Tom, I have the book. It took years for the Merchant Marines to be afforded limited wartime VA benefits . I also recommend Operation Drumbeat by Michael Gannon which details the U-boat operations off the East Coast, into the Caribbean up to the Louisiana coast. He researched through interviews of U-Boat crew survivors, the historic record and interviews of Americans involved. The German U-Boats sank over 500 ships killing 5000 mariners during their 6 months campaign just miles off the US coast and through the Caribbean. One ship out of Savannah lost 49 lives when the City of Atlanta was sunk off the Outer Banks. The ineptitude of Admiral King, commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier, in his response was evident and appalling as the ships were largely unprotected. Propaganda by the US to combat the near panic of mariners was mocked by the mariners. One made up event was the alleged sinking of a U-Boat by a Coast Guard crew had the catch phrase, "Sighted sub, sank same" supposedly said by a Coast Guardsman to which the Merchant Mariners responded : "Sighted sub, glub-glub." One infamous sinking happened in shallow water off Jacksonville Beach when U-Boat Captain Rheinhard Hardegen's U-123 torpedoed SS Gulfamerica during the night and placed his sub between the beach and ship and shelled it until it exploded in front of Jax's horrified summertime beach goers. He survived the war and his story was on Youtube. He was inteviewed in Gannon's book. I commend both books to all those interested. Gil
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