U-35 crewmember Kurt Grosser

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U-35 crew member Kurt Grosser

Kurt Grosser on U-35 in a pre-war photo. [38]

The crew of U-35, including Kurt Grosser, upon return from the first war patrol. Unfortunately, Mr. Grosser had momentarily turned his head at the time of the photo. [33,cover photo of 32]

Another photograph taken of the U-35 crew, including Kurt Grosser upon return from the first war cruise. [35]

The crew of U-35 arriving at a Scottish port after being captured. Front row: Johannes Weigand,Siegfried Bruse, Martin Müller, Karl Sommerer, Theodor Schütt, Albert Schrader, Kurt Grosser, and Paul Fichte [33,38]

Another photo of the crew of U-35 after being captured. Karl Sommerer, Theodor Schütt, Albert Schrader, Kurt Grosser, and Paul Fichte.

Upon capture, Kurt Grosser was assigned POW Number 37315.

Kurt Grosser's POW photo, 1940. [33]

U-35 crewmembers assembled at the Grande-Ligne
POW camp in Quebec, Canada, 1944.

Back row, left to right: Gerhard Freier, Heinz Erchen, Hans-Joachim Roters, Gerhard Stamer, Paul Fichte
Front row (seated), left to right: Albert Schrader, Siegfried Kienast, Werner Lott, Peter Schwarz, [33]

Kurt Grosser

Another photo of POWs at Grande-Ligne. Left to right: Paul Fichte, Fuchs, Kurt Grosser, Siegfried Kienast, Gilbert.

Another photo of U-35 crewmembers at Grande-Ligne. Left to right: Siegfried Kienast, Peter Schwarz, Albert Schrader, Gerhard Freier, Paul Fichte, Kurt Grosser.

A photo of POWs at Grande-Ligne. Included in the picture from U-35: Kurt Grosser, Paul Fichte, Peter Schwarz, Siegfried Kienast, Albert Schrader, and Gerhard Freier.

A photo of POWs in Bowmanville. Kurt Grosser is seated, on the left. Paul Fichte is seated, on the right. Peter Schwarz is standing, on the right.

Siegfried Bruse is standing, third from left.

Another photo of POWs in Bowmanville. Kurt Grosser is standing, in the center. Paul Fichte is seated, on the left. Peter Schwarz is seated, on the

right. Siegfried Bruse is standing, on the right.

Kurt Grosser was released from captivity on 21 January 1947. He got married shortly thereafter to Adelheid Auer, whom he had met and fell in love with in 1938, in

their home town of Dresden
. A year later he was called upon to work in a Russian labor camp, so they fled to the western zone of Germany.

At the Bruse residence in 1973. Left picture: Front: Werner Lott and his wife Inge. Back: Siegfried Bruse and his wife Ingelore, Adelheid Grosser, Hans-Joachim

"Jonny" Roters
.

Right picture: Werner Lott, Hans-Joachim "Jonny" Roters, Kurt Grosser, Siegfried Bruse. [20]

At the home of Gerhard Stamer in 1978. Clockwise from left: Erika Bruse, Siegfried Bruse, [not yet identified], Irma Stamer, Ingelore Bruse,

Gerhard Stamer, Kurt Grosser. [20]

Kurt Grosser at a reunion of the U-35 crew. [54]

Kurt Grosser with wife, Adelheid Grosser, in 1997.

Adelheid and Kurt Grosser, in 1999.

For two years before retirement, Kurt Grosser was employed at BFW Vallendar at the direction of Werner Lott. They have a daughter, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, and are enjoying retirement in Germany. [33]

Kurt Grosser, Willi Jacob, and Chief Yeoman Warder Tom Sharp at the Tower of London, 28 November 2001.

Kurt Grosser passed away on 28 June 2010; he was a major contributor to this website.

In memory of Kurt Grosser, 1916-2010.

Though we had been in letter contact, I first met Kurt in 2001 for the filming of "The Tower" documentary in London, in which he and Willi Jacob were interviewed as former prisoners in the Tower of London; they provided memorable recollections for the documentary. Kurt had not visited the Tower since his imprisonment in 1939, so his 2001 "interrogation" held particular significance.

Kurt's holding cell remains standing, unlike Willi's, whose holding cell had been destroyed by the war. Upon entering the room that held Kurt prisoner over sixty years ago, I stood in awe as his demeanor changed. He sat at a specific corner window and reminisced about his feelings as a prisoner in December 1939, looking outside that window toward freedom he was not to enjoy for years. Fortunately for us, that scene was included in the documentary.

Kurt also provided me some of the most interesting recollections for the history of U-35. For example, Kurt was an orderly in charge of the laundry at the Bowmanville

POW camp for German officers in Canada. He admitted to having overlooked a red sock in a load of white laundry, and how the General had to play tennis in a pinkish-white shirt as a result. Another example: Kurt was proud that he was not prone to sea-sickness; on one pre-war training exercise on U-35, he enjoyed a feast of freshly prepared sausages when nobody else could stomach them due to sea sickness.