Our SHARKHUNTERS/EAGLEHUNTERS group was boarding the boat of Kapitän Preüsse for the two-hour tour of Hamburg Harbor. We stopped to take a long look at the LOST BUNKER in which three TYPE XXI boats still rest. Photo at left, we see HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) is ready for the hafen tour. photo by Lt Col. JIM DELANEY (4255-1995)

We met for our WELCOME DINNER Sunday evening. Among the honored guests are: GüNTER DIETRICH (339-LIFE-1987); Prof. MATHIAS BRüNIG (1943-LIFE-1991); OBLT GüNTHER HEINRICH (1945-1991); ERWIN BURDT (1328-1989); KPLT JüRGEN OESTEN (1681-1990); FKPT GERD THäTER (194-LIFE-1986) and GEORG HöGEL (240-1987) is seated.

Not pictured is MRS. SCHULZ (162-HON-1986), widow of WILHELM SCHULZ (162-+-1986), Skipper of U-124 the highly successful and famous EDELWEISSBOOT.

Monday in Germany - we are at Eckernförde and the Advanced Submarine Training Center. Photo above shows our group having lunch in the Petty Officer's Mess.

This is also a training base for the German version of the SEALS, so right after lunch, we were treated to a para demonstration.

The guys landed within yards of where we were standing!

When the demonstration of the paras was finished, we headed for the training buildings where we received a special tour of all the simulators as we see in this photo below.

Photo at right is more of the submarine simulators we saw on our tour of ABZ.

Photo in the middle is our guide, a Midshipman of the German SEALS, as we headed out for our on board tour of the 206A Class German submarines.

We watched some German Navy divers, as seen in the photo at the bottom of the page.

On 26 September, we visited the largest of the German Naval bases; WILHELMSHAVEN. We visited the various port facilities by Bundsmarine boat; had lunch in the Officer's Mess; then toured the newest addition to the fleet - the frigate AUGSBURG.

Photos were not allowed on board, so this is the best we could get.

After our tour of the Naval Base WILHELMSHAVEN, we went to a local restaurant where we enjoyed a few more hours of fellowship with many U-Bootfahrer.

In this photo we see K.K. REINHARD HARDEGEN (102-LIFE-1985) at the left. He was the Skipper who first attacked a ship in American waters during Operation 'PAUKENSCHLAG' (Operation DRUMBEAT) and he is the only DRUMBEAT Skipper still living. He was Skipper of U-147 then U-123, and he was one of only 28 U-Bootfahrer to win the KNIGHTS CROSS with OAK LEAF CLUSTER.

At the right of the photo is F.K. GERD THäTER (194-LIFE-1986), Skipper of U-466 and later, of U-3506 which is still in the LOST BUNKER. GERD is one of a very few U-Boot Skippers to make it through the Straits of Gibraltar TWICE! (photo by LtCol. JAMES DELANEY (4255-1995)

Captain Graef and Captain Massmann also joined us for the day, along with about a dozen or more U-Bootfahrer. If you were not able to be with us for this historic visit to Germany, I hope you can join us in 1996 when we again visit this beautiful country.

U-995 TYPE VII-C

The next day we were at the German Naval Memorial & the ONLY TYPE VII-C left in the world! U-995 was the boat of the Youngest submarine Skipper of WW II, OBLT HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985). Just a few months past his 21st birthday, he got command of this boat in August of 1944. This was a time when German U-Boats didn't return from their first voyage - but HESS brought his boat and his men back from five war patrols. They sank some ships, and HESS won the KNIGHTS CROSS.

After our visit to the Navy Memorial and U-995, we enjoyed lunch at a beautiful oceanfront restaurant, then went to the U-Boot Ehrenmal (the U-Boat Memorial). This is a somber place, with bronze plaques carrying the names of the U-Bootfahrer who died in the war. There are many, many plaques. SHARKHUNTERS gives $1,000 to this magnificent Memorial each year.

Another day, We visited a quaint little German town on the shore of Steinhuder Meer, where we took a boat across to the island on which stands a medieval castle - WILHELMSTEIN. It was here that a submarine was tested in the 18th century. It submerged, sat on the bottom for 12 minutes, then popped back to the surface - to the delight of the crew and those who financed the project.

On returning to the mainland, we went to a small shop that specializes in wartime artifacts, and our group bought a great many genuine World War II artifacts.

We visited the ancestral home of General Scharnhorst, called BORDENAU. The lady who owns the estate was extremely gracious and allowed us to roam through her home - looking and taking photographs. This is not a museum that is open to the public; this is her private home; but she opened it to our SHARKHUNTERS & EAGLEHUNTERS group. We saw the famous chair in her study in which sat many famous people - the Crown Prince; von Ribbentrop (the father of CAPTAIN RUDOLF von RIBBENTROP 4189-1995); Hermann Göring; and even HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983). We enjoyed a great meal of a thick soup, almost a stew there at BORDENAU.

We had an excellent visit to WUNSTORFER FLIEGERHORST (Wunstorf Airbase) which is the home of LTG 62. That means the LuftTransportGeschwader (Air Transport Squadron) #62. Our guide was Flying Lieutenant FRANK GRAY (New Member) and he gave us a great tour of the base and especially, the old JU 52.

The JU 52 (affectionately known as 'Tante JU' or Aunt JU) was one of a group of JUNKERS Tri-Motor transport planes the Luftwaffe flew to Norway to reinforce German troops during the Norway action of April 1940. They knew there was no hope of flying these planes out again, as there was no fuel supply there, but it was necessary to show the ground troops that there was support behind them. Supplies and food were flown in with these planes. There were no landing strips, so the planes landed on a frozen lake.

Once the spring thaws came to Norway, the ice melted on the lakes, and these planes fell into the cold water. There they remained for about 50 years until a group of German enthusiasts decided to reclaim one of these rare warbirds. They reached an agreement with the Norwegian Government and pulled up enough JU 52 aircraft to make one good museum aircraft for donation to Norway - and one for their own Museum. This old lady of the skies now looks exactly as she did the day she landed in Norway in April, 1940. Well, almost exactly. They cannot put the swastika on the tail but other than that, she is accurately restored. She can fly, but it is not legal for her to fly - the new avionics are not installed so she is hangar-bound.

From the airbase, we went to a nearby town for lunch in a quaint little German restaurant that looked as if it fell off a Christmas card. After lunch, we visited a very special art gallery.

The gallery features the works of Ernst von Dombrowski, an artist who painted primarily religious works but because his work was well liked by the high-ranking NAZI Party members, including Hitler and Göring, his work is now shunned by the new German Government.

A Kriegsmarine veteran named Völsang, who served aboard the battleship TIRPITZ, did quite well after the war and thought it was unfair to Dombrowski and so he opened this beautiful gallery.

We were treated to a special showing of the gallery and its many great paintings, hosted by HERR VöLSANG (New Member) himself, and his son. His very talented grandson (about 11 years of age) played classical music on the Grand piano. In the photo above, HERR VöLSANG holds a photo of GrossAdmiral Karl Dönitz.

That evening was our 'FRIENDSHIP DINNER', attended by about 40 U-Bootfahrer and about a dozen veterans of the HAG. In this photo is Dr./Mrs. KRETSCHMER (L) & FLOTILLEN ADMIRAL OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-LIFE-1985) in the center and HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) on the right. (photo by JAMES DELAY (4255-1995)

On Saturday, our bus took us to WEWELSBURG Castle, where Heinrich Himmler had planned to bring back the KNIGHTS of the TEUTONIC ORDER. Things didn't work out too well for Himmler, but our SHARKHUNTERS/EAGLEHUNTERS group was given a great tour of this beautiful castle. We were brought through the inner sanctum, where various religious rites would be performed, then down into the crypt where young SS officers were sworn in and where the ashes of the 12 fallen OberGrupenFührers would be placed.

Photo above shows the main tower.

After our tour, we ate at the restaurant next to the castle. This restaurant had been a recreation room for the SS officers stationed at WEWELSBURG Castle. Many of their legion emblems are still carved into the end-caps of the booths and in the wood outside.

Returning, we stopped at the ECKSTERNSTEINER, a natural rock formation that had great significance in Germany from prehistoric times through the beginning of this century, both as a trade route and a natural defensive location, as well as a religious center. Yep, one of those little specks (photo below) atop the rock is HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983). Most of our group made the climb. It was a lot easier going back down!

GOODBYE GERMANY

All too soon, our time was at an end in Germany. Our tour bus brought us in the wee hours of Sunday, back to Hamburg Airport for the flight back home to places like Ireland; Austria; Mexico; Canada and the USA. I personally stayed on to do some additional research which we will read about later.

If you missed this great historic visit, take heart - we return in 1996 with an expanded program! Yes, there will be more to see; more days in country; more people to meet. Watch for your brochure.