Wetterschiff Wuppertal

[Tom32]

Looking for infos about the Wetterschiff Wuppertal, especially of the crew.

I'm looking for some infos about the ( Fischdampferkapitän - his former title )

Heinrich Gerhard Hahn , geb. 10.10.1894

serving under the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine 6. Skl. III. b

missing since mid-january 1945 ( message from 19.März 1945 ) ( because it was the only ship sunk in this time ).

Maybe someone has any infos about ( him or) the " Wuppertal "

Thanks in front

Tom32

[Prosper Vandenbroucke]

Hi Tom,
Have a look on this link, you will find a picture of the "Wuppertal"
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... start=1560
Sorry for my poor english
Kindy regards from Belgium
Prosper

[Tom32]

Thanks Prosper but this pic is known ; I'm searching for some infos about the " Wuppertal" Crew
and in the period of time End of 1944 - start 1945,
because that was the time frame for the last mission of the Wuppertal.

I only found this :
16. Unternehmen "Zugvogel",Winter 1944/45.

- on page 94

http://epic.awi.de/27707/1/Polarforsch1951_2_2.pdf

It's only my thought because he was serving under the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine 6. Skl. III. b
and under their command they have the Peilboote , Wetterschiffe ( and probably the Wetterstationen ).

So his last letter to his daughter was from 02.November 1944 and said also his last letter for the next time and wishes already the best for christmas and the new year
( official the Wuppertal leaved end of Oktober, maybe really but first at start of November !)
and the post didn't work anymore after that.

So he must be on land when he wrote this letter, before he leaved.

At 06.January 1945 his wife got a letter fom the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine 6. Skl. III. b :
... they received a radio message which said: " .... your family member is fine and he has sent via radio message
all the best NEW YEARS wishes to the home (..in die Heimat )" .
This was the last ...

After that they only received a letter ( at 19.03.1945 ) from the Trossschiffverband der Kriegsmarine / Freg.- Kapt. Koch, which said: "...he is missing in action since mid- january 1945 , so is no hope that your husband is still alive ... "

So, this is the time frame where the " Wuppertal" is/was missing.

( That's my thoughts, so I'm looking for such infos )

This stands in relation to to my thread : http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=215017

[igorr]

According to Groener, ship was lost in end of January 1945 during storm in Arctic area.
Admiral Norwegen has in his KTB some data about ship's fate:
14.1 WUPPERTAL reported by radio about damages to her machine and rudder. This time ship was in pos. 78 grad N, 02.05 grad W. It has order to returning, but obviously, can't execute it. Alas, KTB of Adm. Norwegen ended at 15.1.45.

[Tom32]

@ Igorr
oh thanks a lot ...this helps much to take the puzzle tighter together, because now the KTB announced the same date as the SKL letter since " he " ( and ship ) went missing ( see above ) .

( In other small publications you can find, they dated it also mid- Dez. 1944 about the engine damage - also the start of the mission End of Oktober ... but see above ... )

I think it's an interesting research because there are generally not so many infos about Wetterschiffe and Stations .


@ Igorr :

something other infos are not in the KTB ? - probably the date leaving the harbour /start of the mission, Name of the captain and so on ?

[Prosper Vandenbroucke]

Hi Tom,
I foud this:

Unternehmen Zugvogel (1944-1945)
Im Oktober 1944, für eine Landung in der Arktis ist es mittlerweile zu spät, setzt die Kriegsmarine noch einmal eine schwimmende Station in Marsch. An Bord des Fischdampfers Wuppertal kreuzt der Wettertrupp Zugvogel unter Leitung des Meteorologen Inspektor Hofmann zwischen Grönland und Spitzbergen. In ihrem letzten Funkspruch vom 8. Dezember 1944 meldet die Wuppertal einen Motorschaden. Schiff und Mannschaft gehen wenige hundert Kilometer vom Nordpol entfernt verloren.
http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/ks ... enland.htm

and also this:

Re: Fischdampfer "Wuppertal"
Posted by: Vidar ()
Date: May 30, 2006 02:01PM

The ship was positioned at the ice edge between Spitsbergen and Greenland with 21 persons onboard (ships crew of 17 + a meteorological crew of 4 persons). Weather reports from the ship stopped coming in the 14th of January 1945, and when contact was established with the ship the day after, they reported very bad weather conditions and severe engine problems. This was the last that was heard of the ship. The 16th of January F.d.U. Norwegen ordered U-739 to the search area, later the same day U-992 was sent. The 19th the two uboats searched and tried to call the ship over radio, but nothing was found. The "flying boat" BV 138 searched the 20th and 21st, but there was still no result. The 22. the search was called off, and the two uboats continued their original missions. U-739 set off to the coast outside Murmansk, and U-992 sailed to Bear Island to supply the weather station "Taaget".

This info is from Franz Selinger's book, "Von Nanok bis Eismitte".

Rgds
Vidar
http://uboat.net/forums/read.php?3,4456 ... #msg-44572

Re: Fischdampfer "Wuppertal"
Posted by: Vidar ()
Date: May 31, 2006 11:11AM

Additional info not mentoined in my first post:
It was presumed that "Wuppertal" had drifted southwards in the storm, so the search area was southwest of Bear Island. In one fourm the postion AB6454 was mentioned.

Rgds
Vidar
http://uboat.net/forums/read.php?3,4456 ... #msg-44598

And also that the ship, before being the "Wetterschiff Wuppertal", it was the "Vorpostenboote V 1305 Wuppertal"

Kindly regards
Prosper

[igorr]

U.739 was sent from Kilbotn on 16.1.45, to square AB6454. She has order to meet (not search) with WUPPERTHAL in specified point, and escorted WBS to safety. But WBS reported damages to machine and meeting was postponded. U.992 sailed same day (16.1) to meteostation Taaget (Bear island).
Next day U.739 reported that she can't arrive in time and U.992 was diverted to meet WBS until 739 not arrived. Both boats searched area in bad visibility (50 m), until 21.1, when U.992 has order to go to Bear island. U.739 wait in randevouz point until 24.1, when she was sent to help U.295, which was mined.
Can't find anything about WUPPERETHAL in KTB Admiral Norwegen for October 1944.