I spoke on the phone a few days ago with HERBERT WERNER (18-C-1983) during a stop over in Germany. He still intends to get Iron Coffins filmed and has some American writer who lives in Berlin, working on the script. Also seems to consider a reprint but that needs some updating in order to eliminate some minor inaccuracies that could not be checked and researched 25 years ago, either for lack of time on his part or non-availability or non-access to certain documents, papers and facts -- especially on the British side at the time of the initial printing because they were still classified then.

For that matter, as you know, some files still are closed and others are held under the 75 years and 100 years secrecy regulations including all matters that are connected with the capture of U-110 on 9 May 1941, though I was privileged to quickly scan and read some of these while the ‘guardian’ had to go to the toilet and could not take them along. This as a special but of course, totally ‘unofficial’ personal favor and friendly consideration based upon the recommendation of a highly placed group.

While HERBERT says he intends to stay around until at least age 135 or even longer, one can only hope his health permits him to finish whatever projects he has in mind.

EDITOR NOTE - HARRY and HERBERT had lunch together some time ago and HARRY assures us that HERBERT is in excellent health and will probably outlive us all.

On Another Subject

First of all, one must NEVER forget that Germany was primarily a continental power and its strategic thinking, decisions and policies were to 95% or even more, dominated by Army General Staff people who represent such thinking for whom areas such as Africa, Asia, the Middle East or the Americas were normally big unknowns of little interest and rarely arousing their curiosity. The very small number of exceptions had practically ZERO influence and were often regarded as somewhat loony and unimportant or strange birds. This included the few higher-up Navy officers attached to such Army dominated planning staffs who were invariably outsiders and considered rather a nuisance generally, as they had traveled internationally and many had visited foreign countries in the line of duty over the years. Except to a limited degree in specialized fields, primarily intelligence of course, such men had little hope for further promotion and advancement because they were not conformist enough anymore but too cosmopolitan.

The Nazi Party politicians, including those that had been pushed into the foreign Services generally, aped Adolf Hitler and the pronouncements that he propagated, as they likewise wanted to rise in the Party hierarchy. And Hitler was an extremely continental thinking man who admitted not infrequently, how the water and the wide horizons of the oceans scared him terribly and made him unsure of himself. This is why he dislikes sea transport and preferred cars or airplanes instead. He also suffered seasickness every time he ventured aboard a ship, even in the Baltic. Consequently, he only did it on exceedingly rare occasions. This is also the principal reason why he left Erich Raeder almost complete management of the Navy and its requirements instead of often meddling even in minor details, like he was apt to do with the Army or Luftwaffe matters and policies without any hesitation.

Operation SEELÖWE Never Intended?

During the summer of 1940, while that trial balloon of Operation SEELÖWE (or Sea Lion) was halfheartedly started up, which of course, involved crossing the water barrier of the English Channel and the North Sea, where Erich Raeder was opposed to the entire planning because the German Navy was so small and lacked literally all sorts of ships required for such an invasion of England, that Hitler merely went through the motions of ‘pushing’ this plan, stating several times that even the Navy people were against it, so why should he really believe that it could succeed? Again, only Fatman Hermann Göring was all for it in his customary loudmouth way, delighted to show those other conservative nitwits what the what the Luftwaffe could accomplish by itself almost, because these ‘Imperialists’ were simply too chicken and insufficiently determined to win the big prize. We all know that the Battle of Britain put paid to that attempt to bluff Great Britain and the world and hopefully win the war without actually having to invade England itself. During this time it was the idea to replace military operations with feverish ‘diplomatic’ activity to fortify the Sea Lion bluff and convince the British that they had actually lost the war already but were too conceited to realize and know it as yet.

FELIX - the Capture of Gibraltar

Consequently, the OKW, the planning department of the Armed Forces, set up amongst others that plan for Operation FELIX, the capture of the rock of Gibraltar during that time and in a terrible rush too, with insufficient information on many facts. Who was more qualified than Admiral Wilhelm F. Canaris to help? Spain was almost his second love, after Germany. He had lived in Spain for some time during World War One and had visited many times since, especially for extended periods during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and the summer of 1939. Canaris had been instrumental that Hitler came down on Franco’s side and that those Ju 52 transport planes were furnished to bring the Moro troops and the Spanish Foreign Legion from Morocco to Seville, which proved decisive as otherwise the revolt would have probably been finished quickly by the Spanish Republican Government. Canaris thus was instructed to visit Spain again and ventilate the Plan FELIX and ascertain personally in what shape Spain actually was, and to win Franco over to come into the war and baiting him with parts of French North Africa as a reward.

Admiral Canaris was personally opposed to bringing Spain into the war. He felt that Spain was in such lousy economic shape that it would be more of a burden than a help to Germany, as Italy largely turned out to be -- as predicted also by Admiral Canaris and others.

By traveling extensively for three weeks throughout Spain, Canaris was even more convinced that his information was correct. Spain would help more by staying out of the war than by joining it in its deplorable weak economic state of 1940. Furthermore, Admiral Canaris was against expansion of the war and would have preferred some sort of stand-off settlement with Great Britain to finish the war quickly, as otherwise it would primarily benefit Soviet Russia and Stalin eventually, as the laughing heir to European stupidity and shortsightedness.

Admiral Canaris furnished Franco and other Spanish leaders, most of whom he had known for many years when they were subaltern on the rise, with facts and information and literally coached them what to ask and to insist upon and demand in financial and economic support for cooperation and to get into the war.

Even the Army High Command fully realized they just could not rush two or three divisions on trucks and with tanks through the entire length of Spain as a surprise and gain Gibraltar quickly or cheaply WITHOUT FULL SPANISH COOPERATION AND FULLEST SUPPORT -- but the Spanish roads were so bad, they could hardly have been used without destroying them entirely as they already required almost a complete rebuilding job.

Lousy Highways, Shabby Railroads

The few antiquated railroad lines were likewise totally worn out and there was a serious lack of rolling stock in addition. Lastly, even the Army planners remembered the problems Napoleon had with Spanish guerillas and underground opposition when he tried to occupy Spain. Spain was certainly down at the heels and extremely poor, but Spaniards are very proud folks and were determined ‘partisans’, opposed to all foreigners basically. The conclusion was reluctantly reached -- without Spanish support, Gibraltar could not be attacked and conquered, even if this was attempted only from the sea side and with air landings, though is was concluded actual Spanish troops would not be required to achieve the objective. It was out of the question WITHOUT Spanish agreement and cooperation.

Franco puts the Squeeze on Hitler

Therefore, Hitler decided to meet with General Franco and his staff at the French/Spanish border town of Hendays, traveling there by special train. As Admiral Canaris had predicted, the lists of economic demands and front money requirements that the Spaniards presented at this meeting were so extensive and excessive that Germany simply could not fulfill them even partially at that time. The meeting was closed with back slapping speeches and good wishes for the future, as Franco also was furthermore not convinced that England was finished and just down, but not out as yet. That he concluded regardless of circumstances, Spain would have to remain neutral and uncommitted until this was in fact the case, not just a fervent hope on the part of Hitler and others on his staff.

The Spanish Foreign Minister, Serrano Suner, a brother-in-law of General Franco, was so slick and clever in his presentation and putting the Spanish demands across with a big smile (but a steely determination), that Hitler declared after the meeting while his train rushed to Montoire, France where he was meeting with the French Marshall Petain -- the head of the Vicky French Government, to press him and France for more concessions and increased cooperation -- that Hitler would rather visit a dentist and have all of his upper teeth pulled than to negotiate and talk again even once with those oily Spaniards; that one just could not nail down to anything definite.

The French are no Friends Either

The meeting with Marshall Petain was likewise a real fiasco and apart from some meaningless speeches with drinks, nothing did come out of it that had any further consequences except that Marshall Petain grew even more remote, wily and carefully determined to keep the Germans out of affairs in the so-called Unoccupied Zone of France, where his government ruled and intended to do so also in the future, based upon the premise that the least amount of cooperation possible in bending to German demands will keep French flexibility of action to the greatest degree realistically possible. Thus, the culmination of the diplomatic offensive turned out to be a complete failure in every respect and Hitler immediately turned back to attacking Russia. Operation BARBAROSSA was fully activated and switched from standby to super secret Rush status! The hell with those blockheaded British!!!

Plan FELIX was placed into cold storage, afterwards reviewed and slightly revised, but never implemented because the requirements became even more unobtainable than had been the case in the summer of 1940 already and never developed beyond the pure planning stage ever -- regardless if one considered it the Western lock of the Mediterranean and the linchpin of successful operations there and elsewhere in Africa and the Near East.