Undeadsailor I can't answer your question, though it brings up another interesting question, and that is this--How many U-boat men are actually alive still? I'd imagine that there are just a handful of U-boat veterans who are still alive.
Damn, it's like when I was a kid and used to talk to my Grandfather (he was a Marine in the Pacific)--I wish I would have picked his brain about his experiences more. Of course, he might not have shared his experiences with me more than he did when I was a kid, but still......I found his discharge papers when he'd died and I really wish I had more time to talk to him about that aspect of his life--especially when I was older and capable of putting the stories he told me when I was a kid in a historical context.
I view veterans of the Second World War as a limited and valuable resource. If you know one, listen to them regardless of what they share--being old IS lonely. If they share their first hand expeirences with you, consider yourself blessed. It's a portion of history that is rapidly becoming the domain of historians and not that of those who actually participated.
Alright, my rant is over. Carry on.
J
Edit: Yea, you know my English
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