Spielberger
Summary
Spielberger was a native of Stuttgart, Germany, and a family man with a wife and daughter who served as an elite member of the Nazi Party’s Waffen SS during World War II. Acting under orders from his superior, Alfred, he was tasked with guarding a tableau painting known as ‘The Twelve Knights Led by Brunhilda’. Utilizing SS authorizations, Spielberger secured passage on the U-boat U-1324 as it departed from the pens at Kiel. The vessel was already escorting Lt. Col Matsuda back to Japan-held Batavia in Indonesia, now Jakarta. In stark contrast to Matsuda, who socialized openly with the crew, Spielberger rarely left his quarters. When he did emerge, it was to voice objections to Captain Wentzel Ahbe’s decision to torpedo a British carrier in the Indian Ocean, arguing that such an action would not alter the war’s outcome. Ahbe was taken aback by Spielberger’s defeatist tone but proceeded with the attack, declaring that unless he received different orders from his superiors, he and his crew would fight to the end. The voyage remained uneventful until the U-1324 was miles from its objective, where it encountered a U.S. Navy patrol searching for Japanese submarines on the surface. Although a torpedo was fired to divert the patrol, one destroyer remained, forcing Ahbe to take the sub into silent running. The destroyer subsequently used active sonar and fired depth charges, sending the U-1324 into a fatal nose-first dive to the ocean floor from which it would never recover. After the sub crashed, Ahbe relieved the surviving crewmembers of their duties, allowing them to face death as they saw fit, noting that Matsuda had already committed seppuku. Ahbe retired to another part of the ship to contemplate his fate but encountered Spielberger, who demanded to know when they would surface. Upon learning the dire news, Spielberger revealed his mission: to deliver the painting and hide it until the Nazis regained power. Disgusted by Spielberger’s attitude, Ahbe suggested that the sub’s sinking might be God’s will for the sacrifices made, and expressed his revulsion at sharing a coffin with an SS officer. Offended by what he perceived as anti-Nazi sentiments, Spielberger ordered Ahbe to retract his statements. Ahbe continued to calmly challenge his antagonist, prompting Spielberger to draw his Luger and shoot Ahbe twice in the head, killing him. Spielberger then attempted suicide, but the U-1324’s crew, having heard the shots, charged in to avenge Ahbe’s murder. Spielberger managed to kill three crew members before being shot himself.
