Interrogation of UN 25/38T                      U-701                                       September 8, 1942
	Herbert Grotheer, Radioman, 3 cl, by Lt. Paul Kubala
	Q. Take a chair and sit down over here.  You are being taken over by the Army now.  I have to fill out a questionaire.  You will therefore have to answer me a few questions.  Your rank?     A. Radio operator (funk-maay).     Q. What is your number?     A. UN 25/38T.     Q. Then you joined the Navy in January '38.     A. Yes, sir.     Q. Your hair is brown.     A. I think it's dark-blond.     Q. We call that brown over here.  (takes down personal details)  Which ship were you on?     A. U-Degen.     Q. What is the number of that ship?     A. I can't tell you that.     Q. When were you taken prisoner?     A. On July 9.     Q. Was it an American ship, or what was it, that captured you?     A. It was an American flier.     Q. Did he pick you up out of the sea?     A. No, we were sunk by a flier, on July 7.     Q. When did you get here?     A. It was either August 7 or 9.     Q. Where did you come from?     A. Bremen.     Q. A Bremer musician!     A. Yes.
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	Q. So you were born in 1918:  The year the last war ended.  (unintelligible)  How do you like it here?     A. To be honest not any too much.     Q. Why not?     A. Complains about his room. (unintelligible)  You ought to see it!     Q. You have a nice clean room.  Good sleeping accomodation.     A. And that's just about all!     Q. Plenty of fresh air.     A. But we don't get out in it much.     Q. How do things look in Germany today?     A. I don't know how things are there now.     Q. Has much damage been done by air raids?     A. I know only about Bremen and Hamburg, for my fiancee lives in Hanburg.     Q. And how about Bremen?     A. Random damage has been inflicted upon buildings here and there.     Q. How is the food situation in Germany at present?  Do you get plenty to eat?     A. People have to mange with whatever they can get.  All food is rationed.     Q. Is there more to eat for the people than there was in 1918?     A. I doubt very much whether in 1918 they had the like of what we have today.     Q. How about the crops in Germany now, the potato crop in particular?     A. I have no idea about that.     Q. Did the past winter cause a lot of damage to the crops?     A. Well, yes.  It was a rather severe winter.     Q. How late did the frost last?     A. Till February as usual.  It was a little colder that the past years.     Q. Yes, it lasted longer and was followed by a lot of rain.  Strange, in time of War there is always an abundance of rain.
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	A. Yes.     Q. Maybe the constant explosions of all kinds have something to do with that.     A. That's possible.     Q. Did you travel a lot in Germany?     A. Yes, I liked to travel.     Q. Where have you been?     A. To the Rhine, Bavaria, etc.  It is nice to travel in Germany.  (- - - - - - - - )     Q. Are you married?     A. No, engaged.     Q. Your father, where is he?     A. He fell in Flanders in 1918.     Q. What is your mother doing, then?     A. She has a little business.  She barely makes her living.     Q. What type of business?     A. Newspaper business.     Q. Do the Germans get much to read in time of War?     A. Oh, yes.     Q. Have you been in France?     A. Yes, Paris is a nice city.     Q. Have you been at Brest or St. Nazaire?     A. I can't tell you that.     Q. Do you like the French girls?     A. No, personally I don't.     Q. Are you a member of the Party?     A. No, I am not.     Q. What do you think of the party leaders?     A. Nothing but the best.
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	Q. What do you think about Hess?     A. We know that he is in England  I can't pass any judgement on that.     Q. Is that forbidden?     A. No.     Q. Did you volunteer for submarine service?     A. Yes.     Q. Did you loose many lives, when the ship was sunk?     A. Yes, only 7 men were rescued.     Q. Degen, is a nice chap.     A. Yes.
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There is a break and then the interview resumes

 

	Interrogation of UN 25/38T                      U-701                                       September 8, 1942
	Herbert Grotheer, Radioman, 3 cl, by Lt. Paul Kubala
	Q. How is life on board of a submarine?     A. Freedom of movement is rather limited.     Q. Who is your chief commander?     A. The Führer.     Q. Did you volunteer for service with a sub?     A. Yes.     Q. When were you taken prisoner?     A.       Q. Did you have many losses?     A. Yes, only 7 men were rescued.  About 50 of us jumped into the water and lost their lives. . . . . . . . .     Q. You memtioned your mother.  She lives in Bremen?     A. Yes . . . . . . . .     Q. Let me have the street and house number.     A. Weihendamm 7927?  Holzigen Weg 11.     Q. Do you have any brothers?     A. Yes, a little one.     Q. Any sisters?     A. No.     Q. Your fiancee lives in Hamburg.  What is her age?     A. Widtke??     Q. What is her address?     A. Hamburg, Nierandorferstrasse 40??     Q. Next, I would like to have the name of a good friend of yours.     A. (hesitates).     Q. After you are teken over by the Army, we ask all our P/W's for emergency addresses.
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	Q. It very often happens that the family should be informed if for example the P/W/ gets seriously ill or something like that.  This is done through the Swiss embassy, which takes care of such things.     A. There is one in Bremen.     Q. His name?     A. August Klades. . . . . . . . .     Q. What is he doing now?     A. He is with the Armed Forces.     Q. Does he serve in the eastern theatre of War?     A. Yes.     Q. To what unit is he attached?     A. I can't tell you that.     Q. What do you think about the situation on the Russian front?     A. Well . . . . . . . . not enough horses??     Q. Have you ever been on other ships beside the last one?     A. I can't tell you that.     Q. I don't understand you.  You can let me know whether it was a small or a large vessel.     A. I can't tell you that.     Q. How is the bread in Germany today?     A. The same as it has always been.  No difference at all.     Q. How is the beer in Germany?     A. I don't quite know.  It is a bit thinner.  We always have enough.     Q. Do you get sugar at home?     A. Everything is rationed.  I assume that you know about it.     Q. While serving on the sub, you were always in contact by radio with your bases?
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	A. Again, I cannot tell you about that.     Q. What is the matter with you?  You are a P/W now and your ship has been sunk.  We don't want to talk about any secrets.  I don't see what keeps you from telling me about activities on your last boat.     A. These are military questions and I cannot give you any information about military matters.     Q. What do you call military in these questions?     A. It certainly is a military question, if you want to know whether we were in contact with our bases.  (unintelligible)     Q. Were you attacked by any aircraft?     A. Yes.     Q. How long were you in the water?     A. Do you mean after the boat was sunk?     Q. I mean how long have you been cruising the high seas?     A. Again, I simply cannot speak about such matters.     Q. Did you receive your training as radio man in the Army or was it your profession?     A. I am an electrician by trade     Q. How is the food on your subs?     A. We have plenty of everything there.     Q. Is it better in comparison to other ships?     A. Much better.     Q. To which party organization do you belong?     A. The Labor Front.     Q. Were you a member of the Hitler Youth?     A. No of the Arbeitsfront only.     Q. Have you ever been on the Baltic Sea?
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	UN 25/38T                                                                                                                     U-701.
	Q. Yes.     A. Where?     Q. Keil, Danzig, Luebeck.     (End of recording)
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