Theodor Detmers
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| Theodor Anton Gunther Detmers | |
|---|---|
| 22 August 1902 – 4 November 1976 (aged 74) | |
| Place of birth | Witten in the Ruhr |
| Place of death | Hamburg-Rahlstedt |
| Allegiance |  Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1921–1945 |
| Rank | Kapitän zur See |
| Unit | Kriegsmarine |
| Commands held | Kormoran |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross |
| Other work | Author[1] |
Theoder Detmers (August 22, 1902 – November 4, 1976) was the commanding officer of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran.[2]
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[edit] Career
Detmers joined the German navy in 1921 and served on the battleship SMS Hannover and SMS Elsaß and was educated on the Segelschiff Niobe. He also served on the the SMS Berlin. He became a sublieutenant on the Emden. From 1926-28 he served on the Albatross and as of 1927 was a lieutenant. From 1930-32 he served as staff officer and was then stationed on the cruiser Köln, on which he visited Australia in 1933.[3]
In 1934 he served on torpedo boats and destroyers of the German navy. In October 1938 he was in command of the destroyer Hermann Schoemann and participated in Operation Weserübung in April to June 1940.
[edit] Kormoran
In July 1940 Detmers became commander of the commerce raider HSK Kormoran, and captured or destroyed 11 enemy merchant ships. On November 19, 1941 the Kormoran was intercepted by HMAS Sydney. Detmers tried to pose as a Dutch merchant ship. However, he allegedly lacked the necessary naval codes and was finally forced to engage the Sydney.[4] He sank her in battle off Western Australia. His own ship was severely damaged and had to be scuttled, after which Detmers was captured and became a prisoner of war.
[edit] Prisoner of war
He was held as a POW at HM Prison Dhurringile until January 1947. In December 1941, Detmers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and in 1943 was promoted to "Kapitän zur See". He had earlier received the first class Iron Cross. While a prisoner, he wrote a coded account of the battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran that survived the war.[5] Detmers tried to escape Australian captivity with other members of his crew, via a tunnel and then hoping to capture a sailboat to get to Indonesia. However, the attempt was unsuccessful. Later during his imprisonment, he suffered a stroke.[6]
[edit] Post-captivity
Detmers returned to Germany in 1947 and was released from British captivity in Munster. He lived the last three decades of his life with his nephew in Hamburg-Rahlstedt and died there in 1976. Because of his stroke, he was incapacitated for service in the post-war German navy. He wrote a book about his Kormoran experiences,[1] which has been translated into English.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Detmers T, Brennecke J. (1959). "Kormoran", der Hilfskreuzer, der die "Sydney" versenkte. ISBN 3-78220-110-8.
- ^ HMAS Sydney II and the Kormoran. Australian War Memorial. URL: http://www.awm.gov.au/Encyclopedia/hmas_sydney/detmers.htm. Accessed on: March 30, 2008.
- ^ Hilfskreuzer Kormoran. www.bismarck-class.dk. URL: http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/kormoran.html. Accessed on: March 30, 2008.
- ^ Captain Detmers' book revisited The Australian Association of Maritime History. pdf.
Although Detmers was to always deny knowledge of allied codes, Admiral Doenitz in 1959 confirmed that allied codes had at that time been broken and that German raiders were in possession of the procedures for challenge and reply. Detmers is known to have possessed the Straat Malakka's secret callsign. This could explain why the Sydney was so close. - ^ Sydney/Kormoran Documents. Royal Australian Navy Archive (1941).
- ^ HMAS Sydney II - Captain Theodor Anton Detmers
- ^ Detmers Theodore (1959). The Raider Kormoran. London: William Kimber.
