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CHRONOLOGY
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DATE |
EVENT |
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Jan.,
1936: |
The Kriegsmarine
'K' Design Office proposes the Type XI U-Cruiser specifications.
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Oct.,
1948: |
Orders for the
Type XI construction are awarded to the German shipbuilding yards
of Deschimag - A.G. Weser in Bremen. |
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8 Sep.,
1939: |
Admiral Doenitz
calls for the building and completion of the Type XI "Long
Distance" U-Boat. |
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Aug.,
1939: |
Anti-Nazi conspirator
Carl Goerdeler travels to the United States and meets with U.S.
Foreign Affairs officers of the Dept. of State in an attempt to
avoid war with the Western Allies. (met with Cordell Hull, Henry
Wallace, Sumner Welles, G.S. Messersmith, Herbert Hoover, Henry
Lewis Stimpson, Henry Morganthau, Jr., Owen D. Young).
Goerdeler is joined in his trip by Gerhard Westrick, a known representative
of German Industry. It is documented that Goerdeler transmitted
to U.S. personnel a "Peace Program".
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Sep.,
1939: |
Construction on
the four Type XI hulls commences at Bremen.
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26 Oct.,
1939: |
German Foreign
Officer Trott-zu-Solz, (a confirmed Anti-Nazi), arrives in New York
in an attempt to make certain American dignitaries aware of just
what is happening in Europe as a result of Hitler's planning. |
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Nov.,
1939: |
Orders for the
construction of the Type XI U-Boats at Bremen are "Officially"
cancelled. Indications are that the four keels remain in 'ordinary'
on the building slips for an unknown amount of time.
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May,
1941: |
German Foreign
Officer Ulrich von Hassell uses his contact with American businessman
Federico Stallforth, (a New York Banker), to maintain the peace
between the U.S. and Germany. Donovan, Wilkie and Wood are mentioned
as possible negotiators in this matter.
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Oct.,
1941: |
For the first time
von Hassell mentions the plans about a German "coup" against
Hitler while visiting Stallforth in New York. |
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9 Dec.,
1941: |
Germany declares
war on the United States as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor on 7 December.
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Nov.,
1942: |
The disastrous
German defeats around Stalingrad indicates to all Allies and Germany
the inevitable defeat of the Nazis. |
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Nov.,
1942: |
Allen Dulles of
the American Office of Strategic Services Intelligence is sent to
Switzerland for the express purpose of setting up O.S.S. contacts
with the Nazi Opposition. |
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Apr.,
1943: |
Germany begins
the evacuation of North Africa to the Italian mainland.
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Sep.,
1943: |
Allied forces invade
Sicily and the "Boot" of Italy.
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Oct.,
1943: |
German Foreign
Officer Trott-zu-Solz meets O.S.S. Chief Allen Dulles in Switzerland
to discuss details of a proposed armistice between Germany and the
Western Allies.
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Nov.,
1943: |
The plans for the
safeguarding of German Industrial and State securities, (known as
"Aktion Feuerland"), is approved by Martin Bormann. Plans
include the use of submarines to transport to Argentina the Nazi
securities and additional transfers to Switzerland, Lichtenstein
and the Vatican Bank.
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Nov.,
1943: |
General Donovan,
head of the O.S.S., brought to New York a written "Peace Proposal"
which included an offer of negotiation from the Nazi Opposition.
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Nov.,
1943: |
The Nazi Opposition,
via German General Georg Thomas, manages to deliver to the O.S.S.
two coding machines for the specific purpose of opening communications
between American and Anti-Nazi negotiators. This is probably brought
to New York by Donovan and the items are soon transferred to the
State Department. "There was to be a discussion with President
Roosevelt the next morning to decide on whether to follow-up on
the offer or not". |
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Jan.,
1944: |
Admiral Canaris
is removed from his position as Chief of the German intelligence
agency known as the 'Abwehr' and placed under house arrest for one
month. (Canaris is documented as having been an active conspirator
against Hitler and the Nazis).
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Mar.-Jun.,
1944: |
"Germany's
situation was so desperate, however, that every effort, however
hopeless, had to be made to persuade the Allies to make some positive
gesture. In many of his reports from Berne, Switzerland Dulles urged
that something be done along these lines, (of negotiation)".
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Apr.,
1944: |
Trott-zu-Solz again
meets with Allen Dulles in Switzerland to discuss procedures for
armistice negotiations. |
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16 May,
1944: |
The German Opposition
offers to the O.S.S. to help Allied military units get into Europe
if the Allies agree to let Germany hold the Eastern Front against
the Soviets. (this plan includes the landing of Allied airborne
troops into Berlin and Bremen, as well as withdrawing from France
to allow the Allies an uncontested landing).
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6 June,
1944: |
The Allied invasion
of Europe begins with the landings along the Normandy coast of France,
known as "D-Day".
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19 June,
1944: |
The German Krupp
Industries completes the liquidation of its holdings of bonds, stocks,
etc. into gold, precious stones and currency to the tune of 68 million
US dollars and makes plans to ship said securities to the former
free-state of Danzig on the Polish coast. (shipment disappears shortly
there-after). |
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2 July,
1944: |
The U.S. Naval
Airship "K-14" is shot-down by a German U-Boat off the
coast of Bar Harbor, Maine. |
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5 July,
1944: |
The German mine
laying submarine U-233 is reportedly sunk southeast of Nova Scotia.
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7 July,
1944: |
Mr. van Tets, Dutch
Royal Secretary to Princess Julianna of the Netherlands, crosses
the Canadian border by car enroute from Ottowa to Boston.
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9 July,
1944: |
The Nazi Opposition
plans to begin the liquidation of the war by withdrawing on the
western front and forcing the Eastern Front against the Soviets.
Dulles reports these details from Switzerland on 12, 13, and 18
July.
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14 July,
1944: |
Capt. Susink, Dutch
Security for Princess Julianna of the Netherlands, departs Ottawa
bound to Boston. |
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17 July,
1944: |
Dutch Princess
Julianna and party depart from Canada enroute to Cape Cod via Boston.
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19 July,
1944: |
Princess Julianna
arrives at Chatham, Cape Cod.
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20 July,
1944: |
"Operation
Valkyrie" - the failed coup attempt against Hitler commences.
The operation fails by 21 July.
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20 July,
1944: |
A German Naval
Mutiny occurs in the afternoon within the Baltic sea ports of Danzig,
Memel, Gotenhafen and Stettin as a result of the coup attempt against
Hitler.
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20 July,
1944: |
The Type XI departs
the Danzig/Gdynia area of the Baltic Sea enroute to the American
coast.
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1 Aug.,
1944: |
ULTRA" intelligence
reports that one U-Boat is sighted leaving the Baltic and two U-Boats
are in the North Atlantic bound West. |
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7 Aug.,
1944: |
German Economic
Agent Carl Heinz Weber meets with Allied contacts in Lisbon, Portugal
to work out Nazi-Opposition concessions relative to Armistice negotiations.
German contacts are willing to "Meet any or all Industrial
or Territorial demands". |
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10 Aug.,
1944: |
Leading Nazi Industrialists
meet in Strasbourg to determine future procedure on the continuing
safe-guarding of Industrial and State assets.
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25 Aug.,
1944: |
O.N.I. Radio Intercept
Telegrapher intercepts and re-transmits a diplomatic "B-Bar"
U-Boat transmission from an "S-5" location off Cape Cod.
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25 Aug.,
1944: |
The Naval Airship
"K-25" encounters the Type XI on the surface during patrol,
14 miles southeast of Chatham, Cape Cod. The vessel is sunk in one
attack-run on Orion Shoal.
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25 Aug.,
1944: |
The Washington
O.N.I. Attack Log shows an unknown German U-Boat transmission sent
during the early evening, stating that she is "Being attacked
by aircraft". Eastern Sea Frontier Northern Group Command designates
a U-Boat search within the area of Orion Shoal off Cape Cod, MA.
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26 Aug.,
1944: |
Princess Julianna
departs prematurely from Cape Cod and returns to Canada, only hours
after the sinking of the Type XI off Chatham.
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TIME -LAPSE CHART
- CHRONOLOGY OF 25 AUGUST 1944 |
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| Time |
Vessel |
Position |
Action |
| 1400 |
Decatur-Nelson convoy |
42-45N 69-10W |
Enroute Kearney, NJ |
| 1600 |
K-25 Airship |
South Weymouth |
Departs for Decatur Nelson |
| 1619 |
Sub Chaser SC-1022 |
41-45N 69-50W |
Patrolling southbound |
| 1656 |
Pan Am Comm. Flt. |
41-23N 69-47W |
Reports Two step Sub |
| 1800 |
Decatur-Nelson |
42-30N 69-02W |
South Bound |
| 1810 |
K-25 |
42-23N 68-05W |
Dispatched to Sub site |
| 1915 |
K-25 |
41-40N 69-50W |
Surfaced Sub 12 mi. S |
| 1935 |
K-25 |
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Engages & sinks U-boat |
| 2000 |
SC-1022 |
41-32N 69-42.5W |
Notified of Sub sighting To Course 209 Mag.
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TIME -LAPSE CHART
- CHRONOLOGY OF AUGUST 26 AND 27, 1944 |
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| DATE |
EVENT |
| August 26 |
Special call signs designated
for vessels in Sub sighting area |
| August 26 |
K-27 on "Special
Search" to Orion Shoal |
| August 26 |
Meetings held with ONI
listening station personnel (Chatham)
"Events of August 25 never happened"
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| August 26 |
Debriefing of K-25 crew
"Events of August 25 never happened"
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| August 27 |
K-19 on "Special
Search" of area of Sub Sighting
Blimp Squadron 11 War Diary shows: K-25 on Patrol 6 hours
and 5 minutes
Ammunition expended: 1 smoke float, 1 Bronze slick, 6 MKX:M
bombs
No report of Submarine engagement
Pilot's flight report for August 25, 1944 is missing |
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Section
II - People |
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Specialist
2nd Class Preston Howley |
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Office
of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
Enlisted May 26, 1943
September 1943 - Assigned Radio Intercept Station, Chatham, Cape
Cod
On Duty, evening of August 25, 1944
January 1945 - Transferred to Guam
Discharged April 24, 1948 |
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Grand
Admiral Karl Doenitz |
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Born
- September 16, 1891, Grunau, Germany
1910 Joins Imperial Navy
1916 Joins U-boat Branch
July 1935 Appointed commander of Submarines (total of three U boats)
30 January 1943 Appointed Grossadmiral Commander in Chief of the
Navy
30 April 1945 President of the German Reich
25 May 1945 Surrenders to Allies
August 1946 Tried at Nuremburg /Sentenced to 10 yrs.
October 1956 Released from Spandau prison
1958 Published memoirs "10 Years & 20 Days" (doc existence
of XI type)
24 Dec.1980 Died AumŸhle, Germany
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Section
III - Documentation of Missions & Research |
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DOCUMENTATION
OF XIB SPECIAL MISSION JULY-AUGUST 1944 |
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August
1 Cominch to various North Atlantic Commanders
U-boat leaving Baltic (U802)
Two westbound U-boats estimated north of Azores (U1229&XIB)
August 15 Admiraly to Cominch
"LT" Special Mission? Belle Isle Strait likely
August 17 Admiralty to Cominch "LT" to
America
August 18 Admiralty to Cominch "LT" heading
remains open
August 21 Cominch to Admiralty
Two officers and one Propagandist from Love Easy (LE) (U1229)
Love Tare (LT) heading baffling
August 25 US Navy Cominch - Log of Attacks of U-boats
1736 hours (EST) - Series Local
"Am being attacked by aircraft" with designation "LT"
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THE
"ENIGMA" MACHINE
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Top Secret German Diplomatic & Naval Code Throughout WW II
August 16, 1939 French Military Intelligence hands over to British
MI6 a replica of the Enigma machine hand made by Polish Intelligence
September 4, 1939 Alan Turing joins Bletchley Park
B-Code/Enigma declassifed 1973
Events linked to Enigma
March 1941 German Naval Chart Overlay and Enigma key tables for
February captured from trawler Krebs
May 7, 1941 Weathership MŸnchen captured with
weather ciphers and
June Enigma key tables
May 9, 1941 HMS Bulldog captures U110 with Enigma
cipher
machine and cipher tables for April and June
February 1942 Four wheel added to Naval Enigma,
"Triton"
Early 1942 British brief Americans on Enigma
December 1942 Triton broken - Allies "read"
German Naval and diplomatic
wireless correspondence for the remainder of the war
1973 The Enigma breakthroughs of WW II Declassified
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GERMAN
U-BOAT "SPECIAL MISSIONS" - 1944 PUBLIC RECORD |
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August
20 U1229 sunk by Air attack SE Newfoundland enroute to U.S. coast.
40 crew captured plus spy Oscar Mantel.
August 25 XIB sunk off Cape Cod by air attack.
Lost with all hands.
November -Two German spies landed on Maine coast via U-boat insertion.
Special agents of the FBI capture both within 60 days. |
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TRIDENT
RESEARCH & RECOVERY CHRONOLOGY |
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Summer 1941 Chief Petty Officer Robert Marr, U. S. Coast Guard,
Shows submarine wreck to Petty Officer Ronald Baker
September 1988 Ed Michaud told of Submarine wreck
by tug Captain Warren LeGyte
June 5, 1993 Paul Machias on behalf of Ed Michaud
conducts side scan sonar search revealing vessel on Orion Shoal
November 1994 E.E.&G. scan reveals unique
XIB gun mounts
December 27, 1994 Ed Michaud conducts exploratory
dive on Orion Shoal. Confirms XIB Submarine structure and bomb blast
hole. Recovers small debris / artifacts from scour channel.
March 27, 1995 Trident Research & Recovery,
Inc formed
June 26, 1995 Trident Research awarded Admiralty
Claim to submarine wreck on Orion Shoal believes to be German XIB.
December 9, 1995 Second side scan sonar image obtained
with superior technology (E.G.&G.). LOA, Beam determined
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