Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
RE: Mysterious U-boat??
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: February 28, 2001 04:12AM
Hi Michael,
I\'ll send you what I have on the Archie Gibbs story tomorrow. I have been researching U-126 for a while. My dad was Third Engineer on the SS Cardonia when it was sunk by U-126 March 7, 1942. Dad survived but has since passed away. I am currently writing my family history.
My compliments for finding the story. It is fairly obscure though it is mentioned in a couple U-boat books as well as a couple of books on U.S. merchant ships sunk or damaged during the war.
The U-boat that picked up Archie Gibbs was definitely U-126. The incidents he describes in his interrogation by U.S. Intelligence are exactly matched by entries in U-126\'s KTB which I also have, including U-126 being attacked by a plane while she was on the surface transferring torpedoes from the outside storage containers to the bug room with Archie Gibbs on board. The story in his book \"U-boat Prisoner\", published during the war is a little different from the story he told the Navy when he was questioned, but the main facts are quite verifiable. It looks like there was more than a little literary license taken with his story but I find it interesting none the less, particularly since it was published during the war. A movie was also made from the book & released during the war but it bears no resemblance to the actual story. They took the general plot of an American merchant seaman having his ship shot out from under him and then being picked up by the U-boat that did it and made up a story to go with it. The movie (which I also have) is even less factual than the U-571 movie, if you can imagine that. It is so bad I laughed most of the way through it.
Judging from your other posts, you seem to be writing a lot of books at the same time. Have you written other books?
Regards,
Ken Dunn
I\'ll send you what I have on the Archie Gibbs story tomorrow. I have been researching U-126 for a while. My dad was Third Engineer on the SS Cardonia when it was sunk by U-126 March 7, 1942. Dad survived but has since passed away. I am currently writing my family history.
My compliments for finding the story. It is fairly obscure though it is mentioned in a couple U-boat books as well as a couple of books on U.S. merchant ships sunk or damaged during the war.
The U-boat that picked up Archie Gibbs was definitely U-126. The incidents he describes in his interrogation by U.S. Intelligence are exactly matched by entries in U-126\'s KTB which I also have, including U-126 being attacked by a plane while she was on the surface transferring torpedoes from the outside storage containers to the bug room with Archie Gibbs on board. The story in his book \"U-boat Prisoner\", published during the war is a little different from the story he told the Navy when he was questioned, but the main facts are quite verifiable. It looks like there was more than a little literary license taken with his story but I find it interesting none the less, particularly since it was published during the war. A movie was also made from the book & released during the war but it bears no resemblance to the actual story. They took the general plot of an American merchant seaman having his ship shot out from under him and then being picked up by the U-boat that did it and made up a story to go with it. The movie (which I also have) is even less factual than the U-571 movie, if you can imagine that. It is so bad I laughed most of the way through it.
Judging from your other posts, you seem to be writing a lot of books at the same time. Have you written other books?
Regards,
Ken Dunn
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Mysterious U-boat??
|
Michael | 02/27/2001 02:43PM |
|
RE: Mysterious U-boat??
|
Rainer Bruns | 02/27/2001 03:31PM |
|
RE: Mysterious U-boat??
|
Ken Dunn | 02/28/2001 04:12AM |