In contrast to the crew of "U 131", sunk on 17th December, 1941, a day previous to the destruction of "U 434", where the percentage of confirmed Nazis was estimated at not above 70, the crew of "U 434" was at least 85 per cent. Nazi in its outlook. Most of the officers and other ranks were members of the Nazi Party.

A feature of the crew as a whole was, once more, the large number of extremely youthful ratings. It could not be denied, however, that the senior chief and petty officers had had sufficient previous experience in U-Boats to carry out their duties efficiently.

Interrogation of the ratings left the impression that increasing use is being made of the U-Boat school at Pillau in East Prussia. Eight of the 14 engine room ratings had been trained there without having served any time in a sea-going training boat. It seems that engine room personnel and telegraphist ratings who have attended a course at the Pillau school are drafted to operational U-Boats without any preliminary training at sea.

III - EARLY HISTORY OF "U 434"

"U 434", built at the Schichau Yard at Danzig, was a 500-ton U-Boat, Type VIIC, and was identical in all main features with the captured "U 570", now H.M.S. "Graph".

Prisoners have not divulged when "U 434" was laid down or launched, but prisoners from "U 433", sunk on 16th November, 1941, stated that "U 434" was built on the same slip as their own U-Boat and was well advanced in May, 1941, it being obvious that at that time she had almost reached the launching stage.

One petty officer prisoner and one rating from "U 434" said that in May, 1941, they were drafted to Danzig to stand by the U-Boat during the final stages of her construction. "U 433" was commissioned on 24th May, 1941, and it would appear that, as, at this time, the Schichauwerft was completing a U-Boat every three to four weeks, "U 434" must have been commissioned towards the end of June, 1941. One prisoner made an unconfirmed statement that she was commissioned on 21st June, 1941.

According to a prisoner, "U 434" followed the usual procedure of carrying out trials in the Baltic during July, 1941, using Danzig as her base. These trials were carried out with members of the U-Boat Acceptance Commission on board. It was stated that Zoppot, Kiel and Warnemünde were visited, one prisoner joining the ship at the last named port.

In August, "U 434" again entered the Schichau Yard at Danzig for the customary refit before acceptance, and members of the crew were given leave. A second period of trials took place during September, 1941, when "U 434" was stated to have exercised in company with "U 402" and "U 403", which had been completed at the Danziger Werft at about the same time. Torpedo trials were carried out off Memel, Heyda acquitting himself well, according to one prisoner.

"U 434" put in to Kiel towards the middle of October and here she embarked torpedoes and provisions and completed with fuel oil.

Before "U 434" left Kiel on her first war cruise, two last minute changes were made in the crew. An officer prisoner of war stated that a rating who had been constantly idle, lazy and dirty, developed appendicitis, and he took this excuse to get rid of him. He also dismissed a second rating, who was found to have been stealing under-linen and other articles from the officers.

Prisoners seemed to be of the opinion that the work of the Schichau Yard at Danzig had been unsatisfactory, possibly due to the number of Dutchmen employed there. Sabotage was suspected. Soon after "U 434" had sailed on her first war cruise in October, it was found that the gearing for the venting and flooding valves was partially defective. Although capable of operation under normal circumstances, this defective gearing made operation inadequate when under a depth charge attack.