Capture
U-852 was in the Indian Ocean on 30 April 1944 when she was spotted and attacked by a Vickers Wellington bomber flying from Aden. Damaged by aerial depth charges and unable to dive, she made for the Somali coast. Under attack there by six bombers of RAF 621 Squadron, Captain Eck was forced to beach his ship on a coral reef (9°32′N 50°59′E / 9.533°N 50.983°E / 9.533; 50.983Coordinates: 9°32′N 50°59′E / 9.533°N 50.983°E / 9.533; 50.983). Seven men were lost in the engagment, the remainder fled ashore. Fifty-eight were captured by Somaliland Camel Corps and local militia 13 March.
A British boarding party examined the wrecked U-boat and retrieved Eck's Kriegstagebuch ("War Diary"), which proved crucial in framing the Allied case against he and his men. Also of great interest was the Fa 330 Bachstelze rotor kite, a towed one-man aerial observation platform.
Read more about this topic: German Submarine U-852
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