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Ulrich Mohr was a German naval officer and the
Mohr's early military career was in minesweeping, but he used his father's connections to get a transfer to something more adventurous. That was the German auxiliary cruiser (Ship 16), a merchant raider captained by
/ref> It was part of Mohr's duties to board captured vessels and recover documents such as dispatches and code books that might assist the German war effort. Among the ships he boarded were ;Duffy, p. 12.
/ref> , where he found Captain White in his cabin attempting to destroy documents; and , which he approached on ''Atlantis''s boat disguised in a British navy uniform. In November 1940, he boarded the merchant ship on which he was met by the first mate, all the officers having been killed or injured on the bridge by a shell from ''Atlantis'' before they could destroy confidential documents. The survivors were unable to throw the documents overboard as the key to the strong room had been lost in the shelling. The documents were eventually found by the Germans and included a secret British report stating that Britain would not be able to hold Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, and other interests in Asia if Japan were to attack them. Captain Rogge forwarded the documents to the German embassy in Tokyo who sent them to Berlin where a summary was communicated to the Japanese. Historians have speculated that the revelation to the Japanese of the weak state of British military power in Asia may have emboldened them to invade Singapore and played a part in the development of the
/ref> In November 1941, ''Atlantis'' was attacked by the British ship in the Atlantic and scuttled by her crew after she caught fire. ''Devonshire'' did not stop to pick up survivors due to the threat of
by Arthur V. Sellwood in
Ship 16: The story of a German surface raider.
Amberley Publishing. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
(first officer) on the ''Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' auxiliary cruiser during the Second World War, where one of his functions was to board captured ships and search for secret papers that might be of use to the German war effort.
In November 1940, ''Atlantis'' captured the merchant ship ''Automedon'', and Mohr led the search party that found a secret British report that revealed that they would not be able to hold Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya if they were attacked by the Japanese. The captain of ''Atlantis'', Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge (4 November 1899 – 29 June 1982) was a German naval officer who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider. Later, he became a Konteradmiral in West Germany's navy.
Rogge became a ''Vizeadmiral'' (vice-admiral) by the end ...
, sent the documents to his superiors who gave a summary to the Japanese. Historians have speculated that the knowledge of the weak British defences in Asia may have emboldened the Japanese to invade Singapore and played a part in the development of the war in the Pacific.
In 1944, Mohr published an account of the raiding career of ''Atlantis'' titled ''Die Kriegsfahrt Des Hilfskreuzers Atlantis'', and in 1955 he published ''Atlantis: The story of the German surface raider'' in conjunction with Arthur Sellwood.
Early life
Ulrich Mohr's father was an officer in the German navy. In his early life, Ulrich travelled to Japan, China, and the United States, so that he spoke English with an American accent. He earned the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Military career
Mohr's early military career was in minesweeping, but he used his father's connections to get a transfer to something more adventurous. That was the German auxiliary cruiser (Ship 16), a merchant raider captained by Bernhard Rogge
Bernhard Rogge (4 November 1899 – 29 June 1982) was a German naval officer who, during World War II, commanded a merchant raider. Later, he became a Konteradmiral in West Germany's navy.
Rogge became a ''Vizeadmiral'' (vice-admiral) by the end ...
, on which Mohr took up the position of adjutant (first officer) to replace a professor of the history of art whom Rogge thought better suited to duties on dry land.
Mohr served on ''Atlantis'' for the whole of her time at sea since leaving Germany in March 1940 until she was sunk in November 1941, during which time she sank or captured 22 Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
ships and travelled without putting into port.Duffy, p. 22./ref> It was part of Mohr's duties to board captured vessels and recover documents such as dispatches and code books that might assist the German war effort. Among the ships he boarded were ;Duffy, p. 12.
/ref> , where he found Captain White in his cabin attempting to destroy documents; and , which he approached on ''Atlantis''s boat disguised in a British navy uniform. In November 1940, he boarded the merchant ship on which he was met by the first mate, all the officers having been killed or injured on the bridge by a shell from ''Atlantis'' before they could destroy confidential documents. The survivors were unable to throw the documents overboard as the key to the strong room had been lost in the shelling. The documents were eventually found by the Germans and included a secret British report stating that Britain would not be able to hold Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, and other interests in Asia if Japan were to attack them. Captain Rogge forwarded the documents to the German embassy in Tokyo who sent them to Berlin where a summary was communicated to the Japanese. Historians have speculated that the revelation to the Japanese of the weak state of British military power in Asia may have emboldened them to invade Singapore and played a part in the development of the
war in the Pacific
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the Theater (warfare), theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, ...
.Duffy, p. 23./ref> In November 1941, ''Atlantis'' was attacked by the British ship in the Atlantic and scuttled by her crew after she caught fire. ''Devonshire'' did not stop to pick up survivors due to the threat of
U-boats
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare rol ...
in the area. Mohr and the crew eventually made it home after two rescues were launched from Germany using U-boats and surface craft.
In 1944, Mohr published an account of the raiding career of ''Atlantis'' titled ''Die Kriegsfahrt Des Hilfskreuzers Atlantis''. Towards the end of the war, he helped to arrange the surrender of Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...
and was a liaison officer between the British and German navies during the disarmament period."Preface"by Arthur V. Sellwood in
Post-war life
In 1955, Mohr published ''Atlantis: The story of the German surface raider'' in conjunction with Arthur Sellwood. The book was published in the United States in 1956 under the title ''Ship 16: The story of the secret German raider Atlantis'' and reprinted with that title in the United Kingdom by Amberley Publishing in 2008.Amberley Publishing. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
Publications
* ''Die Kriegsfahrt Des Hilfskreuzers Atlantis''. Verlag die Heimbücherei John Jahr, Berlin, 1944. * ''Atlantis: The story of the German surface raider''. Werner Laurie, London, 1955. (With A. V. Sellwood) * ''Ship 16: The story of the secret German raider Atlantis''. John Day, New York, 1956. (Reprinted by Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2008. )See also
*Cruiser rules
Cruiser rules is a colloquial phrase referring to the conventions regarding the attacking of a merchant ship by an armed vessel. Here ''cruiser'' is meant in its original meaning of a ship sent on an independent mission such as commerce raiding. ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohr, Ulrich Kriegsmarine personnel of World War II 20th-century German memoirists Year of birth missing Year of death missing