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| The last surviving German U-boat captain, who terrorized the Atlantic off North Carolina's Outer Banks early in World War II, has died at age 105. Reinhard Hardegen, who once described his exploits to the Observer decades after the war, died June 9, the Washington Post reported. Hardegen commanded one of the first U-boats Germany deployed to intercept Allied supply lines shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. “I cannot describe the feeling with words, but it was unbelievably beautiful and great,” he later wrote of approaching close enough to see Manhattan's glare from his boat, the New York Times reported. “I would have given away a kingdom for this moment if I had one. We were the first to be here, and for the first time in this war a German soldier looked upon the coast of the U.S.A.” ... For seven months, what would come to be known as the Battle of the Atlantic was focused off Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, claiming hundreds of lives and scattering an estimated 50 to 60 sunken ships on the seabed within 100 miles of the N.C. coast. The area became known as "Torpedo Junction." Residents of Ocracoke Island heard loud explosions at night, saw orange fireballs and smoke from burning ships and found dead sailors on their beaches. The Union Jack still flutters over a cemetery for four British sailors who washed ashore in 1942. |
Earlier this week, a Medal of Honor was awarded to the widow of a WWII soldier. She's 89 and married the guy right after the war, which means she must have gotten married when she was 16 or so.
My wife said to me the other day, the Vietnam vets are starting look like the WWII vets did to us when we were young.
My wife said to me the other day, the Vietnam vets are starting look like the WWII vets did to us when we were young.
After Al Bean passed away on 5/26, I had a moment to think similar thoughts about losing the men that flew Mercury-Gemini-Apollo.
...opened my eyes to what a threat the U-Boats were!
Really a good read, I highly recommend!
Amazingly and thankfully, at the start of WW2 the Germans had less than 50 submarines. If they had the 200 Admiral Donitz wanted, Great Britain may have been starved into submission.
Earlier this week, a Medal of Honor was awarded to the widow of a WWII soldier. She's 89 and married the guy right after the war, which means she must have gotten married when she was 16 or so.
My wife said to me the other day, the Vietnam vets are starting look like the WWII vets did to us when we were young.
Eric - was it Donald Malarkey? I found out recently that he lived a couple streets over from me.
My wife said to me the other day, the Vietnam vets are starting look like the WWII vets did to us when we were young.
Back in the mid 60's, (I was born in 1960) my parents would take us to a local Memorial Day parade. It contained about 200 WW2 Veterans and about 50 WW1 Veterans. Within 10-15 years, all but a handful of WW1 Vets were there. Sad.
My father was too young for WW2.
FWIW, my grandfather was WW1 vet and my father was WW2 vet. My father rarely talked about it at all, even when I asked about it. Grandfather died when I was 4.