Skippers! Famous U-Boat Commanders
With Harry Cooper
Part of Submarines Week
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDG3XyxGI5lCicHd2Qm5R0pxDbhBdz2S-&si=qPlO-xNxYev2yUly
In today’s show we will look at the careers of several German U-Boat commanders including Otto Kretschmer, Erich Topp, Hans-Georg Hess and Gerd Thäter. My guest today is Harry Cooper of https://sharkhunters.com/. Harry has spent a lifetime researching the U-Boat campaigns and befriended many of the Skippers.
Please click subscribe for updates and the bell icon for notifications
You can become a Patron and support us here https://www.patreon.com/WW2TV
You can become a YouTube Member and support us here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUC1nmJGHmiKtlkpA6SJMeA
Social Media links –
https://twitter.com/WW2TV
https://www.facebook.com/WW2TV
https://www.instagram.com/ww2tv/
For First World War content follow our sister channel WW1TV
https://www.youtube.com/@WW1TVchannel
WW2TV Bookshop – where you can purchase copies of books featured in my YouTube shows. Any book listed here comes with the personal recommendation of Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV. For full disclosure, if you do buy a book through a link from this page WW2TV will earn a commission.
UK – https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
USA – https://bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
Patreon Brigadiers: Susan Yu
Become a WW2TV Brigadier and become part of this Hall of Fame
https://www.patreon.com/WW2TV
Discovery Hit by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300023
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
source
Woody/Harry. What a fabulous and unusual presentation! Really enjoyed it. Thanks to you both! Bob
How did a hour pass so quickly. I enjoyed Harry quite a bit. I appreciate his knowledge about UBoat – Luftwaffe rank and file relations, I've never read anything on that aspect. Thank you!
Peter Cremer – read his book
It was interesting to hear from someone who knew these U-boat commanders.
Kretschmer, had a dark period in a POW camp in the UK.
On 27 August 1941, U-570 was captured by the Royal Navy. The officers were also taken to the prisoner-of-war camp at Grizedale Hall.[77] Kretschmer was senior officer at the camp. An illegal "Court of Honour" was convened and headed by Kretschmer. They tried commander Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, in absentia, and U-570's other officers. Rahmlow and his second-in-command, Bernhard Berndt, were found "guilty of cowardice"; the other two officers were "acquitted". On the night of 18/19 October, Berndt escaped from the camp. A detachment of the Home Guard apprehended him, shooting him when he tried to escape. Allied courts and Rahmlow sought justice against Kretschmer after the war, but he was never vigorously pursued for trial for his role in the death of Berndt.[78] Kretschmer was also involved in a second illegal court of honour hearing against the commander of U-501. Its commander, Hugo Förster, was repatriated to Germany and committed suicide before the end of the war.
'time flys when you're enjoying yourself' is a perfect description of this wonderful and valuable presentation by woody and harry. harry is the type of bloke i'd be delighted to share a beer with he's welcome round my place any time. what fascinating first person stories of uboat commanders. amazing that he actually knew and was 'family' with them. well done harry please come back with more stories soon please.
10:13 commercial fisherman opinion a good skipper needs be a mix between a tyrant and a mediator . You'd be surprised in all my years at sea I was rarely told to do something , you'd get things like "can you …… ?" , "Would you ……… ?" And "if you'd like ……….. " These where orders and an Aye Aye would be expected but again you'd be surprised you could question .
Removed that comment Woody , I think you know my thoughts on militarism……… I've nothing against anyone who enlists , I just think it's a bad idea and that everyone should be dissuaded from enlisting
Good stuff! I met Hardegen and Topp at a German Luftwaffe reunion of all places in the early 90's. My grandfather would drag me to these reunions as a kid. He was a He-111 and Arado 234 pilot. I didnt appreciate it then but I certainly did as an adult and kept in contact with many veterans until their passing.
Damn, that was a quick informative hour, it's one thing WWII veterans are just about all gone. But storytellers like Harry who have had the opportunity to meet and be befriended by such an extraordinary group of veterans, is also dwindling too. Harry did a great job of humanizing these commanders and certainly there will be conversations about their roles, good or bad, but I believe that's what history is about and I think WW2TV is the best at conversations. Keep up the good work Paul and Thank you Harry, look forward to your next presentation.
Sorry for popping in late during the live viewing, but what a gem to have watched even in replay. Harry's insights from his many personal relationships with these men illuminates our understanding of the people, and I say people in that we don't usually get to glimpse them in this way from the typical histories we've read. I've studied the U Boat war for a long time and have gone through the typical viewpoint of what terrible murderers they were, to understanding them as just men serving their country as any others did then. Harry Cooper's work will go down in history as a more truer picture of the U Boat Commanders and their crews than many of the official histories so influenced by politics. I highly recommend reading Gordon Williamson's "Wolf Pack" as an excellent source for much of the technical, tactical and good overall history of the U Boats. The various ways that the Germans tried to combat the allied advances and how they were perceived is well presented. I cannot think of a more brave group of men serving their nation regardless of what one thinks of its ultimate goals. Remarkable.
Bringing these first person narratives as long as you can is really important in recording history, Woody. Very well done, both you and Charles. Your historian authors are brilliant, but time grows very short for recording these first person accounts. Well done, and please keep it up as long as you can
Absolutely top drawer thanks to Harry and yourself Woody 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thoroughly fascinating and entertaining! Exceptional! Thank you!
(Heard the WW2TV notification bell today and finally, at long last, able to listen in to a live show again…. grateful!)
I'm sorry but it sounds like your guest was friends with a gang of unrepentant NS if they were still defending Donitz against Buchheim after the war. I also find it interesting that he never mentioned Herbert Warner despite the fact that Warner was living in Wisconsin until his death in 2013.
Warner, of course, agreed with Buchhiem that while Donitz was a good commander early in the war by late 1943 he was sending his men to be butchered by a vastly superior enemy in completely inadequate weapons to score political points and to personally advance within the NS regime. The central crisis of Warner's book came when Donitz ordered his boats to commit Kamikaze attacks on the normandy landing fleet.
It is not a coincidence that Donitz's command suffered greater percentage loss than any branch of any military in WWII, and that Hitler decided to make him the leader of the regime in 1945.
Why was the UBOAT Commander, who died following an accident during his wedding anniversary, get treated like a criminal?
Thank you for humanizing these folks .
Geez that thumbnail with the bearded captain is a dead ringer for my old Doctor , cheers and a thumbs up , Mr Hardigen has a Dopfelganger
This is great stuff. A bit like Tom Shippey talking about him and Tolkien.
interesting to hear the human story.
@WW2TV…. spectacular show Paul, your guest was informative & very knowledgeable, his website will keep a person busy for hours! Outstanding. Thank you both, sure was quite the learning experience! At first I wasn't too keen on submarines, however this series has peaked My interest.
@40.45, Statue fondling, add that to the list.