In Memoriam Johann Hellwig

Anything about the crew, families, origins, etc.
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Malte Gaack
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Location: Hamburg

In Memoriam Johann Hellwig

Post by Malte Gaack »

I have to make the sad announcement that another Bismarck crewmember has died.
Johann Hellwig passed away on the 4th of May 2005, he was 83 years old.
Gerard Heimann
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Post by Gerard Heimann »

Rest in Peace.
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Ulrich Rudofsky
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Post by Ulrich Rudofsky »

It may be appropriate to remember at this time the song that was sung when a Bismarck sailor was buried at sea from aboard the HMS Dorsetshire: Ich hatt' einen Kameraden. The words are hard to translate but the meaning is readily understood bya all. http://www.kbismarck.com/songs.html

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden,
Einen bessern findst du nit.
Die Trommel schlug zum Streite,
Er ging an meiner Seite
|: In gleichem Schritt und Tritt. :|

Eine Kugel kam geflogen:
Gilt's mir oder gilt es dir?
Ihn hat es weggerissen,
Er liegt vor meinen Füßen
|: Als wär's ein Stück von mir :|

Will mir die Hand noch reichen,
Derweil ich eben lad'.
"Kann dir die Hand nicht geben,
Bleib du im ew'gen Leben
|: Mein guter Kamerad!" :|
Ulrich
corvette1271
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....song....

Post by corvette1271 »

i do not know if you have seen the movie "the enemy below"....it starrs curt jurgens as the u-boat captain, and robert mitchum as the destroyer captain. at the end of the movie, all survivors (german and american) are picked up by an american destroyer. they had a german burial at sea on the fantail, where a song was sung and words in german was expressed by the uboat commander. the tune of the song sounds as if it came form the same song that was played in the memorial services in hamburg in the discovery cameron video that i have. would this be the same song?
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RF
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Post by RF »

I presume it was but don't forget that this film is fictional, an American production in which the Germans were portrayed almost as if they were American - rather an unusual angle for the Americans.

As a fictional point, the film mentioned the U-boats mission - a rendezvous with ''Raider M'' presumably a hilfskreuzer with sufficient firepower to sink the US destroyer.....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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RF
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Post by RF »

Does anyone know how many Bismarck crew members are still alive?
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Admiral-scheer
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Post by Admiral-scheer »

I read the crew list on this website.

Sadly the brave men of the Schlachtschiff Bismarck are dead, but it was not in vain.

Now they have found bright light at the other end
after the horrors of war.

A moment of silence for all brave sailors.








From this website the last crew member living in Roseneath Ontario (300 km from Ottawa), Canada passed away on 26 october 2006.

That last crew member was Matrosengefreiter Alois Haberditz.
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