And so the long voyage South begins...........on the first evening, the sunset was just like something out of a Turner painting - the reds, pinks etc just magnificant. I remarked as such to the 2nd Officer and he replied "Bernard, I just love the way the light glistens on your stubble and illuminates your baby blue eyes".
Hmmm, I wondered, if he was like this after only one day, this could be a very long voyage indeed. :hmm: I hastily ordered a test dive and hurried down the ladder to the control room. We slowly began to sink below the waves and I took one last, lingering look through the periscope around the forward deck. Suddenly, the soggy figure of Warrant Officer Lutz clinging to the scope hove into view - his teeth clutching a selection of paintbrushes..........
He had been in the middle of finishing a quick watercolour on the foredeck and had been too engrossed to notice the dive. I wearily ordered us back to the surface whilst I decided what to do with Lutz.
I ordered him below and to the forward torpedo room. His cries for the next few hours were pitiful as the "Lords" dealt with him. I shall not go into his punishment but the next morning it was reported that we were now two Bratwursts missing......
I pulled across the curtain on my office and reflected on the calibre of men that the U-boat arm was now attracting............