Klaus Bargsten
Encyclopedia
Klaus Bargsten was the captain and sole survivor of sunken U-521. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
. His mother came from an aristocratic family, and his father was of peasant stock. His grandfather had made a fortune in farm machinery and banking. After completing his schooling, Bargsten attended a school for training merchant marine officers and was later employed by North German Lloyd Steamship Co
. He served mostly on freighters but was also on the for a time. He joined the Nazi party but received such adverse criticism from his family that he later resigned.
In 1935 Bargsten entered the naval academy. As a midshipman, he served for a time on the Admiralty Yacht, Grille. This ship was frequently used by Hitler
and other Nazi party leaders but, being only a humble midshipman, Bargsten had little contact with them. When the war began, he was serving at the U-Boot-Schule (submarine training school) in Neustadt
. After a short time on , he applied to be |transferred to.
He was then posted to U-99 under Otto Kretschmer
where he served as I.W.O. for several patrols. He was a highly capable officer and Kretschmer recommended him for Commander Training and ultimately, for command of his own boat. He left U-99 in January 1941 and in March commissioned U-563 on March 27, 1941 and during battle against convoy HG-75, he sank a freighter, but unsuccessfully attacked a Royal Navy
destroyer
. On his second patrol he sank the British destroyer . After the third patrol he left the boat on March 15, 1942 and three months later commissioned on June 3, 1942.
was 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) east of Cape Hatteras
escorting convoy NG-355 when it picked up a sound contact. They had successfully made contact with . PC-565 set the hydrostatic fuze
s on her depth charge
s to 100 feet (30.5 m) and a pattern of five charges were dropped in a harassment action.
The accuracy of the depth charges was devastating. Inside U-521, all instruments were shattered, all electrical circuit-breakers blown, and the diving planes and rudder were disabled. Cold seawater was coming down the main hatch. Bargsten gave the order to dive for cover. After a few seconds, Oberleutnant Ing. Henning reported that they were sinking. She was already down to 500 feet (152.4 m) and dropping rapidly. Even though it did not make sense to Bargsten that the U-boat could plummet so quickly, he gave the order to blow all ballast. The main depth gauge must have been knocked out by the depth charges. Before he knew it, the U-boat broke the surface. Bargsten snapped open the conning tower hatch and rushed outside to assess the situation.
"Some question the situation where Bargsten got out of U-521 just quick enough to see the rest of his crew drowned. The first act of abandonment in a U-boat is to secure the captain, and thus he was the first and last one out of the boat itself. Let it be noted that Bargsten has no acts of cowardice in his military record."
With professional conduct, PC-565 turned as U-521 sank under the surface. PC-565 dropped another depth charge. Huge bubbles of air rose to the surface. Oil and debris littered the surface, followed by large pieces of human remains. Bargsten rose to the surface and struggled swimming towards the nearest Allied ship.
Ray Lankheim, a machine gunner of PC-565 had his 20 mm
trained on this lone survivor and the crew as Bargsten was swimming for his life. Lankheim was under orders to 'kill them all' but he could not bring himself to shoot this lone man in the cold water, and so Bargsten survived the war. He spent more than three years in Allied captivity before being released in 1946.
PC-565 had transported Klaus Bargsten to Norfolk
, Virginia
for questioning. Bargsten told his interrogators many anecdotes about events and personalities in the German Navy.
While he was serving as a midshipman
on the yacht, Grille, Bargsten had occasion to see many of the leading members of the Nazi party. Once, he said, when a group of these Olympians
was aboard, an orchestra was playing for their entertainment, but the ship’s ventilators were making so much noise that the music could scarcely be heard. Joseph Goebbels
complained to the captain in his usual high handed manner, ordering him to do something about it. The captain, while engaging Goebbels in conversation, managed to back him into position in front of one of the ventilators. When he gave the order for the ventilators to be shut off, the shutter gave Goebbels a resounding whack on the back side.
Bargsten also spoke somewhat heretically about the alcoholic habits of the Nazi great. Hitler, he said, objected strenuously to drinking and often gave his staff violent temperance lectures. Shortly after having been subjected to one such harangue on board the Grille, the staff gathered in the saloon to sooth their frayed nerves with a bottle of champagne. Suddenly Hitler appeared in the doorway and the bottle, which had just been opened, was discreetly hidden beneath a table. Hitler strode into the room, kicked the bottle, spilling its contents, turned on his heel, and walked out without uttering a word.
Several unusual accidents to U-boats were described by Bargsten. He related the well-known story of how commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Lüth
sank at the pier in Lorient
in January 1941 because the men on watch failed to notice an open vent. At the time, Oberleutnant
Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck of the 1934 naval term was Executive Officer and Oberleutnant Erwin Witte of the 1935 naval term was Second Watch Officer. They were both held responsible for the accident by a board of inquiry in Berlin
and were required to pay for the repairs to the boat. These repairs lasted five months and included the installation of new electric motors. Bernbeck was later assigned to an old U-boat, formerly Dutch, which now is serving as a school boat in the Baltic. Witte spent a year in Kiel
, attached to the 5th U-boat Flotilla. He was then sent to Flensburg
where he was put in charge of clearing land which was to be the site of new barracks. Neither officer has been promoted since the accident although other members of the 1934 and 1935 naval terms are now Kapitänleutnant.
Another accident described by Bargsten was the collision of two U-boats in the Baltic Sea
in August or September 1942, during their tactical exercises. One boat was commanded by Oberleutnant Ulrich Pietsch of the 1935 naval term. The other U-boat was commanded by an officer named Friedrichs. Bargsten was under the impression that the latter was . (Note: U-195 has been reported as a 1200-ton U-boat. It has not been possible to identify Friedrichs with any certainty. There are three officers of this name in the German Naval List of 1940. Kapitänleutnant Adolf Friedrichs of the October 1937 naval term, has had a post in the coast artillery.)
The rudder of Pietsch’ boat became jammed, the two boats collided, and both were badly damaged. A second accident occurred to Pietsch’ boat during the working up trials. During torpedo firing exercises, while submerged, Pietsch heard propeller noises in an area in which no other ships were supposed to be present. Suddenly his boat was rammed. On surfacing, he discovered that the ship was none other than the Scharnhorst.
Bargsten said that in Danzig he had seen the Baltic Sea freighter, Morgenrot
, lying on her side after being rammed by under command of Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Schultze.
The prisoner recounted the story of an artillery duel in June 1942 between a destroyer and commanded by Kapitänleutnant Peter-Erich Cremer
. He said that Cremer was so severely wounded that a plane was sent to take him from the U-boat and rush him to a hospital. (Note: This apparently happened in the Bay of Biscay
, probably on a patrol subsequent to the one in which he was rammed by a tanker (June 1942) and brought his U-boat to port completely battered.)(Note 2: This story is somewhat different in the book by Peter Cremer, U-Boat Commander)
Bargsten told many anecdotes about his friends and acquaintances in the U-boat Service. His most intimate friend and classmate was Korvettenkapitän Reinhard Suhren
. It was stated that Suhren, good looking and popular, could considerably lower the alcoholic stocks of any port in which he found himself. His personality was described as enthusiastic and carefree. Two incidents in which Suhren figured were recounted by Bargsten. On one occasion, Suhren met another U-boat at sea. Suhren and the captain of the other boat were on the bridge as they approached each other. An exchange of greetings and affectionate insults passed across the narrowing gap between the two boats. So immersed were the two captains in conversation that their boats collided, necessitating the return of both U-boats to their base for repairs. Despite his carelessness, Suhren was readily forgiven this peccadillo.
On another occasion, Suhren was stalking a convoy which he had previously reported to the Commander in Chief U-boats
. In due course, he received an "inspirational" message from Dönitz telling him to "pursue relentlessly and attack fiercely". Upon returning from this cruise, which was highly successful, Suhren was summoned to the office of Dönitz to give his report. In the course of the interview, Suhren violated decorum by referring to the signal as unnecessary, if not insulting. Dönitz was taken aback for a moment by this impudence but recovered.
While on the subject of signals, Bargsten spoke of a message that Dönitz sent to Günther Prien
on the occasion of the birth of Prien’s daughter. The message read, "Ein U-Boot ohne Sehrohr ist heute angekommen" (A submarine without periscope arrived today).
Bargsten stated that listening to British broadcasts, while forbidden in Germany, was quite common. He said that severe penalties were dealt out, not for listening, but for spreading news. When Bargsten’s friend, Oberleutnant Hans Ey, Captain of , was captured in November 1941, the news of his rescue was later broadcast on a British program. On the day of the broadcast, Ey’s wife received three anonymous telephone calls and on the following day, eight anonymous letters congratulating her on the good news.
In speaking of training and tactics, Bargsten said that the training of prospective U-boat commanders through a "Konfirmandenfahrt" (guest cruise) had been abandoned. He said that captains were now drawn from the ranks of watch officers and that the Agru Front (Active Service Training Group) was considered sufficient additional training. He did not hesitate to confirm this practice made the first cruise of a new U-boat captain even more perilous than heretofore.
Bargsten told of how officer candidates at U-boat school were required to pump out the heads of a U-boat at a depth of about 20 meters. After successfully performing this act, they were presented with a W.C. Schein (W.C. Certificate) which describes in a facetious way their great acts of heroism.
Bargsten stated that in his opinion, the greatest tactical aid in escape maneuvers was the S.B.T. He attributes his own escape in U-563 from a destroyer attack to this device and said that many other U-boats have been saved by its employment.
According to the prisoner, 250-ton U-boats are known as "Einbaume" (dugout canoes).
Bargsten spoke at some length on the St Nazaire Raid of March 1942. He said that the British soldiers, posing as Germans, would approach a sentry and ask: "Kamerad, hast du Feuer?" (Comrade, have you got a light?). When the sentry would reach for a match, he would be attacked. It was stated that officers and crews of U-boats were forbidden to take part in the action, as they could easily have been captured in their white night shirts. They were transported from the danger area in automobiles. One famous U-boat captain, now the commanding officer of a flotilla, made the excuse of having to relieve himself and got out of the car. He later succeeded in returning to the scene of the fight and was wounded in the foot. He was placed under arrest for disobeying orders.
After Bargsten's interrogation he was held in captivity until his release in 1946, the Kriegsmarine falsely reported the entire crew of U-521 as MIA
(Missing in Action).
. He was invited to the reunion of PC-565. He accepted and the crew was there to greet him. Needless to say, the reunion was a huge success. Several PC-565 sailors were delighted to reunite with their German companion.
.
navy.
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Early life
Bargsten was born on October 31, 1911 in Bad OldesloeBad Oldesloe
Bad Oldesloe is a town located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the capital of the Kreis Stormarn .The area has been inhabited since mesolithic times. The flint tools found here from that era are clearly defined and known as the Oldesloer Stufe...
. His mother came from an aristocratic family, and his father was of peasant stock. His grandfather had made a fortune in farm machinery and banking. After completing his schooling, Bargsten attended a school for training merchant marine officers and was later employed by North German Lloyd Steamship Co
Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG, which in turn owns other subsidiaries such as Hapag-Lloyd Ships and a cruise line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises which is now integrated into TUI AG, Hanover...
. He served mostly on freighters but was also on the for a time. He joined the Nazi party but received such adverse criticism from his family that he later resigned.
In 1935 Bargsten entered the naval academy. As a midshipman, he served for a time on the Admiralty Yacht, Grille. This ship was frequently used by Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and other Nazi party leaders but, being only a humble midshipman, Bargsten had little contact with them. When the war began, he was serving at the U-Boot-Schule (submarine training school) in Neustadt
Neustadt in Holstein
Neustadt in Holstein is a town in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the Bay of Lübeck , approx...
. After a short time on , he applied to be |transferred to.
He was then posted to U-99 under Otto Kretschmer
Otto Kretschmer
Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
where he served as I.W.O. for several patrols. He was a highly capable officer and Kretschmer recommended him for Commander Training and ultimately, for command of his own boat. He left U-99 in January 1941 and in March commissioned U-563 on March 27, 1941 and during battle against convoy HG-75, he sank a freighter, but unsuccessfully attacked a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
. On his second patrol he sank the British destroyer . After the third patrol he left the boat on March 15, 1942 and three months later commissioned on June 3, 1942.
U-521
On June 2, 1943 the US submarine chaserSubmarine chaser
A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...
was 100 nautical miles (185.2 km) east of Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
escorting convoy NG-355 when it picked up a sound contact. They had successfully made contact with . PC-565 set the hydrostatic fuze
Fuze
Fuze Beverage, commercially referred to as just Fuze , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins. Currently the brand consists of five vitamin-infused lines: Slenderize, Refresh, Tea, Defensify, and Vitalize...
s on her depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s to 100 feet (30.5 m) and a pattern of five charges were dropped in a harassment action.
The accuracy of the depth charges was devastating. Inside U-521, all instruments were shattered, all electrical circuit-breakers blown, and the diving planes and rudder were disabled. Cold seawater was coming down the main hatch. Bargsten gave the order to dive for cover. After a few seconds, Oberleutnant Ing. Henning reported that they were sinking. She was already down to 500 feet (152.4 m) and dropping rapidly. Even though it did not make sense to Bargsten that the U-boat could plummet so quickly, he gave the order to blow all ballast. The main depth gauge must have been knocked out by the depth charges. Before he knew it, the U-boat broke the surface. Bargsten snapped open the conning tower hatch and rushed outside to assess the situation.
PC-565 interception
PC-565 was only a quarter mile away. She opened up with her 20 mm gun. Shells burst on and around the U-boat's conning tower. Realizing that U-521 was done for, Bargsten shouted down the conning tower to open the sea cocks and abandon ship. U-521 sank from under the Captain's feet with amazing speed. The last thing Bargsten saw as he looked down was a maelstrom of water pouring into the open hatch. U-521 was gone and Bargsten was left floating in the ocean alone."Some question the situation where Bargsten got out of U-521 just quick enough to see the rest of his crew drowned. The first act of abandonment in a U-boat is to secure the captain, and thus he was the first and last one out of the boat itself. Let it be noted that Bargsten has no acts of cowardice in his military record."
With professional conduct, PC-565 turned as U-521 sank under the surface. PC-565 dropped another depth charge. Huge bubbles of air rose to the surface. Oil and debris littered the surface, followed by large pieces of human remains. Bargsten rose to the surface and struggled swimming towards the nearest Allied ship.
Ray Lankheim, a machine gunner of PC-565 had his 20 mm
20 mm caliber
The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition, commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon and not a heavy machine gun....
trained on this lone survivor and the crew as Bargsten was swimming for his life. Lankheim was under orders to 'kill them all' but he could not bring himself to shoot this lone man in the cold water, and so Bargsten survived the war. He spent more than three years in Allied captivity before being released in 1946.
Interrogation of Klaus Bargsten
Kapitänleutnant Klaus Bargsten, Commanding Officer of U-521, has an extremely pleasant personality, is enthusiastic and carefree, and gives the impression of being an excellent officer. He was greatly admired by his crew for these qualities. Although he is an ardent patriot, Bargsten is in no way a typical Nazi and, in fact, hinted that he was not altogether in sympathy with the Nazi regime. He was security conscious to a certain degree but was always pleasant with his interrogators and talked freely on what he regarded as harmless subjects. He had a keen sense of humor and was an excellent raconteur.PC-565 had transported Klaus Bargsten to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for questioning. Bargsten told his interrogators many anecdotes about events and personalities in the German Navy.
While he was serving as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on the yacht, Grille, Bargsten had occasion to see many of the leading members of the Nazi party. Once, he said, when a group of these Olympians
Olympians
Olympians may refer to any of the following:*The Olympians of Ancient Greek mythology*Those who have competed in the Olympic Games*Citizens of the ancient Greek city-state of Olympia*Citizens of Olympia, Washington*The Olympians of Marvel Comics...
was aboard, an orchestra was playing for their entertainment, but the ship’s ventilators were making so much noise that the music could scarcely be heard. Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
complained to the captain in his usual high handed manner, ordering him to do something about it. The captain, while engaging Goebbels in conversation, managed to back him into position in front of one of the ventilators. When he gave the order for the ventilators to be shut off, the shutter gave Goebbels a resounding whack on the back side.
Bargsten also spoke somewhat heretically about the alcoholic habits of the Nazi great. Hitler, he said, objected strenuously to drinking and often gave his staff violent temperance lectures. Shortly after having been subjected to one such harangue on board the Grille, the staff gathered in the saloon to sooth their frayed nerves with a bottle of champagne. Suddenly Hitler appeared in the doorway and the bottle, which had just been opened, was discreetly hidden beneath a table. Hitler strode into the room, kicked the bottle, spilling its contents, turned on his heel, and walked out without uttering a word.
Several unusual accidents to U-boats were described by Bargsten. He related the well-known story of how commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Lüth
Wolfgang Lüth
Kapitän zur See Wolfgang August Eugen Lüth , was the second most successful German U-boat ace of World War II...
sank at the pier in Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
in January 1941 because the men on watch failed to notice an open vent. At the time, Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck of the 1934 naval term was Executive Officer and Oberleutnant Erwin Witte of the 1935 naval term was Second Watch Officer. They were both held responsible for the accident by a board of inquiry in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and were required to pay for the repairs to the boat. These repairs lasted five months and included the installation of new electric motors. Bernbeck was later assigned to an old U-boat, formerly Dutch, which now is serving as a school boat in the Baltic. Witte spent a year in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, attached to the 5th U-boat Flotilla. He was then sent to Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
where he was put in charge of clearing land which was to be the site of new barracks. Neither officer has been promoted since the accident although other members of the 1934 and 1935 naval terms are now Kapitänleutnant.
Another accident described by Bargsten was the collision of two U-boats in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
in August or September 1942, during their tactical exercises. One boat was commanded by Oberleutnant Ulrich Pietsch of the 1935 naval term. The other U-boat was commanded by an officer named Friedrichs. Bargsten was under the impression that the latter was . (Note: U-195 has been reported as a 1200-ton U-boat. It has not been possible to identify Friedrichs with any certainty. There are three officers of this name in the German Naval List of 1940. Kapitänleutnant Adolf Friedrichs of the October 1937 naval term, has had a post in the coast artillery.)
The rudder of Pietsch’ boat became jammed, the two boats collided, and both were badly damaged. A second accident occurred to Pietsch’ boat during the working up trials. During torpedo firing exercises, while submerged, Pietsch heard propeller noises in an area in which no other ships were supposed to be present. Suddenly his boat was rammed. On surfacing, he discovered that the ship was none other than the Scharnhorst.
Bargsten said that in Danzig he had seen the Baltic Sea freighter, Morgenrot
Morgenrot
Morgenrot is a 1933 German submarine film set during World War I.Released three days after Adolf Hitler became Reichskanzler, it was the first film to have its screening in Nazi Germany. It became a symbol of the new times touted by the Nazi regime...
, lying on her side after being rammed by under command of Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Schultze.
The prisoner recounted the story of an artillery duel in June 1942 between a destroyer and commanded by Kapitänleutnant Peter-Erich Cremer
Peter-Erich Cremer
Peter-Erich Cremer was a German U-boat commander during the Second World War. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
. He said that Cremer was so severely wounded that a plane was sent to take him from the U-boat and rush him to a hospital. (Note: This apparently happened in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, probably on a patrol subsequent to the one in which he was rammed by a tanker (June 1942) and brought his U-boat to port completely battered.)(Note 2: This story is somewhat different in the book by Peter Cremer, U-Boat Commander)
Bargsten told many anecdotes about his friends and acquaintances in the U-boat Service. His most intimate friend and classmate was Korvettenkapitän Reinhard Suhren
Reinhard Suhren
Commander Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren was a German U-boat commander in World War II and younger brother of Korvettenkapitän and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient Gerd Suhren. Suhren began his U-boat career in March 1938...
. It was stated that Suhren, good looking and popular, could considerably lower the alcoholic stocks of any port in which he found himself. His personality was described as enthusiastic and carefree. Two incidents in which Suhren figured were recounted by Bargsten. On one occasion, Suhren met another U-boat at sea. Suhren and the captain of the other boat were on the bridge as they approached each other. An exchange of greetings and affectionate insults passed across the narrowing gap between the two boats. So immersed were the two captains in conversation that their boats collided, necessitating the return of both U-boats to their base for repairs. Despite his carelessness, Suhren was readily forgiven this peccadillo.
On another occasion, Suhren was stalking a convoy which he had previously reported to the Commander in Chief U-boats
Befehlshaber der U-Boote
Befehlshaber der U-Boote was the title of the supreme commander of the Kriegsmarines U-boat Arm during World War II. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U-boat arm itself....
. In due course, he received an "inspirational" message from Dönitz telling him to "pursue relentlessly and attack fiercely". Upon returning from this cruise, which was highly successful, Suhren was summoned to the office of Dönitz to give his report. In the course of the interview, Suhren violated decorum by referring to the signal as unnecessary, if not insulting. Dönitz was taken aback for a moment by this impudence but recovered.
While on the subject of signals, Bargsten spoke of a message that Dönitz sent to Günther Prien
Günther Prien
Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...
on the occasion of the birth of Prien’s daughter. The message read, "Ein U-Boot ohne Sehrohr ist heute angekommen" (A submarine without periscope arrived today).
Bargsten stated that listening to British broadcasts, while forbidden in Germany, was quite common. He said that severe penalties were dealt out, not for listening, but for spreading news. When Bargsten’s friend, Oberleutnant Hans Ey, Captain of , was captured in November 1941, the news of his rescue was later broadcast on a British program. On the day of the broadcast, Ey’s wife received three anonymous telephone calls and on the following day, eight anonymous letters congratulating her on the good news.
In speaking of training and tactics, Bargsten said that the training of prospective U-boat commanders through a "Konfirmandenfahrt" (guest cruise) had been abandoned. He said that captains were now drawn from the ranks of watch officers and that the Agru Front (Active Service Training Group) was considered sufficient additional training. He did not hesitate to confirm this practice made the first cruise of a new U-boat captain even more perilous than heretofore.
Bargsten told of how officer candidates at U-boat school were required to pump out the heads of a U-boat at a depth of about 20 meters. After successfully performing this act, they were presented with a W.C. Schein (W.C. Certificate) which describes in a facetious way their great acts of heroism.
Bargsten stated that in his opinion, the greatest tactical aid in escape maneuvers was the S.B.T. He attributes his own escape in U-563 from a destroyer attack to this device and said that many other U-boats have been saved by its employment.
According to the prisoner, 250-ton U-boats are known as "Einbaume" (dugout canoes).
Bargsten spoke at some length on the St Nazaire Raid of March 1942. He said that the British soldiers, posing as Germans, would approach a sentry and ask: "Kamerad, hast du Feuer?" (Comrade, have you got a light?). When the sentry would reach for a match, he would be attacked. It was stated that officers and crews of U-boats were forbidden to take part in the action, as they could easily have been captured in their white night shirts. They were transported from the danger area in automobiles. One famous U-boat captain, now the commanding officer of a flotilla, made the excuse of having to relieve himself and got out of the car. He later succeeded in returning to the scene of the fight and was wounded in the foot. He was placed under arrest for disobeying orders.
After Bargsten's interrogation he was held in captivity until his release in 1946, the Kriegsmarine falsely reported the entire crew of U-521 as MIA
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
(Missing in Action).
Post World War II
Through extensive research, Klaus Bargsten was found living in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. He was invited to the reunion of PC-565. He accepted and the crew was there to greet him. Needless to say, the reunion was a huge success. Several PC-565 sailors were delighted to reunite with their German companion.
Ranks
The following is a list of dates for Kptlt. Bargsten's promotions during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
| Date | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1 Jul, 1936 | Fähnrich zur See |
| 1 Jan, 1938 | Oberfähnrich zur See |
| 1 Apr, 1938 | Leutnant zur See |
| 1 Oct, 1939 | Oberleutnant zur See |
| 1 Aug, 1942 | Kapitänleutnant |
Decorations
The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's awards and decorations.| Date | Decoration |
|---|---|
| 23 July 1940 | Iron Cross Iron Cross The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem.... (1939) 2nd Class |
| 10 August 1940 | U-boat War Badge U-boat War Badge The U-Boat War Badge was a German war badge that was awarded to U-boat crew members during World War I and World War II.-History:The U-boat War Badge was originally instituted during the First World War on February 1, 1918. It was awarded to recognize U-boat crews who had completed three war patrols... (1939) |
| 25 September 1940 | Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class |
| 30 April 1943 | Knight's Cross (number 164 of the Kriegsmarine) |
Commands
The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's commands in the KriegsmarineKriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
navy.
| U-Boat | Command Length |
|---|---|
| U-563 | 27 Mar, 1941 - 15 Mar, 1942 2 patrols (69 days) |
| U-521 | 3 Jun, 1942 - 2 Jun, 1943 3 patrols (169 days) |
External links
- http://www.archives.gov/ US National Archives