© 2002-2012 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 4
20 September 1939:
Laid down at Yokosuka Navy Yard as Submarine No. 142.
29 September 1940:
Launched as I-33.
1 November 1941:
Renumbered I-29.
27 February 1942:
Completed and attached to Kure Naval District. Cdr Izu Juichi (51)(former CO of I-162) is the Commanding Officer. Assigned to the Sixth Fleet, SubDiv 14.
10 March 1942:
SubDiv 14 is transferred to SubRon 8.
10 April 1942: Operation "C" - The Raids in the Indian Ocean:
Admiral
(Fleet Admiral, posthumously) Yamamoto Isoroku (former CO of AKAGI), CINC,
Combined Fleet, orders all submarine units to reconnoiter the enemy's fleet
bases in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, destroy the enemy's maritime
commerce and support the Port Moresby (MO) Operation.
11 April 1942:
I-29 is in Captain (later Rear Admiral) Sasaki
Hankyu's Eastern Advanced Detachment: Sasaki's SubDiv 3 with I-21, I-22 and
I-24 and Captain Katsuta Haruo's SubDiv 14 with I-27 and I-28. All
11 submarines of SubRon 8 complete extensive exercises in the Inland Sea.
15 April 1942:
SubRon 8 arrives at Hashirajima. Admiral Yamamoto
addresses the captains of the Eastern detachment's submarines.
16 April 1942:
All six of the Eastern detachment's submarines depart
Kure.
18 April 1942: The First Bombing of Japan:
Vice-Admiral (later Fleet
Admiral) William F. ("Bull") Halsey's Task Force 16 USS HORNET (CV-8), cruisers,
destroyers and an oiler accompanied by USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), cruisers,
destroyers and another oiler approach to within 668 nautical miles of Japan. Led
by LtCol (later Gen/Medal of Honor) James H. Doolittle, 16 Army North American
B-25 "Mitchell" twin-engine bombers of the 17th Bomb Group take off from Captain
(later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's carrier HORNET and strike targets in Tokyo,
Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe.
E of the Bonin Islands. I-29 is enroute from Japan to Truk.
Headquarters, Combined Fleet orders I-29 and the other submarines to
intercept Task Force 16, but they are unable to make contact.
24 April 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
30 April 1942:
Departs Truk on her first war patrol with I-28 to
raid enemy communications off the eastern coast of Australia. She carries an
E14Y1 "Glen" floatplane.'
4 May 1942: Operation "MO" - The Invasions of Tulagi and Port
Moresby:
Rear Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi's Port Moresby Attack Force departs
Rabaul towards the Jomard Pass in the Louisiade Archipelago with DesRon 6's
light cruiser YUBARI, four destroyers and a patrol boat escorting Rear Admiral
(later Vice Admiral) Abe Koso's Transport Force of 12 transports and a
minesweeper.
That day, in the Battle of the Coral Sea, Rear Admiral (later Admiral)
Frank J. Fletcher's Task Force 17 attacks Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral)
Shima Kiyohide's Tulagi Invasion Force. Douglas "Dauntless" SBD dive-bombers and
TBD torpedo-bombers from carrier YORKTOWN (CV-5) sink a destroyer, three
minesweepers and damage four other ships.
5 May 1942:
Fletcher's force turns north to engage Vice Admiral
(Admiral, posthumously) Takagi Takeo's Carrier Strike Force. SBDs and TBDs from
YORKTOWN and LEXINGTON (CV-2) sink Rear Admiral (Vice Admiral,
posthumously) Goto Aritomo's light carrier SHOHO off Misima Island. In turn,
Japanese planes damage oiler USS NEOSHO (AO-23) and sink destroyer SIMS
(DD-409).
I-29 and I-28 with SubDiv 3's I-22 and I-24, reach their assigned patrol area in support of Operation MO.
8 May 1942:
Dive-bombers from YORKTOWN and LEXINGTON damage Vice
Admiral Takagi's carrier SHOKAKU and force her retirement. ZUIKAKU's air
group suffers heavy losses. Japanese carrier bombers and attack planes attack
Task Force 17 and damage YORKTOWN and LEXINGTON that is further damaged
when gasoline vapors are ignited, triggering massive explosions that cause her
to be abandoned. Later, LEXINGTON is scuttled by destroyer PHELPS
(DD-360). This Battle of the Coral Sea halts the Japanese thrust toward Port
Moresby and they are forced to cancel Operation MO.
13 May 1942:
I-29 arrives at her assigned position off Sydney.
14 May 1942:
LtCdr Izu sights a warship that he identifies erroneously
as "HMS WARSPITE" and a destroyer heading for Sydney. I-29 gives chase
but fails to reach a firing position.
16 May 1942:
50 miles SE of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
I-29 fires two torpedoes that miss Soviet freighter UELEN.
I-29 then shells the Russian ship, but fails to inflict any damage; three
sailors are wounded. An ASW group from Sydney fails to locate the submarine.
Traffic between Sydney and Newcastle is suspended for 24 hours. Meanwhile, the
I-29 returns to the Sydney area.
23 May 1942:
At dawn, I-29's floatplane carries out aerial reconnaissance off Sydney harbor. When approaching the entrance to the harbor, the "Glen" is spotted from the Port War Signal Station on South Head and later tracked by a mobile radar station at Iron Cove. Its pilot reports a large concentration of Allied warships and three or four merchants in the harbor. They are heavy cruisers USS CHICAGO (CA-29) and HMAS CANBERRA, light cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE, USS PERKINS (DD-377), tender USS DOBBIN (AD-3), minelayer HMAS BUNGAREE, armed merchant cruisers KANIMBLA and WESTRALIA, corvettes HMAS WHYALLA, GEELONG and the BOMBAY, depot ship HMAS KUTTABUL and Dutch submarine K-IX. [1]
Cdr Izu radios a report of the sighting to Headquarters, Sixth Fleet at
Kwajalein. The report is relayed to Captain Sasaki in I-21 who is then
reconnoitering Auckland, New Zealand. The transmission is picked up by the
RAN/USN Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL) communications-intelligence unit
and is partially decoded.
24 May 1942:
Vice Admiral, the Marquis, Komatsu Teruhisa (former CO of
NACHI), CINC, Sixth Fleet, aboard his flagship light cruiser KATORI at
Kwajalein orders Captain Sasaki's Eastern Advanced Detachment to attack Sydney.
29 May 1942:
Komatsu and Sasaki send out messages of encouragement to
the Eastern Detachment's submarines and their midget submarine crews. These
transmissions are also picked up by FRUMEL, although it is unclear what, if any,
action is taken by the RAN at Sydney based on these warnings.
31 May 1942:
Captain Sasaki orders I-22, I-24 and I-27 to send
their midget submarines into Sydney harbor. The damage inflicted by the midgets
is below expectation. After accommodation vessel HMAS KUTTABUL (an ex-ferry)
is damaged, the attack is called off.
3 June 1943:
I-29 and the "mother" submarines linger off Port
Hacking S of Sydney to recover the midgets. After they fail to return, the
mother submarines give up and switch to commerce warfare. I-29 withdraws to
the north and takes up station off Brisbane.
4 June 1942:
I-29 is sighted off Moreton Island by the coastal
passenger ship CANBERRA.
10 June 1942:
I-29 departs her patrol area. On her way back her
"Glen" conducts a dawn flight over Noumea.
June 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
July 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
21 July 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka. Undergoes repairs and maintenance.
29 July 1942:
Departs Yokosuka.
August 1942:
Arrives at Penang, Malaya.
8 August 1942:
Departs Penang on her second war patrol to raid enemy
communications in the Indian Ocean and to reconnoiter Diego Suarez, Seychelles,
Zanzibar, Mombasa and Socotra.
29 August 1942:
I-29 catapults her Glen to reconnoiter the
Seychelles Islands.
That same day, Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Ichioka Hisashi's
(former CO of CL YURA) assumes command of SubRon 8.
August 1942:
East Africa. I-29 operates off the Zanzibar-Mombasa
area, then moves to Socotra Island.
2 September 1942:
N of Cape Guarafui, Gulf of Aden. I-29 torpedoes
and sinks British freighter GAZCON at 13-01N, 50-41E.
3 September 1942:
Gulf of Aden. I-29 attacks unsuccessfully the
British freighter BRITISH GENIUS at 13-00N, 48-04E.
10 September 1942:
Off Socotra, Arabian Sea. I-29 torpedoes and
sinks British freighter HARESFIELD at 13-05N, 54-35E, en route
from Aden to Colombo.
16 September 1942:
Gulf of Aden. I-29 torpedoes, shells and sinks
British freighter OCEAN HONOUR at 12-48N, 50-50E.
22 September 1942:
Indian Ocean. I-29 torpedoes and sinks American freighter PAUL LUCKENBACH about 800 miles from the coast of India at 10-03N, 63-42E.
5 October 1942:
Arrives at Singapore for repairs and maintenance.
11 November 1942:
Departs Penang, with Captain Teraoka Masao,
ComSubDiv 14 (later CO of SUZUYA), embarked, to raid enemy communications in the
Indian Ocean. Proceeds S of the Maldive Islands to the Arabian Sea.
23 November 1942:
Gulf of Aden. I-29 torpedoes and sinks
British India Company passenger/cargo liner TILAWA on her way from
Bombay to Mombasa and Durban with 6,472 tons of cargo. Of 958 people on board,
252 passengers and 28 crew are lost. Cruiser HMS BIRMINGHAM rescues 678
survivors.
3 December 1942:
Gulf of Aden. I-29 torpedoes, shells and sinks
Norwegian fleet oiler BELITA at 11-29N, 55-00E while she is
enroute from Abadan to Mombasa with 9,000 tons of oil for the Admiralty.
27 January 1943:
Returns to Singapore. Overhauled at Seletar Naval
Base by the No. 101 Navy Repair Unit until February.
February 1943:
SubDiv 14 is transferred to the Southwest Area Fleet.
14 February 1943:
Departs Penang to operate in the Gulf of Bengal.
March 1943:
I-29 fails to contact the enemy on this patrol and
returns to Penang.
5 April 1943:
I-29, still under Cdr Izu, with Captain Teraoka,
ComSubDiv 14, embarked, departs Penang on a secret mission. She carries eleven
tons of cargo including, one Type 89, two Type 2 aerial torpedoes and two tons
of gold bars for the Japanese Embassy in Berlin. She also carries drawings and
blueprints of AKAGI (for use in the construction of GRAF ZEPPELIN) and
Type A midget submarine. Cdr (Rear Admiral posthumously) Emi Tetsushiro (former
CO of I-8) now a member of the IJN's Technical Department and LtCdr (Captain,
posthumously) Tomonaga Hideo, a submarine design specialist involved in the
Kriegsmarine's midget subs project, are aboard as passengers. They are charged
to observe U-boat building techniques. [2] [3]
25 April 1943:
Indian Ocean, about 450 miles SE of Madagascar
(Kriegsmarine grid KR 5276). I-29 arrives at the planned rendezvous area one
day earlier than expected.
26 April 1943:
I-29 rendezvouses with the German U-180 in the
Mozambique Channel. Fregattenkapitän Werner Musenberg's Type IXD-1 U-boat left
Kiel on 9 February carrying blueprints of a Type IXC/40 submarine, a sample of
German hollow charge (Hafthohlladung HHL 3) and quinine sample for future
Japanese shipments, a torpedo tube that holds a gun barrel and ammunition, three
cases holding 432 Bold sonar decoys, documents and mail from the German embassy
in Tokyo.
The U-boat also carries revolutionist Subhas Chandra Bose, Chief (Netaji)
of the anti-British Indian National Army of Liberation (Azad Hind Fauj) and his
aide Major Dr. Habib Hassan, a former Oxford student. Bose is the leader of the
Japanese-sponsored Free India (Azad Hind) Government-in-exile.
After a difficult transfer in the rough sea of a German officer and a
signalman from U-180 to I-29, the two submarines continue on a
northeasterly course waiting for the seas to moderate.
Cdr Izu suggests to Musenberg that they proceed to Sabang together until
the sea calms, but Musenberg declines. The Japanese offer the two Germans coffee
and tobacco. They refuse, but do accept some potatoes.
27 April 1943:
Finally, after 12 hours, Bose and his group ride a
rubber raft from the U-boat to I-29. Cdr Emi and LtCdr Tomonaga transfer to
the U-boat. Eleven tons of cargo is then transferred in three inflatable rafts
while both submarines have their torpedo hatches open. Later, Izu comments that
the situation was "a dive-bomber's dream come true". After the passenger and
cargo transfers are completed, I-29 turns eastward. U-180 then turns
toward the Cape of Good Hope for the Atlantic and her base at Bordeaux, France.
6 May 1943:
I-29 disembarks its passengers at Sabang harbor on We
Island, N of Sumatra, instead of Penang to avoid detection by the British. At
Sabang, Colonel (later Brig Gen) Yamamoto Bin, head of the Hikari Kikan spy unit
and the Japanese-Indian liaison group, greets Bose whom he had known in Berlin
when Yamamoto was an Assistant Military Attaché there. Later, Bose and Yamamoto
fly from Sabang via Penang, Manila, Saigon and Formosa arriving 16 May at Tokyo
where Bose is received by Premier Tojo Hideki and later by the Emperor Hirohito
(Showa).
14 May 1943:
I-29 arrives at Singapore for maintenance.
4 June 1943:
I-29's E14Y1 Glen flies an ASW patrol over the
approaches to Penang to protect an incoming submarine.
8 June 1943:
I-29's Glen flies another ASW patrol off Penang.
I-29 departs Penang on her fifth war patrol to operate on the eastern coast of
Africa and in the Gulf of Aden.
12 July 1943:
Gulf of Aden. I-29 sinks British freighter RAHMANI at 14-52N, 52-06E.
8 August 1943:
Departs Penang for Japan. Probably carries three
Norwegian POWs from Norwegian tanker ALCIDES sunk by I-10 on 23 July.
19 August 1943:
Arrives at Kure for repairs and maintenance. Her AA
suite is increased to six (three dual mount) 25-mm AA guns.
10 October 1943:
Cdr Kinashi Takakazu (51)(former CO of I-19 and
victor over USS WASP (CV-7) is assigned as Commanding Officer. Cdr
(Captain posthumously) Izu is reassigned as CO of I-11 and is KIA in 1944.
5 November 1943:
Departs Kure.
14 November 1943:
Arrives at Singapore. I-29 is loaded with 80
tons of raw rubber, 80 tons of tungsten, 50 tons of tin, 2 tons of zinc and 3
tons of quinine, opium and coffee.
5 December 1943:
Singapore. Captain Uchino Shinji's I-8 arrives from
Brest, France. Cdr Kinashi discusses conditions in the Atlantic with Uchino.
Kinashi then contacts the Naval General Staff through channels and requests
permission to remove I-8's FuMB 1 "Metox" radar detector that she received
from the U-161 and reinstall it on I-29. The NGS grants permission.
16 December 1943:
I-29 departs Singapore for Nazi-occupied France
on a "Yanagi" mission. I-29 is coded "Matsu" (Pine) by the Japanese and
"U-Kiefer" by the Germans. She is the fourth IJN submarine to undertake such a
mission. [4]
Among I-29's 16 passengers are Navy officers, specialists and
engineers. Most of I-29's passengers had been scheduled to depart with I-34,
but she was sunk off Penang before they could board. I-29's passengers
include Rear Admiral Kojima Hideo (former CO of CL KASHII), Naval Attaché to
Germany, Cdr Muchaku Senmei, Naval Attaché to Spain, Cdr (later Captain) Ogi
Kazuto, Assistant Naval Attaché to Germany and two Mitsubishi engineers. Cdr
Nahamori Yoshio, a specialist in aircraft ordnance, carries the plans of
obliquely firing cannons invented by Captain Kozono Yasuna. The Germans also use
slanted "Schräge Musik" (Jazz Music) cannons in the Luftwaffe's night fighters.[4]
23 December 1943:
Early in the morning, I-29 refuels from
small German supply ship BOGOTA. She takes on 120-tons of diesel oil in six
hours and some food. This is the only refueling I-29 undertakes during her
journey to France.
8 January 1944:
I-29 passes S of Madagascar. That same day, Allied
special intelligence codebreakers decipher a signal that indicates I-29 will
be at 39S, 42E on 11 January.
16 January 1944:
I-29 rounds the Cape of Good Hope and enters the
Atlantic.
19 January 1944:
Allied codebreakers intercept a signal that indicates
the I-29 will be at 30S, 10E this day enroute to the Bay of Biscay.
26 January 1944:
Allied codebreakers estimate that I-29 will be at
06S, 05E on this day.
February 1944:
I-29 receives a signal from Germany to rendezvous
with an U-boat on 13 February at 0800 (JST) to receive a new radar detector.
12 February 1944:
I-29 makes a rendezvous with Oberleutnant
Hans-Werner Offermann's U-518 SW of the Azores. I-29 takes aboard three
German technicians who install a new FuMB 7 "Naxos" radar detector on her
bridge. Then the U-518 detaches for the Caribbean.
13 February 1944:
I-29 refuels from Oberleutnant Bruno Studt's
U-488, a 1,668-ton surface displacement "Milchkuh" (Milk Cow). She is spotted by
a RAF patrol plane but manages to escape.
4 March 1944:
At night, off Cape Finisterre. Surfaced I-29 is
illuminated by a patrol plane carrying a "Leigh Light", but manages to escape
unharmed.
9 March 1944:
I-29 enters the Bay of Biscay. She arrives too early
and spends the night at the bottom.
10 March 1944:
In the morning, I-29 rendezvouses with five Junkers
88C-6 escorts. In the afternoon, German destroyers Z-23 and ZH-1 and torpedo
boats T-27 and T-29 arrive. They instruct Cdr Kinashi not to dive in case of an
air attack. and escort the I-29 towards Lorient.
Allied communications-intelligence learns I-29's route and schedule.
Four RAF de Havilland "Mosquito" FB.XVIIIs from No. 248 Squadron, escorting two
Special Detachment "Tsetse" Mosquitoes armed with 57-mm cannon, are sent to
attack the submarine and its escorts. The RAF finds the ships off Cape Penas
being circled by eight Junkers Ju-88C-6s from Zerstörergeschwader ZG 1 at
Cazaux. The Mosquito fighters attempt to draw the German fighters away so that
the Tsetses can attack the ships. The fighters succeed in downing one Ju-88C-6,
flown by the German flight leader. I-29 is undamaged in the action.
After 1700, I-29 and her escorts are attacked by more than ten Allied
aircraft, including RAF Bristol "Beaufighter" flak suppressors and Consolidated
B-24 "Liberator" bombers, but all bombs aimed at I-29 miss.
11 March-15 April 1944:
I-29 arrives safely at Lorient. She
anchors next to Kapitänleutnant Max Wintermeyer's U-190. The U-boat's crew
cheers and waves welcoming greetings to I-29's crewmen on parade in their
dress uniforms on her deck. Later, I-29 is berthed in one of Lorient's
massive Keroman bunkers.
Lorient is the home of the 2nd U-Flotille "Saltzwedel" commanded by
Knight's Cross winner Fregattenkapitän (later Kapitän zur See) Ernst Kals
(former CO of U-130) and the 10th U-Flotille commanded by Knight's Cross winner
Korvettenkapitän (later Konteradmiral, Bundesmarine) Günter Kuhnke (former CO of
U-28). The German submariners entertain I-29's officers at a dockside bar at
Lorient. The bar's low ceiling rafters are covered with the carved signatures of
U-boat officers. I-29's Chief Engineering Officer Lt Taguchi Hiroshi, her
Chief Navigation Officer Lt Otani Hideo and several other of I-29's officers
carve their signatures into the rafters.
Later, the Germans host I-29's entire crew in their luxurious Château
de Trévarez that overlooks the small town of Châteauneuf-de-Faou. Cdr Kinashi
and I-29's crew are well fed, engage in competitive sports and party with
their German counterparts. The Kriegsmarine arranges a train trip to Paris for
I-29's crew. One of their sightseeing stops is at the Palais de Chaillot
that houses the French Maritime Museum and overlooks the Eiffel Tower.
Cdr Kinashi travels to Berlin. Adolf Hitler presents him with the Iron
Cross, 2nd Class for sinking the USS WASP.
Meanwhile during her stay, four Japanese Type 96 25-mm AA guns are
removed from I-29 and replaced by a German 37-mm Krupp AA gun and one quad
20-mm Mauser 'Flakvierling'. I-29 embarks 18 passengers (including four
Germans) and takes on an HWK 509A-1 rocket motor used on the Me-163 "Komet"
interceptor and a Jumo 004B engine used on the Me-262 jet fighter.
16 April 1944:
I-29 departs Lorient, escorted by seven M-class
minesweepers. She carries drawings of the Isotta-Fraschini torpedo boat engine,
a V-1 "buzz bomb" fuselage, TMC acoustic mines, bauxite and mercury-radium
amalgam. [5][6]
Technical Cdr Iwaya Eiichi carries blueprints of Messerschmitt Me-163
"Komet" rocket interceptor and Me-262 jet fighter and Captain Matsui is in
possession of plans for rocket launch accelerators. The officers also carry
plans for a glider bomb and radar equipment. Twenty "Enigma" coding machines are
included in the cargo. [7]
11 June 1944:
South Atlantic. I-29 and I-52, the next "Yanagi"
submarine enroute to Lorient, pass each other. The submarines do not
communicate, but Cdr Kinashi picks up some German radio traffic addressed to the
I-52.
29 June 1944:
I-29 enters the Indian Ocean.
13 July 1944:
I-29 rendezvouses with her air escort, two
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers.
14 July 1944:
I-29 transits the Straits of Malacca and arrives
safely at Singapore at 1030. I-29's passengers, including Iwaya and Matsui,
disembark at Singapore with their plans and documents and proceed by air to
Japan, but most of the German scientific cargo remains aboard.
15 July 1944:
Allied codebreakers intercept a signal that indicates
the I-29 arrived at Singapore the previous day. Soon thereafter, Allied
communications-intelligence intercepts a message to Tokyo from Berlin that
details the I-29's strategic cargo.
20 July 1944:
I-29 transmits its detailed itinerary to Japan. The
U.S. Navy's Fleet Radio Unit, Pacific's (FRUPAC) communications-intelligence at
Hawaii intercepts and deciphers the message. FRUPAC alerts CINCPAC of I-29's
planned route and schedule from Singapore to Japan. COMSUBPAC sends an "Ultra"
signal to Cdr W. D. Wilkins' wolfpack ("Wilkin's Wildcats") consisting of
Wilkins' USS TILEFISH (SS-307), ROCK (SS-274) and SAWFISH (SS-276) to
intercept I-29 in the Luzon Strait.
22 July 1944:
At 0800, I-29 departs Singapore for Kure with ten
cadets of the submarine and navigation schools embarked.
25 July 1944:
I-29 reports sighting a surfaced enemy submarine.
26 July 1944:
Western entrance of the Balintang Channel, Luzon Strait.
About 1700, the SAWFISH sights I-29 running on the surface at 17 knots. Cdr
Alan B. Banister fires four torpedoes at I-29. Lookouts spot the incoming
torpedoes. Cdr Kinashi attempts to comb their wakes, but three torpedoes hit and
sink I-29 almost immediately at 20-10N, 121-55E.
Three of I-29's crewmen are blown overboard. Only one survivor
manages to swim ashore to a "small Philippine island" and reports the loss. Cdr
Kinashi, Japan's leading submarine "Ace", is among the 105 crewmen and
passengers that are lost. He is honored by a rare two-rank promotion to Rear
Admiral, posthumously.
The loss of the German aircraft aboard I-29 slows the Japanese jet
program greatly, but their blueprints, flown to Tokyo, arrive safely. They are
used immediately to develop the Nakajima Kikka ("Orange Blossom") based on the
Me-262 and the Mitsubishi J8MI Shusui ("Sword Stroke") based on Me-163.
5 August 1944:
Before her loss becomes known, I-29 is transferred
to SubDiv 15, 6th Fleet.
10 October 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] I-29's floatplane pilot has been incorrectly identified as CPO Fujita Nobuo. In reality, Fujita was stationed on I-25 during that time.
[2] In May 1944, Captain Emi is lost returning to Japan as a
passenger aboard the U-1224/RO-501.
[3] In April 1945, Cdr Tomonaga attempts to return to Japan aboard German U-234, the last U-boat to leave for the Far East before the collapse of the Third Reich. Enroute, the war in Europe ends and the U-boat is ordered to surrender to the U. S. Navy in the mid-Atlantic. Rather than becoming a POW, Tomonaga commits suicide by poison.
[4] When Japan enters the war, the Axis Tripartite agreement is amended
to provide for an exchange of strategic materials and manufactured goods between
Europe and the Far East. Cargo ships make the initial "Yanagi" exchanges, but
when that is no longer possible, submarines are used.
[5] Rear Admiral Kojima and four other passengers are to travel to France
in November aboard I-34. When it is delayed in loading at Singapore, they
decide to take a train and rejoin the submarine in Penang, but I-34 is sunk
by submarine HMS TAURUS 30 miles S of Penang.
[6] It is possible that I-29 also carried a quantity of U-235 uranium oxide ("yellow cake) that,
after refining, can be used to manufacture an atomic bomb.
[7] One of three sets set of Me-163 blueprints; the others were carried aboard U-511 and later RO-501.
