Here is the beginning of many answers from Members regarding this unique U-Boat Skipper. This comes from WALTER KERN (6345-2001) and HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985).

1892 – January 14, born son of a minister in Lippstadt;

1910 through 1919 – Service in the Imperial German Navy. During WW I he volunteered in 1915 for the U-Bootwaffe and advanced to U-Boat Commander in 1918;

1919 – In resentment of the new German Government, he resigned from the Navy and begin to study theology in Münster;

1924 – Ordained as a Protestant minister and becomes president of the “Interior Mission” in Westphalia;

1931 – Employed as a minister in Berlin-Dahlem and initially was a supporter of the NSDAP, but began to have conflicts with the one party system.

1933 – In the fall of 1933, Niemöller called for an establishment of a “Minister Emergency Organization” which opposes to deportation of Christians with Jewish ancestry but he had no opposition to the deportation of Zionists.

1934 – Participated in a meeting between German Church leaders and Adolf Hitler. Since he rejected the Aryan paragraphs for religious reasons, he is discharged from his post as minister and is not permitted to speak publicly. He disregarded the order and continued to preach.

1935 – Together with hundreds of ministers, Niemöller is arrested for publicly opposing the NS ideologies but soon released

1937 – Niemöller was arrested again and sent to the Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen.

1941 through 1945 – In 1941 he is transferred to the Concentration Camp Dachau and remained there until liberated by advancing American troops.

1945 through 1950 – He is reinstated in Church activities and in 1947 become President of the Protestant Churches in Hessen and Nassau. In 1950 he wrote an open letter to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to reject the rearmament of Germany as proposed by America.

1961 through 1983 – He held various high ranking positions in the Protestant Church and was one of six presidents of the World Church Advisory Board.

1984 – March 6th, Martin Niemöller died in Wiesbaden.

Many thanks to those who helped with this history and the other interesting pieces of history we have received from Members on this man. We will publish the rest as space becomes available in future issues.