1st U-boat Flotilla

The 1st U-boat flotilla (German 1. Unterseebootsflottille) also known as the  Weddigen flotilla, was the first operational U-boat unit in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy). Founded on 27 September 1935 under the command of Fregattenkapitän Karl Dönitz, it was named in honor of Kapitänleutnant Otto Weddigen. Weddigen, a U-boat commander during World War I, died on 18 March 1915 after his submarine SMU U-29 (Germany) was rammed by the British battleship HMS Dreadnought (1906) in the North Sea.

The flotilla at first only consisted of GS U-9 (1935), a Type IIB boat commissioned on 21 August 1935. Later, boats GS U-1 (1935) to GS U-12 (1935) were included in the flotilla, but U-1 to GS U-6 (1935) were only used as training boats and were attached to the U-boat training school in Neustadt. Originally based in Kiel from September 1935 – May 1941, it was moved to Brest, France in June 1941. In September 1944, the flotilla was disbanded and its remaining boats were distributed to other flotillas.