Fishermen

Going fishing. That’s what they would say [chuckles]. The thing I remember most about my first boat wasn’t the stench, they gave us something for that, but how dark it was.

[pause] Me and the new lads had never seen the new Wal-class Uboat before, so you must understand our shock when we first saw it through the viewing port. A huge black tub, with the tower squatting at the end.

Lieutenant Evans told us that noises could still be heard from inside. I remember that we laughed, as young men do when they don’t understand something. A hundred and fifty boche packed into that thing, still making a fuss after two months sat on the seabed? Ridiculous if you asked me. [coughs]

Funny thing is when cracking [a Uboat] you never knew exactly what you’d find on the other side, but after a while the gear check became routine. Didn’t matter if she’d been down two days or two months, you packed the same way. Usually I’d take a machine pistol, three spare chargers and a couple of Mills bombs. No point carrying half the armoury, you only took what you could fight with. Anything more and you’d regret it once you were inside.

[clears throat] We were wiry young lads so we didn’t want to take that much with us anyway, and also no loose webbing or straps because you’d get stuck on protruding pipes and the like.

Of course you’re nervous, we all were, but we dealt with it in our own ways. You couldn’t really afford to think about it in the moment, you just had to do your job and make sure the man in front of you and behind you did theirs.

[Cigarette break]

(Excerpt from interview with remaining Submarine Boarding Section members, 12th April 1967)

Part of the ongoing Adlerdämmerung project.