Comments by Mrs. Ruth M. Bence, provided in 1975. In 1933
she and her husband, Lieutenant Clarence E. Bence, USN, were
stationed at Guam.
"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."
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