Bernard and Airplanes...

[RConch]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

....don't mix.
November 1, 1943, late afternoon:
About an hour out of Toulon for my new boat's first Mediterranean patrol with a crew as green as young oak.
The watch sights an aircraft. My IIWO, a young lad named Bernard, elects not to crash dive which is against my standing orders: ANY aircraft sighted outside of port-pull the plug.
It seems that a number of them appeared and when they got closer, he identified them as JU-87 Stukas and elected to remain surfaced.

What he failed to recognize was the white circles with black lines on the wings were Italian markings. You know.....the Italians who were allies until September and last month declared war against Germany.
Only when the sirens started screaming and the bombs started falling, he ordered a crash dive.

Luckily for us, there was only minor damage and a little flooding which was brought under control.
We elected to continue on course to our assigned patrol area after on board repairs were completed. Hopefully, the rest of the patrol will go smoother.

I doubt it.