Siegfried: I had just returned home from lengthy sea trials in the Atlantic, we had just had a daughter and I wanted to see her. All Germans were fearful something was going to happen in 1939, Poland again had been a thorn in our side. Hitler wanted a return of the large areas of land that were taken from Germany by Versailles, this was his main goal. Lands had peacefully returned to the Reich with the blessing of England and France, but Poland was different. We read in the newspapers that the Führer was trying, in every peaceful way, to work out a solution. Germany wanted to have a way to connect with our territory in Prussia but Poland would not agree. This crisis was all the talk on the ship in 1939.

Liselotte: There also were problems on the border again; people would talk about how farmers were having crops and animals stolen by Polish people sneaking across the border. There was even stories of people murdered by armed gangs coming over and attacking farmers to steal from them. I noticed a larger police presence along with military patrols further south. I had a friend who lived in Konigsberg, who was on a flight back home and her plane was fired on by the Polish flak. Imagine, a civil plane being attacked during peacetime, yet you are told we were the ones threatening Poland.

Siegfried: I was recalled back to the ship in late August of 39; it was there on 1 September that we heard that we attacked Poland. We were shocked, but we also knew this was coming. The war declaration of England and France put fear in our minds, but we were determined to right the wrongs of the first war, and defend our Fatherland.

What was the first action you saw on the Gneisenau?

Siegfried: It was only the fourth day of war; the British attacked us in port with heavy bombers, but missed the ship completely. They did very little damage, but killed a few civilians, which to us was a big deal. We spent the next few weeks doing drills, and making the ship ready for war. In November our Capitan was ordered to take us out into the North Sea to try to relieve pressure on the Graf Spee who was alone in the south Atlantic and being pursued by Royal Navy ships, it was thought we could pull them away and engage them one by one. We did attack a British ship, and our modern guns made quick work of it, I believe she was the Rawalpindi. (I confirmed it was) The ship sunk and our sister ship, the Scharnhorst was sent in to pick up her survivor’s.

I remember that as they were rescuing them, another British ship showed up on the horizon and began firing on the Scharnhorst. We sent out an open message that we were aiding British sailors but the ship kept up its closure and fire. Our radar indicated more ships coming so our Admiral ordered us to disengage and move to homeport. We encountered terrific heavy seas, which made the return trip miserable. Both our ships were damaged which required significant repairs. I able to go home for leave, which was a welcome relief.

How was the mood in Germany and was faith lost in Hitler?

Siegfried: The mood was one of determination because we knew we were in the right in this fight, there was no disappointment in the Führer, and we knew he was doing the right thing. The Allies were the instigators in this war from our point of view. To me it appeared there was no war, life went on as in peacetime. Amusement parks were open, the zoo was busy, restaurants were busy, and people were still traveling. We called this time the sitzkrieg or non-war. We did suffer air attacks on some cities and port facilities by the Allies, which concerned us as this was first time Germany had ever been bombed.

Liselotte: I remember a great sense of relief that Poland had been defeated and the threat to our border gone. Life seemed to return to normal, I was raising a child, and taking care of the home we just purchased. I prayed that we could return to peace as life was very blessed, but I feared for my man, as he already had been in engagements with the enemy. I felt for the women in Stettin who already had received telegrams and visits from pastors, telling them their man had fallen. It was a fear that I never wish on anyone. Our memories were too fresh of the losses suffered by our parents in the first war; we prayed it would not repeat itself in this new one. Stettin was a border area; many of the army regiments from this part of the Reich were the first to fight the Poles, and to take the first casualties. We trusted our leaders and hoped for a good outcome.

Did you ever receive any wounds on the ship?

Siegfried: Yes, I did, but let me tell you what led up to my wounding. All of March and April of 1940, we fought the British in the North Sea. We attacked their invasion convoys just as our own invasion force was landing. Tommy wanted Norway just as we did, they wanted to cut off our trade from Swedish iron ore, and occupy the ports close to Germany. We sunk the carrier Glorious with her destroyer escort. Then we turned our attention to the convoys getting supplies from Canada and America. We sunk a few merchant ships and tried to lure heavier British ships into battle, but the weather was miserable. We tried to do to England what they did to us, blockade into submission. This is something our small U-boat fleet was trying to do with good success. After all the action we saw for the past few months we were tired and in need of supplies and repairs. We put into port and I again was able to go home on leave.

When I returned we had new orders to again move up to Norway and try to attack Allied convoys. We stayed up North until being damaged again and returned to Kiel in late July. I was able to go home again and enjoy the fruits of our victories. France was beaten, and life was good for us. We had money to buy things to make us comfortable and happy, though threats of air raids were constant in every German city. Luckily, Stettin was too far away for British bombers to hit us. When I returned we had a new Captain, who was well liked and we prepared for a new year and new missions. Gneisenau was sent with Scharnhorst back into the North Sea to attack the convoys yet again. After having success-sinking ships, we now captured some. I remember we got tankers that we desperately needed, Germans were put on board and they were sent to the Reich.

Things were going well for us. However, being in the North Sea was trying on men and ships due to the weather. Our ship was ordered to go to a new port, Brest, France, which we looked forward to seeing. No sooner did we dock, that the British attacked us, almost on a daily basis. They bombed pretty high to avoid our fighters. During one of these bombing attacks in April, I was down in the engine room, when alarms went off, and I heard a terrific explosion. I was blown across to the opposite hull, sustaining severe injuries, and seeing many of my comrades dead.

I was taken to a hospital in Brest, there were many men being cared for by both French and German nurses. I had my wedding ring stolen along with my watch, which my wife had just bought me. Admiral Lutjens, who commanded our squadron, and was often on the Gneisenau, came to the hospital to award us our wound badges.

He came to my bed and laid on my chest the silver wound badge and Iron Cross second class. I already wore the Fleet badge for the sorties in the North Sea so I now felt well decorated. I able to go home for a two-month convalescent leave and moved to a hospital in Stettin where my wife came to visit. I recovered, however I was left with a limp to my leg, which I still carry to this very day.

Liselotte: I remember him coming home and I was glad his wounds would heal; I prayed every day God would watch out for him and keep him safe. My father was in the Kriegsmarine too, as my family also had a navy tradition since we lived by the sea. He came home due to the awarded the German Cross in Gold by the Führer, and I remember many towns’ people and our Gauleiter and Mayor came to wish him well. He was one of the very few minesweeper officers who won the German Cross. He was given the award for actions against British submarines. He was very proud of being only a handful of vorpostenboot men to wear such a high award.

What happened after you were better?

Siegfried: I returned to my ship, which was being overhauled and I helped with some of the repairs. We were free to roam about Brest on our off time, which we liked to do. The British attacked Brest on numerous occasions, killing several French civilians, but doing little damage to us as we moved in strong flak that made the bombers go higher, therefore being less accurate.

How did the French people treat you?

Siegfried: They treated us well considering we were unwelcome invaders. I never saw any instances of resistance and always felt welcomed wherever I went. Many comrades met French girlfriends that they stayed in touch with even after the war. I spoke with French people who could speak German, often learning that many younger French had gone to Germany to work to help fill the void left by the men who had to serve the nation. They were well paid and the families liked getting the money they were sending back. On more than one occasion, French farmers would come and set up stands by the port to sell us food, which we enjoyed.

We always behaved, as there were very strict rules against stealing from or harassing any civilians in the occupied countries. After one of the bombing attacks on Brest, we were sent to help the civilians, and clear rubble. It struck me as odd that the British were fighting us, yet dropping bombs that were killing their supposed allies. I thought what a strange war this was, and hoped it to be over soon. The French were very grateful we aided them in every way we could.

Liselotte: In Stettin, there were many foreign workers from all over Europe. Many came for the high paying factory jobs that were offered and some came to aid in the fight against communism. Our neighbors had a nanny from Norway who went on to work on rocket construction in Peenemunde. All over town, we would see Spanish, French, Polish, and even Russian workers for the shipyards and factories. They were not forced labor and were free to roam Germany, which is not what is said today.

Were you present during the channel dash?

Siegfried: Yes, we were yearning to get back into the fight again and felt like a sitting duck at Brest. It was decided to send us back to the North Sea to halt some of the vast amount of supplies the Allies were sending Russia via their convoys. The Führer wanted a strong presence up north to deter England from attacking Norway.

Operation Cerberus started and we were all alert and on guard, some of us believed a great battle was about to commence between our fleet and the British home fleet. We had U-boat cover and a large Luftwaffe presence, day and night there were ME110 fighters protecting us. As we moved into the channel torpedo boats tried to attack but were beaten back with losses, our guns were trained and ready to let loose on the enemy. Aircraft, boats, and shore battery fire greeted us as we moved through. I left my station to go on deck to see air battles raging in the sky, but had to return quickly as mine warnings were announced.

We detonated a mine in the aft section, which caused minor damage but we had to stop dead in the water, making us a sitting duck. We managed to make it close to port, when all of a sudden we heard loud banging and creaking. We thought we had hit a mine or been torpedoed. We hit a sunken ship and took bad damage that would send us to port again for repairs. We reached Kiel finally, where we put into dry dock for repairs.

It did not take long for repairs to be completed, I was able to go home and this time I started to see some bomb damage in Kiel, Lubeck, and Berlin. I worried that the Allies would find a way to reach Stettin. I was hearing from friends who came home on leave about how terrible the Russian winter had been for 41/42. The home front had to come to their aid to provide enough winter clothing, and Russia launched a strong attack against our smaller forces throwing them back, My best friend was a panzer driver and was killed before Moscow, I was told he was hit in his panzer and died instantly.

The look our people wore on their faces started to show a fear of what this war might bring them, despite the best efforts of our leaders to help the population cope with the stress. I was still surprised that life went on in the Reich just like peacetime. We saw many foreigners in the stores, movies, and walking down the street. It did make us feel like we were not in this alone, that we had allies who were sending us help. It is not true that Germany forced people to come and work in factories. I never saw or heard anything of the sort, until today. The people we talked to were happy to be in Germany.