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'Patrol'
in Southern Germany
and Austria - 2000
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| Georg Högel and his book | the Löwenbräukeller | BMW Museum and HQ |
This was out first time back to this beautiful part of Germany and Austria in
ten years. There were veterans with us the entire tour, and others who met
us at various places along the way. All were happy to sign autographs,
pose for photos and tell their wartime memories. There were about a dozen
veterans with us for the Welcome Dinner at the beautiful, old Löwenbräukeller,
including our friend Georg Högel, radioman under Lemp on U-30 and
U-110.
In München, we visited the BMW Museum, the Olympic grounds (thanks to our
friend Theo Freundoerfer), the open air Farmer's Market, and naturally the old
and historic buildings there. There was plenty of "Oompah"
music and great food at the Market.
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| This is the very
spot where Hitler stood; so did our group. |
Inside the Party
Congress Hall - off limits to ALL; but not Sharkhunters |
Room 600 in the Palace of Justice |
To Nürnberg, where we had a guided tour of this historic city and of course, to
the Stadium, Parade Ground and Zeppeleinfeld where the Party Congress was held
nearly 70 years ago. Our dinner was in a restaurant that opened some 73
years BEFORE Columbus set out to discover the New World. One of the
high points of our time here was the visit to the 'Palace of Justice' where
the Nürnberg Trials were held, and we were IN Room 600 which is
normally not open to the public - but then, Sharkhunters are welcome almost
anywhere. More veterans joined us for dinners along the way.
In the little town of Dinkelsbühl, we had lunch in the parson's wine cellar
from the 15th century. Then it was time for our special treat - as we
approached the castle, a young man in the uniform worn during the 'Thirty
Years War' appeared in a window and played a trumpet salute to us.
Then a young lady appeared, also in the costume of the time, with a pitcher of
the local wine. According to the old tradition, such a wine maiden was
sent out to greet the invading army and to let them know that they took no sides
in the war and wanted no battles there. Then she drank the wine - and all
watched to see if she would fall over dead. When they were sure there was
no poison, all drank of the wine and the city was saved. The young lady
who greeted our 'army' was beautiful and the wine was excellent.
Then our deluxe motorcoach headed south, through the magnificent Tyrolean Alps
to Klagenfurt, county seat of Kärnten Province. In the town square is a
large stone dragon and according to legend, it was a real, live dragon centuries
ago and it roamed all over Austria. It could only eat virgins so when it
came to Klagenfurt, the poor dragon just starved to death and turned to stone -
so says local legend. There were more wonderful dinners with many veterans
of all branches of the Wehrmacht.
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| Dr. Haider (l) and Harry Cooper atop Ulrich's Mountain for the ceremony | The huge stone
cross and the ruined cathedral - breathtaking! |
Two veterans with us;U-boat Skipper Oblt. Hess (l) and tank cdr.Ernst Barkmann (r).Both Knights Cross holders and both Sharkhunters Members. |
Then came the highlight of the entire tour - the Ulrichsbergfest! The
Festival on Ulrich's Mountain. Atop the highest mountain in the area,
thousands gathered to remember and pay tribute to all who fell in the war, no
matter what uniform he or she wore. It is a very solemn and moving event
with the Austrian Army Band, rifle salutes etc., and we were Guests of Honor of
the political leader of Austria, Dr. Jörg Haider. We met many more
veterans there as well and again, all were happy to talk with us, sign
autographs and have their photos taken with our group.
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Some of the
veterans with us |
Part of the
entertainment It was great! You should have been with us. |
Back to München for Oktoberfest! We had a fantastic time here - music,
food, dancing, food, souvenirs, more food and of course - beer! Each of the
Munich-based breweries have a huge pavilion that serves food and naturally, only
their brand of beer, and they all have 'Oompah' bands each trying to
outdo the other. Our 'Farewell Dinner' was in one such 'keller' with a
dozen or more veterans, great food, music and dancing - and beer. It was a
great evening, but it signaled the end of our wonderful two weeks in Southern
Germany and Austria. You can join us for our 'Patrol in South Germany
& Austria - 2003' and have these same wonderful memories. Click
here to go to the main TOURS
page and check out the details.
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