NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2025

Errol Back-Cunningham titled his lecture about WWII Nazi Auxiliary Cruisers "Deadly shape-shifters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans". While most members will be familiar with the exploits of the German Battleships and submarines, this tale of much smaller vessels, cunningly disguised and heavily armed despite their pretence to be merchant vessels, proved to be an interesting aspect of the Kriegsmarine's activities especially during the early years, 1940-41.

Submarines had been built all over the world in proxy places while the battleship construction had only started when hostilities commenced. But conversion of merchant vessels into disguised raiders was relatively quick and easy - especially since Admiral Canaris had spent time in the 1920s researching successes and failures of raiders in WWI.

Errol told of how by using dazzle camouflage and changing the silhouette - by adding funnels and false side panels these raiders (hilfskreuzers) could assume the identity of any vessel they chose. When the false side panels were dropped, concealed 15cm cannon or torpedo tubes, which swivelled out to take aim at an unsuspecting neutral or Allied vessel, would be revealed. At that stage the German flags would by hoisted...

Exiting the German harbours meant running a British blockade in the North Sea, or doing a "channel dash" past occupied France in order to access the Atlantic Ocean. Some were even allowed to access the north Pacific by going around Russia.

Once in the high seas any merchant vessel was easy prey. One of the raiders even captured the whole Norwegian whaling fleet which it took as prizes and sent back to Europe under German crews. This was in the southern Atlantic as part of its circumnavigation of Antarctica.

Before Japan entered the war, a raider assuming the identity of a Japanese vessel might even have crew on deck, pushing prams and wearing typical Japanese hairdressing styles!

In June 1943 the Allies developed silhouette registers and checking protocols with daily secret numbers sent to Allied and neutral ships, This would assist the victims to find out the nature of the enemy a bit sooner - but that did not always help them in time.

In a Pyrrhic victory the Kormoran, posing as the Dutch "Straat Malakka" off the coast of Australia, approached the warship HMAS Sydney. Kapitän Detmars did not have the number when challenged but continued his approach. After 450 shells and some torpedoes the Sydney, on fire, drifted away. All 645 on board were lost. The Kormoran was so badly damaged it was scuttled - both wrecks having been found close together in 2008.

The raiders often carried a float plane to help find prey - an Arado or a Heinkel 114. Sometimes the grapple on a floatplane would be used to rip the radio mast off a victim vessel to prevent signals for help reaching authorities. They also made a habit of claiming to be attacked by an enemy vessel - just before themselves attacking!

Errol followed the stories of four specific hilfskreuzers - Atlantis, Kormoran, Komet and Pinguin - and included astonishing statistics of vessels sunk or captured before the vessels were themselves sunk.

His lecture is in the Society's Video Library on the website.

Monday 10th March 2025 at 19h30 and then at 20h15:
Speaker Alan Witherden
Subject 24 Squadron SAAF in World War 2 as a sequel to Stephen Bowker's presentation on 24 Squadron SAAF in Africa during WW2

20th February 2025 at 19h30 and then 20h15

Speaker: Dr Marian Baker
Subject: Life, fate and survival as a South African POW in 1941- 1945.

"Of all the possibilities of what could happen to me during the war, one I never thought of was being a POW." (From Mel Baker's POW memoir)

The next RPC (Request the Pleasure of your Company) Zoominar will be on Monday 31st March 2025.

For those members still anxious about Zoom lectures, please give them a try! Go onto the internet and open your web browser at www.zoom.us If using a cellphone, visit the app store. Once you have the app on your device - computer or cellphone - choose to join a meeting. Either use the link which is provided in the invitation or type in the meeting code and then the password, also from the invitation, as requested. There are usually two Zoom sessions per evening.

You do NOT need to have a camera - although it is always interesting to match faces to voices. As in the auditorium, you do not HAVE to ask the speaker any questions, but there are ways in which you can draw the chair's attention so you can do so.

Although subject to change the DDH utilising Power Point and video will cover a brief history of Vietnam from the earliest times to the French Colonisation and the WW2 Japanese Occupation. The video will then cover the unique and little-known events which took place immediately after the surrender Japan.

The main talk will be a PowerPoint presentation by Phil Everitt:

This will explore the life in POW camps in Germany during WW2 and especially how the indomitable spirit of humans will adapt to and triumph in extremely difficult circumstances.

The venue remains the St Cyprians Church Hall off Umbilo Rd, with secure parking and liquid refreshments available for cash. The starting time is 1.30 for 2.00pm.

Entry is free and open to all. A donation of R10 for the raffle and R10 for the car guard are requested from all attendees.

Kathy Munro of Johannesburg Heritage Foundation has a copy of Delville Wood by Ian Uys for sale at R250. Joan has her contact details

Eastern Cape details contact    Malcolm Kinghorn    041-373-4469    culturev@lantic.net

Gauteng details contact    Joan Marsh     010-237-0676    joan@rfidradar.com

KwaZulu-Natal details contact    Prof Phil Everitt    084-437-1636     everitt@iafrica.com

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