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

Missing U-Boats

It is well documented that several U-Boats were on the high seas somewhere in the Atlantic when Germany surrendered in May of 1945, but where did they end up? We know that U-530 surrendered in late July 1945 and U-977 in early August 1945, both in the Argentinean submarine base at Puerto Platte, Argentina. What were they doing from the time they left port on the evening of the collapse until they reached Argentina? And the bigger question, what other U-Boats were on the open sea at that time – and to this day, unaccounted for? PETER’s comments on U-530 and U-977.

“What concerns U-530 and U-977, I believe that U-530 did barely make it to the American East Coast, but without any special task. Godt (Admiral EBERHARD GODT 344-+-1987) still came up with some crap, but even he did so half-heartedly. The only thing I have heard once was that U-530 should do some advance groundwork for those six or thereabouts Type IX-C U-Boats where the U.S. was concerned, they might bring along missiles.

Though Bletchley Park and the Royal Navy was sure they could not deliver V-2 rockets, only V-1 technically, and those were almost useless anyway and easy to shoot down with fighter planes. In the event four of those Type XI-C were sunk, while the two leftovers surrendered. None had even V-1 equipment or would know how to launch it

U-977 had only a very vague and general order, subject to specifications later on by radio signal, which would have meant that U-977 would be quickly located and sunk, for the mid-Atlantic rather than that idiotic operational area around England within the 200 meter line area. But I am personally sure that Schäffer had bartered extra diesel fuel in both Horten and Christiansand Süd because Rösing had ordered to not fill him up – I think to only give U-977 about 95 cubic meters. However, Schäffer had horded schnapps and other booze and also cigarettes and tobacco in advance in Hamburg for precisely that purpose, to exchange these things for additional diesel fuel. Of course, even on the 2nd of May 1945 when U-977 left Christiansand Süd, this was a serious offense and in fact, a crime that could get Schäffer and his L.I. in hot water but, as it takes two to tango, those who handed over the fuel kept their mouths shut and it was done at night and on the sly.

EDITOR NOTE – This must have been the way Schäffer got his fuel, because the records show that he departed Norway with 3/4 of a fuel load, went down near England, back to Norway and disembarked the married crewmen, then headed off for Argentina. There is no way that a Type VII-C could make that distance with that little fuel. Even if he had topped off his tanks on departing for South America, it is still highly suspect how he was able to make that long a voyage on the fuel normally carried aboard a Type VII-C. There are those who believe that he had help along the way.

Pumping records were also falsified and where there is no prosecutor, there is also no indictment. Furthermore, Schäffer was not the only commander who was forced to make such barter deals to get the fuel and sometimes even the ammo required, when one was cut short by the naval bureaucrats.

I had to do the same, out of Gotenhafen, Danzig and Hela too as well as Libau and Windau…..’buying’ fuel even from grounded Luftwaffe units wherever we could get it, keeping the tanks full to the brim and refueling, even partially, whenever this could be done in one way or another…..otherwise those S-Boats would have never been able to get back to the West and would have run dry already in April several times.

In this case, both of my direct superiors knew this but selected to remain ignorant for self-protection. With other words, U-977 departed with a full fuel load, for practical purposes from what I was told by classmates of mine who happened to be in Christiansand but were not ready to depart. Themselves.

EDITOR NOTE – We know other U-Boats in Norwegian harbors had talked about and in some cases, even planned, an escape to better places. The boat on which CHARLIE GRÜTZEMACHER (1367-+-1990) served as L. I. (Chief Engineer) had planned to depart for Tahiti. According to CHARLIE however, FdU Nord, ‘Teddy’ Suhren, said that he would personally shoot the officers of any U-Boat that tried to escape out of any base in Norway.

U-504 and Poske

In a previous KTB, PETER WALKER (5534-1998) asks about U-504 and Hans Georg Friederich Poske, who shortened his first name officially to Fritz only. He was Class of 1923, confirmed sinking 16 ships with 82,108 tons placing Poske in position #47 of the confirmed sinkings of all U-Boat commanders and he received his Knights Cross. He was born 23 October 1904 and passed away several years ago already.

When Poske left U-504 on the 5th of January 1943, he became Commander of the 1st U.L.D. (U-Bootlehrdivision or submarine training school division) in Pillau, and he held that job until Pillau was evacuated and the ULD transported to Western Germany late in January. Poske was then assigned to the special OKM Sonderstab for naval infantry in February of 1945.

His former I.W.O. Wilhelm Luis, Class of 1935, was named as new Commander on January 6, 1943. Luis had been with Luftwaffe naval aviation for over three years and had served as midshipman instructor at Flensburg Mürwik too. Luis was I.W.O. for six months on U-504 and had just returned to Lorient from the prospective commanders training courses in the Baltic.

U-504 made one war patrol with Luis as commander from January 19th 1943 to March 24th 1943. Then a short war second war patrol with mechanical problems leaving Lorient on the 21st of April 1943 but returning to Bordeaux on the 29th of May 1943. The dates speak for themselves!!! Now Godt and Dönitz vacated the North Atlantic about a week earlier. U-504 was ordered to participate in one of those insane group departures, ordered to fight off aircraft with flak on the surface, & assigned as fighting U-Boat to protect and defend two Type XIV tankers, U-461 under Wolf-Harro Stiebler (Class of 1932) & U-462 under reserve officer Bruno Vowe.

British Coastal Command caught this group off Cape Ortegal, sank both tankers and U-504, which dived during this attack, was caught later by Johnnie Walker’s antisubmarine group and sunk with all hands. U-504 had gone deeper than 220 meters according to British ASDIC, when a huge oil slick came to the surface that was photographed by the aircraft that had called Walker’s group of sloops to the area. To me personally, this picture has always been one of the most impressive and depressing photos of the U-Boat war.

Most of the tankers’ crews were captured by Walker’s group. This all happened on the 30th of July 1943. I had seen the group off from Bordeaux and the Gironde River exit at Royan/Le Verdon, as I knew Luis well and last minute radar information was handed over. I thought then it was sheer madness by these chairwarmers in Berlin to send out two tankers together, but Godt insisted on it because otherwise, quite a few U-Boats in the South and mid-Atlantic might run out of fuel and have problems getting back to France. In the event many of the Type IX-C U-Boats returning from extended operations in the Caribbean & the South Atlantic or off West Africa.

Most were sunk in July anyway trying to get back to base, with fuel or short of fuel. One of the few that made it safely back to Lorient was U-154, commanded by Oskar Kusch, the companion U-Boat of U-126 which was sunk at night off Cape Finisterre, Spain. I can close my eyes and recall that group departure scene and how we all would have liked to rub out those chair-farters in Berlin-Charlottenburg and even more so, Rösing, for his ‘encouragement’ departure messages. In Viet Nam, they frazzed out such bastards like him, but Rösing was such a careful bastard, no doubt without reasons.

EDITOR NOTE – In the Viet Nam War, it was said that commanding officers who were empirical and gave stupid orders that needlessly cost soldiers’ lives, were ‘fragged’ or shot in the back by some of their own soldiers.

Just thinking about the stupidity of these group sailings makes my blood boil even now.

EDITOR NOTE – the animosity held for Rösing by many U-Boat Skippers and officers was bitter and extreme. Many have given us similar stories about him.