Copy No. 4 of 4. |
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| Op-16-Z | ||||||||||||
| A16-2(4) | ||||||||||||
September 3, 1942. |
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| 1. With reference to the memorandum sent by General Strong to the Chief of Staff regarding the handling of prisoners of war taken from enemy submarines, it is necessary that the interpretation of this memorandum be clarified. | ||||||||||||
| 2. Insofar as regards the prisoners from U-352, U-701 and U-210 it is understood that the German Government has been informed of the names of the men now held and that all prisoners from these boats will be transferred to a permanent internment camp. | ||||||||||||
| 3. Those prisoners from U-701 and U-210 now held at Fort Hunt will not be permitted to contact new prisoners received prior to their transfer. | ||||||||||||
| 4. It is requested that an interpretation of the memorandum mentioned, as it will be applied to the prisoners from U-94 and other prisoners who may be taken, be furnished. | ||||||||||||
| 5. Probably as much as 75% of the information of value extracted from prisoners during interrogation at Fort Hunt comes from judicious mixing of prisoners from different U-boats. Prisoners are security conscious by training and all members of the crew of any one boat are familiar with the experiences of their shipmates. Introduction of a prisoner from another boat immediately causes curiosity to override caution and it is in the exchange of experiences between such prisoners that vital facts are brought out. | ||||||||||||
| 6. An excellent example can be given from our own experience. The U-352 had a crew which was very highly indoctrinated on security and a commanding officer who kept his men strictly to account. Relatively little was extracted from these men. When U-701 was sunk the commanding officer was badly shaken by forty nine hours in the water and talked freely. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ||||||||||||
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| Op-16-Z. | ||
| A16-2(4) | ||
| SUBJECT: Interrogation of War Prisoners. | ||
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ||
| When he recovered he continued to talk, partly in gratitude and partly because he is naturally loquacious and has an immense curiosity. When members of the U-352 were placed with him a very large amount of valuable information was obtained from their conversations and reminiscences. | ||
| 7. I believe that it is essential that the Interrogators be allowed to make judicious mixtures of crew members or officers from prisoners taken in order to profit by this natural tendency to talk with strangers. The interrogators should be allowed a free hand at Fort Hunt in making the assignments of prisoners to rooms irrespective of the boat from which they came. | ||
| 8. It is, of course, understood that when prisoners are transferred from Fort Hunt they will be aware of the fact that other prisoners are being held. When such prisoners are visited by the Red Cross or the Swiss representatives they will inevitably mention this fact. | ||
| 9. I believe that General Strong's memorandum amply protects us. The German government, through the proper representative, is to be advised of the names of prisoners WHEN THEY REACH A PERMANENT INTERNMENT CAMP. The exigencies of medical examination, transportation during war time, availability of guards, etc., makes the time elapsed before arrival in a permanent camp very flexible. | ||
| 10. Prisoners should be transferred from Fort Hunt by single crews. Prisoners transferred from Fort Hunt can be held at a temporary camp for the period required to deny information to the enemy. When they do arrive at a permanent camp and are visited by the Red Cross or Swiss representatives they will pass on the information about other prisoners and, probably, the number of the boat from which they were taken. | ||
| 11. In the event of an inquiry from the Red Cross or the Swiss the Provost Marshal General's Office can reply frankly that such is the case and that the names will be communicated as soon as the prisoners arrive at the permanent camp. | ||
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| Op-16-Z. | ||
| A16-2(4) | ||
| SUBJECT: Interrogation of War Prisoners. | ||
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ||
| 12. This demands the use of more than one temporary camp, depending upon the number of U-boats sunk during a relatively short period. I believe that three such camps should be provided besides Camp Meade which is used as a clearing camp for Fort Hunt. | ||
| 13. I can see no material harm in using one permanent camp for internment of all prisoners from submarines. | ||
| John L. Riheldaffer, | ||
| Commander, U.S. Navy(Ret.) | ||
| Head of Special Activities Branch. | ||
| Dictated 9/3/42 | ||
| Dictated by Cdr. Riheldaffer | ||
| Typed by London. | ||
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Summary Room Conversation Degen (U-701) - Bernhard (U-352) 8/10/42 22.35 |
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Trans. Alberti |
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| He remembers having previously had morphium injections, principally because he suffers from gall-bladder trouble. | ||
| He states that he heard the watch being relieved at night. Two men were being relieved . He heard them say: "How late is it?" then "Two o'clock". Then someone said "How are you Captain?" About an hour later one or two men came in and one gave him an injection. "Hat mir eine Nadel ins Blut gesteck und dann gespritzt, aber heftig" and immediately they began to question him, shouting at him: When did you sail, you must tell us, how many torpedoes did you carry?" Degen says he could do nothing as he was quite helpless and had not yet recovered from his experience in the water. | ||
| Bernhard says he is suspicious of the building because of the ceilings with the holes in them. | ||
| Degen says Rathke was formerly Wachoffizer under Henne, about 1934. It seems he had seriously injured his knee while skiing, at that time he was laid up for about 6 months. Bernhard confirms that he still suffers from trouble with his knee. He was brought to his boat by car, it even appears that he had to use a wheel chair (hatte sogar so einen kleinen Wagen da). (I think Bernhard says that this was during the Baubelehrung). | ||
| Degen says he is not married "Gottseidank". Bernhard suggests that a pleasant time can be had in a Stutzpunkt if one is not married. Degen doesn't react to this. Says, on arrival he would go to the B.d.U. and after a couple of days go to Germany on leave. Says he has often been to Paris. | ||
| Degen asks Bernhard if the had "Wassereinbruch" in the boat. B. says he was "im Turm" and doesn't know exactly. Says it is better not to talk of these things here. Degen points out that when one has to give up one's boat, after all there is a hole in it, and the Americans have submarines too . . . . . . . . But Bernhard says they are apparently keen to know all about it, and therefore it is better not to say anything about it. Degen then tells him about the captured boat in England, and that they know all about U-boats anyway. But B. points out that if they get the details it helps them to get other boats. . . . . . . . . | ||
| Degen mentions Topp and that Lt. Izzard asked him about him and Kretschmer. He says Topp is due for the Schwerter zum Eichenlaub" and he has sunk 250,000 T. Bernhard mentions Kt. Zapp. | ||
| Bernhard even refuse to tell Degen how long he has been in U-boats or how long in the Navy. He just says "nicht lange". | ||
| Bernhard says 660 ships totaling 4 million tons have been sunk in six months. | ||
| Degen mentions that a U-boat commander has been accused by the Americans of having shot at a lifeboat because the inmates refused | ||
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| to answer questions. Bernhard refuses to believe this. But claims positively that he was shot at in the water and that no one here will believe him, that the commander of the boat that sank them should have realized when he saw men jumping out of the conning tower that they were abandoning ship, but that he machine-gunned them in spite of this and that five men were shot in the water. | ||
| Degen then talks of the sinking of his boat. Of how they only had two "Trauchretter" and five lifebelts between them. That the plane returned about an hour after the sinking, dropped smoke flares. Later the airship dropped them more life preservers and eventually the raft. The airplane also took pictures of them. | ||
| Degen says they did not see the plane till it was almost over them, just in good time to drop it's bombs. They had only just shortly come to the surface. Degen says he got out when his boat was 70 Meters down. Later says it may have been 60 Meters. That inside one minute, the boat was full of water "bis unter das Turmluck". The gauge in the control room showed 60 Meters. Says: "Schuld an der Sache war mein Eins W.O." (Erster Wachoffizier). Also the flier who sank his boat came to see him later and told him he was very sorry he had been unable to pick them up at the time. Describes in detail the story we already know about how each of them was watching one sector for planes, as much as anything again apparently to justify his part to B. Tells how they all got back in the boat, he last, and that the bombs hit then when they were 18 Meters under water. Says he gave his 2 Eins W.O. "einen vorwurfsvollen Blick and said zu sp"at gesehen.Sagt er, Jawohl. Incidentally they had already started to get back into the boat, when the Officer saw the plane. The Steuermann and Zwei W.O. had already gotten back into the boat. They were only on the surface 15 minutes, and each man only had to observe a sector 20 degrees, with a perfectly clear sky. B. asks how D. managed to get out. He says he was standing behind (the | ||
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9/8/42 |
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| Schwendel (U-701) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Faust (U-701) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Room conversation Faust - Seldte (U-701) 9/8/42 | ||
| Yes but no war vessels. Just steamers. | ||
| War vessels can't be used in these waters. for advance guard service. | ||
| (He relates that the interrogator asked for types of ammunition used on the submarine, which he did not know. He elaborates upon the survivors.) | ||
| (He continues to relate circumstances of the rescue from the sinking submarine. It seems as if an inflated rubber boat saved quite a few lives.) | ||
| There is a question as to the watertight compartments (Schotten), which is not audible. | ||
| (He says that some of the petty officers were removed in the last minute) | ||
| I heard an explosion and saw a black mass approach. Water penetrated into my small cabin, swept me through the entire boat and carried me outside. | ||
| When I got into the commander's cabin things were a terrible mess. There was no more light, because the supply of lighting there was dependent upon the radio shack and the central station. | ||
| We were all ordered to come to the central station and leave the submarine from there. I was sent back to tell the first machinist to come to the central station. He had tried to have the exit door in front opened but it was impossible because there was no diver to do the job from the outside. It is really a difficult operation. I also found out that there were several men, who could not make their way to the central station. | ||
| When I went through the commander's cabin again, there was total darkness, because the big washstand had fallen into such a position that it cut off the dim glare which had formerly penetrated from the central station. I felt my way around in there but could not find any exits. They had all been blocked and in addition the amount of air in this room had decreased, because of the rapidity of my movements, which used up quite a bit of air. I finally returned to the central | ||
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| station, where everything was full of oil and things generally were a terrible mess. In a corner the figure of machinist mate Richter was sprawled put, and upon my inquiries whether the others had left the submarine already he answered with moans. Neither did he answer when I asked him whether he was hurt. I realized that we were near the coast and that escape was possible, and I began to look for diving equipment, but could not find any, or rather whatever I found was torn to shreds. | ||
| I finally took a deep breath, held my nostrils together and went out to reach the surface. The decrease of pressure hardly bothered me. I joined the others and we swam towards the coast, but the current carried us back. | ||
| (He now describes an instrument in the frontal part of the conning tower, which apparently measures the distances and serves also other functions. The words are partly obliterated.) | ||
| (They describe the behavior of their captors and especially of an interpreter.) | ||
| (They discuss details of New York City and an airdrome, which they passed on their way) | ||
| The Junkers could fly to New York. They can cover 7000 km non stop, and the distance between New York City and Spain only amounts to 6000 km. They can cover the distance with a bombload. They could take along big bundles of incendiary bombs (Molotov breadbaskets) like they did over Warsaw. Then people in New York would stand on their heads. | ||
| (The discussion reverts back to the submarine.) | ||
| We ascended from a depth of 86 meters. There were several boats. | ||
| (They deride the stupidity of the guards and discuss several of them) | ||
| So he passed by and I stuck my head out and told him that I was hungry. | ||
| He said that I was getting enough to eat. | ||
| Upon completion of the first trip they went to Brest, after the second one to St. Nazaire. | ||
| I was asked whether I had seen the insignia of the 7th flotilla, picturing a steer. | ||
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| I am in a very good mood. I would have liked to throw this food into the shit house. This morning we had bread and some eggs. I have never yet eaten the eggs here. They taste rotten. | ||
| I came in there and everything was freshly constructed and in good order. I examined the floor for microphones. | ||
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#44 |
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FAUST AND SELDTE (U-701) CONVERSATION |
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9-8-42. |
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| Part II. | ||
| Here? With such a boat we were brought to this country, and not with a warship. | ||
| Such vessels were attacked by us, for they are carrying war supplies. | ||
| We did not attack warships. | ||
| It is America's fault. We did not attack any warships at all. | ||
| We did not use them much. Not even the advance guard. | ||
| He wanted to know what kind of ammunition we used on our boat. I told him that I didn't know anything definite about that. He said that the boat was shot to pieces. | ||
| Is that what he said? Radtke cried out in the last minute. | ||
| . . . . . . . . dived. It was Klauber. . . . . . . . was called there also. | ||
| If it weren't for him, they all would have drowned. | ||
| We all got out of there. He didn't want to get out. | ||
| . . . . . . . . Muetzelfuenf, I know him. We attended the same school. | ||
| I went in then and Schulz followed. | ||
| What was it? | ||
| Why did it have to come that way? - . . . . . . . . shot . . . . . . . . | ||
| I tell you why: because those lordly non-coms had to get out . . . . . . . . | ||
| in the last minute. | ||
| Why? The boat wasn't filled up with water yet. | ||
| No. - A detonation occurred. Wasn't that it? | ||
| All one could see was a black . . . . . . . . from the sides. And I asked him to bring his . . . . . . . . | ||
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| I understand. He was fully exhausted . . . . . . . . | ||
| I have been struggling too. - The commandant also. One could not know anymore where the front was, nor the rear. | ||
| There wasn't any light. First we had the light from the . . . . . . . . and latter on from the "central station" . . . . . . . . | ||
| When I went thru there for the first time, I got caught between the officer's quarters and B . . . . room . . . . there is such a hook for clothes . . . . | ||
| We struggled, someone pulled me in and I turned over. That was in the commandant's room. He told me, that he wanted to go thru to the B . . . . room, but apparently his "diver" was out of order. He inquired after the "central station" . . . . He advised for all of us to rush to the "central station" if possible. From there was should emerge . . . . . . . . I came back . . . . . . . . said, it was impossible. Then I went thru there once more . . . . . . . . couldn't get thru there to the "central station" . . . . . . . . that couldn't be done, for they did not have any diving suits. Don't you think so? | ||
| Yes. | ||
| That's poor business. I went thru there again. But I could not pass the "central station". | ||
| Where did . . . . get tout then? | ||
| Thru the "bow room". Again I went back and thru the commander's room where apparently this wash-stand was folded back. At any rate, after I passed thru there for the second time, no light was visible anymore. . . . . . . . . "central station" . . . . . . . . Well, I could get up to the commandant's room only but not a bit further. I fumbled all over the place: there was this bow of the curtain, on the otherside the rod-antenna which leads upwards . . . . . . . . radio room. So I thought this must be the front end. The "bow room" ought to be here. | ||
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| Yes, I can see. | ||
| So I wandered around the commandant's room. The flow of air was scarce. I gasped, my eyes started to get irritated. - I dove . . . . . . . . and I came up in front of the "central station". - - - - the slide and I entered the "central station". What a mess in there. Everything covered with oil. And way back, where the speaking trumpets are, there I heard groaning and further back in the corner one of the fellows was lying. Oh, was he in bad shape. - I thought to myself, what in the world is going on here. Did the others leave him? He kept groaning more and more. I asked him; are you hurt? No answer. - I try to explain to him that we are getting on shore. - - Diver, diver, that's all he said. - I assumed, that he wants a diving apparatus and I looked around to find one for him. But later on I couldn't find the fellow anymore. | ||
| . . . . . . . . . | ||
| Everything was dark in the "central station". I looked around for him. I expected him to get out where the engines are. I couldn't see a thing. I only heard the groaning voice. Whether he was injured or what happened to him, I really couldn't say. - - I looked around there, asked for the lid to be opened, gasped for breath and I go up. There wasn't a thing I could have done about him. I did my best. - I presume, he was seriously injured. - . . . . . . . . the suction of the water took care of the rest. It was just like this. I didn't feel anything much. No pressure at all. . . . . . . . . I fumbled along the ladder. . . . . . . . . arrived at the turret. I stood on the conning tower. . . . . . . . . He was hit and fell. | ||
| Yes, and . . . . . . . . | ||
| He was with us for one year, almost a full year. | ||
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| I must admit, that I came up pretty fast. As a whole, everything worked out good. Really, in good order. Even though, there was a little crying here and there in the beginning. | ||
| His diving-apparatus is ruined. | ||
| I wanted to carry his diving-apparatus to the rear, he was too lazy to get his. That's the result now. - It could have been exchanged. | ||
| It sure was luck, that I kept my diving-apparatus in the bow room. | ||
| I always figured that it pays to exercise great care. | ||
| My uniform was kept in one particular spot, for I expected to go on shore. | ||
| . . . . . . . . | ||
| Helloh, here we are. | ||
| 90km. | ||
| 90 miles . . . . . . . . | ||
| from Norfolk. A kilometer is more than an American land mile, compared to German measurements. That's quite a distance. | ||
| . . . . . . . . they would have gotten on land. | ||
| Sure, but they drifted away. | ||
| . . . . . . . . we could feel the difference between low and high tide. | ||
| Now it won't be as easy as this any more, the boat is full of water, and if they should get it . . . . . . . no, it can't be done. | ||
| They can have her after the war, if they should care. They won't be able to do it. And we will have new ones again by that time. | ||
| We have new ones already, that's what the Lembke men report. They have a . . . . whether I have seen a 7,50. . . . . . . . It is a square box; that's how it looks, and in front it has a tower. It looks more or less like some kind of a "cooler". | ||
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| They can determine the size of the ship, the distance, how many vessels there are altogether and similar things. Even the rate of speed. | ||
| They can figure it out . . . . that's all fixed on the sub. | ||
| I got all that from No. I who used to be on . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . may be 14 vessels or more, it can be figured out any more how many . . . . there was a huge one also, which they eliminated, 86000 t. simultaneously, in a few hours only. - A speedy ship, the speediest. . . . . . . . | ||
| The American has fast moving ships. | ||
| Well then . . . . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . being written down: U-Degen overdue, U-Degen overdue. | ||
| . . . . . . . . as such they are not bad, the natives. | ||
| But as soldiers. . . . . . . . | ||
| Hep, two, three, four, hep, two, three, four . . . . . . . . and then they are still out of step. - One arm swings this way and the other the opposite way. | ||
| And even if they do count, they are still out of step. | ||
| And I sure got a big kick out of them the first night here. . . . . . . . | ||
| I sure laughed heartily. . . . . . . . | ||
| You will be warned once only, if you should attempt to escape. Shouldn't you stop after this warning, you will be fired upon. I looked him straight in the face with the effect that he couldn't carry on with his talk anymore. I had to look away from him. If you should not understand everything, come and see me, I was told by him. They simply can't speak anymore, you have to look away from them. Later I looked in his face again and he started to stutter. You will start out for a long trip today, you have only five minutes or 6 minutes left. (imitates stuttering) | ||
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| Yes, 10 minutes I spoke to him, in answer. | ||
| . . . . . . . . a Jew. | ||
| Yes, he is also a Jew. | ||
| . . . . . . . . and thru all this interpreting . . . . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . Navy or Marine . . . . . . . . | ||
| the one . . . . . . . . you know and the blond, who gave me two bottles of beer last Sunday. - He has a wife and two children. I didn't see the children, how ever I did see his wife. He showed me several photographs of her. | ||
| He lives in New York. . . . - Oh, no, I find that New York . . . . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . as they always write about those sky-scrapers. | ||
| Have you seen the air field there, which we passed . . . . . . . | ||
| On some places they had AA guns. Did you notice them. | ||
| Yes, sure. | ||
| Yes, they are afraid of aircraft carriers coming across. - | ||
| The carrier Prinz Eugen . . . . . . . . They continually fear, that they might come over here. - That is not impossible, you know. | ||
| Yes, yes. | ||
| The "Ju" could get across here. The "Ju" has a range up to 7000 km. | ||
| But she has to get back again. | ||
| Back and forth it amounts to 6000 from Spain. They could come from Spain. | ||
| But how about bombs. | ||
| They expect her to cover 7000. | ||
| They don't necessarily need any bombs . . . . . . . . How was it done at Warsaw. They loaded scores of incendiaries into the "Ju" and they stood there with shovels and sand. - - - - Ha, ha, ha. They would stand on their heads here, they can't take it. | ||
| Our cause occurs only once. | ||
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| First of all . . . . . . . . emerged from so and so many meters of depth. | ||
| . . . . . . . . there were different boats ahead of us. | ||
| . . . . . . . . in most cases 86 meters. Isn't that right. | ||
| I talked to the Jew briefly . . . . . . . . They don't know we have been captured or where we come from. They don't have any idea about it. They are as dense as a pig. They don't even speak to a fellow. If you attempt to get into a conversation with them, then they say: "I don't know." It is strictly forbidden to talk here. | ||
| Some of them are here, who do talk after a little while. - - Yes, Yes. | ||
| But most of them don't. - The other one, he is grinning most of the time. | ||
| He is the one, who hands out the cigarettes. | ||
| Oh, the black-head. | ||
| Oh, and the crooked one, I always have to laugh, when I watch him walking. | ||
| He gives out cigarettes too. | ||
| Yes, they all have poor teeth here in America. - - Yes, from the darned white bread they eat. | ||
| Those mosquitoes bother me allot. | ||
| Come on let's play some cards. Do you know how to play 66? | ||
| Yes. | ||
| Let's play the other game where they are lined up on the table and then covered with some more cards. | ||
| I don't know that game. However I can learn it pretty quickly if you want to teach me . . . . I wanted to buy that for Christmas but I did not have the money. . . . . . . . He came past me and he said; I am hungry, I am hungry, so I said: you are getting enough, you already have a pretty big stomach. | ||
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| What a laugh I had then. | ||
| Do they always have such bad conditions there? | ||
| It is better than this terrible joint. | ||
| These guards are too lazy to come here. I knocked for half an hour and they still have not opened the door. | ||
| Now I broke it finally. There is too much work to it to repair it again. | ||
| Were you ever in . . . . . . . . | ||
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| . . . . . . . . It's a shame . . . . . . . . cigarettes . . . . . | ||
| It will soon have to come to an end . . . . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . Olaf . . . . . | ||
| What? Has that Norwegian been . . . . . . . . Yes, yes. | ||
| We want to hold those positions for the time being. | ||
| . . . . . . . . bunker. . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . a lock here and another one there. | ||
| . . . . . . . . and here are the harbor defense cannons. | ||
| Right, when you get into it from Oheim towards the plant. . . . | ||
| And there is - - - what's the name of this large factory? | ||
| . . . . . . . . | ||
| . . . . . . . . the Nordberganlagen. | ||
| . . . . . . . . left through . . . . the lock at Narvik . . . . | ||
| First you took to port at St. Nazaire and then to Brest. | ||
| No, it was the other way around. First we were at St. Nazaire and then at Brest. We were lying in "Laboule". I don't like to mention that. | ||
. . . . . . . . Yes, they have been at "Laboule". |
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| Which joint did you like most there? - - They know that we have been there. | ||
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| They don't know anything here. They just guess everything. But he knew about that big fish. He made a drawing of it, and then he asked me whether it was correct. I said, "I don't know". "Yes", he said, "it has been noticed long ago". | ||
| . . . . when you took to sea. | ||
| And they spoke even about more insignias. They claim to have seen the insignia of the seventh flotilla. | ||
| When Schwendke and the senior machinist were quartered together, I believe they . . . . . . . . | ||
| (Guard enters) We will take out shower afterwards. | ||
| I would like to have begged a cigarette from him. | ||
| He is the one who lets you have one. | ||
| Yes. How about a good hamburger now? | ||
| I am in a good mood despite the lack of it. | ||
| The meal before, it was chicken, was such that I would have liked very much to throw it into the latrine. | ||
| This morning we had eggs only. | ||
| Yes, but they were rotten. | ||
| No, we never ate any eggs here. | ||
| They have an awful taste here. | ||
| It was all cold there, but we got more just the same. | ||
| Where was that? | ||
| Downstairs. | ||
| In this room. First I was in room 24. Later they transferred me to 25. | ||
| Our pals are rather quiet. | ||
| I don't think, that we will remain together. | ||
| I can't understand the reasons for all these changes. | ||
| Maybe they just want us to stay together. After all, it is all over now. | ||
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10 |
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| I was up there three times so far. | ||
| . . . . . . . . and the one opposite here asked me . . . . . . . . | ||
| I still can't understand it. Apparently they are planning on getting all of us together now. | ||
| They will need the room later on. Everybody will have his own. . . . . . . . . | ||
| No. | ||
| It is either or. If one of us profits, then the other one has to get some kind of benefit also. | ||
| They don't pay so particularly much attention to it. | ||
| When I was together with the radio mate in the car he always addressed me with the polite form of the pronoun. | ||
| Yes? | ||
| Sometimes he left a kind of strange impression on me. We talked in a very low voice all the time . . . . . . . . microphone . . . . | ||
| We also did so. | ||
| Then they separated us. | ||
| That had to be expected. When I got here, all the walls were still white. | ||
| Everything was perfect, and in excellent shape. They had three bunks in one room. I wondered whether anybody had ever been here before us. Everything seems to be new. | ||
| And what did you think when you got . . . . . . . . for the first time from Radtke? | ||
| That of course was . . . . . . . . | ||
| Sure from down below. - - - I did too. | ||
| Everything was still upstairs. | ||
| I was there for a half hour. - I wasn't there that long for interrogation. | ||
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11 |
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| He asked the same thing all the time. | ||
| And it took quite some time before he finished. | ||
| And then I went to my room upstairs and took a cigarette. I looked outside. It is so beautiful outside. I was trying to get all my stuff together and orient myself a bit. All of a sudden a fellow comes in. I did like that and then saluted him. I asked him "Where do you come from?" He was a submarine fellow. We got into talking and I asked him about his boat. It was the Lemke he said. | ||
| U-Radtke. - Yes, U Radtke. And soon after that the No. 1 came in. They told us that they had been at Fort Bragg, etc. - We asked questions back and forth. Afterwards he said "Flensburger boat", and in turn I said "Flendsburger boat" [Code?] | ||
| Doesn't that require an answer for you? - - Then of course we were all oriented. | ||
| Another fellow came in. A kind of super-man with such a beard. He raised a beard here. Neither of us said a word when our eyes met. We just looked at each other. Finally he said, "You are a PW, too?" - I remained thinking for a while on account of the Navy here and Radtke, you know. | ||
| I told him that I am a Westphalian and such things. . . . . . . . | ||
| We got into talking later on . . . . . . . . heard something about espionage in a P W camp? | ||
| No, I said. - I would be shot, in case of espionage activities. | ||
| I can imagine so, I said to him. | ||
| He asked me about the Flensburger Hof and various other localities and about girls also. | ||
| I know Maria . . . . . . . . but no comparison. . . . . | ||
| I knew Erich from . . . . . . . . - "I know the comrade" was my answer . . . . . . . . | ||
| And again he talked with his low voice: " . . . . . . . espionage . . . . . . . . " I had to laugh. | ||
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12 |
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| And furthermore there was the fellow - What's his name - . . . . . . . . | ||
| He asked me for some more names. - - Chief mate: Gustav. | ||
| . . . . . . . . and who else. Who was Platoon Leader" I told him: Senior machinist Steinecke (??) - - Yes, yes. | ||
| The officer? - 1st. Lt. Petruschka. - . . . . . . . . | ||
| Oh boy, did I laugh. | ||
| He even asked whether we had card-games and horse back riding. - . . . . . . . . | ||
| I have no breeches for horse back riding . . . . . . . . | ||
| And he stood there . . . . . . . .they sure made fun of him. | ||
| And the "Starben". I know him from Germany, he really is a wild fellow. | ||
| . . . . . . . . I saw him when he left. He looked like "circus manager". Have you seen him? | ||
| His uniform had white shoulder pieces on it on which were two red stars . . . . . . . . | ||
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9/8/42 |
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| Kunert (U-701) - Subke (U-210) | ||
| They talk about the interrogation procedure "and in the new camp we will be separated according to rank. EM, NCO, and officers. That will take place very soon, because we are being taken over by the Army now." | ||
| they converse with great care. "Oh, he talked only about the situation in general." | ||
| Ackerman has a brother who has been in Canada since 1939. | ||
| They too have relatives here in America. After they knew their address, he was able to write to them and he received packages from them at regular intervals. | ||
| The PW of the Radthke don't have anything to smoke yet. - Yes they have been too stubborn. | ||
| one PW teaches English to the other PW. | ||
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| Kunert (U-701) - Subke (U-210), #61, part 2 | ||
| It is something different if they capture submarine crews instead of ordinary sailors. | ||
| They get mad whenever the discussion turns to the Japs. But the Japs are good soldiers. They don't give a shit if they get killed, because for them it is the highest possible honor. That is part of their religion. | ||
| I said if the matter with the radio could not be arranged they ought to put a loud speaker into our room. I know that from Canadian prison camps, where you can listed to the German shortwave radio which features programs for prisoners of war. | ||
| Did you hear that already? | ||
| No | ||
| We heard it around 10 o'clock American time near the coast. | ||
| (He imitates the radio announcers announcements of messages to prisoners.) | ||
| That lasts for an hour. | ||
| I must say though that the American officers are always very clean shaven. And the enlisted men too. (They are anticipating another "beer" evening) | ||
| I don't think it is proper that the men and officers an noncoms are being separated. We ought to put some pressure on that. The navy ought to stay together. Then at least you have your men under control, at least the fellows from your boat. | ||
| Oh I am not so eager to get together with them. (He continues to discuss the desirability of getting together with certain people.) | ||
| (They discuss the time sequence of their interrogations.) | ||
| Once and a while something has to happen. When I get into the next war I'll get captured the first time. | ||
| I don't think that it will come to a final end with this war. | ||
| I don't think so myself. I believe they will all come to terms. I have quite the impression. | ||
| It is difficult for us in Germany nowadays. They are right when they say that Germany is lacking her air force in the West. | ||
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| That is true. We have too many planes in the east. There is also a lack of pilots and flying personnel. They can produce airplanes all right, that should not present too much difficulty. There is no doubt that the war presents many more difficulties to us through America's entry into the war. I mean so far we have not endured any defeats in this war, none at all. | ||
| And then there is good old Rommel in Africa. And did you hear of General Oberst von Bismark. He is said to have been captured in Africa, after he fell on his ass. They too say to themselves: You can't do anything against those attacks. | ||
| (Another prisoner enters and they start the reiteration of the interrogation. The prisoner says that he expressed his desire to thank the colonel for his courtesies.) (they continue discussing an interrogation by the Captain) (They attribute great importance to the fact that they are to be kept in the vicinity of this place for the purpose of "Gedankenaustausch" - exchange of thoughts and ideas). (They discuss the increase in comforts which they face.) | ||
| He said that they would collect all the prisoners, who were not party members, in one camp. Sotosay a "Highschool of Democracy". He intimated that we might become citizens of this country. It depends on our behavior but I can't play politics as a prisoner of war. You'll see that they even go that far to mix the Protestants and Catholics. | ||
| They are liable to do anything. He said "We like you." | ||
| (They discuss at length the part of the interrogation dealing with the Germans in Italian uniforms, and the story about the Italian divers cutting the protective U-boat nets.) (They reiterate the "Exchange of thoughts"). He said that it had been arranged that we three master sergeants (chief petty officers) stay together. | ||
| I asked him where Rathke was, but he stopped. | ||
| (They again discuss their removal from this place, due within a week.) | ||
| What they all want to know, about the government and so. | ||
| When they come to visit us we might get a few favors out of them, like athletic equipment. | ||
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