Jak P Mallmann Showell - Hitlers Navy: A Reference Guide to the Kreigsmarine 1935-1945

Copyright Jak P Mallmann Showell 2009

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2009 by
Seaforth Publishing,
Pen & Sword Books Ltd,
47 Church Street,
Barnsley S70 2AS

www.seaforthpublishing.com

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
HARDBACK ISBN: 978 1 84832 020 8
PDF ISBN: 978 1 78346 451 7
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 78346 917 8
PRC ISBN: 978 1 78346 684 9

First published as The German Navy in World War Two 1979 by Arms and Armour Press.

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The right of Jak P Mallmann Showell to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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CONTENTS

The first ships of the new generation of post-First World War destroyers were fitted with 150mm guns, but these proved to be too heavy and too slow and the idea was abandoned again long before 1939. At first the navy fell back on a smaller, 127mm, calibre, but quickly developed a double 128mm turret for destroyers. The photo shows such a turret being installed on Z32 between 1939 and 1941 at the Deschimag AG Weser works in Bremen.

INTRODUCTION

Almost thirty years have passed since the first edition was written and now I would like to add the many people who got in touch to correct mistakes or elucidate events about which they have special knowledge. I am most grateful to everybody who has helped and many have not only provided additional information, but also become good friends.

Most of what was written some thirty years ago still applies, despite so much new material having come to light. Naval history is exciting inasmuch as both sides kept diaries, which were written the moment events unfolded and therefore it is possible to reconstruct what actually went on. The younger generations must be urged most strongly to study this material, for it shows that much of what the media bombards us with is terribly one-sided, not really true and many eyewitness accounts are figments of the imagination. I hope this book will inspire younger generations to study original papers of those events and one day write accurate accounts of our most turbulent history.

I am most grateful to Horst Bredow of the German U-boat Museum (formerly the U-boat Archive) for allowing me access to documents, books and photographs from his magnificent collection. Many of the photos for this new edition have come from the museum. I should also like to thank the staff of Bletchley Park, especially John Gallehawk, for allowing me access to their archive.

The following have kindly sent corrections, made positive suggestions, verified facts or provided encouragement during difficult times: Professor Heinfried Ahl (Pilot Officer of Kormoran); Margaret Bidmead (Royal Navy Submarine Museum); Jan Bos; Professor Gus Britton (at one time Deputy Director of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum); Bundesarchiv in Freiburg; Commander Richard Compton-Hall (one time director of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum); Ernst-August Gerke (U-boat commander); Captain Otto Giese (officer aboard liner Columbus, blockade breaker Anneliese Essberger and U-boats); Ursula von Friedeburg; Hans-Karl Hemmer (Pinguin and Adjutant); Wolfgang Hirschfeld (Radio Operator in U-boats, author and historian); George Hgel; Peter Huckstepp; Harry Hutson; Karl Keller; Wes Loney (ex RAAF pilot); Christopher Lowe; Edward McLaughlin; Ian Miller (sons and daughters of US merchant mariners); Heinrich Mueller; Dr Timothy Mulligan; Lionel Leventhal (publisher of the first edition of this book, who provided a great deal of encouragement); Edward Rumpf; Klaus Schle (S-boats); Torsten Schwenk; Heinz Tischer (photographer aboard Thor); Charles Walker (British merchant seaman). Many of these people are now dead, but I am most grateful for their support and should like to apologize to those who have been missed out of this list.

Unless otherwise stated, photographs have come from the authors collection or from Deutsches U-Boot-Museum.

JAK P MALLMANN SHOWELL

Folkestone, England, April 2008

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO THE FIRST EDITION, 1979

Gordon Willamson has been responsible for writing the sections on ranks, uniforms, badges and flags, which he has illustrated with his own drawings. I would like to thank him for all the other help he has given me.

Special thanks must go to Kpt.z.S. a.D. Otto Khler (U-boat Commander and later Commander of the Acoustic Torpedo School) for devoting many hours to sorting out information, verifying facts and checking the manuscript; it would have been most difficult to have completed this project without his help. Also many thanks to his wife, Erika, for putting up with the untidy piles of paper in their lovely flat and for looking after me so well while I was working with Otto in Munich.

I am most grateful to Ajax Bleichrodt (U-boat Commander and Knight of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves) for talking with me about his wartime experiences; and I wish to thank his son, Dr Wolf-Heinrich Bleichrodt, for kindly helping me after Ajaxs tragic death.

Heinrich Bhm (who served aboard Admiral Graf Spee and later became the first torpedo mechanic of U377) has been a most willing helper by clarifying details, providing some excellent photographs and a fair volume of new information all of which has been greatly appreciated.

Thanks also to the Deutscher Marinebund e.V.; especially to Kurt Reimers and the staff of U995 for making it possible for me to have two special tours of the boat. Their explanations have been a great help. U995 is now a museum next to the Naval Memorial at Laboe near Kiel and is well worth a visit.

Old photographs have been identified with help from Peter Cremer, Walter Ldde-Neurath, Bernhard Rogge, Walter Richter, Professor Friedrich Ruge and Adalbert Schnee.

Jack and Hanni Fletcher, Klaus and Anneliese Mallmann, Karl and Adele Prawitt and Heidi Prawitt have helped with numerous administrative problems, which has been a tremendous help. Neville Button and Imke Showell read through the manuscript before it went to press.

I am also indebted to many people and institutions that have kindly helped me in the past. It would be difficult to mention everybody by name, but all support has been deeply appreciated, and I should like to thank everyone who has taken an interest in my project. Each of the following has made a direct contribution: Ing. Franz Albert; Rudolf Bahr; Patrick Beesly, RN; Henry Birkenbagen; Wilhelm Brauel, Bundesarchiv, Koblenz, especially Dr Haupt and his staff; Buchhndler Vereinigung, particularly Waltraut Schtte; Michael Cooper; Kpt.z.S. a.D. Hans Dehnert; Roel Diepeveen; Commodore J F van Dulm of the Royal Netherlands Navy; Trevor Dart; Admiral Kurt Freiwald; Professor Ulrich Gabler; Kpt.z.S. a.D. Helmuth Giessler; Konteradmiral Eberhard Godt; Kpt.z.S. a.D. Rolf Gth; Korvkpt. a.D. Jan Hansen-Nootbaar; Gnther Heinrich; Geoffrey Jones; Fritz Khl; Flottillenadmiral a.D. Otto Kretschmer; David Lees; Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock; David Littlejohn; Kpt.z.S. a.D. Hans Meckel; Peter Nops; Commander F C van Oosten of the Royal Netherlands Navy; Arthur Pitt, RN; Richard Reskey; Donald Ream; Konteradmiral Hans Rsing; Professor Dr. Jrgen Rohwer; Daniel Rose; Helmut Schmoeckel; Kpt.z.S. a.D. Herbert Schultze; Flottillenadmiral Dr. Werner Schnemann; Franz Selinger; M. R B Squires of the Imperial War Museum; Tom Stafford; Hans Staus; Frederick J Stephens; Wrekin Photo Services; Commander Craig Walter, RN; Captain J J Wichers of the Royal Netherlands Navy; and Garry York.