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Vet 186

SHARKHUNTERS Salutes Veterans

HANS HILBIG (186-1986)

Kriegsmarine, U-Bootwaffe, Skipper of U-1230

Hilbig1
U-1230a

HANS HILBIG (above and in his White Cap in the crew photo) was a quiet man and entered the war as a submarine commander late in the war.  While he did sink one ship, his one crowning achievement came in November 1944 when he brought his U-1230 all the way across the Atlantic and into Frenchman’s Bay, Maine, to put two agents ashore. These men were Abwehr Agent #146 ERICH GIMPEL (884-1988) and U.S. Navy deserter William Colepaugh.

Haslau4xGimpel2colepaugh
Radioman HORST HASLAUGIMPELColepaugh

 

 

schlicke1Another very important member of the crew was Dr. HEINZ SCHLICKE (1820-1991), a top German scientist who later became part of the American OperationPAPERCLIP‘.