The raider KMS Widder, also known as Schiff (Ship) 21, was the third to start hunting. Widder was originally the freighter Neumark and built in 1930 by Howaldtswerke in Kiel. Reserve Lt-Commander Hellmuth von Ruckteschell was chosen to command Widder, which departed from Kiel on 5 May 1940 to start her 180-day long voyage.
Widder was attacked by a British submarine only seven hours and twenty-nine minutes after her departure from Kiel. She fended off two more attempts and quickly sank her first victim on 13 June in central north Atlantic, her designated operational area. Within a month Ruckteschell eliminated three more ships. By then Widder had many prisoners and the temperamental Ruckteschell decided to get rid of them by letting them go 240 miles from the Lesser Antilles.
Ruckteschell was, to say the least, an interesting character. A participant at Jutland and later U-boat commander, Ruckteschell was highly intellectual and temperamental, traits that alienated him from his men and led to some of his most controversial and eccentric actions (he once used Widder's propeller to pulverize a deserted lifeboat, and called for death penalty for a dozing lookout).
Meanwhile, Widder perfected her technique and usually attacked at night. On 4 August the British Beaulieu was sunk, her survivors left drifting some 1,200 miles from the closest land. Four days later the Dutch Oostplein was sunk, this time the survivors were rescued by the raider. Ruckteschell got his eighth ship on 21 August, the British Anglo Saxon, and left the survivors floating some 800 miles from the Canaries. The moody captain had a hard time explaining his action to his crew. After much urging from his executive officer, Günter Heinicke, Ruckteschell spent some four hours to pick up survivors from Widder's nineth victim, which had radioed. Thus Rucktschell hurried southward to sink his tenth victim to draw attention before returning northward to meet his tanker.
Like KMS Orion, Widder's mechanical problems gave numerous nightmares to her captain. Burned-out bearings and the deficient steam engine slowed the ship to merely five knots. Ruckteschell decided to return home, after sinking ten ships in less than three months, and wrecking havoc of Allied shipping. The captain, determined to sink 200,000 tons of shipping, was to take command of another raider, KMS Michel, in less than two months after Widder's return to France on 31 October 1940.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of KMS Widder.
	An overview of the tactics used by the raiders that led to their enormous success.
	A map showing Widder's journey.
	Hellmuth von Ruckteschell (right), captain of Widder and Michel, with his navigator, Ludwig Rödel.
	During the last leg of her voyage home Widder was disguised to represent the Spanish government steamer Neptuno of Bilbao.
	Two well-concealed 150mm guns on Widder in action.
	Widder off Bergen on 8 May 1940. There is nothing about her to show what she really was.
	The Hamburg America Line turbine steamer Neumark which became Widder. She was the only German auxiliary cruiser to servive the war.
	Widder disguised as Ulysses.

Back to German Auxiliary Cruisers Page
Back to Kriegsmarine Page
Back to Homepage