The Commander Interviews

Listen to the Commanders in their own words!


Otto Kretschmer

- The most successful Ace
6 audio tapes in which he talks about his pre-war training, his war at sea and he also shares with us some amusing points from POW camp. The total length of these tapes is 16 min 47 sec. New! one video tape of him talking about the myth of the "Happy Times"

Erich Topp

- One of the most successful aces
Today Erich Topp (wartime commander of U-552) is a man with a sharp mind, strong handshake, and piercing blue eyes.

Reinhard Hardegen

- Commander of U-123
Hardegen describes how he came to the U-boat Corps, his wartime and post war experiences. One tape 8 min 4 sec in length.

Helmut Schmoeckel

He was the commander of U-802 from Dec 1943 until the end of the war when he surrendered his boat in Scotland. He talks about his experiences in the late-war period. 3 minutes 57 sec in length.

The Interviewer

A small page about the man who interviewed the U-boat commanders, Stephen Ames.


Enjoy these recordings! And let us know what you think of them. Depending on response, Ames may offer more excerpts later. You will need the RealAudio3 player to hear them. They should play without interruption with a modem. Those with slower connections may have an occaisional pause.