The Wolf
by Richard Guilliatt and Peter Hohnen, published by Free Press, 2010.
I
have been a member of the Military Book Club for many years, now, purchasing
perhaps 3 titles a year. My latest purchase is the "The Wolf". No,
it's not an animal story, but the story of a gallant ship, its heroic and
intelligent captain, and his long suffering crew, not to mention the prisoners
he took and the ships he sank or caused to be sunk. The Wolf was a German armed
merchant raider, a freighter converted to a disguised warship by being equipped
with 5.9 inch guns, torpedo tubes, mine laying equipment, and a scout airplane.
I am particularly enamored of raider stories, although I cannot tell you why.
I've read "Swan of the East" about the cruiser SMS Emden and her WW I
cruise, and Count von Luckner's biography and his depredations in the sailing
vessel Seeadler (Sea Eagle), both First World War raiders. I have also read at
least two books about the WW II armed merchant raider Atlantis, and her captain,
Bernhard Rogge. In all of these stories, one fact stands out that should be
mentioned, and that's the gallant and chivalrous manner in which the captains
and crews treated those unfortunates that fell into their hands. Let me also say
that this type treatment even extended to the WW II pocket battleships Admiral
Graf Spee, and Admiral Scheer, both of which were dispatched to raise havoc
among the allied merchant fleets. Another thing that stands out is the length of
the cruises these vessels made, Wolf, Seeadler, Atlantis, and Scheer are all
notable for staying at sea for more than a year, without touching any port.
Wolf, captained by Kapitan Karl Nerger, departed Germany carrying spare parts
and material to alter her appearance, such as false masts, extensions for her
funnel, and fake deck houses. Naturally, her weapons had to be hidden, and that
was by means of droppable bulwarks behind which the weaponry was concealed. She
was also well equipped with the flags of many nations, under which she sailed,
further concealing her true identity. During the First World War, the usual
method of dealng with a victim, was to approach appearing as innocent as
possible. At the appropriate moment, the bulwarks dropped revealing her weapons.
A warning shot was fired, and the victim was signalled to heave to and not use
her wireless, which was being monitored by the Wolf's radioman.. A launch
would be dispatched carrying an officer and several armed sailors. They would
board the enemy ship, inspect the cargo, and determine if there was anythng the
raider could make use of, and indeed, if the captured vessel could be taken over
by a prize crew, and perhaps used as an auxiliary, or sent back to Germany.
Neutral ships were also stopped, and if their cargo manifests detailled cargo
destined for one of the Allies, shje would also be taken. The crews of these
captured or sunken vessels were brought back to the Wolf, and with the exception
of captains, or female passengers, be put into a former hold area, called the
"Hell Hole". The book goes into considerable detail describing the
abysmal conditions under which the prisoners were kept. Remember, this was World
war One, and the Wolf had been a coal fired freighter, not a passenger liner. It
would appear that Nerger did as much as humanly possible to care for his
unwilling passenger's needs, if not their desires. I mentioned female
passengers, and indeed, a few women and their husbands, plus a couple of
children were among those taken prisoner. These folks were put into cabin areas
that were as comfortable as those used by the ship's officers.
The Wolf, in addition to taking and sinking merchants, was also a mine layer,
and planted mine fields off South Africa, India, New Zealand, and Australia.
These mines accounted for several Allied vessels, and as late as 2008, some have
shown up, and have caused more than a few deaths, as amateurs tried to deal with
them. The book goes to great lengths describing the propaganda ploys by the
English, Australian and New Zealand governments to deny the presence of a raider
or her mine fields. The idea seems to have been to prevent panic, and disastrous
effects on the world markets, or the interruption of merchant commerce, vital to
the survival of the Allies.One item of note is how and why the British
government kept all her warships, plus those of the Commonwealth countries
in the Atlantic protecting convoys against U-boat depradations. The Pacific was
denuded of Naval protection, save for a very few small cruisers and auxiliaries,
which were spread so very thin, as to provide no protection against the Wolf at
all. The Japanese, allies of Britain, were supposed to provide some Naval units,
but until one of their own merchant ships went missing, did very little.
The authors bring their story to a conclusion describing the triumphal return of
the SMS Wolf to Germany, having penetrated the Allied blockade, and survived
very extreme weather hazards. There is a photograph section, with pictures of
the Wolf, Nerger, a couple of her victims, and some of her passengers. The back
of the book contains lists of all Wolf's crew, and not to be left out, most of
her prisoners, not to mention the names of the vessels the Wolf sank, and those
whose sinkings could be attributed to her mine laying. I must say that I enjoyed
this book tremendously, and really to hated to lay it down.
Hal
Marshman Sr
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