Comments by Mrs.

Bence Regarding Hosting Cadets From German Cruiser Köln

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1 Jan 1975

ww2dbaseNote: Mrs. Ruth M. Bence was the wife of US Navy Lieutenance Clarence E. Bence. While
stationing at Guam in the Mariana Islands in 1933, they hosted one officer and four cadets from the
visiting German light cruiser Köln. The notes below were provided by Mrs. Bence in 1975 to the United
States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command.

From the writeup I did while I still had the details on tap. My two girls were teenagers at the time.

On June 30th, 1933 the German Cruiser "KOELN" made us a visit on a Round the World Tour. Before it
arrived all officer personnel were asked to entertain an officer or some cadets and be their official hosts
during the visit. We decided to give our teenagers a break & volunteered to entertain 4 cadets, all tall.

Governor and Mrs. Root gave a garden party & reception for the incoming Governor Alexander (both
Root and Alexander were Navy Captains) and the officers & cadets from the KOELN. Clarence & I went to
this affair where we met our four cadets. However, Lieut. Von Mudhlendahl, radio officer on the KOELN,
had himself introduced to Clarence as he wanted to discuss communications with him. It developed that
he had not been assigned to anyone in Guam so we invited him to come home with us also. It was a bit
awkward because evidently officers & cadets did not mingle socially. However after dinner the Knowles
(Navy Doctor) brought down their two cadets and their victrola and the young folks danced at one end
of the lanai (it was 10' wide by 60' long) while the rest of us sipped our drinks and chatted at the other
end.

The KOELN stayed a week & one afternoon the girls & I had coffee aboard with Lt M. and had a partial
tour of the cruiser. Everything was very clean & neat & the crew, working with nothing on above the belt,
were a perfect physical example of what the Nazis were hoping to build as the "Master Race". The cadets
were all on duty. As mascots on the ship they had a lion cub that roamed at will, a kangaroo that did
likewise, and a tiny puppy whose name was "Whiskey". The Lt. was quite annoyed with the lion cub who
had wandered into his room while he was absent and chewed a hole in a woven rug he had bought in
Suva.

Of our four cadets two were German, one Polish & I think the other was Russian. We liked the Lt. very
much. He had spent a couple of years in the US and spoke English very well. He was anxious to get home
and see his first baby, a boy, who had been born during his absence. We had an urgent invitation to visit
him and his family in the Black Forest but never made it and have often wondered what happened to
him and his little family in WWII.

The name on the picture I do not recall. It is likely that these recollections are interesting only to me but
use any part if you wish. I have set down only part of that week which was a series of parties ashore &
on board all week.

"The picture" Mrs. Bence referred to was a gift presented to her by either Lieutenant von Mudhlendahl
or one of the