[Steeltrap]

I've got Cremer's book, titled "U-333: the story of a u-boat ace" here in Australia.

I've used it as a reference for a few things, including comments on 'crash dive' etc.

He was defended by Doenitz's son-in-law (which probably didn't hurt his cause...). Spreewald failed to follow the correct procedure for a blockade runner and that was why Cremer was exonerated.

It's a sad chapter in what is, ultimately, a sad story in all (namely, the waste of lives and effort).

Cremer comes across as a decidedly humane person. He was interviewed for "The World at War" series, narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier. The fact that he and the skipper of the corvette that rammed him exchanged Christmas cards/letters for the rest of their lives speaks volumes for the 'different' nature of the war at sea.

That tanker that rammed him did so by accident. The tanker was changing course by up to 90 degrees (!!) every half hour or so, and put its wheel hard over just as u-333 was preparing to attack it. Cremer rather wryly concludes it was probably the best result for all concerned: she was full of avgas - at that range, Cremer concluded, they would ALL have been blown to bits!! He also kept in touch with her skipper after the war, too (amazingly, that tanker survived the war unscathed - she was double-hulled, so going over the u-333 didn't breach her inner hull....the prop chewed up the conning tower rather well!!).

A great read. I recommend it to anyone.