Japanese Submarine I-8 - Mission To Germany

Mission To Germany

These missions took place under the Axis Powers' Tripartite Pact to provide for an exchange of strategic materials and manufactured goods between Germany, Italy, and Japan. Initially, cargo ships made the exchanges, but when that was no longer possible, submarines were used. Only seven submarines attempted the trans-oceanic voyage: I-30 (April 1942), I-8 (June 1943), I-34 (October 1943), I-29 (November 1943), I-52 (March 1944) and the German submarines U-180 and U-511 (August 1943).

Of these, I-30 was sunk by a mine, I-34 by the British submarine Taurus, I-29 by the American submarine Sawfish, and I-52 by US Navy aircraft.

Commanded by Shinji Uchino, I-8 departed Kure harbor on 1 June 1943, accompanied by I-10 and the submarine tender Hie Maru. Their cargo included two of the famed Type 95 oxygen-propelled torpedoes, torpedo tubes, drawings of an automatic trim system and a new naval reconnaissance plane, the Yokosuka E14Y. A supplementary crew of 48 men, commanded by Sadatoshi Norita, was also packed into the submarine, intended to man the German submarine (U-1224, a Type IXC/40 U-boat) and bring her back to Japan for reverse engineering.

Arriving in Singapore nine days later, I-8 also took on board quinine, tin, and raw rubber before heading for the Japanese base at Penang.

On 21 July, I-8 entered the Atlantic, where she encountered fierce storms, but was able to continue to German-occupied France.

On 20 August, I-8 rendezvoused with the German submarine U-161, commanded by Captain Albrecht Achilles. Two German radio technicians were transferred to I-8, as well as an FuMB 1 "Metox" 600A radar detector, which was installed on the I-8's bridge. As I-8 entered the Bay of Biscay on 29 August, the Luftwaffe sent Ju-88s to provide air cover, she arrived in Brest safely two days later.

The Japanese submarine was warmly welcomed. Parties and visits to Paris and Berlin were organized for the crew for over a month, and German news agencies announced that "now even Japanese submarines are operating in the Atlantic."