
The incredible tale of the last Nazi to surrender after World War Two has been revealed by his son.

Lieutenant Wilhelm Dege's story has been previously untold outside Germany, but he is thought to be the last ever German soldier to succumb to allied forces.

In an exclusive interview, Eckbart Dege, 74, whose father was awarded Germany's highest medal the Iron Cross, described in detail the precise historic moment his father, the last active German soldier, finally handed over his pistol.

Lieutenant Wilhelm Dege's story has been previously untold outside of Germany, but he is thought to be the last ever German soldier to succumb to allied forces - four months after the official end of the war in Europe

In an exclusive interview, Eckbart Dege, 74, whose father was awarded Germany's highest medal the Iron Cross, described in detail the precise historic moment his father, the last active German soldier, finally handed over his pistol.

The lighter side of life at Worldie Bay as H. Semkat (left) and H. Reyer (right) hold two young polar bears

A. Baumann in front of the instrument shelter - to fight effectively, the Germans were forced to establish their own weather station in the Arctic

The retired German academic's father led Operation Haudegen, which was a German meteorological observation post in the Arctic.

Upon war being declared in 1939, the German military High Command could no long obtain the necessary observations through the international meteorological network which were controlled and encrypted by the allies.

To fight effectively, the Germans were forced to establish their own weather station in the Arctic.

Weather reports were so crucial to German military strategy, Lieutenant Dege was commissioned to lead Operation Haudegen, which established a base on the remote Norwegian peninsular of Svalbard, near the North Pole.

Upon war being declared in 1939, the German military High Command could no long obtain the necessary observations through the international meteorological network which were controlled and encrypted by the Allies

Such was the remoteness of their camp, the soldiers were forced to carry out their own dentistry and here H. Reyer gets his tooth pulled out by A. Baumann while Dr Dege watches on

Weather reports were so crucial to German military strategy, Lieutenant Dege was commissioned to lead Operation Haudegen, which established a base on the remote Norwegian peninsular of Svalbard, near the North Pole

They transmitted reports for a year from August 5, 1944 until the eleven-man team learned of the German surrender from their wireless transmitter in May 1945

After twelve gruelling months surviving Polar bear attacks and being under constant threat of British Commando ambushes, they were ordered to destroy all their scientific and communications equipment

The marooned soldiers were left with only a rowboat until a tiny Norwegian sealer called Blasel, arrived on September 3 1945 to take the men of Haudegen back to Norway

They transmitted reports for a year from August 5, 1944 until the eleven-man team learned of the German surrender from their wireless transmitter in May 1945.

After twelve gruelling months surviving Polar bear attacks and being under constant threat of British Commando ambushes, they were ordered to destroy all their scientific and communications equipment.

The marooned soldiers were left with only a rowboat until a tiny Norwegian sealer boat called Blasel, arrived on September 3 1945 to take the men of Haudegen back to Norway.

Dr Dege told the tale of the comedic scene on the night of his father's surrender.

'My father and his comrade Reyer went to the beach to greet the Norwegians,' he said.

'The captain, L. Albertsen of Tromsø, and the cook of the ship rowed ashore.

'My father greeted them in English, but the captain was totally confused, since he did not understand English.

'Then my father switched to Norwegian, which he spoke fluently, having been interpreter in the German Army in Norway from 1940 to 1943.'

Lieutenant Dege's son Dr Dege told the tale of the comedic scene on the night of his father's surrender

Dege and his comrade Reyer (pictured one from left) went to the beach to greet the Norwegians. Pictured here (left to right) is H. Semkat, H. Reyer, A. Baumann, H. Grams and H. Schneider

After greeting the Norwegians on the beach, the captain, L. Albertsen of Tromsø, and the cook of the ship rowed ashore

The last Nazi greeted them in English, but the captain was totally confused, since he did not understand English

He then switched to Norwegian, which he spoke fluently, having been interpreter in the German Army in Norway from 1940 to 1943.

'He asked the captain: "Shall we start our official business right here on the beach or may I invite you to our station for a coffee and a schnapps?".

'The Norwegian captain answered: "Real coffee and a good German schnapps? Yes, of course." So the Haudegen people treated the Norwegians to all the good food, drinks, cigarettes they still had in their provisions.

'In the early morning hours of September 4, 1945 the Norwegian captain became a bit nervous.

My father asked: "What is the matter?"

'The captain answered: "The Navy authorities in Norway have ordered me to first ask you to surrender".

'My father then replied: "Why don't you ask me?", to which the captain said, "I don't know how such things are done".

He asked the captain: "Shall we start our official business right here on the beach or may I invite you to our station for a coffee and a schnapps?"

The Norwegian captain answered: "Real coffee and a good German schnapps? Yes, of course." So the Haudegen people treated the Norwegians to all the good food, drinks, cigarettes they still had in their provisions

In the early morning hours of September 4, 1945, the Norwegian captain became a bit nervous. Dege asked asked him what was wrong

'My father answered "I don't know either" and took his pistol from his holster, put it on the table, pushed it over to the Norwegian captain and said "With this I surrender".

'The Norwegian captain was very astonished. All he could say, was "May I keep the pistol?".

'Then my father formulated a document of surrender in Norwegian, which both men signed.

'That was the surrender of the last German military unit of WWII – in many ways a strange surrender.'

The captain sheepishly admitted The Navy authorities in Norway had ordered him to first ask Dege to surrender his weapons - some of which were found in a cave under the station (pictured) 40 years after the war ended.

The father of Dr Dege, pictured here with the discovered weapons in 1985 alongside Norwegian Defence Museum's Jon Ulvens, told the captain to ask him for his surrender

The captain did not know what to do, saying he was not sure how it was done, and the camp was still standing in 2005 (pictured here)

Dege answered 'I don't know either' and took his pistol from his holster, put it on the table, pushed it over to the Norwegian captain and said 'With this I surrender'. Soldiers' diaries were also found in 1985.

After their return to civilian life Wilhelm Dege and his unit tried to meet up every year after the war for a reunion although this was dangerously complicated during the Cold War with tensions high between East and West Germany.

'The year these eleven men spent in cramped quarters in a hostile environment of cold, gales and darkness shows how superb camaraderie and an understanding leadership were able to maintain high morale and helped the group to master the horrors of the Arctic night,' Eckart said.

'In the beginning yearly reunions of the Haudegen men only took place in East Germany.

'The West German 'Haudegen' men were always invited to join, but nobody dared to travel there because of the Cold War politics of the time.

'In 1984, a few years after the death of my father in 1979, I accepted an invitation from the East German Haudegen men and joined their reunion with my family.

After their return to civilian life Wilhelm Dege and his unit tried to meet up every year after the war for a reunion although this was dangerously complicated during the Cold War with tensions high between East and West Germany (pictured left to right - H. Schneider, S. Czapka, W. Schlösser, H. Reyer)

Dr Dege said: 'The year these eleven men spent in cramped quarters in a hostile environment of cold, gales and darkness shows how superb camaraderie and an understanding leadership were able to maintain high morale and helped the group to master the horrors of the Arctic night.' (Pictured left-right H. Schneider, S. Czapka, W. Schlösser, H. Reyer)

In 1984, a few years after the death of his father in 1979, Eckhart Dege (pictured) accepted an invitation from the East German Haudegen men and joined their reunion with my family

Dr Wilhelm Dege with his wife Liselotte Dege and son Eckart Dege in a picture taken during the leave before the Haudegen mission in summer 1944

'Then we were given a tip that the East German State Security the Stasi had watched these forbidden 'military comrades' reunions' and were planning a raid for the next reunion.

'So these Haudegen reunions came to an abrupt end. A few years after German reunification the tradition of yearly reunions was taken up again.

'With fewer and fewer Haudegen members alive, these reunions have come to a natural end.