PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) spent time working for the ABWEHR (the German Secret Service) during World War II and he has information known to a mere handful of people - and he gives this secret information exclusively to SHARKHUNTERS. Here he tells us:

OPERATION 'URSULA'

Here we read more on the U-Boat actions during the Spanish Civil War.

"Just briefly some further reference to Operation URSULA, this mainly with respect to the U-Boats that did operate in and around Spain, either in the Atlantic or Bay of Biscay, roughly between San Sebastian and La Guardia at the Portuguese border & again mostly in the Mediterranean Sea and its approaches between Ayamonte at the Southern border of Portugal to the French border North of Barcelona. Several of these boats, particularly U-33 and U-34, on several voyages in different geographical areas.

As already mentioned, only the initial first trip of U-33 and U-34 were covered by Operation URSULA orders & instructions and the name was NOT thereafter applied to any of the other patrols made thereafter by these U-Boats or for that matter, any other U-Boats including those U-Boats officially operating on international Control Commission assignments & patrols, mostly in 1937 and 1938 - with other words, somewhat later than Operation URSULA took place.

Victor Oehrn

I was likewise interested that U-14, a TYPE II-B U-Boat operated around Spain, but then it was commissioned and commanded by Victor Oehrn, probably the officer with the highest I.Q. in U-Boat Command, Class of 1927, known as being able to concentrate so hard on a particular subject to the exclusion of other things, that he seldom failed to resolve his problems. Victor Oehrn happened to be one of the four German Navy Interpreters for RUSSIAN. In addition to Erich Raeder, incidentally. A man of many talents! Not the flamboyant type of officer, or a pushy publicity hound like some others either! One of his Watch Officers was Günther Prien! When he turned over command of U-14 later on to Horst Wellner, to take his next post as Staff Officer with U-Boat Command (A-1), replacing in certain daily work respects EBERHARD GODT (344-1987) who became Chief of Staff instead due to anticipated additional work on account of the slowly growing number of U-Boats.

U-37 AFTER PATROL

INTO SCAPA FLOW

It has been said that Victor Oehrn was the originator of the idea to get a U-Boat into Scapa Flow and who did 90% of the research and preliminary work before turning the deal over to Karl Dönitz who selected Günther Prien for this job in October of 1939.

Victor Oehrn was given command of the TYPE IX-A U-Boat U-37 after the Torpedo Disaster that occurred during the Occupation of Norway Campaign as it was hoped, he could be successful and restore confidence to the very disturbed Captains and officers. Even though some of his torpedoes still turned out to be malfunctioning, he nevertheless sunk 11 steamers with 45,000 tons on his first patrol. On his second patrol, Oehrn sunk 13 ships with 63,639 tons, which was the second most successful patrol of the entire war and only surpassed by U-107 under Günther Hessler in 1941.

On September 1st, 1940 Oehrn was promoted to Commander and awarded the KNIGHTS CROSS on October 21st, 1940. Then he returned to U-Boat Command for a period of time and was then assigned to Italy as Senior Officer in the new Mediterranean Command.

As additional U-Boats were ordered to enter the Mediterranean Sea, the OKM appointed on February 1st, 1942, Rear Admiral Leo Kreisch as F.d.U Mittelmeer however, Oehrn remained as Senior Admiralty Staff Officer. In this capacity he was delegated to travel to North Africa to coordinate supply problems with Rommel's AFRIKA KORPS with the German Admiral at the Northafrika Command. Traveling by car behind German lines with three other people in the vehicle, it was ambushed by a British Desert Force Commando Group and shot up. Oehrn was gravely wounded and taken prisoner in July of 1942.

Werner Hartmann - father of FKPT GÜNTHER HARTMANN (2230-1992)

Because of his wounds and state of health, Oehrn was included in a Prisoner of War Exchange by way of Sweden in April of 1944 and thus returned to Germany. Here he was placed into the First Department of the OKM, handling coordination of U-Boat matters and was promoted on May 1st, 1944 to Fregettan Kapitän, working again as a Senior Staff Officer with A-1.

As already mentioned, the TYPE I-A U-Boat U-25 operated likewise in Spanish waters under Georg Michel and EBERHARD GODT. Likewise, U-26, the other TYPE I-A under the legendary Werner Hartmann, Class of 1921 who likewise, lateron commanded U-37 with Gerd Suhren as L.I. (Chief Engineer) and also TYPE IX-D2 U-Boat U-198. He likewise had Günther Prien as one of his Watch Officers on U-26. In between these commands, Werner Hartmann served as Senior Staff Officer with B.d.U. during the time Victor Oehrn was in command of U-37, whom he replaced in that position.

Later he was C.O.of the 2nd ULD Training Command in Gotenhafen (Gdingen), then Chief of Tactical Front Training and Chief of the 22nd U-Boat Flotilla where he was succeeded by ERICH TOPP (118-LIFE-1985) when he returned to sea duty.

More Peter's Page: Ursula

German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#111)
German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#112)
German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#113)
German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#114)
German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#115)
German Subs in Spanish Civil War (#116)