Quote:
Originally Posted by BillCar
My grandfather served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1940-1945, and I asked him about this this afternoon! His opinion certainly is that a U-Boat trying to carry on on the surface against a convoy at that point in the war was asking to be destroyed. He served on four ships (two Flower corvettes, two Tribal destroyers), and saw quite a few U-Boats destroyed – one of those was on the surface, destroyed through his fire direction (he ran the radar gunnery on HMCS Haida and HMCS Huron for his respective assignments to each ship).
The book is kind of chilling to read, because one gets the impression that BdU knew they were passing on lethal advice to inexperienced crews, but they were willing to sacrifice the subs and men so long as they could get two or three ships sunk instead of one in a convoy. Of course, that gamble was always being played, but at that stage of the war, it was becoming pretty certain that if you wanted to play with a convoy on the surface for multiple attacks, you were going to the bottom soon afterwards.
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WOW!
you should/must get your grandfather to tell all into a recording devise, recounting all the detail he remembers. it was a fascinating time and turning point in a pivotal war of the 20th century. i have read alot about the convoys, the merchant men, the navies that fought on both sides, but i bet nothing compares to a first hand account!!
my grandfather was in the german army and, at one point, fought in norway - i have seen the black and white photo's of him. at some point on his return he was captured by the russians later in the war and escaped when his captor got drunk. when the war was over he walked back to austria so as to clear his head - everything in ruins. he died before i got chance to ask him about it all. he would relay these events to my mother as she fell asleep for bed time stories!!
talk to your grandfather alot!!