Peter Cremer U333. book.

[flag4]

have recently finished Peter Cremer U333 The Story of a U Boat Ace.
and although it was not an exciting read i thoroughy enjoyed it and was sad as i turned onto the last page.
it is very well written and sits along side 'Iron Coffins' except Cremer's come with appendixes, references, dates of comformation etc, and would appear to be true!
he starts his story in '43 and weaves back and to from there forward. my paperback came with the photos lumped in the middle; always dissapointing! but great photos all the same.
he took some disturbing/bizaar risks ? - i would say, and nearly died several times and the photos bear witness to the unbeleievable destruction his boat took and came back alive. but hey - i just play simulation!
his crew adored him and because of his luck of wich he was born with tons of, he was known as 'life insurance' if you went to his boat as crew.
he treated his men well.
i think in 1944 he was transfered to the much lauded Electro Boats. these were going to turn the War around for Donitz, but came too late.
though it does appear that the British Admiralty had serious concerns about these 'wonder boats.' some tests in 1942 had given speeds up to 28 knots under water!
...but all too late.
somewhat poignantly he says ' i was indeed one of the Old Guard and the only one to have survived on that coast (France) since 1941.'
to think that all his friends had been killed or imprisoned by then is startling and sad. ( yes, i know it was WWII!)
there is much more besides in this book and to go on here with it would spoil it for others, like for instance, the final outcome for his beloved boat U333 - 'the three little fishes'
if you have not read it then get a copy from Amazon through Subsim - i got mine for a couple of pence.
it is well worth a read.
on the back of my copy it says 'HIS STORY IS ONE OF CONSISTENT, OUTSTANDING BRAVERY - AND OF LUCK.'
you do have to read it to beleive it!

Excellent book and several orders of magnitude better than Werner's Iron Coffins as a first-person account of the U-Boat war, in my opinion.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

Excellent book and several orders of magnitude better than Werner's Iron Coffins as a first-person account of the U-Boat war, in my opinion.

^^What he said.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

Excellent book and several orders of magnitude better than Werner's Iron Coffins as a first-person account of the U-Boat war, in my opinion.

Most definitely

[Kapt Z]

One of my favorites....

[flag4]

..i know the Jürgen Rohwer stuff about Iron Coffins -
Werner made the almighty clunker of saying it was all true
and what a pack of lies most/if-not-all of it turned out to be. yet it is a damned fine story - well written and a strong feeling for its subject matter. it is one of my favorites and what H.Werner did is his business - i was not with him as he wrote it or as he went through it.
condemming is easy, understanding is difficult, and i dont condone what he did.