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Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim

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Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim
Born(1885-10-09)October 9, 1885
Padrojen, Municipality Insterburg in East Prussia
DiedMay 15, 1965(1965-05-15) (aged 79)
Bremen
NationalityGerman
EducationOfficer, Imperial German Navy
Occupation(s)Submarine Commander in World War I, Consul in World War II, Writer
TitleBaron
FamilySpiegel von und zu Peckelsheim

Baron Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim (October 9, 1885 – May 15, 1965 was a german submarine commander in World War I, Consul in New Orleans and Marseille in World War II and writer. He wrote several, mainly autobiographical naval warfare books. The most successful one was “Kriegstagebuch U 202“ (U boat 202. The war diary of a german submarine, 1916). It sold 360,000 copies in Germany and was also an economic success in the United States.


Biography

Submarine commander, Consul

Edgar von Spiegel originates from the german noble family “Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim“. He grew up in East Prussia and completed military training at a marine cadet school. In 1903 he joined the german imperial navy as a midshipman.[1] In 1911 he served as Oberleutnant zur See on the small cruiser SMS Cormoran. The cruiser helped to suppress the Sokehs Rebellion in Ponape, German New Guninea. Von Spiegel was the leader of the local police during the supression.[2] In World War I Edgar von Spiegel was gradueted to Captain lieutenant. From September 1914 to February 1916 he served as commander of the submarine SM U 32. From February to April 1917 he commanded the submarine SM U 93. In a battle with the british Q-ship HMS Prize, commanded by Lieutenant William Edward Sanders, SM U 93 was badly damaged. Edgar von Spiegel and two man of his crew went overboard. They were rescued from the Q-ship and spent the rest of the war as prisoners in United Kingdom.[3]

After World War I Edgar von Spiegel returned to germany. In the Weimar Republic he started working in the shipping industry and then made a changeover to the automobile industry. In the late 1920s he worked as General Manager of the Graham-Paige Automobile GmbH in Berlin, a subsidiary of the american automobile manufacturer Graham-Paige[4] In Nazi Germany Edgar von Spiegel served in the german diplomatic service. In the years 1936/37 he worked in the Department Ribbentrop at the german embassy in London. Since 1937 he was Consul (Generalkonsul) in New Orleans. Because of spy activities the FBI determined against him [5] Baron von Spiegel operated in the consulate building "Van Benthuysen Elms Mansion". In World War II he probably briefed german submarines in the gulf of Mexico via radio about merchant vessels leaving the port of New Orleans for England. [6] In December 1941 Germany declared war to the United States. Edgar von Spiegel had to leave New Orleans. After his return to Germany he served as consul in Marseille in occupied france. Since 1942 he was SS Oberführer. Edgar von Spiegel was an observer of the destruction of the old city of Marseille. After World War II he claimed untruthfully, this destruction (by the SS and Gestapo) was necessary because of risk of disease and because of the "security of the (german) troops."[7] In August 1944 Marseille was released by the Allies. Edgar von Spiegel left Marseille and joined the staff of Reichsführer SS in November 1944.[8]. He died 1965 in Bremen.

Writer

Baron Edgar von Spiegel wrote several, mostly autobiographical books about his experiences in the imperial german navy. His bestselling book was Kriegstagebuch U 202 (published 1916), translated by Barry Domvile ( U boat 202. The war diary of a German submarine, Translation published 1919), where he described his experiences as commander of the submarine SM U 32 (The title “U 202” was fictional, a german submarine with this name did not exist). The book selled 360,000 copies in germany and was one of the most widely spread works of german world war I literature.[9] The war diary sold also very well in the United States. [10] It was used as a template for Gerhard Menzels screenplay of the movie “Morgenrot” (1933) about the fate of a german submarine in World War I.[11] His book „Submarine in Purgatory“ (U-Boot im Fegefeuer“, 1930) described von Spiegels prisoner of war after the sinking of his submarine U 93. Edgar von Spiegel also wrote two own screenplays. He translated Lowell Thomas Raiders of the Deep (1928), a book about submarine in world war I and wrote a romance novel in the south sea environment (The girl under the three trees, 1930).

Sources

  • Jörg Friedrich Vollmer: Imaginäre Schlachtfelder. Kriegsliteratur in der Weimarer Republik – eine literatursoziologische Untersuchung. PhD Thesis, Freie Universität Berlin 2003 (Chapter 5: Die Orthodoxen: Krieg als Abenteuer, pp. 88 - 126) Online Edition (in german language).
  • Biographisches Handbuch des deutschen Auswärtigen Dienstes 1871–1945. Band 4: S. Published by Auswärtiges Amt, Historischer Dienst, Editors: Bernd Isphording, Gerhard Keiper, Martin Kröger. Schöningh, Paderborn u. a. 2012, ISBN 978-3-506-71843-3 (in german language)

Notes

  1. ^ Edgar von Spiegel: Meere Inseln Menschen. Vom Seekadetten zum U-Bootkomandanten., Berlin 1934, pp. 8f.
  2. ^ Edgar von Spiegel: Kriegsbilder aus Ponape. Erlebnisse eines Seeoffiziers im Aufstande auf den Karolinen. Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Berlin, Leipzig 1912, pp. 1 ff.
  3. ^ website uboat.net - Baron Edgar von Spiegel and from Peckelsheim
  4. ^ Lowell Thomas: Raiders of the Deep. 1928, pp. 169f.; Automobile Body Builders Association: Auto Body, Volume 14-16 (1928), p 174; Michael E. Keller:The Graham Legacy: Graham-Paige to 1932. Turner Publishing Company 1998, pp. 146, 222
  5. ^ Cf. Raymond J. Batvinis: The Origins of FBI Counterintelligence. 2007, p 66; William B. Breuer: Deceptions of World War II. 2001, p. 71; Melanie Wiggins: Torpedoes in the Gulf. 1995, pp. 10f, 39.; Lindy Boggs: Washington through a purple veil. 1994, p 86
  6. ^ http://www.elmsmansion.com/history.html site Van Benthuysen Elms Mansion - History]
  7. ^ IMG International Military Tribunal, Vol 6, page 444
  8. ^ Jörg Friedrich Vollmer: Imaginäre Schlachtfelder. Kriegsliteratur in der Weimarer Republik – eine literatursoziologische Untersuchung. PhD Thesis, Freie Universität Berlin 2003 (Chapter 5, p. 116, Footnote 411) Online Edition
  9. ^ Thomas F. Schneider, Hans Wagener (Hrsg.): Von Richthofen bis Remarque. Deutschsprachige Prosa zum I. Weltkrieg. Editions Rodophi, Amsterdam 2003, pp. 12f.; Helmut Müssener: Deutschsprachige Kriegs- und Antikriegsliteratur in Deutschland und Schweden 1914–1939. Stockholm 1987, pp. 18f.))
  10. ^ website uboat.net - Baron Edgar von Spiegel and from Peckelsheim
  11. ^ Jörg Friedrich Vollmer: Imaginäre Schlachtfelder. Kriegsliteratur in der Weimarer Republik – eine literatursoziologische Untersuchung. PhD Thesis, Freie Universität Berlin 2003 (Chapter 5, p 413) Online Edition


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