Balz's Past Discovered.
Being the officer in charge of cleaning ashtrays at BDU has certain advantages. I was able to look into the confidencial personnel files and found Balz's.
Here are some excerpts:
Johan Sebastian Balz
Borrn: 24 December 1905 in Shanghai where his father was German Consul. His mother claims a bright star shone over the city that night.
1910 --Expelled from Shanghai Deutsche Schule Kindergarten for showing his hoochie-wochie to the girls.
1914 --Balz family returns to Germany.
1917-- Balz's father is killed in France. Mother and young Balz move to Munich.
1921--Balz joins Freikorps.
1923--After failed Munich Beer-Hall Putch, Balz flees Germany and goes to Marieham, Finland where he signs up as apprentice seaman on a Finnish square-rigger doing the Europe-Australia grain run.. The captain of the ship is impressed by Baltz's mathematical ability and makes him a cadet.
1926-- Balz earns mate's certificate and becomes the youngest officer on the Erikson line.
By this time, Balz distinguished himself as a linguist. He speaks, German, Mandarin, Finnish, Russian, Spanish, and French.
1930 -- Balz returns to Germany, joins Kriegsmarine and goes through accelerated course for reserve officers. He is assigned for service in the Soviet Union, where the Kriegsmarine is developing and testing U-boats.
1934 -- Kiel, first officer on U-15
1936--He is assigned to Spain as assistant naval attaché.
1939--Gets command of U-53
1941 --Gets command of U-502
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