Op-16-F

S E C R E T

April 14, 1942.

From:	Chief of Naval Operations.
To:	Commandant, FIFTH Naval District.
Subject:	Recovered Documents - disposition of.

        1.        The bearer of this document is Lieutenant Harry T. Gherardi, U.S.N.R., who is now serving in the Division of Naval Intelligence.  He has special training in the interrogation of prisoners and processing of captured enemy documents and materials, and participated in processing in England the material recovered from the U-570.

        2.        It is desired that all documents and personal belongings which may be recovered shall be segregated and forwarded to the Division of Naval Intelligence under the supervision of Lieutenant Gherardi.

        3.        Lieutenant Gherardi is accompanied by Lieutenant R. W. B. Izzard, R.N.V.R., who is authorized to cooperate fully with Lieutenant Gherardi.

                                                                                   T. S. WILKINSON,

                                                                                   by Direction.

Copy 3 of 3.

CC:  F file

        Op-16-F-9

Op-16-F-9

April 20, 1942.

MEMORANDUM

From:	Op-16-F-9
To:	Op-16-F.
Subject:	U-85

        1.        It is requested that an announcement be made of the sinking of U-85 giving a location other than the actual one, and the fact that bodies were recovered although the submarine sank in an unaccessable place.

        2.        This recommendation is based on the fact that the stories of the U-85 have gotten out in Norfolk and could hardly be kept quiet in view of the military funeral given the recovered members of the crew.  This would also explain pieces of equipment, all of which were, in fact, recovered from the bodies.

                                                                                   John L. Riheldaffer.

                                                                                   by Direction.

Dict.  April 20, 1942.

Dict.  Cdr. riheldaffer.

Typed Terrell CY.

-  NAVAL SERVICE  -

S E C R E T

MEMORANDUM TO:  D.N.I.

                S/Lieut. Lunzer and I have made the following notes on the attached copy from Washington of a report dated 21st May on the papers obtained from the bodies recovered from U85.

Page 1.	These papers consist in the main of two diaries, one of which was found on the body of a Chief Engine Room Artificer, whilst the other was "the diary of Erich Degenkolb, rating not known".  It is, however, safe to assume that the last-named was an ordinary seaman, for his identity disc shows that he joined the Navy in 1941 and belonged to the navigational branch, being based on the North Sea.  (on the attached classified crew list are shown twelve U85 members and the information derivable from their identity discs).
	The report states that U85 was based on St. Nazaire and formed part of the 7th U/boat Flotilla; hitherto the Admiralty information was that she belonged to the 3rd Flotilla and was based on La Pallice.  The badge on the U85 conning tower seems to afford additional evidence that the submarine was based on St. Nazaire, if as seems likely, it was a picture of "a snorting bull".  FOr this was the badge of the celebrated deceased Commander Prien and is known to have been adopted by all St. Nazaire U-boats.  A U.S. diver reported that the U85 badge was "a bull with a rose in its mouth", which sounds fairly close to the Prien badge.
	A letter from La Pallice, intercepted at Ottawa, shows that Commander Greger attended a party at La Pallice on December 9th, 1941, at which twelve other U-boat officers were present.  This would not, however, prevent Greger having commanded U85 at St. Nazaire base, seeing that the U-boat was laid up between the end of November 1941 and January 10th, 1942.
	The three war cruises of U85 from Atlantic bases indicate that this 500 ton submarine remained at sea for six weeks and there is no suggestion in the diaries of any refueling en route.  The fact that the German Broadcasts referred recently to two U-boats having exchanged torpedoes for fuel while in American waters (February 1942), indicates that refueling en route was an unusual exploit.
Page 4.	The adventures of U85 with a convoy on 10 September 1941 are covered by the following paragraph in W.I.R. 80, page 17:  "A large number of enemy submarines began an attack on the homeward bound convoy S.C. 42 in the very early hours of September 10th, about 65 miles north east of Cape Discord, Greenland, and continued their attacks, during the next day and night.  It is believed that the following ships were torpedoed, but it is not yet known how many have actually been sunk".  (Here follow the names of 16 ships).

                                                                                         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

- 2 -

	The corresponding entry in the diary of the Chief E.R.A. reads as follows:
	"East Coast of Greenland.  In contact with convoy.  Seen by a destroyer.  Altered course.  Followed by destroyer which opened fire.
	0300 Alarm.  0322 one depth charge.  0345 surfaced and resumed pursuit.
	0715 Convoy again in sight.  Tried to head it off with north and east courses.
	1417 detonation in the convoy.  1500 submerged to let convoy approach.
	1642  fired a spread of two at 7,000 ton steamer.  Hit(s).
	1719, 1720.  One torpedo at each of two 5,000 ton ships.  Two hits.  Submerged."  It almost looks as though the diarist was unaware that U85 was operating with other U-boats.
Page 7.	On U85's third war cruise she was nearly hit by aircraft on 28 January 1942 and the seaman-diarist calls this her "baptism of fire by aircraft".  It is on record that U.S. aircraft carried out what appeared to be a successful attack on a German U-boat on that day in position 45.10 N and 52.20 W.

                                                                                  (W. S. Samuel)

                                                                               Lieutenant, R.N.V.R.

OTTAWA, June 2nd, 1942.

CLASSIFIED LIST OF TWELVE DROWNED CREW MEMBERS OF U85,

BASED ON THEIR IDENTITY DISCS.

Navigational:
Spoddig, Horst		N 16299/35 S)
		)	Petty officers
Amman, Gerhard		N 8803/35 S  )
Degenkolb, Erich		N 11662/41 S	Rating
Engine Room Hande:
Adrian, Heinrich		N 401/34 T)
		)	Petty officers
Hahnefeodth		N 1669/35T)
Kleibrink, Josef		N 1567/41 T	Rating

Navigational:
Kaiser, Helmut		O 2741/37 S)	Petty officer
Schumacher, Werner		O 5689/39 S)
		)	Ratings
Schultes, Karl		O 13232/40S)
Engine Room Hande:
Weidmann, Konstantin		O 1092/34 T)
		)
Strobel, Friedrich		O 602/35   T)	Petty officers
		)
Piotrowski, Artur AB		O 1735/36 T)
Ganzl		O 5908/40 T	Rating