Destroyer Z5 Paul Jacobi

History

24 Mar 36: Launched

29 Jun 37: Commissioned

01 Sep 39: Z5 is at Wilhelmshaven undergoing refit when the war begins.

30 Sep 39: Ordered into Baltic for training and working up. With Z8 sheis attacked by RAF Hampdens SE of Heligoland, but successfully fightsoff the bombers with effective flak.

01 Oct 39: Enters Baltic.

17-19 Oct 39: Participates in an anti-mercantile patrol in the Skagerrakwith 2xDD and 3xTBs.

20 Oct 39: 2nd DD FLOT Z5, Z6 and Z7 she arrives at Swinemunde forexercises.

25-26 Jan 40: Sorties into the Skagerrak with 5xDD on anti-mercantilepatrol. Recalled due to stormy weather.

18-20 Feb 40: Escorts Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Hipper into the NorthSea with 2xDD & 2xTB. Separates with the other destroyers to conductmercantile warfare in the Skagerrak.

06 Apr 40: Departs Cuxhaven with Hipper, Z6, Z16, and Z8 as part ofGroup 2 assigned to the occupation of Trondheim.

07 Apr 40: Group 2 meets Group 1 (Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and 10xDD) andproceeds north in their company. An attack by 12 Blenheims is repelledwithout loss.

08 Apr 40: In heavy seas and force 7 winds Z5 must ignore calls for aidby Z11 (being chased by HMS Glowworm at the time). Her boiler room isflooded by the heavy seas and she has only one boiler on line, and thus,in no position to help. At 1300 she and her companions of Group 2 aredetached from Group 1 and sail for Trondheim.

09 Apr 40: Z5 lands her embarked troops at Trondheim.

Early May 40: Returns to Germany and enters dock for brief refit.

14-15 Aug 40: Minelaying sortie in North Sea with 1xDD.

31 Aug-2 Sep 40: Escorts minelayers laying barrage in the southwesternNorth Sea with 2xDD and 8xTB.

22-23 Sep 40: Transferred from Wilhelmshaven to Brest with Z15.

28/29 Sep 40: Offensive mining operation in Falmouth Bay. Z6 and Z16escort Z5, Z10, Z14, Z10 and Z15. This field sinks five small ships of2,037 tons.

10 Oct40: Undergoes attack by RAF Swordfish at Brest.

05-08 Nov 40: Transferred from Brest to Wilhelmshaven (witth 3xDD) andassigned to dock for repairs and major refit.

June 41: In Baltic working up. Apparently, there are major problems asshe returns to dock.

Sep 41: At Kiel under refit.

02 Nov 41: Attempts to sail for Norway, but develops failures in herboiler tubes and goes to Swinemunde instead.

09 Nov 41: A second attempt to transfer to Norway fails when Z5 gets arope wrapped around her prop. She returns to Kiel to have it cleared.

14-17 Jan 42: Escorts Tirpitz from Wilhelmshaven to Trondheim with Z4,Z8 and Z29.

18 Jan 42: Returns to German waters with Z4, Z8 and Z29.

24 Jan 42: Departs Kiel with 5th DD FLOT (Z4, Z5, Z7 and Z8) forFrance. Heavy seas damage Z5’s bow and she puts into Rotterdam fortemporary repairs.

25 Jan 42: Z8 is mined in the Dover Narrows, Z5 rescues 34 survivors.Arrives Le Havre Jan 26.

12 Feb 42: Sails from Brest for Germany as part of the escort ofScharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen (with 5xDD and 13xTB). 1645: Z5engages the British 21st & 16th DD FLOTs and fires six salvos whichstraddle her target. 1700 she is attacked by Blenheim bombers, butmaneuvers to avoid damage.

21 Feb 42: Departs the Elbe to escort Admiral Scheer and Prinz Eugen toNorway with Z4, Z7, Z14 and Z25.

22 Feb 42: Undergoes RAF attack. Puts into Bergen due to heavy weather.Sails for Trondheim, but returns to Bergen as the weather continues togive her problems. The seakeeping qualities of all German destroyerswas poor in comparison to their British counterparts. Z5 finallymakes to Trondheim the next day.

06 Mar 42: Sails from Trondheim with Z7, Z14, Z25 and T5 and T12escorting Tirpitz to intercept a British convoy in the Arctic. Theconvoy is not engaged and the German force is just missed by the HomeFleet, which is at sea seeking them. Z6 and the two TBs return toTrondheim that night due to weather conditions.

10 Mar 42: At Narvik

12/13 Mar 42: Returns to Trondheim

16-18 May 42: Escorts damaged Prinz Eugen from Trondheim to Kiel withZ25, T11 and T12. Arrives 18 May after successfully repelling an RAFattack. Z5 suffers from boiler problems again during this passage.

20 May 42: Enters Deutscher Werke in Kiel for refit. A series ofmisfortunes delays progress; first, in September, an accident in herboiler room and then an air raid in October which results in severalnear misses and finally several unexpected engine defects.

Late Nov 42: Begins post refit workups.

09-12 Jan 43: Participates in attempt to pass Scharnhorst and PrinzEugen from the Baltic to Norway with Z14 and Z24. The force turns backwhen they are spotted by British airplanes in the Skagerrak. The heavyunits return to Gotenhafen and the destroyers to Aarhus in Denmark.

15-19 Jan 43: Searches for Norwegian merchant ships suspected to beattempting the passage from The Swedish port of Gothenburg to Britainwith 4xDD. The two ships that were expected to attempt the Germanblockage didn’t.

25 Jan 43: Sorties from Kristiansand with 2xDD in repeat of previousmission with same results.

03 Feb 43: Transfers from Kristiansand to Bergen, with Z15, Z24 and Z25,undergoing RAF attacks en route.04 Feb 43: Z5 continues to Narvik alone.

11/12 Mar 43: Transfers from Trondheim to Narvik with Tirpitz, 1xDD and2xTB.

22-24 Mar 43: Transfers from Narvik to Altafjord with Tirpitz, At thistime the far northern force based at Altafjord (Alten Fjord) consists ofTirpitz, Scharnhorst, Lutzow, Z4, Z5, Z6, Z15, Z20, Z28 and Z31.

31 Mar-02 Apr 43: Sorties from Altafjord with Z6 and Z20 to meet theblockade runner Regensburg. This mission is unsuccessful as Regensburghas already been sunk in the Denmark Strait. The destroyers return withheavy sea damage sustained in a violent storm.

23 Sep 43: Escorts Lutzow with 4xDD from Norway to the Baltic.

27 Sep 43: Repulses large RAF attack.

01 Oct 43: Arrives Gotenhafen.

Oct 43: Enters dock at Germaniawerft, Kiel for refit.

13 Dec 43: While at Kiel under refit, she is seriously damaged in aUSAAF raid by one direct hit and several near misses.

Apr 44: Refloated, repairs re-commence.

18 Jul 44: Damaged at Kiel by two near misses in RAF raid.

1944: During her extended yard period, Z5’s AA defense is increased to10x37mm and 13x20mm guns.

Nov 44: Finally returns to service. Runs trials between Stettin andSwinemunde using an experimental fuel produced from pitch. Theexperiment fails as the fuel fouls her engines.

Dec 44: Working up in Baltic.

29 Jan 45: Escorts Prinz Eugen with Z23, Z25, T33 and T35 in shorebombardment missions in Samland to assist the breakout of the encircledXXVIII corps. Soviet air attacks against this force are ineffective

25 Feb-03 Mar 45: Supports German positions on Baltic coast near Wollinwith Admiral Scheer, Z31, Z38 and T36.

07 Mar-15 Apr 45: In continuous operation supporting evacuation of Helaand German ground forces with Lutzow and force given above.

02 May 45: Sails from Warnemunde for Kiel with Z43.

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