Subhas Chandra to Japan (1943-45) - Submarine voyage

( Blue line - route from North Germany to Japan)

The understanding between Germany and Japan was that the German submarine carrying Netaji would cover the longer distance between the coast of northern Germany and the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, and from there a Japanese submarine would take  Netaji across the Indian Ocean to the vicinity of Malay and Singapore. Netaji would leave the German vessel and embark on the Japanese submarine at a point off the African coast near Madagascar.

The details of Bose's departure was finalised only in Jan1943 and Japan agreed to supply a submarine on 2 Feb 1943, and Japan agreed to supply a submarine on 2 Feb 1943, to receive Bose . Bose could leave by a German submarine with one companion on 8 Feb 1943. when the war situation showed that both Germany when the war situation showed that both Germany and Japan had begun losing at all vital points.

 The submarine was due to leave the port of Kiel early early in the morning of 8 feb 1943 . Netaji was to be accompanied on the trip by a young man clled Abid Hasan Safrani (A young enthusiastic and courageous man from Hyderabad also joined this force. His name was Zain-al-Abdin Hasan. He preferred to be called Abid Hasan and later became known as Abid Hasan Safrani.
Abid Hasan's mother Hajia Begum was anti-British, so her children were sent to Germany for higher studies. And Abid went to do a degree in engineering.) He  was taking military training in the Indian Legion .  

For reasons  of security the German as well as Netaji were tight lipped about the trip and no one except A.C.N.Nambiar knew about it. Netaji had ended his sojourn in Germany by doing his own packing and burning his papers. Werner Musenberg, the Commander of the U-Boat welcomed Netaji to aboard the boat. This was the Netaji's abode for the next 93 days.

From Kiel, some seven or eight submarines emerged in a row and entered the waters of Denmark . The convoy had to pass between the island on which Copenhagen was situated and the  Swedish coast. The submarines sailed on the surface because in the area there was complete supremacy of the German navy and air force. The submarine traveled northward among the Norwegian coast which was then under German occupation and then entered the North  Sea.   Till then the submarines had been escorted by a mnesweeper sailing ahead of them to clear the way.       

The subnarines sailed on the surface but dived at high risk places. At night , the vessels usually took to the surface and used their diesel oil engines. Hasan had one bunk among the non-commissioned officers . Netaji was given was one bunkin the officer's quarters which again was only a recess in the passage.There was only one table for six people at which the officers could sit and have their meals. the rest could sit on their own bunks and eat.Abid began to prepare Khichuri from the first day.during this time in the submarine Netaji preparing plans for his organisation in the East and the Provisional Govt.