Interview with Hans-Georg Hess I

SHARKHUNTERS: Why did the U-boats lose the supremacy on the sea?

HANS-GEORG HESS: Two reasons I think. The one is the American shipyards. They built more and more on American shipyards, liberty ships and so on. And the other reason is that the technology of radar. It is our important enemy. It removed our chance to survive this war.

SHARKHUNTERS: What is your most vivid memory?

HANS-GEORG HESS: Oh, some memory, some memories I have. I used to talk about our entrance in the Norwegian Harbor and about the Russians occupied and we fought in the middle of February to go in thirty miles into the harbor. And then, the fourth night, there we came in at this time, and we came on the bottom; we dived on the bottom in the harbor. We were not far from the pier distance. And then in the next morning, in the permanent darkness, we dived on periscope depth. And then we saw Russian soldiers on the near distance and, we saw a ship on the pier, and then we went out surfaced and this all our power and came out of this enterprise. (He sank the ship at the pier)

And the other is the meeting with Dönitz. I was coming from the capital of the Reich in Berlin in the middle of April, forty-five. And then after the information and some small talk, he (Dönitz) asked me - “And how do I wish I come to Berlin?” Long time there was my boat U-995 in the dockyard. I don’t know, but I was coming to Berlin, my native town, and nearby was my old school. Then I thought I can go out with the last aircraft, but Dönitz said no, come with me. And then we had some speeches (small talk) in the car, and only the driver and Dönitz were in the car with me. Then I asked him how long we will have war, and then he said, we have to rescue many, many thousands of wounded or soldiers from the Baltic states; and children and refugees and that is necessary to pick up so many, I think three million, that come over the Baltic Sea to the west of Germany.

Another what he said, I think, could we speak with the Americans and the British troops, and we had to have a calculation but only for going together all throughout Europe, to the American and away from the Russians to break out from Europe. It could not be.

Many thanks for this interview. This is the remainder of the interview with Oberleutnant z.S. d.R. HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985), part of the interview made for the History Channel in 2000 while in a seaport on the North Sea. This covers his meeting with Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz. HESS is now a Doctor of Law.