General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
U-boat Besuch II
Posted by:
Craig McLean
()
Date: December 04, 2000 01:09PM
<HTML>Will try to finish my trip to Germany, and U-boat related visits, 12-28 Nov 00 this post!
My second day in Germany, Tuesday. I call Mr. Erich Topp at home once more from the Archiv to re-confirm our visit at his home for the 18th at 2 p.m. He says that is still fine with him and I am excited about this meeting!
Tuesday and Wednesday I do some browsing at the Archiv, have lunch up in the kitchen with Horst Schwenk, and do a little shopping in town. Herr Bublitz, owner of Foto-Bublitz (a small photo--bookstore--stationery store--souvenier shop at the 3-way intersection in town, along with the Deutsches Haus Hotel and St. Nicholi Kirche on the other two corners) lets me borrow his own copy of a small German-English dictionary for the duration of my visit, when I can\'t find a copy for sale, and realize a small dictionary will be of help when I am at a loss for a particularly important word. This was very nice of him, and was typical of the many kind people I met during my trip!
For instance, Inge and Arthur Schacht (people I was renting my room from) told me they were going in to Bremerhaven on Thursday to do some shopping and would be happy to drop me off to see the Schiffahrts Musuem and Wilhelm Bauer there, as I\'d already told them that was one of the additional sights I wanted to see. A fascinatiing museum of old and modern ships with everything in between (including a 2-man Seehund mini-sub from WWII). The WWII U-2540 (renamed Wilhelm Bauer during its Bundesmarine days, after being raised from its scuttling at the end of the war) was nearby. Very impressive boat! Unfortunately, I couldn\'t go inside, as it is closed annually in November and December. But I managed to get a lot of nice photographs.
That evening, Inge and Arthur invited me downstairs for some vodka, schnapps, and Becks beer. We had a merry time talking and joking about everything imagineable--and they were very fun people, perhaps just 10 to 15 years older than me!
Saturday morning early, they were nice enough to drive me in to Cuxhaven to catch my train for Ober Winter, near Remagen, to see Erich Topp. A long trip indeed. Cuxhaven to Bremerhaven to Muenster to Koeln to Ober Winter. I stopped in at a small Gasthaus and the bartender asked what I would like, and I said the toilette, a small bier, and a taxi please. He pointed the way to the WC, drew me a small bier....and it wasn\'t long before a taxi arrived, and I found myself at Topp\'s home by quarter to two. Mr. Topp came to the door dressed in a nice gray suit with the typical bow tie. I apologized for having my suitcase still, as I had come straight from the train, but said what a privilege it was to meet him in person and thanked him for allowing me into his home. He said not at all, and directed me to the north side of the hallway into his living room. We walked to a massive window which overlooked Ober Winter below as well as the Rhine River, winding left and right. He asked what I thought of the view, and I said it was perfectly magnificent and he smiled in return, and asked why I wanted to talk to him. He wondered if I was going to write all this down later, meaning--I\'m sure--whether I planned to write this as a story or interview to be published later. (I don\'t think he cared one way or the other, but was curious as to my plans--and I\'m sure sharing my impressions with my friends here at the U-boat forum isn\'t really the same thing, as we would be doing this in person or over the phone, if we could afford all the calls!) Anyway, I said no, that it was just something I was doing out of my own interest in U-boats, and that I was a member of the FTU in Altenbruch, and that he had been kind enough to autograph a book for me thru the mail over a year earlier, and that I had wanted to meet him in person if ever possible. Mr. Topp gestured to the couch and said to please be seated, while he took a seat in an easy chair (both around a particularly nice circular glass coffe table). It was about at this point we talked a little about the Uboat.net forum, and he said he had never been on it personally, but had heard of it---and I assumed someone had posed as him briefly during the past year, although I had never seen the posts in question myself. I\'ll keep the overall discussion we had brief. I didn\'t record anything, as I didn\'t want to spoil the atmosphere by being too much like some kind of reporter. But we talked about what he liked best about being in the U-boat arm...and he said he loved the sea, and enjoyed the close kamaraderie of the crew. I remarked how I\'d seen an interview with him once where a crew member\'s wife had once told him that her husband had said whenever it became very dangerous in the boat, he would \"place himself in your pocket.\" Mr. Topp nodded and smiled broadly at that, and said, \"That was my navigator.\" He went on to tell how he had encouraged him to become an officer, until one day he even had his own boat---and was very nearly killed when their group of boats were leaving the base in Germany to go on patrol, but were attacked by Allied aircraft. His navigator\'s boat went down, but I believe every last crew member was picked up by an escort ship safely, and the former-navigator and Topp called out to each other thru megaphones. To keep this all from being too long, I\'ll simply say we also discussed his worst experience of the war (losing the U-57 after a particularly dangerous patrol, in which they had sunk at least one tanker, but had nearly met their own end just prior to that---having to use breathing apparatus after being pinned down by depth-charging escorts for around 36 hours, and nearly being stuck fast to the bottom in the process---only to be accidentally rammed and sunk by a Norweigian ship in the \"safety\" of the Elbe upon finally returning to base [\"I lost 6 of my crew. That for me was the worst experience of the war.\"]. We also discussed the various type U-boats he had commanded (The Type XXI was a great boat, but \"it came too late.\") and I also found out that none of the 3 items a visitor had once stolen have ever been recovered (\"They are all lost\"). We then turned to signing some books I had brought along for myself and friends, and he very graciously said it was no problem at all. When we got to my own book, he asked if I would like the inscription in German (as I had been trying to interject German phrases, etc., during our discussion whenever possible---but thankfully Herr Topp\'s English is quite good!) and I said yes, that would be nice. He wrote this down, \"For Craig Mclean, in maritimer Verbundenheit, Erich Topp, 18.11.00.\" I thanked him very much, saying it was very nice, adding, \"Prima. Prima!\" (first rate, great). He asked if I understood \"Verbundenheit\" and I said yes, and motioned with my fingers interlocking toward each other, \"Together, closeness?\" And Topp said yes and we both smiled at that. After finishing signing four books and one slip of paper, Mr. Topp asked when I was going back to Cuxhaven, and I said I had an express train for the next day. He asked where I would stay for the night, and I admitted I didn\'t know yet, but that I would look for a nice hotel room for the night. Then, in a kind gesture I\'ll never forget, Topp says, \"Come. I will drive you back down the hill for a hotel room.\" He pulls on a hat, scarf, and coat and we climb into his car! I ask whether we don\'t have to wear our seatbelts in Germany, and he says yes, that sometimes he forgets to wear his own. I reply, \"Well, an auto is not so dangerous as a U-boat in the Atlantic.\" And he looks at me and laughs and answers, \"Yes, yes, that is right!\" We find that two hotels in Ober Winter are closed for the day, and saying this is impossible, Mr. Topp says we will drive to Remagen where there is a hotel right across from the train station. Once there, he goes in with me to ensure I am registered all right...and says to call him at home if I have any problems in Remagen at all. What a fine gentleman! Then, standing very tall, he wishes me--in German--a good trip back to Cuxhaven and also a good return flight to the US at the end of my trip. We shake hands and I again thank him profusely for everything. I don\'t want to be overly romantic here, but for just an instant I could picture a Kapitaen Topp, in white captain\'s cap, scarf, and long leather coat---and I understood perhaps just a bit of the confidence his crew must have felt in this man. We part company as Mr. Topp nods, turns, and walks brisly from the room. A totally unforgettable day for me!!
(to be continued, and completed, in U-boat Besuch III...)
</HTML>
My second day in Germany, Tuesday. I call Mr. Erich Topp at home once more from the Archiv to re-confirm our visit at his home for the 18th at 2 p.m. He says that is still fine with him and I am excited about this meeting!
Tuesday and Wednesday I do some browsing at the Archiv, have lunch up in the kitchen with Horst Schwenk, and do a little shopping in town. Herr Bublitz, owner of Foto-Bublitz (a small photo--bookstore--stationery store--souvenier shop at the 3-way intersection in town, along with the Deutsches Haus Hotel and St. Nicholi Kirche on the other two corners) lets me borrow his own copy of a small German-English dictionary for the duration of my visit, when I can\'t find a copy for sale, and realize a small dictionary will be of help when I am at a loss for a particularly important word. This was very nice of him, and was typical of the many kind people I met during my trip!
For instance, Inge and Arthur Schacht (people I was renting my room from) told me they were going in to Bremerhaven on Thursday to do some shopping and would be happy to drop me off to see the Schiffahrts Musuem and Wilhelm Bauer there, as I\'d already told them that was one of the additional sights I wanted to see. A fascinatiing museum of old and modern ships with everything in between (including a 2-man Seehund mini-sub from WWII). The WWII U-2540 (renamed Wilhelm Bauer during its Bundesmarine days, after being raised from its scuttling at the end of the war) was nearby. Very impressive boat! Unfortunately, I couldn\'t go inside, as it is closed annually in November and December. But I managed to get a lot of nice photographs.
That evening, Inge and Arthur invited me downstairs for some vodka, schnapps, and Becks beer. We had a merry time talking and joking about everything imagineable--and they were very fun people, perhaps just 10 to 15 years older than me!
Saturday morning early, they were nice enough to drive me in to Cuxhaven to catch my train for Ober Winter, near Remagen, to see Erich Topp. A long trip indeed. Cuxhaven to Bremerhaven to Muenster to Koeln to Ober Winter. I stopped in at a small Gasthaus and the bartender asked what I would like, and I said the toilette, a small bier, and a taxi please. He pointed the way to the WC, drew me a small bier....and it wasn\'t long before a taxi arrived, and I found myself at Topp\'s home by quarter to two. Mr. Topp came to the door dressed in a nice gray suit with the typical bow tie. I apologized for having my suitcase still, as I had come straight from the train, but said what a privilege it was to meet him in person and thanked him for allowing me into his home. He said not at all, and directed me to the north side of the hallway into his living room. We walked to a massive window which overlooked Ober Winter below as well as the Rhine River, winding left and right. He asked what I thought of the view, and I said it was perfectly magnificent and he smiled in return, and asked why I wanted to talk to him. He wondered if I was going to write all this down later, meaning--I\'m sure--whether I planned to write this as a story or interview to be published later. (I don\'t think he cared one way or the other, but was curious as to my plans--and I\'m sure sharing my impressions with my friends here at the U-boat forum isn\'t really the same thing, as we would be doing this in person or over the phone, if we could afford all the calls!) Anyway, I said no, that it was just something I was doing out of my own interest in U-boats, and that I was a member of the FTU in Altenbruch, and that he had been kind enough to autograph a book for me thru the mail over a year earlier, and that I had wanted to meet him in person if ever possible. Mr. Topp gestured to the couch and said to please be seated, while he took a seat in an easy chair (both around a particularly nice circular glass coffe table). It was about at this point we talked a little about the Uboat.net forum, and he said he had never been on it personally, but had heard of it---and I assumed someone had posed as him briefly during the past year, although I had never seen the posts in question myself. I\'ll keep the overall discussion we had brief. I didn\'t record anything, as I didn\'t want to spoil the atmosphere by being too much like some kind of reporter. But we talked about what he liked best about being in the U-boat arm...and he said he loved the sea, and enjoyed the close kamaraderie of the crew. I remarked how I\'d seen an interview with him once where a crew member\'s wife had once told him that her husband had said whenever it became very dangerous in the boat, he would \"place himself in your pocket.\" Mr. Topp nodded and smiled broadly at that, and said, \"That was my navigator.\" He went on to tell how he had encouraged him to become an officer, until one day he even had his own boat---and was very nearly killed when their group of boats were leaving the base in Germany to go on patrol, but were attacked by Allied aircraft. His navigator\'s boat went down, but I believe every last crew member was picked up by an escort ship safely, and the former-navigator and Topp called out to each other thru megaphones. To keep this all from being too long, I\'ll simply say we also discussed his worst experience of the war (losing the U-57 after a particularly dangerous patrol, in which they had sunk at least one tanker, but had nearly met their own end just prior to that---having to use breathing apparatus after being pinned down by depth-charging escorts for around 36 hours, and nearly being stuck fast to the bottom in the process---only to be accidentally rammed and sunk by a Norweigian ship in the \"safety\" of the Elbe upon finally returning to base [\"I lost 6 of my crew. That for me was the worst experience of the war.\"]. We also discussed the various type U-boats he had commanded (The Type XXI was a great boat, but \"it came too late.\") and I also found out that none of the 3 items a visitor had once stolen have ever been recovered (\"They are all lost\"). We then turned to signing some books I had brought along for myself and friends, and he very graciously said it was no problem at all. When we got to my own book, he asked if I would like the inscription in German (as I had been trying to interject German phrases, etc., during our discussion whenever possible---but thankfully Herr Topp\'s English is quite good!) and I said yes, that would be nice. He wrote this down, \"For Craig Mclean, in maritimer Verbundenheit, Erich Topp, 18.11.00.\" I thanked him very much, saying it was very nice, adding, \"Prima. Prima!\" (first rate, great). He asked if I understood \"Verbundenheit\" and I said yes, and motioned with my fingers interlocking toward each other, \"Together, closeness?\" And Topp said yes and we both smiled at that. After finishing signing four books and one slip of paper, Mr. Topp asked when I was going back to Cuxhaven, and I said I had an express train for the next day. He asked where I would stay for the night, and I admitted I didn\'t know yet, but that I would look for a nice hotel room for the night. Then, in a kind gesture I\'ll never forget, Topp says, \"Come. I will drive you back down the hill for a hotel room.\" He pulls on a hat, scarf, and coat and we climb into his car! I ask whether we don\'t have to wear our seatbelts in Germany, and he says yes, that sometimes he forgets to wear his own. I reply, \"Well, an auto is not so dangerous as a U-boat in the Atlantic.\" And he looks at me and laughs and answers, \"Yes, yes, that is right!\" We find that two hotels in Ober Winter are closed for the day, and saying this is impossible, Mr. Topp says we will drive to Remagen where there is a hotel right across from the train station. Once there, he goes in with me to ensure I am registered all right...and says to call him at home if I have any problems in Remagen at all. What a fine gentleman! Then, standing very tall, he wishes me--in German--a good trip back to Cuxhaven and also a good return flight to the US at the end of my trip. We shake hands and I again thank him profusely for everything. I don\'t want to be overly romantic here, but for just an instant I could picture a Kapitaen Topp, in white captain\'s cap, scarf, and long leather coat---and I understood perhaps just a bit of the confidence his crew must have felt in this man. We part company as Mr. Topp nods, turns, and walks brisly from the room. A totally unforgettable day for me!!
(to be continued, and completed, in U-boat Besuch III...)
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| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
U-boat Besuch II
|
Craig McLean | 12/04/2000 01:09PM |
|
RE: U-boat Besuch II
|
Geoff Harvey | 12/04/2000 08:32PM |
|
RE: U-boat Besuch II
|
William Engel | 12/05/2000 07:21AM |
|
RE: U-boat Besuch II
|
Fin Bonset | 12/05/2000 12:24PM |