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Allied Warships
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The Radio crew
Radio operator on board of U-124
Left below the Enigma machine, in front of the operator is 200 Watt transmitter. Behind his head is a Telefunken receiver and a long wave receiver to catch the signals on the 600 mtr frequency.
The radio-crew on the several types
| Oberfunkmeister (Senior Radio Petty Officer) |
Funkmaat (Radio Petty Officer) |
Funker (Funkgast) (Radio Operator) |
|
| Ranks |
Stabsoberfunkmeister Oberfunkmeister Stabsfunkmeister Funkmeister |
Oberfunkmaat Funkmaat |
Funkhauptgefreiter Funkobergfreiter Funkgefreiter |
| I A | - | 2 | 2 |
| II A/B/C/D | - | 1 | 1 - 2 |
| VIIA | - | 2 | 2 |
| VIIB | - | 2 | 2 |
| VIIC (1939 - ~1943) |
- | 2 | 2 |
| VIIC (~1944 - 1945) |
- | 2 | 3 - 4 |
| VIID | - | 2 | 2 |
|
IXC (1939 - ~1943) |
- | 2 | 2 |
| IXC (~ 1943 - 1944) |
- | 2 | 3 |
|
IX-IXC (~ 1944 - 1945) |
1 | 1 | 2 - 3 |
|
IXD (1940 - ~ 1943) |
- | 2 | 3 |
| IXD (~ 1943 - 1945) |
1 | 1 | 2 - 3 |
| XIV | 1 | 1 | 2 - 3 |
| XXI but also usual |
- 1 |
2 1 |
4 4 |
| XXIII | - | 1 | 1 |
|
|
|
(As you can see, the radio operators on all 4 photos wear the headset only on the right ear, because they have to listen with the left ear for commands given inside the U-boat.) | |
The training of the radio crew
- Basic military training in a Schiffsstammabteilung (naval boot camp)
- General radio training on the Marine-Nachrichtenschule Aurich (naval radio school)
- U-boat radio course on the Marine-Nachrichtenschule Flensburg-Mürwik
- General U-boat course in the Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision Gotenhafen (U-boat training division)
- Some special courses for hydrophone and radar detecting devices
Radio operator in the small radio room of a type II U-boat
The duty of the radio crew
Schedule:
The day between 0800 hrs and 2000 hrs was divided in three four-hours watches. The 12 night hours were divided
in two six hours watches. So the night watch time changed every day for the two men of a watch. The daily duty time was twelve hours.
Duties:
- - sending and receiving of the radio traffic
- coding and encoding of radio messages
- using the hydrophone devices
- detecting enemy radar's
- using own radar devices
The radio crew also was responsible for medical duty if there wasn't a doctor on board and for the most part they wrote war diary (KTB) for the commander.
The photo on the left shows Funkmaat Paul Plettner and Funkobergefreiter Werner Schneider on U-431 using the hydrophone devices.
Funkobergefreiter Brüggemann on duty on board of U-129
(This photo was provided by the former Funkmaat of U-129, Hans-Wilhelm Engelke)