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benetofski · 09-18-05, 01:37 PM

For you the game is over, however, you can play all over:

...but imagine what it was really like:

Here is an excerpt from my dear friend Werner Hirschmann's book ('Another Place Another Time') at this precise moment when they received the last message from BdU...

".... Finally, we pick up a somewhat garbled message from BdU. It orders us to surface, to set a black flag, to throw overboard all our ammunition and to wait further orders. So - that's the bitter end!

Shortly after midnight - we are again at 60m - the officers meet to discuss the situation.

It is not easy to follow these last orders and to deliver our battle-proven-boat to the allies.

We ponder all kinds of options: scuttling the boat, Spain, South America, Germany, - nothing is a viable solution. We will after all, obey, as always!

The CO calls the crew together in the Zentrale and makes a short speech explaining the situation. Then, "At 0900, at dawn, we will surface. Everybody will have packed his basic necessities and be ready to abandon ship. Any questions?" Silence. "Dismissed!"

Again we sit in the wardroom and talk about unimportant matters. The mood is tense. Artificial gallows-humour helpds to overcome the bitterness of the situation.

Then it's time for our preparations. The II.WO, (Leutnant Muller), stows all secret books, papers and matters in bags and weighs them down with heavy objects. They are destined to go overboard. The torpedo officer prepares his 'eels' for firing. Ammunition is lugged to the 'Zentrale' . And the men are busy collecting their belongings.

I find myself standing around, somewhat helplessly, as I dont quite know what to do with myself. Joining the others in the packing? Abondoning what has been my world for mor than a Year. The full meaning of the events has not sunk in yet."........

and another excerpt:

....." the news we receive from American radio Stations affects us deeply! we learn that Germany is to be divided into parts each to be occupied by one of the allied powers.".....

We play SH3 as a game - this guy actually played it for REAL!

(and for him and many 'lucky' crews, 'DAT was not quite it!' as the POW system and eventually (if they were really lucky) repatriation was somewhere in their future. In fact the Germany they knew (proud, broken yet resistant) was no more - to be totally plundered and humiliated (spoils of war etc!) by the occupational forces before the Germany that we now know came into being

makes you think eh? :hmm:

09-18-05, 01:37 PM	#4
benetofski Helmsman Join Date: May 2005 Location: Port Perry, Canada Posts: 106 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	For you the game is over, however, you can play all over: ...but imagine what it was really like: Here is an excerpt from my dear friend Werner Hirschmann's book ('Another Place Another Time') at this precise moment when they received the last message from BdU... ".... Finally, we pick up a somewhat garbled message from BdU. It orders us to surface, to set a black flag, to throw overboard all our ammunition and to wait further orders. So - that's the bitter end! Shortly after midnight - we are again at 60m - the officers meet to discuss the situation. It is not easy to follow these last orders and to deliver our battle-proven-boat to the allies. We ponder all kinds of options: scuttling the boat, Spain, South America, Germany, - nothing is a viable solution. We will after all, obey, as always! The CO calls the crew together in the Zentrale and makes a short speech explaining the situation. Then, "At 0900, at dawn, we will surface. Everybody will have packed his basic necessities and be ready to abandon ship. Any questions?" Silence. "Dismissed!" Again we sit in the wardroom and talk about unimportant matters. The mood is tense. Artificial gallows-humour helpds to overcome the bitterness of the situation. Then it's time for our preparations. The II.WO, (Leutnant Muller), stows all secret books, papers and matters in bags and weighs them down with heavy objects. They are destined to go overboard. The torpedo officer prepares his 'eels' for firing. Ammunition is lugged to the 'Zentrale' . And the men are busy collecting their belongings. I find myself standing around, somewhat helplessly, as I dont quite know what to do with myself. Joining the others in the packing? Abondoning what has been my world for mor than a Year. The full meaning of the events has not sunk in yet."........ and another excerpt: ....." the news we receive from American radio Stations affects us deeply! we learn that Germany is to be divided into parts each to be occupied by one of the allied powers."..... We play SH3 as a game - this guy actually played it for REAL! (and for him and many 'lucky' crews, 'DAT was not quite it!' as the POW system and eventually (if they were really lucky) repatriation was somewhere in their future. In fact the Germany they knew (proud, broken yet resistant) was no more - to be totally plundered and humiliated (spoils of war etc!) by the occupational forces before the Germany that we now know came into being makes you think eh? :hmm: __________________ OLt.z.S.Benetschik (Benetofski) [IMG][/IMG] \"U-bootwaffe - eine Gemeinschaft zusammengebracht durch Schicksal\"