Contributors
Erich Topp
A member of Crew 34, Topp served as a U-boat commander and is best remembered as the captain of U-552—the “Red Devil” boat. After the war he studied to become an architect and after a short career in that field entered the West German navy. He retired from active service in 1969 with the rank of Rear Admiral. Topp’s memoir was published as Odyssey of a U-Boat Commander (Praeger, 1992). Savas Beatie will publish Topp’s forthcoming book (co-authored with Eric C. Rust) on Oskar Kusch, the only U-boat commander executed by the Nazi regime. Admiral Topp lives in Remagen, Germany, in a home he designed that overlooks the Rhine River.
Eric C. Rust
Dr. Rust, a native of Lübeck, Germany, holds a doctorate in History from the University of Texas and has been teaching at Baylor University since 1984. His late father Horst Rust, and his mother’s first husband, Kptlt. Hans-Jürgen Oldörp (Crew 35), who perished with all his men as the commanding officer of U-90 in 1942, were active Kriegsmarine officers. The author himself served in the Federal German Navy in 1969-70.
Rust has published numerous books and articles, including Naval Officers under Hitler: The Story of Crew 34 (Praeger, 1991). He translated Erich Topp’s memoirs into English under the title The Odyssey of a U-Boat Commander (Praeger, 1992), and contributed to other works, among them Silent Hunters: German U-boat Commanders of World War II (Savas, 1997). Dr. Rust is completing a book with Erich Topp on Oskar Kusch, the only U-boat commander executed by the Nazis for opposing the regime. It will be published by Savas Beatie in 2005.
Professor Rust resides with his wife Karen and their two sons in Waco, Texas.
Timothy P. Mulligan
Tim is an archivist specializing in captured German records at the National Archives in College Park, MD. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in diplomatic history from the University of Maryland and is the author of Lone Wolf: The Life and Death of U-Boat Ace Werner Henke (1993) and Neither Sharks Nor Wolves: The Men of Nazi Germany’s U-Boat Arm, 1939-1945 (1999), among other publications.
Lawerence Paterson
Lawrence Paterson has enjoyed a lifelong affinity for the sea. The native of Matamata, New Zealand, spent years exploring the world’s oceans and has worked as a professional diver. Encouraged by grandfathers who served in both world wars, Paterson developed a keen interest in military history. He gravitated to France, where he and his wife Sarah began researching the wrecks of the Kriegsmarine vessels that litter the Biscay coastline. This interest produced several books, including First U-Boat Flottila (Naval Institute Press, 2002), Second U-Boat Flotilla, (Naval Institute Press, 2003), and U-Boat War Patrol: The Hidden Photographic Diary of U-564 (Greenhill, 2004), a remarkable record detailing a 1942 combat patrol aboard Reinhard “Teddy” Suhren’s boat.
Paterson resides in Gosport, England, where he indulges in his two other passions: music and motorcycles.
Mark E. Wise
Mark is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the Joint Military Intelligence College. His Master’s thesis, Intelligence Support in the Capture of U-505, formed the basis of his contribution to this book.
An enlisted intelligence specialist in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Mark was deployed to the Republic of Djibouti for nine months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Before turning to history, Wise published articles about such diverse subjects as aircraft maintenance, classical music, severe weather, and biography. The Bloomington, Minnesota, native lives in nearby Rosemount with his wife and son.
Jak P. Mallmann Showell
A teacher and science adviser for thirty years, Jak specializes in design technology and computing. His father (also named Jak) was Stabsdieselobermaschnist on U-377. According to the author’s research, the boat was sunk in the North Atlantic by one of its own circling acoustic (T5) torpedoes on January 15, 1944—three months before he was born.
Jak is the author of nearly two dozen books on World War II naval-related matters. His first study, U-boats under the Swastika (Ian Allan Publishing, 1973), is one of the longest selling naval books in Germany; his second, The German Navy in World War Two (Arms and Armour Press, 1979), was named as one of the outstanding books of the year by the United States Naval Institute. Jak works closely with the International Submarine Archive (U-Boot-Archiv) in Germany and has been awarded the Silver U-boat Badge by the German Submariners’ Association in Munich for furthering international relations and maintaining naval traditions. He is widely recognized as a respected authority on the Battle of the Atlantic.
Jordan Vause
A 1978 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Jordan Vause is the author of two books on the Battle of the Atlantic: U-Boat Ace: The Story of Wolfgang Lüth (Naval Institute Press, 1990) and Wolf: U-Boat Commanders in World War II (Naval Institute Press, 1997).
History is fascinating but it doesn’t pay the bills, so in real life Jordan works as an engineer for Lockheed Martin Corporation. He lives in Maryland with his lovely wife Carmel and five charming children, none of whom has the slightest interest in his avocation. He spends his free time reading, working on his genealogy, and trying to get his computer to operate properly.
Keith R. Gill
Keith is the Curator of U-505 and Transportation for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He graduated in 1988 with a BS in Archeaology and Public History from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, and will be awarded his MA in Public History from Loyola University, Chicago, in 2004. Keith was hired at MSI in 1988 as Assistant Registrar and immediately began working with U-505 during the final stages of the 1988 restoration project. His documentation of U-505’s rich history has resulted in the collection of an important archives at MSI. Keith was named Curator of U-505 in 1997.
In 1994, to mark the 50th anniversary of the capture of the boat, Keith returned the starboard diesel engine to operation and has run it on several occasions since. He is currently working on the $35,000,000 restoration effort to move U-505 indoors. His tasks include conducting structural repairs, supervising its move, and repainting and returning its interior and exterior it its 1944 configuration and condition. The other part of Keith’s title (Curator of Transportation), reflects his passion for antique and classic cars; one of his primary responsibilities includes restoring the institution’s 42-car collection.
Keith’s private interests include collecting military souvenirs from the U.S. 76th Infantry Division (in honor of his father’s participation in WWII as a rifleman with that division), and the restoration of his 1956 Triumph TR-3 sports car, which he occasionally drives in vintage races. One day he hopes to open his own micro-brewery. Keith is married to Chris, his wife of eight years, and they have a two-year old daughter named Valerie—the light of their lives.
About the Editor
A 1986 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, Theodore P. Savas operated his own law practice in San Jose, California, for more than a dozen years. He currently teaches evening law-related college classes.
Savas has written many articles for a variety of periodicals, more than 100 book reviews, and has authored, edited and/or co-authored more than a dozen books, including Nazi Millionaires: The Allied Search for Hidden SS Gold (Casemate, 2002), Silent Hunters: German U-Boat Commanders of World War II (Naval Institute Press, 2003), and The Red River Campaign: Union and Confederate Leadership and the War in Louisiana (Parabellum Press, 2003).
Ted lives in El Dorado Hills with his wife Carol and their two children, Alexandra Maria and Demetrious Theodore.
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