WWII U-Boats off Galveston !

15,354 Views | 40 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by Independence H-D
BeBopAg
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Had a H.S. classmate (now ENT doctor) recently tell me at a reunion, when he was in Med School in Galveston in the 60's he had a professor who once told his class, "First time I ever saw Galveston was through a U-boat periscope."

Seems prof was once a young WWII German U-boat officer.

Yea, there were German sub activities in the Gulf of Mexico.
CanyonAg77
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AG
There were a lot. And it was covered up at the time, to reduce panic.

BeBopAg
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Years ago, one of Bop's uncles (who fished a lot in the Gulf) told littl' Bop that early in the war they would often see massive dark clouds of oil smoke on the horizon but there were never any reports on the news or in the newspapers.

Guess this was part of censorship to avoid panic. Think the German Navy called this early WWII East Coast & Gulf sub activity..."Operation Drumbeat".
LTC77
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There is an old blimp base on FM 2004 near Hitchock that was use for U-boat interdiction. There were pictures of it on this board at one time.
Cinco Ranch Aggie
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AG
http://www.amazon.com/Torpedoes-Gulf-Galveston-1942-1943-University/dp/0890966273
I have this book in my library, it's a good read. Published by Texas A&M University Press.
BillYeoman
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Galveston Daily News initially started reporting the siinkings of tankers off of Galveston and was quickly censored. I heard there were at least 60+ sunk off of Galveston. There were 4 Mexican tankers sunk off of Vera Cruz thus prompting Mexico's declaration of war on Germany. Interesting topic and it still amazes me how global WW2 was...
BeBopAg
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WWII littl' Bop remembers and occasional air raid siren drill blasting at night in his hometown (Corsicana).

Bop's Pop would grab flash light, arm band with Civil Defense insigna, a WWI helmet painted white with CD decal, and then go out to his assigned block (neighborhood) and check for home black out curtains secured, and vehicles stopped with headlights turned off (until the all clear was sounded).

Target for secret long range German bombers (coming from S. America)?
Corsicana's Magnolia Oil Company's storage tank farm (now Mobil) and key pipeline pump relay station.

Yea, and Corsicana was (is) 300 miles inland from the Gulf.

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 10/26/2011 11:05p).]
YokelRidesAgain
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AG
I too have heard stories about this guy. I will try to come up with his name from my UTMB alumni relatives.

He was known among the students as "The Commodore" and was known for intoning such pronouncements as "If you vere in Leipzig you all vould have FAILED!"

Believe he taught embryology, if memory serves.
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TRD-Ferguson
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AG
My uncle lived in Galveston during WWII and has told me U-Boat activity there was very common.
RGV AG
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AG
A few were sunk off of Port Isabel and Port Aransas also.
BeBopAg
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Gulf Costal forts were somewhat WWII obslete as enemy airplanes and/or subs could lay mines off harbour entrances.
Killer-K 89
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AG
A U-boat was captured in the Atlantic. When it was searched there were 4 ticket stubs to a movie theatre in Victoria found. The sailors had R&R on the Gulf Coast.

It was later discovered that U-boats would replenish their stores by sending English speaking sailors to shore to buy food and other items. There were so many people in the area who spoke with a German accent that they never raised suspicion.

Does anyone know the story of the "Rubbership Wreck" outside of the POC jetties??
Teacher_Ag
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AG
quote:
A U-boat was captured in the Atlantic. When it was searched there were 4 ticket stubs to a movie theatre in Victoria found. The sailors had R&R on the Gulf Coast.

It was later discovered that U-boats would replenish their stores by sending English speaking sailors to shore to buy food and other items. There were so many people in the area who spoke with a German accent that they never raised suspicion.


Do you have a source for this you can point me toward? My students would love reading about this kind of stuff!
Killer-K 89
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Teacher,

i read an article in the early '90s about it. Not sure if there is anything on the internet about it. I will look.

I remember it because it was interesting to think about German sailors taking R&R in Victoria during WWII.

Build It
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AG
The rubber ship off Port O'Connor

http://www.matagordaisland.com/ship_reminder.htm

I wonder how many of the 50 or so ships sank in the Gulf by the u-boats are diveable? How many had cargo that is valuable and still down there?

[This message has been edited by Beretta O/U (edited 10/28/2011 4:17p).]
BeBopAg
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Killer K...

Bop heard stories about WWII German POW's in the U.S. who were loosely guarded.
Some would slip into town in civies, attend the local movie theater, and then slip back into camp.
They much preferred USA POW life as compared to the Russian front.
phoel14
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German and Italian POW's were kept all over Texas and were loosely guarded because it was assumed they had no way of really escaping back to the war. In fact, many small-town Catholic churches in Central Texas were painted by these POW's.
Teacher_Ag
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AG
The topic of German POW's has come up on this board before...read the Aggie prof Dr. Kramer's book on the topic, it is very interesting.
Killer-K 89
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Bop-

I was friends with the man that ran the Italian POW camp in McLean, Tx. Those guys pretty much had the run of the town according to him. None of them wanted to go back to Italy and were living a pretty good life in the Panhandle.
Killer-K 89
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Berreta-

An old salt in POC took me fishing there years ago. He told me that there was a 24 hour fire guard on the beaches because the rubber was burning under water and floating up and coming ashore on fire.

It would come up really easy on my fish finder. I always wondered what the actual ship looked like. Most people in POC call it the "Rubberships" with an S. I guess because it is in three pieces.
MW13
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Very interesting stuff. Can't wait to share some with my students as well.

Also I hunt around McLean and never knew there was a camp there. Very cool.
CanyonAg77
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I don't know why this link is in the form it is, apparently the old TexAgs pages have been archived.

But about 3 1/2 years ago, I started a thread on "Texas Ghosts of WWII"

My first post was about McLean. Later I talk about the Hereford POW camp.

We might want to reboot that thread.




[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 10/31/2011 6:15p).]
Bighunter43
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Camp Swift at McDade had a large number of German POW's. Although most accounts I have read say that ALL the POW's were returned after the war......my wife was from McDade and there was a well known German family there (I won't say the last name), and I was always told the old man "was a German POW at Camp Swift" who stayed on after the war. From what I have read, he either slipped thru the cracks or maybe returned to this area to farm once the war was finally over! But, by all indications, he WAS once one of the POW's at Camp Swift.
Teacher_Ag
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Hunter-- in Kramer's book he discusses similar cases occurring where German POW's were released, went back home and saved up enough money to bring their family back to the US.



He also describes that out of the relatively few escape attempts, only one German POW successfully vanished. After the book was first published sometime in the 80's, Dr. Kramer received a late evening call from a man wanting to discuss the book. He complimented Kramer on his accuracy in the portrayal of POW camp life. After chatting for some time the man revealed that he was that successful escapee and asked Kramer if he could help assist in turning himself over to the authorities. Apparently over decades he had drifted around under an assumed alias working different jobs, eventually marrying, raising a family and blending in to normal American life.

Read Kramer's book, it's fascinating!

[This message has been edited by Teacher_Ag (edited 11/2/2011 11:56p).]
Bighunter43
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Teacher,
I haven't read that book but it looks like it would be great! I had read on several web-sites that ALL the prisoners were accounted for, so my guess is the "guy" from McDade returned to that area after the war! Great stuff!
The Original AG 76
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I've read the book that he wrote about the lone German who escaped. Great book, I think the guy is still alive and living in Denver.

[This message has been edited by The original ag 76 (edited 11/2/2011 1:40p).]
Killer-K 89
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AG
MW13-

If you also play golf, go play the McLean Municipal. It is one of the last Oil/Sand green courses in the state.
Danger Mouse
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My grandfather (a merchant seaman) was killed when his ship was sunk off the Gulf Coast of Florida by a U-boat. My mother was 4 months old at the time.

____________________________________
I have seen the enemy, and he is us.
MW13
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Ya I knew about the golf course. That's pretty cool too. I've never played it though because usually when I'm there its about 30 degrees and the wind is blowing like a hurricane.
Killer-K 89
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30 degrees and hurricane winds?? Are you sure you are talking about the Panhandle??

BeBopAg
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"Summer Of My German Soldier" 1978 movie for TV based on novel by same name.

All based on fiction but raises questions as to various German P.O.W. - rural American relations during WWII.
Feel there were many situations where english speaking P.O.W.s' and local nearby residents or farm families, became somewhat friendly. To what extent we'll never know since the P.O.W's were, after all, the enemy and that entire WWII generation now vanishes from us rapidly.

Anyone ever hear of the WWII U.S. German-American Nazi sympathizer detention center (family holding camp) in Crystal City, Texas ? Entire G-A families were isolated from the US polulation. Also think there were some Italian-American Fascist sympathizers in co-detention quarters at same facility.

Also, check out: German American Internee Coalition

http://www.gaic.info/real_schneider.html

REALLY WANT TO DIG INTO THE TOPIC ?

Read:
Enemies: World War II Alien Internment, by John Christgau, Iowa University Press, 1985, ISBM 9780803263949.

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 11/6/2011 10:44a).]
BCOBQ98
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Teacher,

Took Krammer's class and in the class he said the guy had a 100 dollar bill in his shoe at all times in case he had to flee. He was constantly worried about getting caught.
BeBopAg
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Another great book by Dr. Arnold Krammer is...

UNDUE PROCESS: The Untold Story of America's German Alien Inmates, 1997, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
BQ78
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AG
For those interested the Hearne POW camp has a short article in this month's Texas Highways
aalan94
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We've covered this stuff at length here.

Was doing a research project not long ago and connected to a German POW who had lived in Denton County. We exchanged a few emails. He's still around.
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