ENCLOSURE (D)  
     
 
REMARKS  - ACTION OF 13 DECEMBER
 
     
          While performing operation "Strangle", HMS CALPE made sound contact at 0816 of the second day in position 37°04' (N),  5°15' (E).  At 1316 U.S.S. WAINWRIGHT tested noisemaker, hauling it in at 1330.  At 1350 CALPE made contact in position 37°38' (N),  5°58' (E).  CALPE decided this was false, probably a pillenwerfer.  Both ships returned to course 090° (t) by completing a 360° turn.  At 1414 contact was made by WAINWRIGHT.  The echoes were coming in with the clearness and strength of the Attack Teacher and still having 40° to turn at 750 yards range was opened.  Sent following message to CALPE:  "We have a contact on our port beam.  It was inside our turning circle.  We still have to come around."  Range was only opened to 1400 yards though sound conditions were known to be excellent from BT reading (250 ft. isothermal layer) and echoes.  As a result course could not be steadied until range was 750 yards.  Since bearing movement was slow to the left on a large turn, course was steadied to give a lead of five degrees to the right.  Bearings moved slowly left, and with range rate of 14 knots attempt was made with full rudder to come to center bearing which was never reached.  With target going down port side, the order "Fire port throwers only" was given resulting in failure to drop all five from the racks.  More drill is indicated.  Apparent movement left was still due to own rudder and submarine could have moved past port throwers and stern dropped charges by time of detonation.  This was not realized at the time.  
     
          After dropping, the commanding officer consulted C.I.C. for search to regain contact who suggested coming right.  Right rudder was ordered, but CALPE was in a good position on starboard bow so sent to CALPE:  "Come down our starboard side and see if you can get it.  I am reversing course to keep last explosion on port side".  
     
          Message from CALPE  "Are you still in contact with the sub?" caused us to look aloft and Black Pendant was still flying. Shipboard attack teacher drill gets the Black Pendant hoisted, but only actual coordinated attack drill will ensure proper timing and spacing.  This ship has not had a coordinated attack drill since June 1943.  
     
          CALPE regained contact and to Commanding Officer's astonishment was apparently heading for the depth charge disturbance.  But in fact he was pinging through (or under) the wake, crossing it short of the depth charge disturbance and dropping beyond the depth charge disturbance.  Obviously an excellent Asdic team was on the CALPE.  
     
          After sending "Am on course 220.  Will stand on a thousand yards past your slick and turn to port" contact was regained just forward of the starboard beam.  CALPE was completing her turn and  
     
 
- 1 -
 
     
     

 

     
     
  it appeared would be an ideal position to attack while WAINRIGHT could stand on and hold contact for a fourth attack.  Following messages were exchanged:  "Expect contact dead ahead of you.  We have contact but will not turn right.  Contact is dead ahead of you".  From CALPE  "Are you attacking?  I confirm.  Will attack".  "Target went very close down my starboard side".  CALPE made a very accurate attack according to our sound range and bearing.  
     
          While getting CALPE in contact, 10° right rudder was held too long which placed WAINWRIGHT in poor position for the fourth attack but was in a good position from which to speed up and ram.  
     
          At 1447 the submarine surfaced.  Fire from 5"/38 cal. battery and machine gun batteries wa maintained, and ship steamed at flank speed directly at the submarine to ram, until it was plainly seen that the submarine crew were abandoning ship.  A boarding party was despatched in ship's boat to investigate submarine.  Survivors were taken aboard by lifelines hung over side of ship.  
     
          Having abandoned intention to ram, it wa an ideal situation for going alongside the submarine as it was dead ahead, target angle about 30°.   Stopping with WAINWRIGHT, submarine and CALPE on the same straight line was apparently unavoidable after the decision to ram was abandoned.  
     
          The boarding party was unable to conduct more than a cursory search since the submarine had been scuttled and was rapidly filling up with water inside.  It wa of medium size similar to 517 ton type but essentially differed in the following respects:  A raised platform around the conning tower had been built on which two (about 50 cal.) machine guns were mounted aft.  The after machine guns appeared to have a train of 360°.  Forward of the conning tower it appeared that a gun had been removed.  About thirty feet forward was a square hatchway leading down to the pressure hull.  The submarine had no identification on her exterior other than a white sea serpent on either side of conning tower.  It appeared to be fresh from overhaul period, with a camouflage coat of ocean green recently applied.  
     
          The submarine was seen to sink at 1508.  The Commanding Officer, Engineering Officer, and six men were rescued by this ship and delivered at Algiers.  
     
          All times are zone (-1) time.  
     
          It was a pleasure to work with HMS CALPE.  She turned in a polished performance, always being in the proper place, always being ready, and she was quick to grasp the poorly expressed intentions of this ship.  
     
          (NOTE for ASUW, Boston - "Strangle" is the Mediterranean "Hold Down" with less refined air search but the valuable addition of surface vessels which is feasible because sub habits in Mediterranean permit keeping vessels within several hours of air search.)  
     
     
 
- 2 -
 
     
     

 

     
     
  ENCLOSURE (E)  
     
 
SUMMARY INFORMATION OF PRISONERS - ACTION OF 13 DECEMBER
 
     
          Captain (KapitanLieut.) GERD KELBLING, 28 years old, lives near Hamburg, was married in May, 1943, and expecting a child sometime in June, 1944.  He had been to the U.S. on a German cruiser in 1935, visiting Baltimore and the Naval Academy at Annapolis on his midshipman cruise.  The captain appeared relieved to know all his crew got off the sub safely,  He mentioned that the 13th of the month was his unlucky day as at the beginning of the war he had been on a mine sweeper which had been blown up by a mine with all hands saved.  In the past year he said he had been home five times, in February, May, June, August and October, a total of 4 months' leave.  He was in Marseille in November as he remembered seeing a repatriation ship in the harbor.  He is paid half in francs and half in marks, but can spend them only in their respective countries.  Said that German submarines had doctors aboard, but usually had sailors aboard who were trained in First Aid.  In addition, all officers have had training in First Aid.  The submarine had an icebox about the size of a household refrigerator.  In Mediterranean the subs carry all their water in tanks while in Atlantic they make their own fresh water.  No one washes clothes while cruising.  All carry sufficient quantity of clean clothes.  Half the crew goes on leave in port, while the other half stays aboard; navy yard does all of work.  Crew has organized sports recreation.  His wife could not come to ports to see him so he had to go home to see her on leave.  Usually on way home he stopped in Paris for a day.  Paris has its pre-war gaiety and has considerable social life.  He was very bitter about the bombings of German cities.  He had been to Hamburg since it was bombed, and said only civilians had been bombed.  He said it only caused hatred against enemy.  The captain admitted that an invasion of France was possible but only at great cost.  He felt confident that after the Russian front had been cleaned up, Britain would suffer reprisal raids as intense as those now being given Germany.  The fact that most German planes were on the Russian front was the reason for allied air superiority over the continent.  He said that if attacked by a plane he preferred to submerge rather than try to fight it out on surface as his duty was to sink ships and not to fight airplanes.  He stated that destroyers were usually in pairs but that he would rather attack them either together or when in convoy as they were combatant ships.  The captain has been awarded the Iron Cross first class, but did not save it and it was lost on the submarine.  He  
     
 
- 1 -
 
     
     

 

     
     
  preferred operating singly to being in a wolf-pack and being under command of another officer.  He had been depth charged numerous times before.  His submarine (not necessarily this one) had operated off the East Coast of the U.S.  The length of a cruise lasted sometimes four or five months depending on fuel and torpedo supply.  When asked about explosion after sub sank, he stated it probably was caused by water contacting the storage batteries.  He said he did not see the destroyers before the attack.  Asked if the U.S. destroyers always operated with the British destroyers.  As to the attack he said he could tell no difference between the three depth charge attacks and could not tell whether charges went off above or below them.  They did not operate with Italian subs.  His opinion was that most German people were only interested in settlement of war with pre-1914 boundaries and colonies.  Said they felt toward Russians like we did toward Japanese.  He thought Germany would be interested in a separate peace, as Germany could be of no help to Japan since Germany had no fleet and their army had no means of reaching Japanese held territory.  He stated that escape lungs were supposed capable of being used up to a depth of 70 meters, but he did not know about that.  He was only sure of their use at 40 meters.  He stated that after the second depth charge attack it was a 50-50 chance of their being able to surface again.  He said he had never been to Algiers before but that he had been just off Algiers day before yesterday (Dec. 11).  He said that he had to stay submerged most of the time since then because of airplanes.  He said that he was able to distinguish a destroyer from a merchant ship while submerged by the propeller noises.  Merchant ships made a much slower sound than destroyers.  Said that most German naval officers can speak some English.  He stated that he was familiar with Mediterranean only along Spanish coast.  Said he had no fear of mines in Mediterranean since it was deep and our ships moved freely about.  
     
          Lieut. LUDBIG, single, from southern Germany, has studied English for five years, French for eight years.  Did not do mush talking and failed to express himself on any subject.  Appeared to understand some English, but did not speak more than a few words of it.  Very reserved and appeared to be afraid to commit himself in presence of the captain.  
     
 
- 2 -
 
     
     

 

     
     
          Most talkative is short stocky man Herman Ludwig birthday December 9, age 30, who says his rank is equivalent to that of a corporal, and who speaks Italian very well.  Said that first four or five depth charges damaged them and they started to surface.  Second barrage drove them down.  They tried to surface again and that third barrage drove them down again.  He was heard to remark that he thought we had dropped some extra powerful charges as he had never experienced such a heavy nor terrific series of explosions.  
     
          On way back to ship in gig Captain said to Eng. Officer in German that first barrage really shook them up and started the damage.  Hans Heep then said that other barrages shook them up that much more and did some more damage.  He also said that he was flung from one bulkhead to the other by explosions.  
     
          Herman Ludwig when asked how many ships they had sunk said that they got one merchantman this morning, December 13, and then he was asked how many others; he started to answer but another man gave him a dirty look and said something in German and after that he shut up saying "If I don't keep quiet they'll hang me".  Later the same man asked what size our depth charges were because when they went off they rattled all their bulkheads.  
     
          Hans Heep was heard to say in German to Seilbrichs that we (the WAINWRIGHT) were going to throw all their clothes and gear overboard and not give it back and that they expected to be given the third-degree by Allied Intelligence Officers to get information from them.  Seibrichs was very sulky because the picture of his wife (or sweetheart) was taken from him and not given back.  (This is turned in with other personal effects).  Believe if told that he can have it back he will be willing to talk.  He also said that he didn't expect to ever see his Iron Cross again.  This may also prove of help in obtaining information from Seibrichs.  
     
          Herman Ludwig has been in sub service since 1940.  
     
          Hans Heep refused to give any information saying it all wa a military secret.  He had to ask Captain if it was all right to give his name and service number and Captain said, "yes", but that was all.  
     
          All of crew appeared at first willing to tell then where their homes were but Captain told them all they could say was name and service number and rank and further questions along this line failed to give any further information.  
     
 
- 3 -
 
     
     

 

     
     
          Peter Seibrichs appeared to be the most security-minded of the six.  Every time one of the men started to talk, a glance from him had the effect of stopping them from answering.  
     
          Believe that Herman Ludwig is willing to talk if questioned.  He appeared very friendly with our crew who talked to him both in German and Italian.  
     
          When boarding party went aboard submarine, they were very reluctant to do any talking, even so far as to answer question who was ranking officer.  It is believed they were stalling for time until sub sank.  After sub had sunk they seemed more willing to talk, but not about subjects pertaining to submarine.  
     
          Captain told one of our officers that boarding party would have to get off because fuses would blow up torpedoes in a short time.  Submarine was sinking rapidly, the deck was then almost awash, and none of boarding party attempted to go below.  
     
          All of prisoners appeared to be very nervous for some time afterward, especially Heep who had been wounded.  Some were very appreciative of treatment by our crew.  
     
          Ludwig stated that he heard a pecking noise, probably during attack.  It is not known whether this was from sound gear or noise-maker rigged on this ship.  
     
          After boarding party arrived aboard sub, Captain turned to Engineer Officer and asked "How are things going below?" probably referring to attempt at scuttling the sub.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
- 4 -