Just a question

[Adrian Stevenson]

He is a former Soviet POW who volunteered for service in the Heer. Ignore all the wild internet theories on this pic.

Bear in mind the USSR was made up of many diferent nationalities: not all were Slavs.

Cheers, Ade.

[Franz1944]

Thanks ade, some were pretty out there and were hard for me to believe.

[emileverbunt]

Stalin forcibly deported some 200.000 Koreans from the Soviet Far East to Kazakstan, probably not in luxury liners. It is not surprising some Korean POW's were easily convinced, by the Germans, to change uniform. This to their regret, when confronted by the NKVD after may 1945!

Cheers,
Emile

[ObKrieger]

Very interesting stuff guys,

I always assumed that the Korean guy just ended up in one of the Osttruppen battalions in Normandy.

[Adrian]

Here is the photo I mentioned earlier of the crew of the 'THOR' in front of Mount Fuji.
It is posted with thanks to and with the full permission of the owner, Martin Westley.
Martin is a dedicated Kriegsmarine collector who has a particular interest in the Auxiliary Cruisers. He also added that the crewmen of the 'THOR' were billeted in the Hakone Hotel by Lake Ashii and in his collection there are documents issued in Yokohama to a crew member of the afore mentioned vessel.
Auxiliary Cruisers 'THOR' and 'MICHEL' operated out of Japan.

[ObKrieger]

Great photo! Tell Mr. Westley that I said thanks.

What were tha fates of these vessels and their crew?

[Woolgar]

Very interesting Adrian, glad you could get the photo to show

Here is the said hotel today, looks a bit different I'm sure!

I am a bit of a hotel geek !

Built upon the shore overlooking the sparkling waters of the Lake Ashi, the Hakone Hotel shines like the most precious stone in the region. When the majestic view of Mt. Fuji shows up over the Lake Ashi, it adds a breathtaking moment to the guests' stays. Since its establishment in 1923, the Hakone Hotel has drawn many guests home and abroad with its incomparable hospitality and service. Fully renovated in 1992, the Hakone Hotel offers a wide variety of modern guestrooms. There are 50 guestrooms ranging from standard twin-bedded room to Suites, for a maximum of 100 guests. The stay at the Hakone Hotel is not just a stay but an experience.

[ObKrieger]

Wow, it looks like these guys had a rough time. Here is what I found out about them with a quick search (taken from Wikipedia):

"Thor arrived in Yokohama on 9 October 1942 where she commenced refitting in preparation for a third voyage. However on 30 November a series of explosions on the supply ship Uckermark destroyed her superstructure, sending a large amount of burning debris onto Thor, which was moored alongside.[6] Both ships were rapidly set ablaze, along with the Nankin/Leuthen and the Japanese freighter Unkai Maru. All four ships were destroyed in the fire, and twelve of Thor's crew were killed. Thor was wrecked beyond repair, and was abandoned. Her captain, Kapitän zur See (Captain) Gumprich, later commanded the raider Michel on her second raiding voyage, from which he did not return.

A number of survivors of the ship were sent to France on the blockade runner Doggerbank and perished when the ship was mistakenly sunk by the German submarine U-43 on 3 March 1943 with all but one of the 365 strong crew lost at sea."

[don_kihotis7]

German and Japanese sailors during a u-boat mission to japan in 1943

[don_kihotis7]

There is also one very nice photo of German and Japanese sailors in this thread. If you are a member of this forum you can take a look at it.
Atlantik-Pirat Kriegsmarine Forum. :: Log in
I would like to post it here but i don't have permission.

The description says: "This photo is taken from the photo-album of Martin Wagner, crewmember on U 510, he is the one in the middle - between the two Japanese sailors."