''27th U-boat Flotilla'' ("27. Unterseebootsflottille") was a training flotilla ("''Ausbildungsflottille''") of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

's ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The flotilla was founded at

Gotenhafen Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

in January 1940 under the command of ''

Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...

'' Ernst Sobe as ''Taktische Unterseebootsausbildungsflottille'' ("Tactical U-boat Training Flotilla"), and was redesignated ''27. Unterseebootsflottille'' in June 1940. This was where new U-boat crews received their tactical training (''Taktische Ausbildung Unterseeboote''), also taking part in an eight- to fifteen-day tactical exercise (''Taktische Übung''), a simulated convoy battle in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

. A U-boat might have to take part in more than one exercise, for example needed two attempts in the spring of 1941, before being declared combat ready. The flotilla was the last training station for new U-boats. It disbanded in March 1945.

Flotilla commanders

* ''

'' Ernst Sobe (January 1940–December 1941) * '' Fregattenkapitan'' Werner Hartmann (December 1941–October 1942) * ''Korvettenkapitän''

Erich Topp Erich Topp (2 July 1914 – 26 December 2005) was a German U-boat commander of World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. He sank 35 ships for a total of . After the war, h ...

(October 1942–August 1944) * ''

Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...

'' Ernst Bauer (October 1944–March 1945)

Assigned U-boats

One U-boat was assigned to this flotilla during its service. *

References

27 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 {{Germany-mil-unit-stub