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

“Just like it was not clear and visible to the man in the streets that the U-Boat tonnage war was not lost during or after the ‘Black May’ of 1943, also called the ‘Stalingrad at Sea’ but in the late summer or early fall of 1942 already, despite the highest sinking figures ever achieved because the new building capacity for ships exceeded the sinkings from all causes at the final quarter of 1942 onward and never changed that gap thereafter. To the contrary, it grew steadily from then onward. But to soften the blow of Stalingrad for propaganda reasons, the U-Boat sinkings were trumpeted about even more loudly and with more fanfare of all sorts, but while some people still believed the fierce convoy battles in the North Atlantic during March of 1943 with strong additional numbers of U-Boats joining from the Baltic training grounds, the dice had already been cast but was only delayed in becoming visible and clear to everybody.

Consequently such plans as ‘FELIX’ would never have been taken out of cold storage or could be implemented after summer of 1942. The ‘TORCH’ landings in North Afrika put a final ‘to be deadfiled’ on any such plans! The German situation had definitely turned entirely defensive thereafter.

Had it not been for that insane press shark gag at the Casablanca Conference in January of 1943 where Franklin Roosevelt committed that terrible blunder to give his favorite reporters something to write about - ‘UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER’. This had not even been discussed during the conference and even caught Winston Churchill flatfooted and very embarrassed, there is little to doubt that 1943 would have been the year the war would have ended by negotiation or total breakdown but Roosevelt’s slogan put water on the propaganda wheels of the Nazis that turned emptily already at that point and though such terms had never before been demanded or insisted upon except during the American War between the States when the Northern states forced unconditional surrender upon the Southern states, the consequences of this political and unconscionable mistake were so large that one can hardly limit them.

Not only was the entire war extended by over two more years with the corresponding casualties including American and British dead and wounded that could all have been obviated but also everywhere else from Russia to France and from Poland to Norway disregarding German casualties entirely - not to mention the Jewish situation because the so-called Wannsee Conference in Berlin, headed by Heinrich Himmler only took place during the beginning of 1943 and the real undertakings in actuality only started eventually for the most parts in the summer and fall of 1943 after required logistical preparations! There is no doubt that 90% of these Jewish victims would not have been terminated if this irresponsible political propaganda demand by Franklin Roosevelt and his circle of Advisors would have been avoided and had never been thrown to the press sharks for feeding them something new and different!

Dr. Josef Goebbels, the German Minister for Propaganda and Public Enlightenment, as his title was, could not have ferreted out or produced anything even similar and only half as effective in extending the duration of the war and causing millions of dead that could have been spared entirely. But it made headlines, and re-election headlines, for Franklin Roosevelt - nothing else seemed to matter really.

There is an old proverb, mainly applicable to politicians: Make sure brain is engaged before mouth opens!

But most politicians prefer to disregard it in order to gain advantages for themselves or tell some crowds what they think they want to hear regardless of consequences primarily of course, to others - not to themselves! But Roosevelt and his court had unquestionably acted with predetermination, not unlike the fall of 1941 when Admiral Kimmel and General Short were also disregarded and kept in the dark about Japanese intentions acquired through the ‘PURPLE’ cracked Japanese messages & instructions, but Roosevelt wanted for political purposes that the bad boys should fire the first shots in order to bring the USA into the war. Still one can assume that he also miscalculated on the Pearl Harbor deals and anticipated light casualties instead, to put his plans into motion. To his surprise and chagrin, the Japanese induced into the trap laid for them were effective and successful beyond anybody’s ‘plans’ and expectations because even the most carefully prepared plans often get derailed and backfire.

GOLD ON BOARD

I think YOYA KAWAMURA (11739-LIFE-1991) should look into Japanese files to gather more facts, figures and details concerning and about the various Japanese submarines that went to France; I-8 for example, also I-30 and I-29. The German voyages like U-511 and so forth I can cover pretty well and I have discussed these with most of the involved principals over the years, most of them departed by now except JÜRGEN OESTEN (1681-1990) from U-861 and very few others.

As you may know, I-8 carried a substantial load of gold that was transferred to U-180 (Capt. Werner Musenberg) and was transferred in exchange for other goods and equipment, also Bose and assistant Hassan against two Japanese officers including Tomonaga who wanted to return on U-234. But this gold was destined to the Japanese Diplomatic representatives who were in fact intelligence officers in Europe, to finance some of their activities. Perhaps KAWAMURA now thinks I am loco or totally nuts, but that is what did transpire.”

HARRY’S NOTE - before going on with PETER’s narrative, let me explain a bit of the last paragraph. “Bose’ and ‘Hassan’ refers to Subhas Chandras Bose and Abid Hassan. Bose struck a deal with the Hitler Government by which he and Hassan would be taken by U-Boat to the Far East where they would convince the captured soldiers from India who fought on the side of England, but who were then in Japanese POW camps, to train as guerrilla fighters and turn against the British. Bose and Hassan rode U-180 then transferred to the I.J.N. boat but during the trip on U-180, Bose talked with OTTO DIETZ (209-+-1986).

A group of specially trained men of the Brandenburger Division were dispatched to the Far East as training personnel for this group on board U-200, but that boat was sunk with all lost en route to the Far East.

Bose was to fly back to Berlin for further talks, but his plane crashed and this plan died with him. Now - on with PETER’s narrative.

“I-30 also carried such a load of gold into Brest and there is some confusion with respect to I-29 and even between these two submarines. Only access and the full comprehension of Japanese naval files and documents could clarify this, in my opinion. There were other attempts, including one by I-52 I believe, which met U-530 near the Cape Verde Islands. Kurt Lange was in command as OTTO WERMUTH (1344-1990) was not on board and assigned elsewhere during that patrol to the Trinidad area. Kapitänleutnant Alfred Schäfer, Class of 37-A (IV.-37) was transferred to I-52 together with radar specialist (Funkmeister) and FUMB specialist to guide I-52 into the Gironde and Bordeaux and through the Bay of Biscay. But the radio messages had been cracked and read, and Captain Aurelius B. Vossgeller with USS BOGUE and her group of destroyers was dispatched via Tenth Fleet ‘ULTRA’ message to catch these German and Japanese U-Boats at their meeting but U-530 was quickly departing westward and the aircraft from BOGUE only caught I-52 and sunk it with ‘FIDO’ air dropped acoustic torpedoes, camouflaged as ‘air mines’. All perished.

I-52 has now been found, I have been informed, in about 4,000 meters depth. Because it was supposed to have carried a substantial load of gold bullion for the Japanese intelligence activities in Europe, it seems a group either sponsored & financed by National Geographic wants to go down to the wreck that has been located and photographed already, and raise the gold and whatever else they can turn into coin.

Some chap, supposedly the European, and another, the German-Central European representatives of National Geographic are searching for further details and information. I principally refuse to give anybody U-Boat connected or similar information whom I do not know or at least have met, looked over, or introduced to by fellows I know and trust.”

HARRY’S NOTE - We have already mentioned a group of American lawyers who think of themselves as great historical writers, that have been trying to contact various U-BootFahrer to write the ‘real’ story of their time in the war. We offered to help them, but we said that their writings must be absolutely accurate and honest; and we said they must become Members of our SHARKHUNTERS like every other author we have assisted.

Nope - they did not want to join, just wanted us to open all the doors for them. It will not surprise any Members to learn that we did not help them and further, we advised all U-BootFahrer to be very careful about the ‘LITERARY LAWYERS’ who want to make a ton of money writing these books, but really do not care about honesty and accuracy.

They apparently tried to make an ‘end run’ and approached PETER HANSEN on their own. PETER as you see, is a man of honor and when he read their manuscripts, he returned them to the writers. He did not know these guys and was not introduced to them and further, he told me that their manuscripts were shot through and through with errors, half-truths, and they repeated old wartime propaganda and ‘romance’ stories as if they were real.

It is comforting to know that some men still care about honor, accuracy and truth even tho’ the ‘LITERARY LAWYERS’ may not. Some feel that just publishing a book is enough, that accuracy is not so important - just publish and get the money. We at SHARKHUNTERS, and the men of the U-BootWaffe, do not see things quite that way. If our SHARKHUNTERS attorney does not pass out, we will release the names of these would-be authors.