HITLER SURPRISED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22416, 25 August 1947, Page 5

HITLER SURPRISED

ATHENIA_ SINKING U-BOAT WAR SECRETS ATTACK ON ROYAL OAK (10 a.m.) LONDON. Aug. 23. German documents released by the Admiralty disclose that the sinking of the liner Athenia without warning 200 miles west of the Hebrides a few houis after the declaration of war was a mystery to Hitler and the German naval staff until the U-boat returned to harIt was then ascertained that the U-30 under command of Lieutenant Kemp had sunk the Athenia. Lieutenant Kemp was aware he had disobeyed instructions but pleaded he was overexcited by the sudden declaration of war. It was his first act of war. He was severely reprimanded and he and the ship’s company were ordered to observe the strictest secrecy. Very few officers were informed of the truth and even the naval staff was kept in ignorance for some time. Lieutenant Kemp was killed when another submarine to which he transferred was sunk, The documents also disclose how a U-boat in the second month of the war pierced the hitherto inpenctrablc Scapa Flow and, unscathed, stole out again after firing torpedoes which tore through the hull of the 29,000-ton battleship Royal Oak, killing 810 officers and men. Hole in Defences Spotted

The U-47 commanded by Lieutenant Prien who had been selected for the task by Admiral Raedcr, lay submerged off the Orkneys waiting for a chance to sneak into Scapa Flow. A careful survey had revealed a weakness in the defence.

With skilful navigation, it was possible to either pass between the three blockships or on either side of them close to the shore. Lieutenant Prien wrote in his log: “The English were kind enough to switch on all the coastal lights so that I can obtain a most exact fix." Describing the firing of five torpedoes, two of which hit their targets, he said: “There is a loud explosion. Then come columns of water, followed by columns of fire and splinters fly through the air The harbour springs to life. On land 200 metres away cars roar along the road. A battleship has been sunk and a second damaged.” The document reveals that the success of this operation considerably enhanced Hitler's opinion of the German Navy. Admiral Raeder reported on the operation and, at the same time, obtained virtual permission for unrestricted naval warfare against British and French merchant shipping.