Flotilla Command notifies a U-Boat Crewman's Family
I received the following from a contact in Hannover, Germany whose uncle, Karl Kunz was on the U-182.
The letters were authored by the Commander of the 12th U-boat combat flotilla, Klaus Scholtz.
KLAUS SCHOLTZ - 12th Combat Flotilla Commander
As the nephew indicated, "The highly polite letters do not provide any substantial information either concerning the boat's and the flotilla's identity (it was probably secret) nor concerning the reasons for the boat's vanishing, which have been completely unknown to the U-Boat-Command in 1943 and 1944 for sure.
Even the date of my uncle's death is set wrong (15th instead of 16th of May). May 15th was probably the date on which the boat had its last radio contact with the German Kriegsmarine stations.
Hence, the wrong date is still written on the tombstone of my family's grave."
These are the letters any parent is horrified to receive...
The Original
Chief of Service Forces' postal code O. U., 3 June 1943 M 47 587
"H e i l H i t l e r" Yours ScholtzCommander and Head of Flotilla
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The Translation
Note the incorrect tonnage total as one additional ship had been reported sunk by the U-182.
Also note that the loss was originally attributed to an air strike on the boat.
The Original
Chief of Service Forces' postal code O. U., 11 February 1944 M 47 587
Respectfully yours
ScholtzCommander and Head of Flotilla
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The Translation