O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The Men wondering if they will get stuck or not
The Men wondering if they will get stuck or not
-
Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.
We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
Nearly home
Nearly home
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
Warmer waters
Warmer waters
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The crew on watch
The crew on watch
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The guns of Scharnhorst
The guns of Scharnhorst
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
Two sailors on the Scharnhorst
Two sailors on the Scharnhorst
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The one being decorated
The one being decorated
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The Channel Dash 1942
The German Navy was using Brest in France as a safe haven for their Battleships, as the war progressed the fleet was in danger from air attacks which for them was a constant worry after the loss of the Bismarck.
Gneisenau was severely damaged by torpedo damage while on the night of 2nd July 1941 Prinz Eugen was hit by a heavy bomb; Scharnhorst was knocked out of action by five bomb strikes at La Pallice and just had her engines repaired.
Grand Admiral Raeder had told the German High Command the ships would be ready for more operations in the Atlantic by March 1942.
Hitler was having none of it and told Raeder the ships had to be bought home through the English Channel as he feared his North flank was threatened if the British got into Norway, which Raeder told the High Command bringing them that way was out of the question Hitler told him, its that or the ships will be scrapped and the crews and guns saved.
Raeder told Hitler all the fleet would be lost bringing them through the Channel but despite this, the orders were given for Feb 1942 to bring the fleet back.
Britain was on a high state of alert for a dash through the English Channel which the Germans knew about, but brilliant planning on their part and a lot of good luck took the British by complete surprise.
Doing what the British never expected them to do leaving Brest undercover of darkness and instead of travelling in the dark they planned to pass the English coast at midday in broad daylight
At Brest 23.00 hours on 11th Feb. all the ships slipped out of the harbour under the cover of a smokescreen undetected
Leading the fleet of ships was the Scharnhorst followed by Gneisenau then the Prinz Eugen escorted by six destroyers joined by minesweepers, E.boats and torpedo boats
Passing the Channel Islands and Cherbourg unnoticed, as daylight came they all were steaming at top speed North East with 3 German fighter squadrons overhead giving air support if needed.
While all this was going on the British Radar screens were showing unusual patterns, which confused them, Two British spitfire pilots spotted them and reported the activity, which was not acted on till nearly 2hours later.
The guns at Dover fired on them but by the German Fleet was out of range.
Six Fairey Swordfish Torpedo Bombers led by Lt. Cdr. Eugene Esmonde were scrambled and launched a suicidal attack on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the rest of the German fleet.
Not one of the aircraft survived the hail of fire that was thrown at them by the greatest fleet the German navy were to ever assemble
All but five of those brave men died out of the 18 who went on that mission (Esmonde who a few days before had received the DSO from King George for his action against the Bismark was awarded a posthumous V.C.)
Then the British Navy sent out every ship they had that was in the area at the time which consisted of Destroyers, torpedo boats backed by Bombers but they were beaten back.
Travelling at high speed they went though the British minefields which struck both battleships which did not stop them, on they raced, Scharnhorst hit a magnetic mine which just delayed her for half an hour and on she steamed to catch up with the rest of the fleet onwards to reach their destination.
The Channel Breakthrough was an amazing piece of tactical planning which was remarkable success
A number of attempts were made to sink the Scharnhorst including sending 6 mini subs to try to sink her and the Tirpitz, which failed, and it was not until 1943 that Scharnhorst was sunk by a battle involving the following ships
Duke of York, Belfast, Norfolk, and the torpedoes of Scorpion and Shard
All of the article came about by one photo albumn which was owned by a German sailor
The Channel Dash 1942
The German Navy was using Brest in France as a safe haven for their Battleships, as the war progressed the fleet was in danger from air attacks which for them was a constant worry after the loss of the Bismarck.
Gneisenau was severely damaged by torpedo damage while on the night of 2nd July 1941 Prinz Eugen was hit by a heavy bomb; Scharnhorst was knocked out of action by five bomb strikes at La Pallice and just had her engines repaired.
Grand Admiral Raeder had told the German High Command the ships would be ready for more operations in the Atlantic by March 1942.
Hitler was having none of it and told Raeder the ships had to be bought home through the English Channel as he feared his North flank was threatened if the British got into Norway, which Raeder told the High Command bringing them that way was out of the question Hitler told him, its that or the ships will be scrapped and the crews and guns saved.
Raeder told Hitler all the fleet would be lost bringing them through the Channel but despite this, the orders were given for Feb 1942 to bring the fleet back.
Britain was on a high state of alert for a dash through the English Channel which the Germans knew about, but brilliant planning on their part and a lot of good luck took the British by complete surprise.
Doing what the British never expected them to do leaving Brest undercover of darkness and instead of travelling in the dark they planned to pass the English coast at midday in broad daylight
At Brest 23.00 hours on 11th Feb. all the ships slipped out of the harbour under the cover of a smokescreen undetected
Leading the fleet of ships was the Scharnhorst followed by Gneisenau then the Prinz Eugen escorted by six destroyers joined by minesweepers, E.boats and torpedo boats
Passing the Channel Islands and Cherbourg unnoticed, as daylight came they all were steaming at top speed North East with 3 German fighter squadrons overhead giving air support if needed.
While all this was going on the British Radar screens were showing unusual patterns, which confused them, Two British spitfire pilots spotted them and reported the activity, which was not acted on till nearly 2hours later.
The guns at Dover fired on them but by the German Fleet was out of range.
Six Fairey Swordfish Torpedo Bombers led by Lt. Cdr. Eugene Esmonde were scrambled and launched a suicidal attack on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the rest of the German fleet.
Not one of the aircraft survived the hail of fire that was thrown at them by the greatest fleet the German navy were to ever assemble
All but five of those brave men died out of the 18 who went on that mission (Esmonde who a few days before had received the DSO from King George for his action against the Bismark was awarded a posthumous V.C.)
Then the British Navy sent out every ship they had that was in the area at the time which consisted of Destroyers, torpedo boats backed by Bombers but they were beaten back.
Travelling at high speed they went though the British minefields which struck both battleships which did not stop them, on they raced, Scharnhorst hit a magnetic mine which just delayed her for half an hour and on she steamed to catch up with the rest of the fleet onwards to reach their destination.
The Channel Breakthrough was an amazing piece of tactical planning which was remarkable success
A number of attempts were made to sink the Scharnhorst including sending 6 mini subs to try to sink her and the Tirpitz, which failed, and it was not until 1943 that Scharnhorst was sunk by a battle involving the following ships
Duke of York, Belfast, Norfolk, and the torpedoes of Scorpion and Shard
All of the article came about by one photo albumn which was owned by a German sailor
N
Nephrititi
Guest
Fascinating reading from you once again Cromwell, and what a sad story regarding your friends father and his family.
Fay
Fay
O
O.C.
Guest
I have got as far as I could with the Scharnhorst project and as I dont know much about that part of our history I made myself learn so I hope you understand what I wrote and how I wrote it was to be user friendly and not bore you with facts that I thought would.
It has been wrote very briefly and could be wrote again to fill a book, but that is not what I wanted to do
So if you want to learn more. The Web or Library is the best place to go.
It has been wrote very briefly and could be wrote again to fill a book, but that is not what I wanted to do
So if you want to learn more. The Web or Library is the best place to go.
O
O.C.
Guest
I have wrote a good bit more about the Scharnhost with all the info that was sent to me which I will add to the site a bit later as well as a few more photographs
O
O.C.
Guest
Quite a lot of folk thought it was strange putting the Scharnhorst on the site..........
But I can tell you the outcome but I have been in touch with someone who can put it all in perspective...........So watch this space
But I can tell you the outcome but I have been in touch with someone who can put it all in perspective...........So watch this space
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
Information should never be denied to anyone and I have been working on this thread tirelessly
The Words below are from the Guardian Newspaper 2005
All Photo's below are courtesy of my good friend Murray Armstrong
Cabin boy who became youngest British POW in WW2
Thursday March 17, 2005
The Guardian
In the dimmed light of the Imperial War Museum, the faces change. A smiling teenage boy, a girl with a rose in her hair, a young man in a tie, slowly blur into the lines of age, creases appearing around the eyes. Behind them flash images of the second world war; huddled faces, men and stretchers, St Paul's through smoke.
Standing watching this display, part of the Children's War exhibition that opens on Friday at the museum in London, is John Hipkin, now 78, who was Britain's youngest prisoner of war. Mr Hipkin, a cabin boy in the merchant navy, had only been at sea for 21 days when he was captured by German forces and taken to a prisoner of war camp. He was 14. "I spent more time on German ships than I did on British ones," he quips.
The story Mr Hipkin tells reflects the reality of wartime England. He was evacuated when the war began from Newcastle upon Tyne into the countryside.
When he finished school at 14, in 1941, he faced a choice of going to sea or working in the pits, so he pestered a shipping company until they agreed to take him. "I came home and said: I've got a job as a cabin boy and I'll be leaving in a few Day's."
Even now, his face lights up when he talks about those first few days at sea. As the youngest crew member, he had to wait on officers, set tables for their meals, and clean up after them. "It was great! We were going to the West Indies, I was looking forward to palm-fringed beaches. We were going to war."
The long hours - "We'd work as many hours as God sent us" - didn't bother him and he talks animatedly of the camaraderie on board.
Three weeks into its journey, the ship, the tanker "SS Lustrous", was sunk off Newfoundland by a German battleship. He recalls scrambling for the lifeboats. "The tanker was loaded with oil - it wasn't a ship you wanted to be on when the shelling starts."
All the crew survived and were taken on board the German ship Day's, where, until they reached the continent, all 600 prisoners of war were treated very well.
"Three times a day an officer would come and get me and fill my pockets with sweets. There's a real comradeship among seamen; there was no animosity."
In France the POW's were taken by train to a prisoner of war camp, Stalag XB, outside Hamburg, where Mr Hipkin remained for four years, until the camp was liberated by the Allies in 1945.
"Conditions were horrific," he said. "It was a dumping ground for concentration camp victims, a dumping ground for all the defeated countries of Europe."
POW's were expected to work, either picking potatoes or chopping wood, although some were treated humanely. What you have to remember is that they had German prisoners in Britain, so we were treated well because otherwise their troops would suffer. But for the Russians, there was no quarter given. They were literally allowed to starve to death."
Mr Hipkin heard from his family in England via letters and parcels, as bombs rained over the country. His family home in Newcastle was bombed out.
"At dawn one morning, a tank came through the barbed wire. It was a British tank - and like that, we were free."
Within days, the prisoners of war had been flown back to England - in time for the VE Day celebrations.
If you look at reply 38 the lad in the boat and Reply 54 the lad carrying coffin.........this is Lewis McMahon
Photo 1 shows Lewis being asked by the Captain of the Scharnhorst "how old are you
Photo 2. Lewis on the left and John Hipkin on the right
Photo 3 John Hipkin middle lad
Photo 4 Lewis on the Scharnhorst
(PS dont post links as I have them all and will add a lot more later)
Names are a bit mixed up at the minute so sorting them out
Information should never be denied to anyone and I have been working on this thread tirelessly
The Words below are from the Guardian Newspaper 2005
All Photo's below are courtesy of my good friend Murray Armstrong
Cabin boy who became youngest British POW in WW2
Thursday March 17, 2005
The Guardian
In the dimmed light of the Imperial War Museum, the faces change. A smiling teenage boy, a girl with a rose in her hair, a young man in a tie, slowly blur into the lines of age, creases appearing around the eyes. Behind them flash images of the second world war; huddled faces, men and stretchers, St Paul's through smoke.
Standing watching this display, part of the Children's War exhibition that opens on Friday at the museum in London, is John Hipkin, now 78, who was Britain's youngest prisoner of war. Mr Hipkin, a cabin boy in the merchant navy, had only been at sea for 21 days when he was captured by German forces and taken to a prisoner of war camp. He was 14. "I spent more time on German ships than I did on British ones," he quips.
The story Mr Hipkin tells reflects the reality of wartime England. He was evacuated when the war began from Newcastle upon Tyne into the countryside.
When he finished school at 14, in 1941, he faced a choice of going to sea or working in the pits, so he pestered a shipping company until they agreed to take him. "I came home and said: I've got a job as a cabin boy and I'll be leaving in a few Day's."
Even now, his face lights up when he talks about those first few days at sea. As the youngest crew member, he had to wait on officers, set tables for their meals, and clean up after them. "It was great! We were going to the West Indies, I was looking forward to palm-fringed beaches. We were going to war."
The long hours - "We'd work as many hours as God sent us" - didn't bother him and he talks animatedly of the camaraderie on board.
Three weeks into its journey, the ship, the tanker "SS Lustrous", was sunk off Newfoundland by a German battleship. He recalls scrambling for the lifeboats. "The tanker was loaded with oil - it wasn't a ship you wanted to be on when the shelling starts."
All the crew survived and were taken on board the German ship Day's, where, until they reached the continent, all 600 prisoners of war were treated very well.
"Three times a day an officer would come and get me and fill my pockets with sweets. There's a real comradeship among seamen; there was no animosity."
In France the POW's were taken by train to a prisoner of war camp, Stalag XB, outside Hamburg, where Mr Hipkin remained for four years, until the camp was liberated by the Allies in 1945.
"Conditions were horrific," he said. "It was a dumping ground for concentration camp victims, a dumping ground for all the defeated countries of Europe."
POW's were expected to work, either picking potatoes or chopping wood, although some were treated humanely. What you have to remember is that they had German prisoners in Britain, so we were treated well because otherwise their troops would suffer. But for the Russians, there was no quarter given. They were literally allowed to starve to death."
Mr Hipkin heard from his family in England via letters and parcels, as bombs rained over the country. His family home in Newcastle was bombed out.
"At dawn one morning, a tank came through the barbed wire. It was a British tank - and like that, we were free."
Within days, the prisoners of war had been flown back to England - in time for the VE Day celebrations.
If you look at reply 38 the lad in the boat and Reply 54 the lad carrying coffin.........this is Lewis McMahon
Photo 1 shows Lewis being asked by the Captain of the Scharnhorst "how old are you
Photo 2. Lewis on the left and John Hipkin on the right
Photo 3 John Hipkin middle lad
Photo 4 Lewis on the Scharnhorst
(PS dont post links as I have them all and will add a lot more later)
Names are a bit mixed up at the minute so sorting them out
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
The POW list of the "Lustrous"
(It just goes to show what you can uncover if you are determined)
All the help I have had was of a Canadian who works tirelessly for the Red Cross.........makes ya think don't it
The POW list of the "Lustrous"
(It just goes to show what you can uncover if you are determined)
All the help I have had was of a Canadian who works tirelessly for the Red Cross.........makes ya think don't it
Peter Walker
gone but not forgotten
Re: The Scharnhorst
Just seen your pic in posting No 62 of the Kiel Canal. This runs from the North Sea through to the Baltic Sea, abnd some very good friends of ours live a mile away from it - we were there last June in tropical heat. It's alw3ays weird to see big ocean-going ships sailing through fields and behind hedges.
Peter
Just seen your pic in posting No 62 of the Kiel Canal. This runs from the North Sea through to the Baltic Sea, abnd some very good friends of ours live a mile away from it - we were there last June in tropical heat. It's alw3ays weird to see big ocean-going ships sailing through fields and behind hedges.
Peter
O
O.C.
Guest
Re: The Scharnhorst
Lewis McMahon was only 16 when his ship the Lustrous was sunk by the Scharnhorst. The Lustrous was sunk the same day as the Kantara. He was in Barracks 3 Room 45 at Milag.. Kevin McMahon sent a biography and some pictures of his father. Lewis McMahon 1924 - 2004
Lewis joined the merchant navy as a cabin boy at the age of 14 years old.
He joined his first ship the Gardenia in 1939; he then served on the MV San Amado during 1940. In 1941 he joined the SS Lustrous as assistant steward.
On 22nd February 1941 Lustrous was one of the ships sunk by Scharnhorst during Operation Berlin. Lewis and the other members of his crew were picked up by the Scharnhorst under the watchful eye of a German propaganda team onboard at the time. A short newsreel film was made of the sinking of the Lustrous and subsequent capture of its crew. Many photos exist of the events that day as stills were made available to the Scharnhorst crew members for their personal photo albums. Lewis spent a short time below decks on Scharnhorst before being transferred to the German supply tanker Ermland, which then transported the many prisoners taken during Operation Berlin on to France.
After arriving in France, the prisoners were then transferred by train to Sandbostel Concentration Camp -Stalag XB.
Following protests by the International Red Cross the P.O.W`s were eventually moved out to the concentration camp to the new Marlag - Milag camp at Westertimke.
Here Lewis remained until the camp was liberated in 1945.
He left the camp on May 3rd 1945, spent a few days in Brussels then flew back to England in a Lancaster bomber on May 7th.
After the war, Lewis went back to sea with the merchant navy.
He ` jumped ship ` in Australia in the late 1940`s, ending up working as a miner in gold mines around Darwin and Alice Springs.
Returning to England in 1956 he later worked again as a miner this time in Canada. Giving up travelling in 1960 he returned to England and got married.
He worked as a process worker in a factory in the North East of England until he retired in the late 1980`s.
Lewis suffered a number of strokes during the late 1990`s, he died in September 2004 aged 79 years
Above info thanks to Murray Armstrong
Lewis in both photo's second from left in POW camp at Milag
Lewis McMahon was only 16 when his ship the Lustrous was sunk by the Scharnhorst. The Lustrous was sunk the same day as the Kantara. He was in Barracks 3 Room 45 at Milag.. Kevin McMahon sent a biography and some pictures of his father. Lewis McMahon 1924 - 2004
Lewis joined the merchant navy as a cabin boy at the age of 14 years old.
He joined his first ship the Gardenia in 1939; he then served on the MV San Amado during 1940. In 1941 he joined the SS Lustrous as assistant steward.
On 22nd February 1941 Lustrous was one of the ships sunk by Scharnhorst during Operation Berlin. Lewis and the other members of his crew were picked up by the Scharnhorst under the watchful eye of a German propaganda team onboard at the time. A short newsreel film was made of the sinking of the Lustrous and subsequent capture of its crew. Many photos exist of the events that day as stills were made available to the Scharnhorst crew members for their personal photo albums. Lewis spent a short time below decks on Scharnhorst before being transferred to the German supply tanker Ermland, which then transported the many prisoners taken during Operation Berlin on to France.
After arriving in France, the prisoners were then transferred by train to Sandbostel Concentration Camp -Stalag XB.
Following protests by the International Red Cross the P.O.W`s were eventually moved out to the concentration camp to the new Marlag - Milag camp at Westertimke.
Here Lewis remained until the camp was liberated in 1945.
He left the camp on May 3rd 1945, spent a few days in Brussels then flew back to England in a Lancaster bomber on May 7th.
After the war, Lewis went back to sea with the merchant navy.
He ` jumped ship ` in Australia in the late 1940`s, ending up working as a miner in gold mines around Darwin and Alice Springs.
Returning to England in 1956 he later worked again as a miner this time in Canada. Giving up travelling in 1960 he returned to England and got married.
He worked as a process worker in a factory in the North East of England until he retired in the late 1980`s.
Lewis suffered a number of strokes during the late 1990`s, he died in September 2004 aged 79 years
Above info thanks to Murray Armstrong
Lewis in both photo's second from left in POW camp at Milag
B
Bigfungi
Guest
Graham:
I've spent much of the last 2 days going over these great photos that you have posted. As you are aware, I have some of these same photos on my website
https://www.tommyslog.ca
Much of the information I have on the Scharnhorst and Gneisneau came from John Asmussen's website at:
https://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnberlin.html
My interest is of course in the prisoners and what happened to them at the Milag Nord prison camp. A good description of the sinking of one of these ships and the prisoner's voyage to France can be found in Ernie Shakleton's story on the"About this Site" part of my website. Remember this was written in 1941 and much of it is written for a war time audience expecting honour and glory. It still makes a really good read!
I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the photos.
I have a number of comments on the photos that I will put into subsequent posts.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to all.
Murray
I've spent much of the last 2 days going over these great photos that you have posted. As you are aware, I have some of these same photos on my website
https://www.tommyslog.ca
Much of the information I have on the Scharnhorst and Gneisneau came from John Asmussen's website at:
https://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnberlin.html
My interest is of course in the prisoners and what happened to them at the Milag Nord prison camp. A good description of the sinking of one of these ships and the prisoner's voyage to France can be found in Ernie Shakleton's story on the"About this Site" part of my website. Remember this was written in 1941 and much of it is written for a war time audience expecting honour and glory. It still makes a really good read!
I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the photos.
I have a number of comments on the photos that I will put into subsequent posts.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to all.
Murray
B
Bigfungi
Guest
Some of my comments on the photos
# 3 minor change date is wrong –should be Feb 22, 1941 –it is right elsewhere.
# 7 The men with steel helmets were probably DEMS gunners. These were Navy gunners or Members of the Royal Maritime Regiment assigned to handle guns on Merchant vessels.
Only one of the 16 merchant vessels sunk in Operation Berlin actually fired its gun at the Scharnhorst or Gneisenau. That was the Chilean Reefer.
This website has some paintings and a short description of the action. https://www.johnwoodprints.co.uk/naval.html
The Harlesden also put up some resistance, firing its machine gun at the Gneisenau seaplane.
I am currently helping with a new website dedicated to DEMS gunners –it should be available in the new year.
https://www.dems.org.uk/
Any information, photos etc to help with the site would be appreciated.
#14 These men were the lucky ones. Once the U-boat war got started in earnest, the U-boats were forbidden to pick up survivors. The majority of Merchant Navy POWs were captured in 1941 or earlier. They suffered the longest incarcerations but had to fight the hardest to get any compensation.
#22 This is wrong. There were no casualties from the Marathon and all 38 crewmembers were taken prisoners. It seems the Marathon did not put up too much of a fight, (she really couldn’t) the Scharnhorst website says the Marathon was sunk “almost casually.” Most of the merchant ships once sighted were doomed as they could not outrun warships. In most cases, the ships stopped and surrendered. Some like the AD Huff kept sending radio signals and as a result suffered casualties before they surrendered.
More to come
Murray
# 3 minor change date is wrong –should be Feb 22, 1941 –it is right elsewhere.
# 7 The men with steel helmets were probably DEMS gunners. These were Navy gunners or Members of the Royal Maritime Regiment assigned to handle guns on Merchant vessels.
Only one of the 16 merchant vessels sunk in Operation Berlin actually fired its gun at the Scharnhorst or Gneisenau. That was the Chilean Reefer.
This website has some paintings and a short description of the action. https://www.johnwoodprints.co.uk/naval.html
The Harlesden also put up some resistance, firing its machine gun at the Gneisenau seaplane.
I am currently helping with a new website dedicated to DEMS gunners –it should be available in the new year.
https://www.dems.org.uk/
Any information, photos etc to help with the site would be appreciated.
#14 These men were the lucky ones. Once the U-boat war got started in earnest, the U-boats were forbidden to pick up survivors. The majority of Merchant Navy POWs were captured in 1941 or earlier. They suffered the longest incarcerations but had to fight the hardest to get any compensation.
#22 This is wrong. There were no casualties from the Marathon and all 38 crewmembers were taken prisoners. It seems the Marathon did not put up too much of a fight, (she really couldn’t) the Scharnhorst website says the Marathon was sunk “almost casually.” Most of the merchant ships once sighted were doomed as they could not outrun warships. In most cases, the ships stopped and surrendered. Some like the AD Huff kept sending radio signals and as a result suffered casualties before they surrendered.
More to come
Murray
O
O.C.
Guest
Murray, I spent a good deal of time over 5 years trying to find out if any relatives were about of the men who were taken on board the Scharnhorst and went on websites where folk were asking for information but their E-mail address had changed, and I could never get in touch........so it looks as though I have finally made a breakthrough.........my intrest has never been in the ship .......but the men taken prisoner's on board, the unsung heroes of WW2
B
Bigfungi
Guest
Some additional comments.
#33 Great shot of the seaplane. These planes greatly extended the range of the 2 battle cruisers even though they had an early type of radar.
#38 I have this photo on my website. The young man in the life boat is Lewis McMahon. Many of these pictures were taken by photographers from the German Ministry of Propaganda. The Scharnhorst crewmembers were given copies of these photos and LewisÂ’ son was given a number of copies when he attended a Scharnhorst reunion, he then passed them on to me.
#39 – 53 These are great photos, I intend to study them a lot more closely to see if we can identify the ship(s). Since we know the order in which the ships were sunk, it may be helpful to know the order that these pictures were in the album, that may give us a clue.
The Kantara for instance was the first ship sunk and both battle cruisers were involved in its sinking, so it is quite possible a Scharnhorst crewmember would have photos. The Chilean Reefer was sunk at night, so that eliminates it. We have photos of most of the others, so this should be a solvable mystery. I have been trying to find a photo of the Kantara for about 4 years, since this was TommyÂ’s ship, so I would be really pleased if it is in one of these photos.
#54 This does look like Lewis, but I will ask his son to verify. There were no casualties from LewisÂ’ ship, so I wonder why he would have been in a burial party.
#72 The second photo in this posting was really of interest to me when I first got it. Tommy is the first on the left sitting in front of Lewis. I find it amazing that after all these years a photo of him in Milag was to be sent to me to by someone who had seen his logbook on the internet. The fact that Lewis and Tommy were roommates is also an amazing coincidence. There were thousands of prisoners in Milag and over the last few years I have heard from the families of about 20 of them. In two or three cases there has been a connection, such as an autograph or a drawing done by someoneÂ’s relative. In many cases between Gabe and myself we have been able to provide them with a little more information.
That's it. Thanks Graham, it was great of you to share these photos, it all helps to keep our history alive and honour those men and women who gave up so much.
Murray
#33 Great shot of the seaplane. These planes greatly extended the range of the 2 battle cruisers even though they had an early type of radar.
#38 I have this photo on my website. The young man in the life boat is Lewis McMahon. Many of these pictures were taken by photographers from the German Ministry of Propaganda. The Scharnhorst crewmembers were given copies of these photos and LewisÂ’ son was given a number of copies when he attended a Scharnhorst reunion, he then passed them on to me.
#39 – 53 These are great photos, I intend to study them a lot more closely to see if we can identify the ship(s). Since we know the order in which the ships were sunk, it may be helpful to know the order that these pictures were in the album, that may give us a clue.
The Kantara for instance was the first ship sunk and both battle cruisers were involved in its sinking, so it is quite possible a Scharnhorst crewmember would have photos. The Chilean Reefer was sunk at night, so that eliminates it. We have photos of most of the others, so this should be a solvable mystery. I have been trying to find a photo of the Kantara for about 4 years, since this was TommyÂ’s ship, so I would be really pleased if it is in one of these photos.
#54 This does look like Lewis, but I will ask his son to verify. There were no casualties from LewisÂ’ ship, so I wonder why he would have been in a burial party.
#72 The second photo in this posting was really of interest to me when I first got it. Tommy is the first on the left sitting in front of Lewis. I find it amazing that after all these years a photo of him in Milag was to be sent to me to by someone who had seen his logbook on the internet. The fact that Lewis and Tommy were roommates is also an amazing coincidence. There were thousands of prisoners in Milag and over the last few years I have heard from the families of about 20 of them. In two or three cases there has been a connection, such as an autograph or a drawing done by someoneÂ’s relative. In many cases between Gabe and myself we have been able to provide them with a little more information.
That's it. Thanks Graham, it was great of you to share these photos, it all helps to keep our history alive and honour those men and women who gave up so much.
Murray
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O.C.
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Murray If you look at first post about the Marathon I state that all crew survived (info from Gov. Sorc.) so slip up on my part. WW2 is not really my scene and I have been helped a lot by my good friend retired Ferry Captain Graeme Boxall and Tony Cooper
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O.C.
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Murray have you any comments on the Rawalpindi (in the first post) as the reports I have read do not tally with photo
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Bigfungi
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Just off to Christmas dinner with friends will look into Rawalpindi tomorrow.
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Bigfungi
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I don't know too much about the Rawalpindi. She was a former passenger liner converted to an armed merchant cruiser and became HMS Rawalpindi. She put up a gallant fight, but was sunk with great loss of life (238). The 38 survivors would have been members of the Royal Navy and would have been in the Marlag prison camp which was next to Milag.
The camp was known as Marlag und Milag Nord, the Marlag part for Navy prisoners, the Milag part for Merchant Navy prisoners.
A good account of the Rawalpindi can be found on John Asmussen's site at:
https://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnnorthernpatrolattack.html
The camp was known as Marlag und Milag Nord, the Marlag part for Navy prisoners, the Milag part for Merchant Navy prisoners.
A good account of the Rawalpindi can be found on John Asmussen's site at:
https://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhorst/history/scharnnorthernpatrolattack.html
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Bigfungi
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Photos 8 throught 11 are interesting. They show the Mangkai being stopped, sunk and the survivors being picked up. It looks from the photos as if the crew did obey and abandon ship as the first photo shows no damage. However over 30 of her crewmen died and only 9 survived. (The last photo shows nine men being picked up). I have not been able as of yet to find details on how these men died, but I will keep looking.
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O.C.
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Murray, I have not put all Scharnhorst photo's on, but does the date 22nd Feb 1940 ring any bells as a member of the Scharnhost crew was killed (or died) I have his name and photo, did any of the ships that fired back hit the Scharnhorst ?