Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Hello Mac,

I hope things are going well with you.

I have some information and pictures for you about a couple of more blockade runners, two of whom were on Ramses.

On 16 February 2008 I visited the Naval Association meeting in Magdeburg which includes veterans of the Kriegsmarine (WW II), the Volksmarine (Navy of the former GDR) and the Bundesmarine, the Navy of the Federal Federal Republic of Germany. A very interesting time it was.

One prominent member who was present there you already met in December 1942 -  Heinz Kostka of Ramses. Another charter member of the Magdeburg association was also a blockade runner, Fritz Sonnemann. Fritz was on the Doggerbank out of France with Heinz Kostka, but Fritz’s prize crew changed to the Charlotte Schliemann in the South Atlantic. Fritz arrived in Japan within a couple of weeks of Heinz.

However, Fritz volunteered for Far East duty with the Kriegsmarine in Yokohama and spent the rest of the war there, sailing to China, Viet Nam and Indonesia several times. He survived a hair-raising night time torpedo attack by an American sub and was in Yokohama when two German ships blew up. After coming back to Magdeburg, he studied engineering and was Lord Mayor of Magdeburg in the 1960’s

Here are some pictures for you.

Magdeburg, Germany, 16 February 2008 - From the left: Heinz Kostka, Ward Carr and Fritz Sonnemann with a model of the Doggerbank made by the “Sparky” Heinrich Kurz.
Picture by Bernd Luedicke, MK Magdeburg

Magdeburg, Germany, 16 February 2008 - Heinz Kostka (Doggerbank, Ramses)
holding the seal of HMAS Adelaide.
Picture by Bernd Luedicke, MK Magdeburg

Picture # 4 “Marinesoldat” – Ludwig Stalter (Doggerbank, Ramses), born 1 February 1921 in Saarbrücken. This picture was taken in basic training in Hiolland. Ludwig was in the same platoon in basic training as Willy Schruefer.

Ludwig Stalter nowadays.

All the best,

Ward Carr
Frankfurt, Germany

Ward,
 
Thank you for all of that, all is fine here thanks. I am sending you some photos of the Ramses Crew on board Adelaide taken by a correspondent's father at the time in 1942.

Best regards, 
Mac.

back to letters index