[Note: ADM 137/3876A-3876C are produced as a single document: order as ADM 137/3876...

ADM 137/3876C

1916-1918

[Note: ADM 137/3876A-3876C are produced as a single document: order as ADM 137/3876].

Continued listing from ADM 137/3876B.

Folios 100-118: Report of the Examination of Kapitanleutnant (Lieutenant-Commander) Kurt Tebbenjohannis, in command of the German Submarine U.C.44, sunk on 4 August, 1917.

Folio 101: Contents.

Folio 102: Introductory Remarks The captain of U.C.44 was serving on the battleship Schleswig Holstein at the outbreak of the war. He was transferred to the Destroyer Service until early 1916 when he volunteered for submarine service. When interviewed he was willing to answer only a few questions.

Folios 102-104: General Narrative. U.C.44 left Heligoland on 31 July 1917with orders to operate off the south coast of Ireland. She proceeded directly to the entrance of Waterford harbour. After the ninth mine was being dropped an explosion occurred and the submarine sank. The captain and two others were in the control room and efforts were made to bring the submarine to the surface. When this failed, the conning tower hatch was opened and the three men came up to the surface. After about 1.5 hours he was rescued by a boat from Dunmore but not the other two. He was the only survivor from the crew of 29.

Folios 104-105: Minelaying. The informant gave very little information about Minelaying. Orders gave the general area for Minelaying but the exact location was left to the commanding officers.

Folios 105-106: Previous Cruises of U.C.44. Tebbenjohanns had been in command since commissioning in late 1916. He was successful in sinking ships most of which were trawlers. He had been in action with submarine traps four times. It appeared that British radio messages could be read.

Folios 106-107: Crew list with ranks of U.C.44.

Folios 107-109: Submarine Losses The informant provided a list of submarines lost since October 1916 and their commanding officers. Doubt raised over the existence of U.42, which was supposed to have been ordered to be built at the Fiat works in Genoa, Italy.

Folios 109-111: The Submarine Campaign and attacking hospital ships. The informant was upset on reading the account of the 'Belgium Prince' and commented on atrocities. He wanted to know what happened to Lt.Commander Weddigen when U.29 was sunk. He declined to give the name of the officer who sank the S.S. Lusitania. He would not have sunk any hospital ships. He believed that although the authorities had no hope of starving England, if ships were sunk at the current rate for another twelve months, the people of England would realise that it was not worth while continuing with the war.

Folios 111-112: General Conditions in Germany. Everyone got the same amount of food and shortages were uncomfortable but there is no question of starvation. Shortage of coal was severely felt.

Folios 113-114: Translation of a letter dated 7 August 1917, in German from Kapitanleutnant (Lieutenant-Commander) Kurt Tebbenjohanns, prisoner of war from U.C. 44 to A. Tebbenjohanns, Friedrich Wilhelm, Platz 1, Braunschweig, Germany. A letter to his parents telling them he had survived the sinking, along with a similar letter to his flotilla commander (folios 115-116), and a letter to Kapitanleutenant Kurt Hartwig, German Submarine Flotilla, Pola, Austria (folios 117-118).

Folios 119-127: C.B. O1368, O.X.O. U.C.55 sunk 29 September 1917 by HMS Sylvia. Interrogation of survivors, October 1917. Includes a crew list of U.C.55 and a list of Officers and Men killed.

Folios 128-136: C.B. O1378, O.X.O. U.C.63 sunk 1 November 1917 by submarine E52. Report of Interrogation of the survivor Fritz Marsal, Petty Officer Second Class, November 1917. Includes a list of Officers and Men lost in U.C.63 (folio 133), a colour plan of the port of Bruges (folio 134), a colour plan of the port of Zeebrugge (folio 135), and a colour plan of the port of Ostend (folio 136).

Folios 137-146: C.B. O1379, O.X.O. U.C.65 sunk 3 November 1917 by submarine C15. Interrogation of survivors, November 1917. Also includes crew list of U.C.65 (folio 142), a translation of an extract of a letter written in German by prisoner of war Lieutenant-Commander Lafrenz of U.C. 65 to Lieutenant Ulrich Meir, Kiel, dated 4 November 1917 (folio 146), and a translation of an extract of a letter written in German by prisoner of war F. T. Gast (telegraphist) Theodor Bremer to Hugo Bremer, Barmen, dated 6 November 1917.

Folios 147-154: C.B. O1449, O.X.O. U.C.75 sunk 31 May 1918. Interrogation of survivors, June 1918. Also includes a translation of a letter by Able Seaman Fritz Leiss to Frau Roschinsky, Barmen dated 1 June 1918 (folio 153) and a list of the crew of U.C. 75 (folio 154).

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