“After that emergency was over, there was a difficult time with all of the destroyers around? We went out of the channel, on the surface and tried to repair what there was to repair and pump out the remaining water. It was very dark, and one of the destroyers was about 1,000 meters away, but did not see us.

It was very dark, and everything was out of order, including the compass - nothing was working! So, since the wind was out of the west the night before, I turned the boat in that direction and as we came out of the channel, we attempted to effect what repairs we could while underway, and loaded a reserve torpedo into a tube.

In the morning, we sighted a convoy (Convoy HX.65S) coming in. I attacked submerged, and got a hit. (This was the British motor tanker PECTON on 25 August, 1940).

Then we were depth charged again by a destroyer, but we survived and we reached Bergen, where we were able to get an engine coupling fixed and with half a diesel and half a battery, we entered Bergen Harbor.”

The Beginning of U-552

“My first patrol in U-552 was to be into the South Atlantic, so we were equipped for warm weather. Then when we were close to Canary Islands, we were redirected to go into the North Atlantic, off of the coast of Northern Newfoundland. In this area there was a phenomenon in that, between the cold North Atlantic and the Gulf Stream, there is a border in the water so that within one minute, you are passing from the water of the Gulf Stream of 18 to 20 degrees (Celsius) to the cold water of the North Atlantic of zero. So needless to say, we were not prepared for the weather and had insufficient clothing; warm clothing to put on. As a result, I returned with people with frozen feet. We were operating at that time mostly surfaced, with the air temperature at minus ten degrees and water cascading over the boat. Every two hours we had to dive to remove the ice build-up on the superstructure to keep the boat from becoming top heavy with the ice. I have never forgotten that.

We had comparatively small success, in that we sank only two ships. (U-552 was one of twelve boats of the ZEITHEN Group, operating singly in the area of the Newfoundland Banks and as far south as Nova Scotia. The two ships sunk were the British tanker DAYROSE and the American tanker FRANCIS SALMAN). Then we went back, rather discouraged, despite the fact that I was able to sink a larger vessel.

On our next patrol, we were off of Norfolk, Cape Hatteras and Cape Henry. Finding targets there was easy and within a very short time we were sinking five or seven ships, I do not exactly recall. What was sure though, was that protection for American shipping by the U.S. Navy was not very good. Later of course, it became much more difficult but at that time, after what we had already experienced, it was comparatively easy. What was it like with all of the lights on along the American coast with a glare on the horizon? Could we see the shadow of a ship against that coastal glare? No, no, just propaganda. They made something of it. We were operating out of the sight of shore.”

NOTE - The scene of New York’s skyline seen from the bridge of TOPP’s boat was dubbed in by the Propaganda Kompanie and TOPP was never that close to the US coast. However, you can have this tape with these scenes, by ordering TAPE H-27 (the RED DEVIL BOOT) from SHARKHUNTERS; only $30 (plus $5 shipping)

“When did I know the war was lost? I know exactly when the war was lost, and that was at the end of 1942 when the curve of sunken ships were crossing the curve of newly built ships. The number of ships sunk were being exceeded by the number of new ships being built in the United States. The number of sunken ships was decreasing. That to me, was the end of the war!

How did the soldiers, the sailors, keep focused and fighting, even when they knew it was lost? Well at that time, we were convinced that we were fighting for a cause; that we were fighting for a united Europe. Napoleon once had tried it - in vain, and we had tried in vain. I only hope nowadays, that we don't do it again in vain. We of course, under German supremacy, thought we would unite Europe.

As for any recollections of being off of the east coast of the United States, as I have said, I saw nothing off of the coast of the United States. I only operated there for eight days then, I had to go back because I had exhausted my torpedoes. It had been the least dramatic of my war patrols.”

Vielen Dank to ERICH TOPP (118-LIFE-1985) for this excellent interview on the tape we call ‘SEVEN SKIPPERS’ or H-30. We need more veterans to tell their story so we may share it with our Members, and preserve it for perpetual history.

Many thanks to HELEN FARRELL (1133-1989) for transcribing this outstanding history.

More RADM Erich Topp

RADM Erich Topp and the Red Devil Boat (part 1) [KTB 120]
RADM Erich Topp and the Red Devil Boat (part 2) [KTB 121]
RADM Erich Topp and the Red Devil Boat (part 3) [KTB 122]
RADM Erich Topp and the Red Devil Boat (part 4) [KTB 123]
RADM Erich Topp and the Red Devil Boat (part 5) [KTB 124]