Hiroshima

Russell":3nf0b5iq said:

All that is known about U234 is that it was headed for Japan, had both German and Japanese military personnel on board (the Japs committed suicide before capture) and that it was carrying uranium, no-one knows for sure what the Japanese were going to do with it.

There is a persuasive school of thought that thinks that the Japanese were actually going to nuke their own country in the event of a land-based invasion by allied forces. Much in the same way that Kamikaze pilots operated, the Japs had/have a strict code of honour and many people think that the countries leaders would rather have taken out the Allied landing parties and their own country at the same time if it meant Japan not falling into enemy hands.

They might have been planning to nuke the USA, the trouble with the story of U234 is that we'll never really know.

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General notes on this boat

U-234 suffered bomb damage while under construction in 1942. After the loss of U-233 in July 1944 it was decided not to use U-234 as a mine-laying boat. She was then rebuilt as a Japan-transporter. On 25 March 1945 they left Kiel and a few days later reached Kristiansand, Norway.

On 16 April, 1945 she left Norway and was enroute to Japan with extremely important cargo (drawings, a Me-262 jet fighter in crates and 560kg of uranium oxide, several high ranking German experts on various technologies and 2 Japanese officers) when Kptlt. Fehler, after hearing the cease-fire orders on May 4, 1945, decided to head for the USA and surrender.

Per tradition the Japanese men took their own life via sleeping pills rather than being captured.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in November 1944. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.

Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-234 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.


http://uboat.net/boats/u234.htm


believe it or not theres a forum site for u boats.....