PETER HANSEN (251-1987) spent some time working for the ABWEHR during World War II and he has information for us that is known to a mere handful of people in the world. Here he tells us:

U-110 is captured.

I would like to comment on KEVIN PETRIELLO's (535-1988) objections and comments with respect to U-110's sinking, boarding and Fritz Julius Lemp. Again, I fully realize that to point out and bring up all the applicable details and specific facts that bear on this matter, there is simply not the space. Thus I believe the only other alternative is that I make some observations and comments separately and then prepare what would be the minimum applicable to make sense as far as a response in concerned.

Ever since Freddy Winterbotham was allowed to lift the secrecy veil regarding Bletchley Park Operations and ULTRA, I have invested a tremendous amount of time and money to gain access, become acquainted with people who had knowledge of details based upon personal experience rather than hearsay or from reading books or magazine articles because I immediately realized what was involved because this had always been the opinion of a small number of people but was always denied by the German Admirals as being a technical impossibility while the British Admirals of course kept as silent as a clam about it for many years. Only the pressure exerted by certain historians, researchers and people with some 'officially denied' information finally made the British reluctantly relax the secrecy ban and lift it as little as possible to deflect the pressure and steam that had built up. All history books, reports and documents that were printed and issued before the ULTRA veil was partially lifted are largely nothing but paper that should be recycled and in the conclusions totally worthless.....

The same British controllers and sources in this same connection also 'cleared' the book 'THE ENIGMA WAR' by Josef Garlinski in 1979. The author however, knew personally nothing at all of these matters in World War II and based the 'approved' contents upon other articles, books, correspondence and interviews to piece things together. Consequently, there are some technical and factual errors, omissions and misconceptions included. To these, British censors did not object, of course.

This book covered and considered the Polish contribution to the cracking of the ENIGMA codes beyond the point of actuality. This was precisely the reason why the British controllers in the know let the book be printed. They wanted to avoid the backlash that had developed to their consternation and horror, re-evaluating not only decisions and strategy, but results and the War in general. They wanted to prevent the shifting from undervalue to overvalue of the ULTRA information and its bearing on events as they developed because history would have to be completely rewritten to take the facts into consideration. This they opposed strenuously indeed!

Consequently, the fashionable trend is to 'down play' ULTRA as being just another piece of information, so to speak, which had little effect on actual events. This is positively wrong and a calamity as far as the facts are concerned. The controllers were flabbergasted once they allowed some partial opening of this Pandora's Box, that the Genie they let out of the bottle ballooned into a giant whom they could no longer control. There are all older chaps who cherish the status quo and are deathly afraid to rock the boat and permit that the official histories are being challenged to any extent. Yet ULTRA makes this really necessary!

While I agree with MR. PETRIELLO's idea that fellows like OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-LIFE-1985) ought to comment, I should think ERICH TOPP (118-LIFE-1995) ought to do so likewise in addition. But what is really imperative is to get the English side of the participants to react and come across finally! I have read the prohibited documents and files, after a long and maybe sometimes devious campaign to creep up to them.

Naturally, they could not leave the premises and were not even supposed to be either seen or shown, much less read under 'supervision' either accidentally or otherwise. Well, I managed to overcome these obstacles over a period of years, fact by fact, document by document beavering the mosaic together to the full picture with patience, determination and tenacious follow-up. In no case was there 'everything' together, collected in one basket, if you will, never more than a piece of the story in one file or place but naturally, one had to know what to ferret out, what to ask for and where to snoop in a nice and pleasant way, in order not to generate a negative reaction, resulting in immediate closing of any and all openings entirely.

The more I dug up, the more my curiosity and determination increased, I suppose, like a gambler on the roulette table once the chips and numbers start to match and the cash register to ring. The more I found out, the more fascinating the stories got and believe me, even now the whole story is far from revealed as yet. Nothing has been released regarding the Russian message reading. For example, one of the unfortunate facts during the naval war was the fact that many, if not all, German Navy officers grossly underestimated the capabilities and resourcefullness of the English ruling class and circles, including the ROYAL NAVY naturally.

Based upon the worn-out way of looking at things on the basis of: 'What we can't manage to do or construct, the British will be even less so, because they are just too lazy to themselves hard enough to do so and prefer playing golf or cricket!'

A fatal mistake, indeed! Never underestimate your opponent and trust to luck.