SIEGFRIED KOITSCHKA was
born 6 August 1917 in Bautzen and was in the Naval Academy Class 1937a.
It is not well known that it was KOITSCHKA who sank the U.S. Navy
destroyer USS REUBEN JAMES five weeks before the US was in
the war. Okay, it was U-552 under command of
ERICH TOPP (118-1985) that sank the old "RUBE"
but KOITSCHKA was the I.W.O. aboard U-552 and
TOPP had KOITSCHKA make the attack on what they both thought
was one of the 50 old destroyers the USN had given to England.
He was one of only 145 U-Bootfahrer to be decorated with the Knights
Cross
Headed for home aboard U-616 under command of KOITSCHKA.
KOITSCHKA was a man with a great sense of humor. When he
was I.W.O. aboard U-552, the emblem of that boat was the
famed 'Red Devil' seen here. When he took command of
U-616, he designed this emblem for his new boat.
This was the "Little Bastard" and according to KOITSCHKA,
the father was the 'Red Devil' of TOPP's boat and
the mother was a prostitute in Toulon. After the war, he became a
veterinarian in a tiny village in the middle of Germany and was well
liked by everyone there. The first time that Sharkhunters
President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) went
to visit, he stopped at a little gas station to ask directions and he
gave the address. "Oh, you want Dr. Koitschka!" the
fellow said. He left his gas station and drove to the house with
COOPER following.
