This is the part of the book I've always been suspicious of since I first read it years ago.The author describes sinking a US destroyer on Christmas Eve 1942...
Quote:
The range was 400 yards; we could get no closer, for
300 yards was the danger limit. If we had gone much
nearer, with all the explosive we had on board we should
have been in danger from the shock-wave of our own
torpedo. Many U-boats were in fact lost this way.
Suddenly there was a flash of red, blue, yellow, green,
and an enormous waterspout came tumbling down. In a
minute or two the dark shadow ahead had disappeared.
More than that, there wasn't a lifeboat, not a raft, not
a sign of life of any kind. Sunk without trace as she was,
it was pointless to look for survivors.
It had been an even chance whether we or the enemy
were going to go to the bottom, and fate had decided
to send them there. However, that was how we did in
fact spend our Christmas 1942.
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A pretty vivid description, but according to records there were no US or Allied destroyer sunk on that date.