The Golden Gate Wing of the CAF Presented
A Symposium and Luncheon entitled: "Tirpitz - A Floating Fortress"

Sunday, October 21st, 2001

History:
Tirpitz, the largest German battleship ever built, was sent to lurk in the many fjords of Norway and posed a constant threat to the convoys taking Lend-Lease equipment to the Russians at the ports of Murmansk and Arch Angel. An initial attack by British Halifax bombers failed to sink her. Other early attempts to sink her were also made by British submariners in mini-submarines called "Chariots" and others called X-craft, which found their way under the anti-submarine nets to attach to or drop beneath large demolitions, which when detonated, damaged her enough so that either had to be extensively repaired on site, or she could never go to sea again. Another attack from the decks of British aircraft carriers using Barracuda and Corsair aircraft resulted in little damage. The Russians launched two air attacks against her. The third and final bombing mission by the famous RAF 617 "Dam Busters" and 9 Squadrons did her in.

Symposium Participants:

The following participants related their personal accounts of this series of incredible actions that occured during W.W.II.

Tony Iveson DFC
Tony initially flew as an enlisted RAF Spitfire pilot, and was shot down over the English Channel during the Battle of Britain. He then trained pilots in Rhodesia & South Africa and later joined the RAF's 617 Squadron. He flew on all three missions as a Lancaster pilot officer to bomb the Tirpitz - the last mission of which sank her with the 12,500 pound "Tallboy" Bomb. This bomb was missile-shaped and exceeded the speed of sound before penetrating the deck of the Tirpitz. After WWII he flew for BOAC and subsequently entered the communications industry, which included advertising, television and PR work, before he retired. Tony lives in England and is Chairman of the Bomber Command Association.

Alfred Zuba
Alfred was aboard Tirpitz as a Midshipman for only one month before she was sunk. Although he survived the sinking of the Tirpitz, he was trapped for nine hours within the ship's hull until cut out of the wreckage as one of fewer than 90 from 1,000 rescued from the carnage that resulted. He will fly here from his home in Munster, Germany and speaks fluent English.

Kurt Schulze
Kurt participated in the Battle of Britain and also served on the Russian Front. On one flight he had to parachute to safety from a DO-217 over France while serving as a Communications Officer prior to becoming a pilot. After flight school he was assigned to III.JG5 and flew reconnaissance missions near Petsamo, Finland. There he was shot down while flying a ME-109G near the Finnish border after being credited with three victories. He then flew out of Baderfoss, Norway, on an ill-fated mission to protect the Tirpitz on November 12, 1944. He later commanded a training squadron near Dresden, Germany, and flew a brand new ME-109G10 into the encircled city of Gdansk, from which he escaped on a minesweeper. Kurt then returned to Norway and commanded the 13th Squadron of JG5 just before the end of the war. He then spent two years as a prisoner of war in France before immigrating to the US in 1953 where he established a real estate business in California. He lives in California today.

Terje Jacobsen
Terje was a young civilian member of the Norwegian underground during W.W.II. He was a messenger and was also charged with determining the condition of the Tirpitz after a mini-sub attack. Terje and his mother, when discovered by German Counterintelligence, had to flee to neutral Sweden. He was then flown on an unarmed American B-17 (one of five - another great story) to England to attend flight school, but opted to contribute to the intelligence effort and network as the war wound down. He was a member of the Norwegian Advanced Party of officers landing in Norway May 8th, 1945.

Commander Leif Arneberg, Royal Norwegian Navy
Although 57 years old, Leif has already served in the Norwegian Navy for 40 years. He is also the Director of the Tirpitz Museum in Troms, Norway. Although not a direct participant in the sinking of the Tirpitz, he has met many survivors of Tirpitz over the years, as well as Luftwaffe pilots, submariners, British bomber and fighter pilots, Russians, Norwegian underground members, etc.. He therefore probably has the best overall perspective on the events leading up to Turpitz's sinking than anyone else. He will come to Berkeley to present a comprehensive Power Point-type overview of the history of Tirpitz and and to inform us about the Tirpitz Museum in Tromso.

Richard Kendall DSO
Richard, although born in England, lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a Royal British Navy diver and one member of a four-man crew on each of six mini-submarines, called X-craft, which were towed by a mother submarine to Norway and launched to sink theTirpitz. When his boat's gyrocompass became inoperative, its crew armed its sub's explosives and scuttled it beneath Tirpitz. His crew was then taken prisoner by crew members of the Tirpitz and was on board Tirpitz when their sub's explosives detonated below. He remained a prisoner of war until its end in 1945.

Lt. Commander Hugo Munthe-Kaas
Secret Agent in British MI 6 against the Germans, which brought him the highest Norwegian and Allied decorations. He built up secret guerrilla groups which assisted in the final battle for Norway. After 40 years he is able to talk about his efforts. Trained in England, he also participated in the landings at Normandy.

Heinz Ulrich
Luftwaffe corporal, who was in charge of airport operations at Bardufoss on November 12, 1944.

John Sweetman
Sandhurst graduate and noted British author of "Hide the Beast" and other accounts on the allied attacks on Ploesti and Schweinfurt.