Editing German submarine U-862 (section)

==Service history==

===First patrol===
''U-862'' was one of the most travelled of all [[U-boat]]s. She sailed from Germany in May 1944 and eventually reached [[Penang]], in Japanese-controlled [[British Malaya|Malaya]], in September 1944. Penang was the base for the 33rd U-boat Flotilla, code-named ''[[Monsun Gruppe]]'' ("Monsoon Group").

On the way there, she launched a [[G7es torpedo|T5/G7es ''Zaunkönig I'']] [[acoustic torpedo|acoustic homing torpedo]] at a tanker. The Zaunkönig came around full circle to home in on ''U-862''. Only an emergency crash dive and staying silent saved the U-boat from her own torpedo. She also shot down an Allied [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] aircraft H of [[No. 265 Squadron RAF]] on 20 August 1944 and then escaped an intense search for her. She sank several merchant ships in the [[Mozambique Channel]] between Africa and [[Madagascar]].

===Second patrol===
{{See also|Axis naval activity in Australian waters|Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters}}
''U-862'' departed for her second war patrol from [[Jakarta|Batavia]] in the Japanese-occupied [[Netherlands East Indies]] in December 1944. She sailed down the west coast of Australia, across the [[Great Australian Bight]], around the southern coast of [[Tasmania]] and then north towards [[Sydney]] where she sank the U.S.-registered [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Robert J. Walker||2}} on 25 December 1944. She then travelled around New Zealand and entered the port of [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]] at night undetected.<ref>According to ''U-Boat Far from Home'', ''U-862'' entered [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne Port]] – not Napier</ref> This has given birth to an urban legend in New Zealand, where it is said that the captain of ''U-862'' sent sailors ashore at night to steal fresh milk from a farm. This may arise from a joke made by Captain Timm to Air Vice Marshal Sir [[Rochford Hughes]] in the late 1950s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stevens|first=David|title=U-Boat Far from Home|year=1997|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=1-86448-267-2}}</ref> ''U-862'''s voyage to New Zealand was portrayed in a stage comedy ''U Boat Down Under'' which was written and directed by Peter Tait and performed at [[Downstage Theatre]], Wellington from 27 July to 5 August 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=293|title=New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews – Theatreview}}</ref>

''U-862'' then returned to the Indian Ocean. On 6 February 1945, about 1,520&nbsp;km (820&nbsp;nm) south-west of [[Fremantle]], ''U-862'' sank the U.S.-registered Liberty ship, {{SS|Peter Silvester||2}}, which was loaded with [[mule]]s bound for [[Burma]].

''U-862'' was also a trial boat for the FuMo 65 ''Hohentwiel'' [[radar]] system. This was cranked out of a casing on the port side of the conning tower and rose on a mast. The aerial was hand trained onto targets whilst the U-boat was on the surface. The radar had a range up to {{convert|7|nmi|abbr=on}} and was very effective where there was little risk from air attack on the U-boat.

===Transfer to Japan===
When Germany surrendered in May 1945, she put into [[Singapore]] and was taken over by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].<ref name=Giese>Giese, O., 1994, Shooting the War, Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, {{ISBN|1557503079}}</ref>{{rp|235}} On 15 July 1945 she became the IJN submarine ''I-502''. The ''I-502'' surrendered at Singapore in August 1945 and was scuttled in the [[Strait of Malacca]] at {{coord|03|05|N|100|38|E|dim:400000|display=inline,title}} on 15 February 1946.<ref name="uboatnet"/>

The German crew of ''U-862'' suffered no casualties, and some returned to Germany several years after the war. Others who were interned at [[Kinmel Camp]], [[Bodelwyddan]], North Wales, remained in Wales and settled in the neighbouring communities of [[Rhyl]], [[Rhuddlan]] and [[Prestatyn]], due to the risks of returning to the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet occupied areas]] of Germany after the war. Two of the crew are buried at the new cemetery at Rhuddlan, North Wales, on nearby plots.