The Enigma of Commander Fritz-Julius Lemp

today we're going to shed light on a riveting figure from the second world war a man who shaped The Narrative of Naval Warfare in his own contentious way Fritz Julius Lemp a U-Boat Commander lemp's fateful decision to torpedo the civilian ship SS athenia still Sparks debates today reflecting the Grim realities of wartime decisions his life marked by his role in the rise of Germany's U-Boat Fleet and the controversy surrounding his actions offers a compelling Journey Through the complexities of War so buckle up as we Plunge Into the Depths of History exploring The Life and Times of this remarkable figure foreign provided care to survivors from the SS athenia which had been torpedoed off the coast of Donegal on September 3rd 1939 the United States Britain and Canada launched a fervent condemnation of Germany for sinking a passenger vessel among the 1418 passengers and crew were over 300 Americans tragically 117 lives were lost some during the rescue operation by the Newt Nelson and three British warships HMS Elektra HMS Fame and HMS escort that had hastened to the site of the disaster among the fatalities were 28 American citizens Hitler was taken aback he sought to avoid conflict with America at the onset of the war despite Britain and France declaring war on Germany on the morning of September 3rd mere hours before the athenia was sunk he held on to hope for a diplomatic resolution he aspired to start the war with a gentle approach he held the belief that he might still convince the Western powers to see German sovereignty in Europe in the same way the British had established colonies in Asia if successful and he was known for his persuasive skills his invasion of Poland would have come at a minimal cost hence he strictly commanded that only enemy warships be targeted Merchant vessels were to be stopped searched and their crew safely evacuated before any Attack under no circumstance were passenger ships to be sunk however the sinking of the athenia was a setback to his plans he immediately sought an explanation from his Naval Personnel Grand Admiral Raider initially denied the presence of any German submarine near the athenia mainly because oberloid and Fritz Julius limp the u-30 commander who fired the Torpedoes had recognized his error and discreetly retreated Lemp who was known to be Humane unfortunately offered no Aid to the survivors later Lemp stated that he had mistaken the athenia for an armed Merchant Cruiser due to her zigzag navigation a maneuver typically used by War warships he failed to document the incident in the submarine's log and compelled the crew to maintain secrecy it wasn't until several days later that the German High command learned the truth in the interim German propaganda absurdly attributed the sinking of the athenia to the British it was labeled a British atrocity an attempt to sway neutral opinions against Nazi Germany and induce America to join the war as the u30 finally docked on September 27 1939 there were rumors that its commanding officer was in deep trouble although Berlin continued to deny the sinking the entirety of the U-Boat fleet was aware of lemp's involvement the fear was that due to his miscalculation and Hitler's direct involvement in the controversy Lemp might face a court-martial or at the very least be stripped of his command however his top Commander Carl Donuts recognized lemp's accomplishments during his first wartime Patrol following the athenia incident Lemp and his crew remained active he had sunk an additional two vessels down two British aircraft showcased notable compassion by rescuing two British pilots from the sea and ensuring they received medical treatment in Iceland and demonstrated expertise and complete Command during an intense depth charge attack he managed to bring his damaged vessel back home penalizing a young U-Boat Commander for his mistake could send an incorrect message to the men of of the U-Boat Force who were set to play a crucial role in the ruthless Battle of the Atlantic as such Donuts chose not to implement disciplinary measures against Lemp instead he applauded him on a successful Mission noting the lessons that had been learned the truth only came to light in January 1946 at the Nuremberg trials during the case against Grand Admiral Eric Rader when a statement from Admiral Donuts was read admitting that the athenia had been torpedoed by the u30 and every measure had been taken to conceal this fact the next mention of Fritz Julius limp is in May 1941. by then Lemp had become a successful submarine Commander having been honored with the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross given for exceptional Battlefield bravery and successful military leadership and was commanding a new type of Submarine the u110 he had finished two successful missions sinking three vessels and damaging two others on May 9 together with u-201 he was engaging a convoy in the North Atlantic south of Iceland at this point the British had significantly enhanced their anti-submarine tactics sonar detection could swiftly pinpoint enemy submarines during this assault Lemp was distracted by a torpedo malfunction perhaps he was fatigued but that lapse of attention would prove fatal the u-110 was rapidly detected by an escorting Corvette HMS abrisha the u-110 was then subjected to a Relentless depth charge assault with his submarine critically damaged Lemp commanded it to surface and declared last stop everybody out signaling Abandon Ship as the crew ascended and sprinted along the U-boats deck two nearing destroyers HMS bulldog and HMS Broadway fearing that the Germans were about to fire from their deck gun riddled the deck with bullets once the British realized that the submarine was surrendering they ceased firing the remaining German Sailors dove into the ocean and swam towards the British vessels Lemp had activated the boat's vents to flood the submarine which should have resulted in its sinking within minutes he instructed radio operator Heinz Wilde to abandon the code books and Enigma machine and evacuate quickly he reportedly declared the U-Boat is sinking Captain Joe Baker Creswell of the Bulldog initially planned to Ram the submarine but seeing an opportunity to seize the submarine and its valuable Enigma machine he paused and waited for the swimmers to be rescued Lemp identifiable by his submarine's number surfaced and dove into the sea his actions were closely monitored from the bridges of both ships and the HMS Broadway which had arrived at the scene however midway between his submarine and safety limp halted he evidently recognized that the u-110 wasn't sinking he had left the top secret Enigma machine and code book in the radio room he attempted to swim back but vanished beneath the waves 15 men lost their lives in the conflict and 32 were wounded a German prisoner later claimed that limp was shot in the water a claim the British denied suggesting that Lemp committed suicide by Drowning upon realizing his submarine wasn't sinking and that he'd left behind its secret documents and code machine the events of that fatal afternoon remain a mystery would the British have allowed Lemp to swim back to his submarine knowing they could seize it regardless of what transpired Fritz Julius limp perished in the frigid Waters of the North Atlantic on May 9 1941 at the age of 28 the captured Enigma coding machine and various code books proved invaluable to the government code and Cipher School in decoding German Naval codes thank you thanks for watching Remember to like And subscribe see you soon [Music]

Channel: Hidden History

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Keywords: hidden history, Fritz-Julius lemp, ss athenia, Athenia sinking, u-30, u-110, hms bulldog, u-110 capture, hms bulldog enigma, enigma capture, enigma u-110, hms bulldog u-110, ss Athenia u-30, lemp u-30, ww2, wwii, world war 2, navy, kreigsmarine, warship, warships, navy ww2, battle of the Atlantic, mark felton, dark seas, uboat, uboat documentary, ww2 uboat, uboat footage, uboat ace, uboat aces, captain lemp, ww2 documentary, The Enigma of Commander Fritz-Julius Lemp

Id: gXuo0fxbuGM

Length: 8min 11sec (491 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 08 2023