Although he didn't contribute much, the well respected naval historian, Eric Groves, was in the documentary. He featured strongly in a previous Timewatch programme about the Graf Spee, and the Battle of the River Plate. He has an astounding knowledge of this matter and has written a book about it (The Price of Disobedience). He was clearly very impressed by the humanity of Langsdorff. In the same run, there was a programme about the wreck of the Ark Royal, in the Med., and also about the first confederate sub during the American Civil War, and how it came to sink, following it's attack.
What comes through from all these programmes is that seamen have something of a common bond. One of the pilots from the Ark Royal witnessed the sinking Bismark, and the men dying in the water. He felt glad the Bismark was done for, but so very sad for the crew. In tonight's documentary, it was clear that the initial euphoria of killing the u-boat (after a real feeling of apprehension that the u-boat might get them instead) was quickly folowed by the realisation that they knew that they'd just killed fellow submariners, in the most ghastly way.
This isn't the sort of thing you tend to hear much in people recounting their experiences of the ground war.
My dad was a chaplain for The Missions to Seamen (now called The Mission to Seafarers, I think) for 10 years, so I got to go on-board a couple of diesel subs whilst they were still in commission, and talk to the crew. Ghastly machines. Stuffy, cramped and claustrophobic. A very limited supply of water, and hot-bedding sleeping arrangements. During war-time, they must have been horrific places at times. Must take a very special sort of person.
Anyway; if you get the chance to see the programme, it was well worth it.
Cheers,
Martin
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