[Sophist]

I'm so sorry Italian friends! I really didn't mean it to be a nationalist insult!

It was indeed a narrative embellishment, as Pisces mentioned, a reference to the perceived performance of Italian submariners in the North Atlantic. It didn't even occur to me that it might be taken badly.

No one should be ashamed to be Italian - it is a fine country with fine people.

A thousand apologies.

I edited the original thread to remove the offending bit. A darn shame my carelessness turned this thread from being a fun little KTB to a what it is. I indeed deserve appellation "stupid".

(Admins, feel free to scrub the thread after a few days to give folks the chance to see my redaction. I'll take no offense.)

Edit: Sorry for the delay. I don't check the forum every day.