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In this section, you will find what was covered in each issue of our KTB Magazine and if there is a particular topic you wish to read about, back issues are available at $6 each ($5 to Members) and postage is included.

 NOTE - The number behind a name indicates the Membership Number of that person.

 #1 was our first communication and it wasn't our KTB Magazine yet.....it wasn't even a newsletter - it was a single page letter that was sent to about five or six researchers and interested people on 2 February 1983.  We basically stated that we were deeply interested in the history of the U-Boats and invited thoughts and suggestions how to go about it.  This was just one page, done on an old manual typewriter that I had carried aboard my sailing yacht when I lived in the Bahamas and first heard about the U-Boats in the Western Hemisphere.  That got my interest totally immersed!  #1 was just one page, done on a manual typewriter.

 #2 still was not called our KTB Magazine and wasn't even a newsletter - it was a single page letter that was sent to the same five or six researchers and interested people on 25 March 1983.  There was mention of the 232 U-Boats scuttled in German ports under the unofficial Operation REGENBOGEN (Rainbow).  We listed how many boats of each type were scuttled and some Italian boats as well.  We also mentioned USS DORADO, a USN submarine that went missing in the Caribbean on her transfer patrol to the Panama Canal.

#2 was just one page, done on that manual typewriter.


#3 still was not called our KTB Magazine and wasn't even a newsletter - but it had grown to THREE pages!  Talk about progress.....  It was sent to the same five or six researchers and interested people PLUS a few more, on 15 April 1983.  We were growing and had no idea of the vastness of what would eventually become Sharkhunters International.  Two articles we had written about the U-Boats were published in major magazines and we took that to mean that there was indeed, great interest in this honest history.
     There were some light riddles such as - what U-Boat was sunk by aircraft, put back into service then sunk by destroyers; what U-boat sank the first ship in the war etc. and we gave some of the history of this sinking.  There was talk of finding and raising a U-Boat for use in the film industry; and we asked if the people receiving the letters would like to get together and meet at a mutually convenient place.

#3 was three pages and done on that manual typewriter.


#4 was the first to be called our KTB Magazine.  What does it mean?  In the German language, it is common to run several words together to make one huge word that tells a story - then abbreviate the word for ease of communication.  So we have Krieg (war) Tage (daily) Buch (book) and when you put them all together, the word is Kriegstagebuch (literal translation = daily war book) and was shortened to KTB = ship's log.  This first ever issue of our KTB (newsletter at that time) was sent on 25 May 1983 to even more people.  There were no Members per se at that time and not even any dues.  I was Vice President of a company in Chicago and used the company copy machine and their postage........we were only talking about a handful of people.
     We reported on a fellow named Roger Miklos who had claimed to have found a specially modified U-Boat sunk in the Turks & Caicos Islands (lower Bahamas chain) naturally filled with gold, jewels, art from the Louvre and naturally, escaping high ranking people from the Third Reich.  The story was quickly debunked.  There were two other stories we were looking into - one was about a U-Boat on the Pacific coast of Ecuador and the other was about a U-Boat with uranium aboard headed for Japan at the end of the war.  The first was later found to be untrue while the latter was...................well, you'll see.
     We informed the readership about a guy named Heinz Houben who claimed to have been I.W.O. on several boats then Skipper of a Type XXI on war patrol in the South Atlantic.  All totally FALSE!  The boats he claimed to have served aboard were all lost with all hands and the U-number he gave for his Type XXI was actually assigned to a Type XXIII that was never built and there were no Type XXI boats in the South Atlantic.
     There were light profiles of U-1 through U-4.

KTB #4 was three pages and done on that manual typewriter.


KTB #5 was sent on 20 June 1983 to even more people; but still only a handful of people.  We reported more on a Roger Miklos and his claim of the specially modified U-Boat and some U-Bootfahrer said that he was false.  One person in England (in the Archives) warned us to be careful about the story of the U-Boat with uranium aboard headed for Japan at the end of the war; said that it was not true.  At that point in time, we wrote off the story as false...........at that point in time.
     During a vacation trip to Florida, we were told of all the German U-Boats sunk off just about every coastal town in Florida.  There was no truth to any of these romance stories, but the locals in the dive shops really believed the stories even though nobody had ever really seen one.  FACT - There are NO German U-Boats sunk in Florida waters.  And it was in this issue that the topic of annual dues came up, since I was no longer able to use the company postage.  We asked for $12 per year.  Sharkhunters Membership was born!
     At this point in time, HANS GÖBELER (3-1983) was a Member and we thought, a decent guy.  At this time, he told us that he was an officer aboard U-505.  (He was not an officer!)
     There were light profiles of U-5 through U-12.

KTB #5 was three pages and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #6 was sent on 23 July 1983 to even more; but still only a handful of people.  We reported even more on a Roger Miklos and his claim of the specially modified U-Boat.  CHRISTOPHER LOWE (11-1983) in England tells us that Miklos is still 'stumping about' trying to raise money for an expedition.  We tried without success, to locate and contact Miklos.  We did receive a reply to our letter to the Director of the Louvre in Paris and he said that this is a popular story but without basis in fact.
     We were getting some encouraging information pertaining to the U-Boat that was said to be carrying uranium to Japan in the closing moments of the war.  We received even more stories of U-Boats sunk off the coast of Florida - all unfounded.  Charles Higham released his book 'Trading with the Enemy' which was an eye-opener.  I had written to Roger Smith, CEO of General Motors, and I asked him how the Chief of the GM subsidiary, the Adam Opel Company in Germany, was decorated with a German medal (Kriegsverdienstkreuz or war service cross) when he was a US Navy officer, Reserve.  The letter that came back from one of Smith's executives stated that I was doing this research 'at great personal risk'!  That always means you've struck a nerve.
     There was one of those fantasy stories in the news that U-166, called a 'phantom' U-Boat, had somehow assumed neutral buoyancy and had drifted off Tampa Bay and the officials feared that the leaking mercury ballast would ruin local fishing. Absolutely idiotic!  There is no way that a sunken U-Boat could become neutrally buoyant and drift.  Ad for the mercury ballast - that just didn't happen.  The U-Boats used blocks of iron for ballast and the story that they used mercury that could be pumped for and aft is totally false.
     There were light profiles of U-13 through U-17.

KTB #6 was now five pages and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #7 was sent in August 1983.  ERNST SCHMIDT (10-1983) stopped in for a visit.  He was I.W.O. aboard U-345 and U-821.  We were getting more information on the boat that was possibly carrying uranium to Japan.  Everyone we knew who was connected with the U-Bootwaffe flatly stated that, contrary to legends, there were NO U-Boat bases in the Western Hemisphere.  There were light profiles of U-18 through U-23.

KTB #7 was three pages long and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #8 was sent in September 1983.  The most obvious thing about KTB #8 was the new size.  We changed to 8½ x 14 inch paper to get more information on a page.  WW II US Army veteran WALTER SCHWEIDERT (3-1983) was writing a book on his trip aboard RMS QUEEN MARY.  DAVID SIMPSON (15-1983) was sending information on various medals.  JIM FRYE (9-1983) sent us a pair of Wehrmacht field binoculars.
       We were trying to get a fix on the location of the only known WW I German U-Boat sunk in fresh water; that of UC-97 sunk in Lake Michigan off Wilmette.  We approached the Museum of Science and Industry and the Director, Vic Danelov, about an expedition to raise UC-97 and put her next to U-505.  When he asked why, I told him that this Museum would be the only one in the world with a WW I and a WW II German U-Boat.
       "I don't even want this one!" was his reply.  And he paid a scrap dealer to come to the Museum and cart off TWO ENTIRE storerooms full of spare parts from U-805 that were to be used to keep U-505 in repair!  Just threw this priceless stuff in the trash!  There were light profiles of U-24 through U-29.

KTB #8 was three pages long (legal size paper) and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #9 was sent in October 1983.  JOHN TAYLOR (19-1983) told us about two other people looking into the possibility of a U-Boat carrying uranium to Japan.  CHRISTOPHER LOWE (11-1983) had more information on three U-Boats that had possible contact with RMS QUEEN MARY.  There was a shocking report in the Washington POST that a dive shop was displaying bones of men from the wreck of U-352.  There were light profiles of U-30 through U-32.

KTB #9 was three pages long (legal size paper) and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #10 was sent November/December 1983.  DAVID SIMPSON (15-1985) had just opened a militaria shop in Ft. Lauderdale. We were getting more information about several U-Boats allegedly carrying uranium to Japan.  We were trying to locate officers and crewmembers of U-234.  USN veteran Jim Vizigian was beginning to give us solid information about U-234 and her cargo.  We had articles about U-Boats running in two major magazines.
     We asked the question whether World War II was really the Allies against the Axis or was it a giant game of monopoly with the world's big businesses using nations as pawns.
     DAVID SIMPSON (15-1983) returned from a tour of dive shops on the American east coast and reported the good news that the dive shop that had been displaying the bones of the German crewmen off U-352 was out of business!  There were light profiles of U-33 through 46.

KTB #10 was three pages long (legal size paper) and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #11 was sent in January 1984.  We were still looking for information on the 'Marine Sonderdienst Auslands' which more or less means Foreign Navy Operations.  We had hoped to have a gathering of sorts at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where U-505 is resting, but the Director felt there were too many gatherings of one kind or another there, so it didn't happen.  Yep, THAT Director; the one who didn't even want U-505 there and paid a scrap dealer to haul away two entire store rooms full of spare parts off U-805 which would be used to maintain U-505.....yep, that guy.
     We ran a lengthy review of U-47 and also shorter reviews on U-48 through U-51.

KTB #11 was four pages long (legal size paper) and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #12 was sent in February 1984 (our FIRST anniversary!) and we returned to normal sized paper.  The legal size paper we'd used for KTB #8 through #11 was too difficult to file and store.  This is easier.  Some articles that we did for American publications as well as some that were 'pirated' into various Australian publications brought some new Members.  Jak Mallmann Showell told us that a friend of his had found U-40, but was afraid to enter.  He said that there were mines strapped to the deck and there were rumors of a 'conger' eel that lived in the boat.  We contacted a friend at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago (the Director of that aquarium) and asked about this 'conger' eel that the diver feared.  He never heard of any kind of eel that would attack and kill a man.
     We asked the U-Bootfahrer in Membership about the final fates of the six Type II-B boats that were taken to Costanza, Romania by autobahn then down the Danube River and formed into the 30th U-Bootflottille.  From Jak we learned that the Marine Sondersienst Auslands had an office, possibly a headquarters in Bordeaux and a major office in the embassy in Tokyo.  Their primary task was to buy or otherwise acquire needed war materiels in other countries, primarily Japan.  The Tokyo operation was headed up by Kapitän zur See Werner Vermerheeren who was actually born in El Paso, Texas in the USA.  Charles Higham had reported that a German in Texas had organized the 'Ettapendienst' in the Gulf of Mexico in the USA.
     We had short profiles of U-52 through U-60; and we reported that Adalbert Schnee had begun his 'Eternal Patrol'.  Schnee, the 'Snowman' had been I.W.O. aboard U-23 under Otto Kretschmer then Skipper of U-201 and finally, of the Type XXI 'Electro-boot' U-2511.

KTB #12 was five pages long (regular size paper) and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #13 was sent in March 1984.  Sharkhunters was getting great publicity from two American magazines; SKIN DIVER Magazine and also WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES Magazine.  A Member who does not wish to be identified (he was a U-Boat officer) the Marine Sonderdienst Auslands was similar to the American CIA.  They were responsible for gathering material, intelligence, assistance etc. from people in foreign countries.  We were trying to track down Korvettenkapitän Becker who was with the Sonderdienst and somehow connected with U-234 and her possible cargo of uranium.  CHRISTOPHER LOWE (11-1983) informed us that a German mine had been found off Hartlepool, England and that it had apparently come from one of the German destroyers that laid a mine barrage on the night of 12/13 December 1939.
     There was a short history on U-61 through U-70.

KTB #13 was six pages long and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #14 was sent in April 1984 and it began with a familiar topic - Roger Miklos, the fellow who claimed to have discovered a specially modified Type VII-C in the Caribbean, filled with gold, art treasures etc.  This information was sent by Col. JOHN BLASHFORD-SNELL (6-1983) and the Colonel goes on to report that Thames Television gave Miklos no advance money and when the expedition reached the Turks & Caicos Islands, nothing was as Miklos said - the 'towering white cliffs' which he used as a landmark did not exist; the '80 feet deep' water where the U-Boat was supposed to be was only thirty feet deep and worst of all - there was NO U-Boat!  Jack Saltman, the producer for Thames TV, had to return to England and face the shame.
     CHRISTOPHER LOWE (11-1983) sent us a copy of an article from the 7 January 1943 Nottingham EVENING POST that reported a U-Boat had gone quite a ways up the Mississippi River.  At that time, we wondered if it could have been U-166 under Kuhlmann but later learned which boat it really was - and one of our Members was a crewman on that boat!
     DAVID WHITE (42-1984) sent copies of the 25 November 1981 Bangor DAILY NEWS which reported that on 9 October 1943, men from U-537 came ashore at remote Martin Bay in Canada and set up a remote weather reporting station atop a 200 foot high cliff there.  There was an entry in the KTB (logbook) of U-537 confirming this and the remains of the remote equipment had been found at that location.
     There were short histories of U-71 through U-80.

KTB #14 was six pages long and done on that manual typewriter.


 KTB #15 was sent in May/June 1984 and we had moved from Hanover Park, IL to Fox Lake IL and so we lost a month.  We featured "What's It Worth" by DAVID SIMPSON (15-1983) who explained what various artifacts were worth; and we had "Did You Know?" by ERNST SCHMIDT (10-1983) giving previously unknown facts about the U-Boat war.  We gave specifications for the Type VII-C boats.
     There were short histories of U-81 through U-84.

KTB #15 was four pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #16 was sent in July/August 1984 and it was the most difficult issue I ever had to compile - I had to report the death of my 20 year old son.  He was my only child and I had raised him as a single dad from infancy until he was a young man out on his own.  This photo hangs over my desk even today.
                
There were short histories of U-85 through U-91.

KTB #16 was four pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #17 was published in September 1984 and since Sharkhunters was growing faster and bigger than we had every anticipated, we initiated a contest for the design of an emblem.  We had planned to grow and asked Members for suggestions where to raise the money.  We gave the specifications for the Type VII-C42 and gave short histories for U-92 through U-98.

KTB #17 was four pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #18 was published in October 1984 and we had found missing Member ERNST SCHMIDT (10-1983).  He was vacationing in Miami!  We gave very short histories for U-99 and U-100.  We began the story "U-Boats in Our Backyard" as a monthly series.

KTB #18 was now SIX pages long and done on that old manual typewriter, but we were growing.


 KTB #19 was published in November 1984 and we had to remind Members to send in their dues - they were $25 per year way back then.  We were trying to learn what happened to U-573 after the war.  She had been interned by the Spanish and after the war, was renamed S-7 for the Spanish Navy but was unaccounted for about a year after the end of the war.  We gave the specifications for the Type VII-F, a very rare version of the standard Type VII-C frontboot.  We gave short histories of U-101 through U-109.

KTB #19 was again SIX pages long and done on that old manual typewriter, but we're still growing.


 KTB #20 was published in December 1984.  Designs were beginning to come in for the official Sharkhunters emblem design.  ROBERT WILCOX (25-1984) just released his book 'Japan's Secret War' which dealt with their progress on their atomic bomb and Germany's help to them.  STEVE TOMAN (70-1984) was headed for the California coast to dive the wreck of an American S-Class boat.  We gave the little information we had on the Type VIII and since none were ever built, there were no specifications.  We gave short histories of U-110 through U-116.

KTB #20 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #21 was published in January 1985 with our hope that 1985 would be a better year.  We 'outed' a phony who claimed to be a big-time movie maker, but since he is now dead, it is not necessary to mention his name.  Thanks to TOM HATTON (20-1983) we got the specifications for the Type VIII U-Boats even though none were ever built.  STEVE TOMAN (70-1984) was not successful on is dive on S-37.....he fell prey to the normal problems that plague explorers everywhere - he didn't allow enough time or money for the dive.  We reported the passing of AXEL OLAF LOEWE (39-1984), the first Skipper of U-505.  We reported the specifications for the long-range Type IX-A U-Boat and gave short histories for U-117 through U-120.
                     
                          AXEL OLAF LOEWE

KTB #21 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #22 was published in February 1985 and we were trying very hard to locate more of the U-Boat Skippers to get their memories.  KIRK KREUTZIG (2-1983) was working with HUGH DOWNS (141-1985) of ABC television to get us some coverage on the TV show 20/20.  JOHN TAYLOR (19-LIFE-1983) tells us that there is a permanent collection of our KTBs in the National Archives.  Kapitänleutnant JOHANN-HEINRICH FEHLER (32-1984) was the Demolitions Officer aboard the raider ATLANTIS then Skipper of U-234 carrying 560 kilos of uranium, two Me 262 jet fighters and a lot of other technological items to Japan at the end of the war.  He sent us a fat packet with diagrams, photos etc. of U-234 and his thoughts on his unusual mission.  We gave the specifications for the Type IX-B U-Boat and gave short histories for U-121 through U-123.

KTB #22 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #23 was published in March 1985 and we reported on a made-for-television movie, 'The Belarus File' starring Telly Savalas, was written by JOHN LOFTUS (40-1984).  There were some photos of U-99 and U-100.  KIRK KREUTZIG (2-1983) and HUGH DOWNS (141-1985) were getting closer to giving us some on-air time, and they requested more information on Darby Island in the Exuma chain in the Bahamas; Errol Flynn's connection with the Abwehr; Standard Oil's selling to all sides etc.  We gave the specifications for the Type IX-C and gave a short history of U-124.  There were photos of the barracks and radio shack on Darby Island where locals say they gave fresh water and food to U-Boats.

KTB #23 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #24 was published in April 1985 and we showed about ten designs for the official Sharkhunters emblem.  We also ran the fish graph photo of UC-97 which is sunk in about 110 feet of cold, fresh water in Lake Michigan some forty or so miles north of Chicago.  We gave the specifications for the very rare Type IX-D1.  Only two were built and they used six fast-running diesels from the S-Boats, but they proved unreliable and so were replaced with the standard MAN nine-cylinder slow turning diesel engines.  U-180 and U-195 was the only Type IX-D1 boats built.  We ran an emotional piece entitled 'Knights'.  You have to read it to understand.

KTB #24 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.


 KTB #25 was published in May 1985 and the votes were coming in regarding the choice of our official emblem but the decision was a long way off.  Korvettenkapitän REINHARD HARDEGEN (102-LIFE-1985) reminded us that he rode U-124 as 'Kommandantenschuler' (Commander in Training) before he took over his frontboot.  Divers were still insisting that there were German U-Boats sunk off the Florida east coast and despite our assurances that there are none there, they continued to dive and blow bubbles while looking at pretty fish - but no U-Boats.  We gave the specifications for the Type IX-D2 and short histories on U-125 through U-127.

KTB #25 was six pages long and done on that old manual typewriter.








When KTB #34 was published in June/July 1986, we announced that we hade made the documentary on U-505 thanks to the help of the staff at the Museum of Science and Industry.  Kapitän zur See KARL-FRIEDERICH MERTEN (23-+-1984) sent us a videotape of some of his war patrols and interviews on the tape.  This was turned into our Tape H-8.  We reported that the son of OTTO GIESE (45-+-2984), II. W. O. aboard U-405 and later U-181, had just graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy.  RANDY BALCOM (74-1984) went to the spot where a dive boat skipper guaranteed they'd find U-166 but when they dived, they found it was only an overturned barge.

KTB #34 was only eight pages long and done on that old manual typewriter - and I just remembered that back in those days, I was living on board my 30 foot sailboat - what am I doing wrong today?



 

KTB #42 was published July/August 1987 and we were making plans to create an archive here and we were making plans for our 1988 “Patrol” in Europe. We reported new torpedo in the US Navy submarines, capable of running at 85 knots and down to 4,000 feet.
     We reported on U-2365 and U-2367, Type XXIII boats that were raised in the 1950’s and recommissioned into the Bundsmarine as “HAI” and “HECHT”, with tragic results for “HAI” which sank in a maritime accident. We listed four of the rubber coated U-Boats known as ‘Alberich’.

KTB #42 was just 8 pages in length and done on an old typewriter.









 NOTE - KTB #66 was the first issue with a photo front cover.

Since KTB #66 was the first with a photo cover, who better to have the honor of the first cover than Großadmiral Karl Dönitz, and here he is.  In this issue, the reader will find reference to:
Fritz Guggenberger #269+;  an article by Erich Topp #118; Howard Buechner #677; article by Bob Maher #221; photos of the Lorient bunkers then and now; Knights Cross with Oak Leaf and Swords; Otto Kretschmer #122; article by Robin Branch #198; article on mines by Sigmund Klaussner #211; Herbert Werner #18; Hans-Georg Hess #125; article by Charles Gundersen #205; sketch by Günther Holldorff #207; book review of Nasses Eichenlaub; Gerhard Richter #214; USCGC INGHAM; seven German POWs executed at Leavenworth; Paul Saurer #296; Sean Cooper #1/2; Larry Dauphemia #423 on the loss of his dive buddy on U-853; 'Spiderman' Mark Norwine #452; a wartime report on the need for improvements in U-Boat armament and equipment by Großadmiral Dönitz; Henke and SS CERAMIC; USS BONEFISH; U-552 and USS DIONE; USS ATULE; article on a Red NOVEMBER by Sigmund Klaussner #211; Captain Bob Thew #333+.

     

On the front cover of KTB #67, we see the new sign made for us by Deputy Dave Mobley #417-LIFE; there is an excellent article by Otto Giese #45 on his career in the U-Waffe; article (continued) by Bob Maher #221; notes by Otto Kretschmer #122 on the near loss of his I.W.O. Schnee; article about the B-24 LIBERATOR that bombed Hartenstein and U-156 during the LACONIA rescue; article (continued) on disarmament by Charles Gundersen #205; the 'Mystery' Victoria Cross; USN Hunter-Killer group with the most successes; the diary of Captain Shinji Uchino of I-8 on her voyage to France; continuation of the piece by Dönitz on need for improvements; USS CABOT; U-18 is found; "U-Boat Command and the Battle of the Atlantic" book review; black leathers; cowardice; USS EDISON; Type XXVI-A and B; history of U-30, U-31, U-32 and U-33.

The front cover of KTB #68 (above) shows the Flotilla Commander bidding farewell to the Skipper and crew of a boat departing on her Feindfahrt (war patrol).  The inset shows what the Atlantic has in store for them.  The Republic of the Marshall Islands had minted a postage stamp with a depiction of U-47 sinking HMS ROYAL OAK, primarily for the stamp collector.  The memories of Otto Giese #45 and his time in the U-Bootwaffe was continued as were the memories of Bob Maher #221 of the time their destroyer sank the U-Boat that Giese had just transferred off.  There were humorous memories from Otto Kretschmer #122 on a mid-Atlantic meeting with Günther Prien and "Ajax" Achilles.  We reported that it was Kurt Rebs #235 who actually fired the torpedo as a Torpedoman aboard U-456 that hit and damaged the cruiser HMS EDINBOROUGH, which slowed that cruiser long enough for three German destroyers to catch and sink her - with the gold from the Russian Treasury on board, headed for safe keeping in England.  Sometime in the middle to late 1980's, a massive salvage effort was mounted and all but a handful of the gold bars was recovered.  There was more from Charles Gundersen #205 on the "U-Boat Development in the Face of Disarmament".  Scuba diver Bill Hughes #125 reported that one of the torpedoes lying on the deck of U-85 was suddenly missing!  Sig Klaussner #211 had an article called "Whiskey and a Pacific Sunset" about the time the aircraft carrier he was on encountered a Soviet Whiskey Class submarine.  There was a lot of information from the Captain's War Diary of Shinji Uchino, Skipper of I-8 about his voyage from Japan to France.  The information was sent by Martin Davis #230 and translated by Fred Chang #772.  We received a copy of the 19 January 1942 issue of LIFE Magazine from Mike Combs #373-A which showed a very cold and wet bridge lookout on an unnamed U-Boat and Mike also sent us the 27 July 1942 issue of LIFE and the cover depicted ships in convoy crossing the Atlantic.  There was information on Batman's submarine.  We carried proof that certain U-Boats did indeed, attempt to reach Japan with cargoes of uranium.  Until that time, most of the "regular" press vigorously denied that this took place but finally Sharkhunters obtained the proof, and so the "regular" press fell into line with actual history.  There was a report that an American submarine, possibly the old USS NAUTILUS, was to be positioned as a radio beacon in the Pacific to guide Amelia Earheart on her round the world flight and, in the opinion of the writer (a Pan-Am pilot) she was to deliberately crash land in the Japanese Mandate islands so the U.S. Navy could mount a search for her - and see what the Japanese were doing there.  KTB #68 gave a short history on U-34, U-35 and U-258.  At this time, there were SHARKHUNTERS Members in 24 countries.
    
On the front cover of KTB #69, we see a photo of a seemingly normal Type XXI U-Boat, but it was anything but standard.  We featured the regular monthly column of Oblt. Ernst Schmidt #10 and the stories by Otto Giese #45, Bob Maher #221 and Charles Gundersen #205 continued.  The WW I UC-32 was found off the end of the pier at Sunderland, England.  Sig Klaussner #211 wrote a nice piece on "New Technology for the U-Bootwaffe".  Plans were announced for the Fourth Annual Convention of SHARKHUNTERS which was to be in the bunkers on the French coast then into northern Germany.  The translation of the war diary of Shinji Uchino, Skipper of I-8, continued.  We sadly reported the passing of Captain Robert Thew #333.  He had served with U.S. Naval Intelligence and later with the NSA.  Peter Cremer #114 had been reported as being dead by a well-known art gallery, but he was still alive and well.  We reported on the cargo of gold that USS TROUT carried out of the Philippines as that country was being overrun by Japanese troops.  There was more information about Fritz Steinhoff, the Skipper of U-873 who was in effect, murdered by his American interrogators in Boston after the war.  LCDR Harold McCormick #1184 was gunnery officer aboard the Liberty Ship SS WILLIAM GASTON that was sunk by U-861 under Captain Jürgen Oesten #1681, and he wrote about that experience.  The two men became friends after the war.  We also announced our First SCUBA Trip.  At this time, there were SHARKHUNTERS Members in 25 countries.

The cover photo of KTB #70 showed Captain JÜRGEN WATTENBERG (154-1985) and an ‘honored’ member of his crew named Douglas for the ship they sank – This pig & one other swam over to the submarine.  What happened to these two little piggies?  That was in the KTB.  The story of U-405 was still being told by OTTO GIESE (45-1985) as well as BOB MAHER (221-1986).   We reported a special SHARKHUNTERS only tour of U-505 in Chicago. We continued to report how the Russian Government was paying Pepsico for their products with old, used submarines.  Yep, submarines!  The value of the submarines, mostly obsolete WHISKEY Class boats, was set at a certain level and the boats were taken to breaker’s yards, mostly in Sweden, and sold for the scrap value, and the money went to Pepsico for the product.   CHARLES GUNDERSEN (205-C-1986) continued his story on the U-Boat development in the face of disarmament.  A lot of secrets were revealed away in this piece.  CHARLIE has sent us some really outstanding articles in the past.   SIG KLAUSSNER (211-1986) presented an article entitled ‘Paukenschlag off Capetown’.  There was more on the way that Captain Steinhoff died in jail in Boston.  KTB #70 was 24 pages long, still done on a typewriter.  Thanks to the new computer technology, we can pack more than three or four times as much onto our 44 pages.

The cover shot of KTB #71 was a schematic diagram of a standard Type VII-C Frontboot.  OTTO GIESE (45-1984) continued his fascinating story of his life on U-405 and other assignments.  We were planning our 4th Annual Convention, our ‘Patrol in France and Germany’.  There was more of the gripping story by BOB MAHER (221-1986) on the battle to the death of USS BORIE and U-405 which resulted in the loss of both ships, the entire German crew and about 1/3 of the American crew.  We had just begun to send your KTB Magazine to you in the nice, clean, white envelope you are not familiar with – but at this time, there were no specifications or photos on the envelope.   There was more on the excellent piece by CHARLES GUNDERSEN (205-C-1986) entitled “U-Boat Development in the Face of Disarmament” in which he gave us details on the way the Kriegsmarine was designing, building and testing U-Boats at a time when Germany was not allowed to have either.  This article was indeed, an eye-opener.   Italian Admiral Aldo Turcio sent us his memories of the war through KEVIN PETRIELLO (535-A-1988) and it was an excellent look into the life of an Italian submarine crew.  KEVIN also sent us a batch of photographs of the Italian crews.   GOLD ABOARD?  This old sailor’s story was indeed true in one instance, when an American submarine tool some twenty tons of gold and silver out of the Philippines and transferred it to an American cruiser.  We hope to print this entire story someday.   There was more on the voyage on the I.J.N. submarine I-8 from Japan to Lorient, translated by FRED CHANG (772-1988).  We announced our first SHARKHUNTERS Scuba trip – Roatan.  KTB #71 was only 24 pages long and still done on a typewriter.  With the newest computer technology, our KTB has flourished.

On the cover of KTB #72 we see some of the memorabilia brought back from our "Patrol" in South Africa, where we cruised AND DIVED on a DAPHNE Class submarine, flew in a C-47 DAKOTA and a Super FRELON troop carrier chopper.  It was a fine "Patrol" in a beautiful country that was terribly misrepresented in the world press.  There was an article by Otto Giese (45-1984), II Watch Officer on U-405, on his time in the German Merchant Marine and then into the Kriegsmarine while serving in the U-Bootwaffe.  There is more on the memories of Bob Maher (221-1986), Fire Control Petty Officer aboard USS BORIE and he tells of the epoch battle between his destroyer and U-405 in which both ships were lost, 1/3 of the American destroyer crew and the entire German U-Boat crew were lost.  We were preparing for our first ever Sharkhunters "Patrol" in Roatan - a Scuba diving trip to this beautiful Caribbean Paradise.  We continued with the essay by Großadmiral Karl Dönitz concerning "U-Boat Development in the Face of Disarmament" which covers the re-emergence of the German submarine force after World War I.

On the cover of KTB #73 are various photos of Günther Prien and we profiled that famous Skipper in this issue.  He sank the first ship in World War II OFFICIALLY, although we know it was Lemp with U-30 that sank the liner ATHENIA and embarrassed the German Government, so the first sinking was officially credited to Prien.  OTTO GIESE (45-1984) and BOB MAHER (221-1986) continued to tell their stories of the War at Sea and there was more of the great article by CHARLES GUNDERSEN (205-C-1986) on U-Boat development in the face of disarmament following World War I.
     KTB #73 has a centerfold!  Relax, not that kind of centerfold.  There was a great two page center spread of a cut-away of Prien's U-47 superimposed over a list of the ships they sank.
     KEVIN PETRIELLO (535-1988) did an excellent article on the Italian submarine Skipper Carlo Fecia di Cossato.  We also did a profile on Axel Wenner-Gren, the Swedish industrialist who owned Bofors Armament Company, owned huge properties in Sweden (some 5,000,000 acres), founded the Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner Company, whose mistress was the companion of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics (this woman later became the mistress of 24 year old John F. Kennedy) and Wenner-Gren was one of the hardest-working agents of the Third Reich in the Western Hemisphere - he owned most of what is now Paradise Island in the Bahamas and he bought his massive yacht from Howard Hughes.
   

The cover of KTB #74 is a great photo of U-505 in Chicago.  The wartime memories of Otto Giese (45-1984) and also those of Bob Maher (221-1986) continued.  There was a report of the cocktail party hosted at the home of Jay Sorci (1101-+-1989) honoring Captain Reinhard Hardegen (102-LIFE-1985).  There is a great photo of Captain Hardegen holding my very young son Sean Patrick Cooper (LIFE-1987).
      We ran the memories of LCDR Miles Graham (521-1988), American submariner assigned to the prize crew on U-2513.  There was more from Charles Gundersen (205-C-1986) on U-Boat Development in the face of disarmament.  Our 'Intelligence Page' carried the expose on the wild love affair between 24-year-old Lt. John F. Kennedy USN Intelligence Officer, and 28 year-old German spy Inga Aarvad which resulted in Kennedy's being shipped out of Washington DC to the South Pacific where he became Skipper of PT-109.  Sharkhunters offers a videotape on this important chapter of World War II - click here TAPES and section to read about it.
       We revealed two scam artist who made crazy claims that were all totally false and invented.  Heinz Houben claimed that he served on several U-Boats and wrote stories about all his experiences aboard them - but he was never in the U-Bootwaffe at all!  In fact, he was never even in any branch of the Wehrmacht during the war.  Then there was Roger Miklos, a diver who claimed to have found a special U-Boat, sunk off the Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, and he knew that it was filled with gold, silver, jewels and even some stolen art treasures.  He suckered Thames Television into paying for an expedition which naturally - found nothing.  Both men were total liars and crooks.  An even bigger fake was Bill Rose, who was going from one USN and USCG reunion to another, claiming that he was really a German U-Boat officer named Erich Maas.  The claims he made and stories he told about saving the life of an American sailor who later died in his arms brought tears to the audience.  His story that the family of that American sailor took him into their home and gave him their son's name was very touching.  But it was all false.  They guy was a phony and totally invented this story.
       We ran the story of the WHISKEY Class Soviet submarine that ran onto the rocks during a 'snoop' mission into Swedish waters was later sold to a Swedish scrap yard with many other old boats.  Some sharp-eyes Swede realized that this was the same submarine, and so they saved the boat from the torch and made it a monument in a park to commemorate the Soviet embarrassment.

    

The cover of KTB #75 details the Sharkhunters gathering at U-505 in Chicago.  The wartime memories of Otto Giese (45-1984) continued as did those of LCDR Miles Graham (521-1988).  The report by Charles Gundersen (205-C-1986) on U-Boat Development in the Face of Disarmament" continued.  There were short pieces on Submarine Badges and Soviet Nuclear Submarine Badges and we reviewed the book Iron Coffins, an outstanding book written by Herbert Werner (18-1983) and V. E. Bauer-Tapia (408-1987) reviewed the movie Action in the North Atlantic.  Our Intelligence Page dealt with Majestic 12 and the Foo Fighters.  The wartime memories of Captain Roberto Rigoli, Skipper of the Italian submarine BARBARIGO, were sent by Kevin Petriello (535-A-1985) and printed here.  After our Sharkhunters dive trip to the island of Roatan, Brian Orlando (807-1988) commented that "Sharkhunters is not just a club - it's an adventure!"  We were seeking information on Operation High Jump, the massive US Navy effort on Antarctica shortly after the war where they sent some 5,000 men, many ships, planes and one submarine supposedly to do some mapping and charting - with 5,000 men?  Did a U-Boat go up the Mississippi during the war?  That question was asked in this KTB (and answered some years later).  There were scathing comments about Bill Rose who claimed to be a German U-Boat officer named Erich Mass from Peter Hansen (251-LIFE-1987), Chuck Thompson (519-1988), Harrison Ochs (1391-1989) and Margaret Cawood (1399-1990).  There was a South African newspaper article with photo on Captain Hermann Hoffmann (1365-LIFE-1990) during our "Patrol" in that country.  We also gave a definitive description of the so-called "Arab Oil Embargo" of 1973 - and the REAL story of that contrived shortage.  We also gave some hint of the involvement of General Motors in manufacturing war materiel for the Axis in World War II.

The front cover of KTB #76 featured the most successful submarine of any nation in World War II; U-48 known as 'Dreimal Schwartzekater' (Three Tomcats) because of the three Skippers - HERBERT SCHULTZE (191-+-1986), HANS-RUDOLF RÖSING (313-+-1987) and "Ajax" Bleichrodt and we can't forget the exceptional I.W.O. of the boat.....'Teddy' Suhren.  We were running the memories of HORST DEGEN (116-+-1987), Skipper of U-701 which lies sunk off the American east coast.  We also read the memories of our Member Cdr. MYLES GRAHAM who was on the prize crew of U-3008 in the USA.
     We ran the text of a speech by RADM Dan Gallery - on 4 June 1944, the USS GUADALCANAL task force that he commanded captured U-505.  In his speech he referred to the Nürnberg Trials as a 'kangaroo court'!
     In this issue, we 'outed' another fake U-Boat officer, an American named Bill Rose.  We ran photos of our Sharkhunters SCUBA dive on the island of Roatan (Honduras) Central America.
     "Sharkhunters are Seekers of the Truth"............that is what HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985) had to say in this issue.  He was Skipper of U-995 and was decorated with the Knights Cross.  OTTO KRETSCHMER (122-+-1985) voiced his opinions on many subjects.  We learned that many 'American' companies were helping all sides during World War I, and we touched lightly on Antarctica.  There was a cut-away drawing of the French built DAPHNE Class submarine SAS EMILIE HOBHOUSE, that we rode during our 'Patrol' in South Africa.  We ran the history of U-49 and U-50.  KTB #76 was 28 pages in length.

The front cover of KTB #77 was historic in its content.  That is Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) on 2 October 1990.  During our Sharkhunters 'Berlin Patrol' on the last day of East Germany, he and MANFRED ROEDER (1517-1990) went into the HQ of the East German Border Guard and COOPER is wearing the coat and hat of the Commandant that he took from the coat rack in the Commandant's office - and that is the Flag of the DDR that he himself pulled down from the flag pole.  That is JAMES KLINE (300-A/LIFE-1987) in the tunnels beneath the house of Hermann Göring.  The photo was taken by BUD DANA (245-A/LIFE-1987).....and the tunnels are no longer there.  The Bavarian Government tore down the remains of Göring's home on the Obersalzberg and filled in the tunnel entrances.  'Today's Friends' shows COOPER with right wing Austrian politician Dr. JÖRG HAIDER (1616-1990) during the Ulrichsbergfest where COOPER was a speaker before thousands of veterans.  The bottom photo tells it all - the Day of Reunification of Germany.............and Sharkhunters were there for all the festivities - it was a wild and festive time!
      In this issue there was a good recap of our Sharkhunters 4th Annual Convention which included visits in and around the former U-Boat bunkers at Brest and Lorient with full cooperation and help from the French Navy.  It was during this convention that our dear friend HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985) gave us our motto:
                               "Yesterday's Enemies are Today's Friends"
During this "Patrol" we went so many places and saw so much, it is just too much to put here but HARRY and MANFRED walked on the top of the Führerbunker.  this is no longer possible since the German Government has paved it over and turned it into a parking lot.  There was more from RADM Dan Gallery USN in which he condemned the trial and imprisonment of Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.  In fact, Gallery said that if he ever met Dönitz that he would be too ashamed to look him in the eye for the injustice we had done to him.  KTB #77 was 28 pages in length.

 

The front cover of KTB #78 is a B/W copy of a color drawing made by one of our Austrian Friends during our first ever visit to that lovely country.  You'll notice that the American destroyer does not use depth charges but is loaded with Sekt (Champagne) and the American destroyer Skipper and the German U-Boat Skipper are shaking hands and enjoying a glass of Champagne.  The U-Boat is firing cigars rather than torpedoes.  In this issue we read more memories of HORST DEGEN (116-+-1985), Skipper of U-701 sunk off the American east coast. There was more from Member MYLES GRAHAM about his time aboard U-3008 as part of the Prize Crew.  We ran a couple nice photos of AVISO GRILLE shot before the war along with information about this ship from Member ERICH EVERS who was part of the crew of this ship.  We reported on a scandal concerning officials of a German submarine building company and the South African Navy.  This was at a time that the world community had turned its back on South Africa and it was reported that they were getting plans to build German submarines for their Navy.  A couple of our Members (un-named at the time of KTB #78) were researching the loss of the Liberty Ship SS JOHN BARRY, which was sunk with a huge cargo of some one and a half million freshly minted silver Saudi Rialles as well a hundreds of tons of silver ingots in the hold.  There was more of "U-Boats in our Backyard" in this issue.  Naturally, there was much more on the 28 pages of KTB #78.  These are the highlights.

KTB #79 was unusual because this was the first (and ONLY) time we printed the KTB Magazine with a full color cover, front and back.  JOHN RYAN (401-+-1987) had just bought a color copy machine and he donated the front cover.  Remember, Sharkhunters did not have 7,200 Members back then and the cost was pretty reasonable.  Here are the photos on the cover:
Photo 1 - JIM VERDOLINI (480-1988), ZENON LUKOSIOUS (1500-+-1990), HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) and WAYNE PICKELS (768-1988) during a Sharkhunters 'Coffee Meeting' at U-505 in Chicago.  In order, they were - radioman aboard USS GUADALCANAL; crewman from USS PILLSBURY who closed the sea valve on U-505 and saved her from sinking; Sharkhunters President; crewman aboard USS PILLSBURY who was in the U-505 boarding party.
Photo 2 - At another Sharkhunters 'Coffee Meeting' PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) U-Boat officer and Abwehr Agent, and HARRY SCHONAU (170-+-1986) of the one-man torpedoes.
Photo 3 - At a Sharkhunters cocktail gathering in Chicago, one of the nicest photos of Korvettenkapitän REINHARD HARDEGEN (102-LIFE-1985) holding SEAN COOPER (1/2-LIFE-1987).
Photo 4 - The only Type IX-C in existence (at the time), U-505.
Photo 5 - At a Sharkhunters 'Coffee Meeting' in Ft. Lauderdale.
Photo 6 - At a Sharkhunters 'Northern Patrol' we see U-995, the only Type VII-C in the world.
Photo 7 - Sharkhunters SCUBA diving trip to Roatan at the dive shop of TYLL SASS (526-1988).  BRIAN ORLANDO (807-1988) is in the doorway and the big guy in the Afrika Korps cap is SITRIC O'SRUITEAN (1378-+-1990).  Sadly, personal tragedy overtook SITRIC some months later and he took his own life.
Photo 8 - KAYCEE COOPER (161-LIFE-1986) at our first Annual Convention in Key Largo.
Photo 9 - At the Museum in Chicago TOM MACKIN (146-1985), HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) & Kathy Mackin.
Photo 10 - Sharkhunters in the Submarine Wardroom of the South African Navy.
Photo 11 - On our First Sharkhunters Convention in Key Largo, HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985) Skipper of U-995 and Knights Cross holder and WOLDEMAR TRIEBEL (197-1986) I.W.O. aboard U-978 on the dive boat of Member Captain SPENCER SLATE.

Naturally there was more in this 28 page issue of February 1991, but these are the highlights.

     

In KTB #80, we profiled U-57, so the upper left and lower right photos are of her Skipper, our Member and friend ERICH TOPP (118-+-1985).  The memories of Member HORST DEGEN (116-+-1985) and his patrol off the east coast of the United States were running JIM VERDOLINI (480-1988), radioman from USS GUADALCANAL and later USS RANDOLPH, was telling us about the battles he experienced in the Pacific.  From HERBERT WEISE (348-+-1987), a crewman aboard AVISO GRILLE, we learned that is addition to her 20mm anti-aircraft guns, she also carried a 105mm deck gun.  We began our coverage of the U.S. Navy Silent Service with specifications and a little history about the first USN submarines, USS HOLLAND (SS 1) and USS A-! (SS 2), ex-USS PLUNGER.  Our 'Intelligence Page' went into the American business leaders who supported Adolf Hitler and it also told about unusual goings-on in Central America.  The story 'U-Boats in our Backyard' continued about the U-Boat incursion into the Caribbean.  We began to run the long essay entitled 'The Conduct of the War at Sea' written by Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.

There was more in this 28 page issue of February 1991, but these are the highlights.

The front cover of KTB #81 showed off the 'stars' of our upcoming Sharkhunters Convention.  Upper left photo is U-505 and the other two are USS SILVERSIDES.  We visited them both.  The wartime memories of HORST DEGEN (116-+-1985) were continued and the same for JIM VERDOLINE (480-1988).  We reported on how American bandleader Glenn Miller really died, ending a four decades long mystery.  We reported that there were serous talks to turn the outstanding book "Iron Coffins" written by HERBERT WERNER (18-1983) into a movie.  We gave the specifications and short history of the American submarine USS A-2 (SS 3), ex-USS ADDER and also USS A-3 (SS 4), ex-USS GRAMPUS.  Our 'Intelligence Page' talked about Standard Oil and how they provided fuel to all sides in WW II; and we continued the story 'U-Boats in our Backyard'.  We reported on the horrible treatment one of our Members (a U-Boat combat veteran) received AFTER the war as a POW who was 'sold' to the French along with an entire trainload of POWs.  PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) gave us information about KK REINHARD HARDEGEN (102-LIFE-1985), Ernest Hemingway and Captain Gough who was arrested for allegedly providing fuel and other supplies to U-Boats and German surface ships along the Central American coast.  "The Conduct of the War at Sea" by Großadmiral Karl Dönitz was still running.

There was more in this 28 page issue of February 1991, but these are the highlights.






The cover of KTB #88 featured a photo of DARYL TURNER (1419-1990) and the beautiful four-foot-long radio controlled model of a Type VII-C, detailed to look like the U-552 ‘Rot Teufel Boot’ of ERICH TOPP (118-+-1985).  We ran some recorded memories from AXEL-OLAF LOEWE (39-+-1984), the first Skipper of U-505.  We also ran the story by BERNARD MAUER (2052-1991) about his ship, SS TAMAULIPAS, when she was torpedoed and sunk by TOPP and U-552. We reported that LEON deGRELLE (1835-1991) was ill.

URSULA – TOP SECRET!  We’d previously run the top secret story of how two U-Boats were secretly working on the side of the Franco Government in the Spanish Civil War, and we reported in KTB #88 that we had received photos of the two boats, U-33 under Kurt Freiwald and U-34 under Harald Grosse.  The photos clearly showed the special recognition stripes on the towers.  The photos were taken from the deck of GRAF SPEE.  PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) gave us the full story of ‘URSULA’.

There were photos of the workers putting the new roof (standard recreation in Florida) on our Research Center.  They were Sharkhunters President HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983), DETLEV ZIMERMANN (247-LIFE-1987) who rode U-315 as diving planesman and a few other friends.  Vietnam veteran JOHN RYAN (401-+-1987) did the plaster work.  The Open House for the Research Center was 4th of July 1992.  We convinced computer store owner BILL CUSTER (1764-1991) to donate some computers to the Soviet ‘Peace to the Oceans’ Committee.  PYOTR BARABOLYA (1936-1991) is head of that committee.

JUDE STACKPOLE PhD (1334-+-1990) was working hard to learn how the British got the TRITON code, since they admitted that they did not break it but they had it – so someone either gave it or sold it to them.  JUDE was killed in a strange accident before he could finish and his son threw out all his research.

KTB #88 was 28 pages long, done on a newer typewriter – and there were 2153 Members in 37 countries then.




 

KTB #96 was published in March 1993 and we were running the memories of GERD RICHTER (214-+-1986), the radioman aboard U-81 under GUGGENBERGER (269-+-1987) when they sank the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL.  We were also running a piece by Captain ARTHUR MOORE (533-1988) about the United States Merchant Marine in World War II.
       With the Soviet Union dissolving, many former Soviet countries were building their military forces and Estonia was bringing their 50 year old British built submarine LEMBIT out of its museum status and refitting her as an active submarine.
     There was more great Intel stuff from PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) including a never before seen look into the planning of BARBAROSSA and how it unraveled.
The Intelligence Page featured a look into Operation PAPERCLIP in which the US was snatching up German scientists faster than the Soviet Union could.  Dr. HEINZ SCHLICKE (1820-1991) was one of the passengers aboard U-234 bound for Japan and was a world class scientist in magnetic suppression of submarines.  As we know, this boat surrendered in the USA at the end of the war and he remained in the USA, working for the government.  The photo below left is U-234 being inspected by the US Navy in Portsmouth, NH.
     HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) and U-Bootfahrer DETLEZ ZIMMERMANN (247-LIFE-1987) enjoyed a short ride aboard USS WEST VIRGINIA (SSBN 736) with Captain JOHN DEMLEIN (2838-1993) in command.  DETLEV was a planesman aboard U-315, so the Skipper let him take the diving planes of a boat that was a tad bigger than his old Type VII-C.
   

The essay “Conduct of the War at Sea” by Großadmiral Karl Dönitz began.  And from RADM RICHARD O’KANE (1540-+-1990), we read first hand about the USS WAHOO incident.  O’KANE is seen on the left in the photo above.
“I applaud you for seeking the facts concerning WAHOO and Captain Morton.  From my book and from my previous note I am sure that no one was shot in the water on the occasion in question.  Or any other time for that matter.  Captain Morton gave the order to shoot the boats to prevent the enemy from reaching their possessions.  I was on the bridge at the time, an eye witness.”

 KTB #96 was typeset by Pen Harms on a computer just 28 pages in length but by being typeset on the computer, we got more onto 28 pages than we did before with a typewriter on 32 pages..  Times sure have changed, haven’t they?




 

The front cover of KTB #134 featured a photo of JÜRGEN WATTENBERG (154-+-1985), former Navigation Officer aboard GRAF SPEE but Skipper of U-162 when this photo was taken with ‘Douglass’, a captive they took from a sailing ship they sank.  This humorous story was in this issue.
     We continued an article from the memory of JÜRGEN OESTEN (1681LIFE-1990).  We ran more of the story of the prisoners from U-66 aboard the “jeep” carrier USS BLOCK ISLAND.  The making of the two Pearl Harbor scapegoats (Admiral Kimmel and Major General Short) prepared by FRANK WEINGART (842-1988) put a spotlight on how the two officers were set up to take the heat for the ‘surprise’ attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.
     PETER’s PERISCOPE by PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) covered the rank-conscious Japanese Navy as well as various German U-Boat Skippers.  The Intelligence Page talked about all the hidden coves and harbors at the bottom of South America known as ‘U-Plätze’ where ships could lie undetected for months.
     We were running the Royal Navy report by VICTOR HAWKINS (1364-+-1990).  We had a short profile of the American submarine USS  S-17 (SS 158).  We reported on the two clowns in the New England area who have a habit of reporting lost U-Boats sunk in 26 feet of water and other such loony tales.  There was also a report on a submarine with a window – that’s right, a window in a boat!  JIM WARD (3161-1993) reported that USS TUNA (SS 203) had a window – a port actually, in the gun access door at the rear of the conning tower.  We continued to run parts of ‘The Future of Russia’s Strategic Nuclear Forces’ by E. V. Miasnikov. We asked the leading question – “Where did Martin Bormann really die”.
     DON ANGEL ALCAZAR de VELASCO (158-+-1985) finished telling us more and more about the escape of Martin Bormann and even Adolf Hitler from Berlin – and there WAS confirmation that many U-Boats operated in Argentine waters!  Argentine President Carlos Menem confirmed this was true.  The Argentine Navy at that time confirmed that Martin Bormann and other high ranking personnel as well as Third Reich gold arrived in Argentina with the full knowledge and approval of the government of Juan Domingo Peron.  Documents were released in which the Argentine Navy reported spotting German U-Boats off their coast as late as July 1945.  Remember, the German surrender was 8 May 1945, so these boats were seen well after the surrender.  An Argentine Navy diver named Carlos Massey played a key role in looking for two U-Boats rumored to be sunk in Argentine waters…..in some 75 feet of water.
                      You bet there will be more on this topic – and soon!

The KTB Magazine at that time was 40 pages in length and done on a computer.  At that time, our Members in 67 countries had already donated some $6,000 to the U-Boot-Ehrenmal (the German Submarine Memorial).







 Please check here tomorrow for more uploads.  This is a new and ongoing project.
   

     

      

KTB #190 included these items of history:
*  By the cover, you see that we lost two Members, two really fine men;
          Erich Topp (118-1985), Skipper of U-57, U-552 & U-2513; Knights Cross, Oak Leaf & Swords;
          OTTO von BÜLOW (305-1987), Slipper of U-404, Knights Cross with Oak Leaf;
*  Interview with Member Jürgen Oesten (1681-LIFE-1990), Skipper of U-67, U-106 and U-861;
*  More history of U-233, the Type X-B boat that some think is sunk in Casco Bay, Maine.....it is NOT;
*  Our 'in house Spook' Peter Hansen (251-LIFE-1987) talks about 'Black Boats' and secret missions;
*  We ran the history of USS GREENLING (SS 213);
*  We listed more of the U-Boat Skippers that began their careers as airplane pilots;
*  We ran photos of a secret Chinese Navy ship with a new high-tech helicopter;
*  Member Jim Santos (4896-A/LIFE-1996) wrote about some American Submarine Medal of Honor winners;
*  Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) wrote about U-129 and some previously unknown facts.
Naturally, there was much more in the 40 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

     

KTB #191 included these items of history:
* The cover has some great photos of our 2005 "Southern Patrol";
* The interview with Member Jürgen Oesten (1681-LIFE-1991) continued;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE carried a story about a U-Bootfahrer who was not entirely honorable;
* We ran the history of USS GROUPER (SS 214);
* We listed more U-Boat Skippers who had been airplane pilots;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats;
* "Scuttlebutt from Santos" had more on the American submarine Medals of Honor;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) gave more of the in-depth history of U-129.
Naturally, there was much more in the 40 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #192 included these items of history:
* The cover has some great photos of our 2005 "Northern Patrol" where we walked on an abandoned section of the Autobahn and were in the secret bunker compound of Großadmiral Karl Dönitz;
* The interview with Member Jürgen Oesten (1681-LIFE-1991) continued;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) went into previously unknown history of U-866 as well as a few other boats that were.......or maybe were NOT built;
* We ran the history of USS GROWLER (SS 215);
* We listed more U-Boat Skippers who had been airplane pilots;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats;
* "Scuttlebutt from Santos" had more on the American submarine Medals of Honor;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) gave more of the in-depth history of U-129.
* There was a short item that the I.R.S. was looking for Roger Miklos.  Apparently he found something of value underwater and the tax man wanted his share of it;
* We began the story of U-534, the boat that was raised in the early 1980's and we were telling the strange events that surround this boat even today.
Naturally, there was much more in the 40 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #193 included these items of history:
* The cover photo was our Member RADM GENE FLUCKEY, the most highly decorated American submariner ever in history.  He had served ten years on our Advisory Board and now was literally at death's door;
* The interview with Member Jürgen Oesten (1681-LIFE-1991) continued;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) reported on the thousands of bodies of German soldiers in a warehouse in the Czech Republic that were going to merely be 'disposed of' because they could no longer afford to pay for the refrigeration.  This was a SPECIAL by PETER;
     In his regular PERISCOPE, he tells about the evolution of the SD and the Gestapo;
* We ran the history of USS GRUNION (SS 216);
* As an experiment, we ran a short article on the Luftwaffe and another on the Panzergrenadiers, preparatory to adding this as a regular feature to our KTB Magazine - we added four pages to the KTB Magazine;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats;
* 'Rip Off at the Gas Pumps' told about the so-called American oil companies that sold to all sides in World War II and who are robbing us at the pumps even today;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) gave more of the in-depth history of U-129.

Naturally, there was much more in the now 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

   

KTB #194 included these items of history:
* The cover photo was USS BORIE and U-405 - a huge and fatal battle for both sides;
* We began the story of the battle between USS BORIE and U-405 from the memories of BOB MAHER (221-1986), the Fire Control Petty Officer on the destroyer escort;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) gave a great background on other Skippers - Hans-Hartwig Trojer, PETER-ERICH CREMER (114-+-1986), Wilhelm Dommes, Werner Henke, Gerd Suhren, KARL-FRIEDERICH MERTEN (23-+-1984), HANS-DIETRICH von TIESENHAUSEN (268-+-1987) and many others;
* We introduced our new 'True Scale Modeling' section by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006);
* We ran the history of USS GUARDFISH (SS 217);
* The experiment was well received, so the four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe appeared as a new regular section of the KTB Magazine and this one covered the memories of Baron GEORG von ZIRK (3290-1993), a navigator/bombardier aboard an He 111;
*  We began the report on the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN!  We began our war with the U.S. Army - they are ducking and dodging;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats;
* 'Rip Off at the Gas Pumps' told about the so-called American oil companies that sold to all sides in WW II and who are robbing us at the pumps even today;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) gave more of the in-depth history of U-129.
* We profiled the Japanese KAISHO Class submarines;
* In 'Scuttlebutt from Santos' JAMES SANTOS (4896-A/LIFE-1996) told a dozen submarine stories.

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #195 was published in September 2006 and included these items of history:
* The cover photo was our friend GERHARD DIETRICH (5923-A/LIFE-1999);
* We continued the story of the battle between USS BORIE and U-405 from the memories of BOB MAHER (221-1986), the Fire Control Petty Officer on the destroyer escort;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) gave a great background on more Skippers yet and also on Francois Mitterand, the French leader who was also said to be a collaborator;
* 'True Scale Modeling' by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006) covered the modeler's toolbox;
* We ran the history of USS ALBACORE (SS 218);
* No longer an experiment, the four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe was a success and continued as a regular section of the KTB Magazine and this one covered the memories of an American bomber pilot who sank a German U-Boat......but at the Honors Ceremony, he learned that it was an American submarine!  The Base Commander was humiliated, the US Navy was furious and fortunately, the submarine wasn't sunk and suffered minor damage - the pilot feared that Hitler would give him a commendation;
*  We were giving more information about the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN!  We had written to the Camp Commandant, Colonel Weathersby, about this - no response!  The U.S. Army was still ducking and dodging;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats (Fleet Annie);
* 'Rip Off at the Gas Pumps' told about the so-called American oil companies that sold to all sides in WW II and who are robbing us at the pumps even today;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) gave an in-depth history of Soviet submarine S-56.
* We profiled the Dutch K.XIV Class submarines;

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #196 was published in late 2006 and included these items of history:
* The cover photo was a compilation of four photos of our 2006 'Southern Patrol' in southern Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia.  It was without question, the greatest 'Southern Patrol' we have ever had - but our 2007 'Southern Patrol' promises to be even better;
* We continued the story of the battle between USS BORIE and U-405 from the memories of BOB MAHER (221-1986), the Fire Control Petty Officer on the destroyer escort;
* The story of U-234 continues, with more twists and turns;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) gave a great insight into U-866, Captain Rogowski, Günther Prien, Captain FEHLER (32-+-1984), and more on U-234;
* 'True Scale Modeling' by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006) covered the modeler's toolbox;
* We ran the history of USS AMBERJACK (SS 219);
* We reported on the loss of STELLA POLARIS, sunk accidentally on 31 August 2006;
* The four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe was a success and continued as a regular section of the KTB Magazine and this one covered the story of ERICH HARTMANN (2805-+-1993) as told by MANFRED ROEDER (1517-LIFE-1990) and we digress a bit to learn about Germany's TIGER tanks;
*  We reported on the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Member OTTO GÜNSCHE, Hitler's adjutant and the man who poured the gasoline on..................well, on two bodies;
*  We were giving more information about the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN!  We ran memories written by the condemned prisoners as reported by KEN KNOX (7037-2006), a corrections guard at Ft. Leavenworth.....and the U.S. Army - they were still ducking and dodging;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats (Hogan's Alley);
* 'Rip Off at the Gas Pumps' told about the so-called American oil companies that sold to all sides in WW II and who are robbing us at the pumps even today;
* Arctic U-Boat expert Eddie Rumpf (179-1986) told us about the puzzle of STORSTEN and U-702;
*  'Scuttlebutt from Santos' by JAMES SANTOS (4896-A/LIFE-1996) touched on 'the Old Outfit';
* We profiled the American DOLPHIN Class submarines;

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

   

KTB #197 was published in February 2007 and included these items of history:
* The cover photo was a compilation of front pages of various issues of the KTB over the years;
* We continued the story of the battle between USS BORIE and U-405 (both ships were lost) from the memories of BOB MAHER (221-1986), the Fire Control Petty Officer on the destroyer escort;
* The story of U-234 continues, with many personal letters from various officers and crewmen;
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) told that he met and knew Gahlen, and he told what he knew about the 'Werewolves';
* 'True Scale Modeling' by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006) began building USS LIONFISH;
* We began the fantastic history of USS BARB (SS 220);
* The four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe was a success and continued as a regular section of the KTB Magazine and this one covered a story of an attack on a mystery submarine as told by JOHN CARLIN (5702-1998) and we also read of the 'First Trans-Atlantic Flight';
*  We gave more information about the possible impending doom and loss of U-534;
*  We were giving more information about the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN!  We informed Members how the U.S. Army was STILL ducking and dodging our questions;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats (Master Chiefs);
* 'Rip Off at the Gas Pumps' told about the so-called American oil companies that sold to all sides in WW II and who are robbing us at the pumps even today;
* FRANK McCLATCHIE (5814-1999) was in command of the Prize Crew aboard U-1228......and he fired the Skipper;
*  We covered 'Other Actions' which profiled one Japanese submarine and one Italian submarine;
* We profiled the German Type II-A submarines;

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #198 was published in March 2007 and included these items of history:
* The cover photo featured photos of our 2006 "Southern Patrol" on the top row and our 2006 "Bunker Patrol" on the bottom row;
* We began the wartime memories of OTTO GIESE (45-+-1984).....he was lucky to be transferred off U-405 just before her fatal battle with USS BORIE in which both ships were lost;
* The story of U-234 continues, with many personal letters from various officers and crewmen including the Skipper JOHANN-HEINRICH FEHLER (32-+-1984) and cargo officer KARL-ERNST PFAFF (157-1985);
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) reported on the secret U-Boat construction and testing in the middle 1930's when this was still prohibited by various treaties;
* 'True Scale Modeling' by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006) continued building USS LIONFISH;
* We continued the fantastic history of a great warboat, USS BARB (SS 220);
* The four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe and other air forces was a success and continued as a regular section of the KTB Magazine - we began to list ALL the ACES of the world's air forces;
*  'Scuttlebutt from Santos' walked about 'What's VD?', 'What's in the Tank' and 'Riding the Rail';
*  We were trying to give more information about the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN but the U.S. Army was STILL ducking and dodging our questions;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats (Topside Watch);
* There was a special report on the Australian O-Boats by JAMES SANTOS (4896-A/LIFE-1996);
* "Have Gun, Will Travel" was the humorous story by HARRY COOPER (1-LIFE-1983) during his time in the USAF;
*  We covered 'Other Actions' which profiled the Japanese submarine RO.46 and the Italian submarine LUIGI TORELLI;
* We profiled the British S Class submarines;
*  We began the story of the US Navy Blimp K-14.......it continues and is controversial;

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.

 KTB #199 was published in April 2007 and included these items of history:
* The cover photo was the bridge of USS WAHOO;
* In our 'President's Column' we reminded our Members that it was Sharkhunters Member GEORGE LOGUE (1879-LIFE-1991) who initially found USS WAHOO.....more than ten years earlier!
* We continued the wartime memories of OTTO GIESE (45-+-1984).....he was lucky to be transferred off U-405 just before her fatal battle with USS BORIE in which both ships were lost;
* The story of U-234 continues, with many personal letters from various officers and crewmen including the Skipper JOHANN-HEINRICH FEHLER (32-+-1984) and cargo officer KARL-ERNST PFAFF (157-1985);
* PETER's PERISCOPE by Abwehr agent PETER HANSEN (251-LIFE-1987) reported on the naval treaty conference between England and Germany some years prior to the war - and his descriptions of various German leaders is.................well, quite interesting.  PETER pulls no punches;
* USS DOLPHIN was discussed - not very flatteringly!
* 'True Scale Modeling' by 'Gunny' SMITH (7079-2006) continued building USS LIONFISH;
* We continued the fantastic history of a great warboat, USS BARB (SS 220);
* The four additional pages devoted to the Luftwaffe and other air forces was a success and continued as a regular section of the KTB Magazine - we began to list ALL the ACES of the world's air forces;
*  'Scuttlebutt from Santos' walked about 'Quartermaster or Torpedoman?';
*  We were STILL trying to give more information about the shameful burial of German POWs executed AFTER the war.....and buried FACE DOWN but the U.S. Army was STILL ducking and dodging our questions;
* "Diving with DEX' had another hilarious story about life aboard the boats (the Slush Fund);
* There was a special report on the Australian O-Boats by JAMES SANTOS (4896-A/LIFE-1996);
*  We covered 'Other Actions' which profiled the Japanese submarine RO.49 and the Italian submarine EVANGELISTA TORRICELLI;
* We profiled the Italian SQUALO Class submarines;
* There was a First-Person survivor's story on the sinking of SS CLAN McARTHUR;
* Rockets - when WAS the first use of rockets from submarines?
* We continued the story of the US Navy Blimp K-14.......it continues and is controversial;

Naturally, there was much more in the 44 page KTB Magazine - these are some highlights.



Incidentally, KTB is the German acronym for Kriegs Tage Buch which, literally translated, means Daily War Book or more easily understood, the Ship's Logbook.

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