not.

I have also found these references:

The Type VIIC boat U-311 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

The Type VIIC boat U-672 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

One of the most puzzling is this one:

U-Boat Crew Lists

You will notice the different death dates and locations, which just add to the confusion.

List for U-672 U-Boat Crew Lists

 

Hi John, welcome to the forum.

Considering the loss of U 311, this boat was in a better position than most to protect its self from air attack, the reason being that in the active radar field the Germans had available the 43-cm Hohentwiel radar set (adapted from an aircraft radar and functioned quite adequately). Two boats which had been equipped with Hohentwiel in March 1944 - U 743 and U 311 found that they were able to pick up attacking aircraft at ranges of between 10,000 and 12,000 metres, they could thus man and range their guns in good time and in one or two instances managed to open fire before actually sighting the aircraft.

The radar showed the exact direction and range of the attacking aircraft thus making it possible to decide whether or not it was making a direct line for the boat and if so, whether diving was practicable.

The presence of the Hohentwiel radar sets also contributed to the gradual disappearance of the defensive attitude shown by one or two U-boat commanders.

FuMO-61 Hohentwiel
Beginning March 1944, this set began to be installed on Type VII and IX U-boats. This was adapted from the Luftwaffe FuMG-200 Hohentwiel radar which was fitted on the Focke-Wulf FW200 Condor. It had a range of 7,000 meters against surface vessels and 20,000 meters against aircraft.

I have it that U 311 (KL J. Zander) was lost on 22 march 1944 South West of Ireland in 52 09N - 19 07W - HMCS Matane (Commander A F C. Layard) and HMCS Swansea (Commander C A. King)

Hope this is some help

Regards
Peter

 

Tom ,
I think we have been in contact in the past - you sent me a photo of yourself and your grandfather - unfortunatley I lost in when a rather nasty virus destroyed my hard drive.
( The joys of a teenage daughter on "Limewire".)

I have sent you an email.

I am extremely sorry to learn of your grandfather's death on New Years day - a few months ago I learned that Roy Pinder's death from cancer - this annoyed me greatly , Roy was a great man.

The KTB of U-311 would be central to the incident - the malfucntion of the bomb release gear and premature detonation of a DC almost killed them.
Your grandfather deserves credit for bringing them safe home to Archdale.

I would once again extend my very sincere regrets on the death of your grandfather .



Above Mr Gerry Fellows ( wearing siode cap) - "passing the can" to Bruce Whitney , who took over his crew when Gerry's tour was complete.

 

Sorry, I did not receive the email, could you kindly send again?

 

U311researcher,

Have you the official German version of the sinking, which should be detailed at the German U-Boat Archive?

I remember seeing a documentary on divers finding a sunken U-boat off the coast of New Jersey several years ago.
This resulted in History being rewritten!

I wish you well on your quest.

Regards
Tom

 

U311researcher,

Have you the official German version of the sinking, which should be detailed at the German U-Boat Archive?
Tom

This may be it, U-Boat archive, Cuxhaven

uboat.net - Museums, Memorials and Graveyards - U-Boot-Archive in Germany

 

I also knew Gerry Fellows, we were next door neighbours for about a dozen years. All of my family were very sad to hear of his passing. I've spoken with John about this an have been helping him with the research into the 311- 672 question.

Last night I emailed the very kind and helpful people at uboatarchive.net to see if they may have any info. Today I received scans from the Kreigstagbuch of U-672 which I think prove conclusively that this boat was indeed attacked by John's Grandad. I've been attempting to translate the text with some sucess but perhaps someone who is fulent in German wouldn't mind taking a crack at it.

I believe that this page refers specifically to the attack in question. These are the comments I received from Jerry at uboatarchive.net. (Jerry is a retired US Navy officer who I believe was also a pilot with ASW duties in a S3b).

It is clear from U-672’s KTB, a few pages of which I have attached, that she underwent a devastating attack within about 15 nm and 8 minutes of the attack by Fellow’s aircraft.Given the uncertainty in navigation of both U-boat and aircraft, this is a match. I don’t read German but I believe that in describing the location of the bombs, the U-boat may have been struck directly and the detonation occurred in the air instead of the water. When this occurred, it often caused damage to the aircraft consistent with that described in the book you cite. In the KTB the U-boat goes into great detail about the damage caused by the attack but is able to make repairs and continue operations. The attack was Incident # 6051 and was originally assessed by the Admiralty as B. That means Probably sunk. U-311 was thought to be the victim because that boat did not return to port. Below is the pertinent data from the aircraft attack a list of incidents I have. [ U-311 SQ 423 (RCAF) B 24-Apr-44 11:47 GMT 50 36N 18 36W 6051 ] The position of the U-boat was given in the KTB as BE 2281 which equates to 50 23N 18 23W and time 1339 which is 1139 GMT. I am less certain of the fate of U-311. The attack by HMCS Matane and HMCS Swansea was originally assessed as F meaning Insufficient evidence of damage but this boat was in the same area as the attack (AL90), quite a ways north of where U-672 was operating.



I have several other pages from this book should they be of interest.

 

Stig would be delighted if you might be able to post up some more from the KTB.

 

[/quote]Above Mr Gerry Fellows ( wearing siode cap) - "passing the can" to Bruce Whitney , who took over his crew when Gerry's tour was complete.[/quote]


Thank you for posting that pic!