Thanks Martin & Bruce,

I was shocked at how bad my typing is upon re-reading my e-mail after I posted it, but I rushed the post because of the length of it and because I regularly lose my wireless internet connection to my laptop, forcing me to type them over again, from memory.

Several times I typed "un" rather than the intended "up" (as in carried "up' the jacobs ladder... and cutting "up" aircraft). The "p" is nowhere near the "N" on the keyboard, which shows the defective way my brain is wired to my fingers. And I can not explain how I spelled his "wife as a war widow" (among many other spelling/typing mistakes).

Anyway, I just wanted to add a few things Walter told me which I have since remembered. Walter said they issued special soap for bathing with salt water, and that they were allowed a brief shower every other week, with salt water heated by the diesel engines' cooling system. He also said that certain "crawling" STDs were common due to the shared toilet facilities, shared bedding and close personal contact, exactly as portrayed in Das Boot.

Relative to the ramming of U-444 by the HMS Harvester, that did not appear to have breached the pressure hull in a significant way. Walted did not describe a great in-rush of sea water following the collision, so the saddle tank may have been fatally compromised, making her sinking inevitable, but the pressure hull did not sound to be opened to the sea. Walter said that when he got topside (through diagrams I drew with his assistance), it appeared that the U-444 and HMS Harvester were along side each other, port to port at an angle, facing opposite directions, with the stern of the Harvester resting across and over the bow of the U-444. Walter did not know how they were stuck together but possible fouled between one of the destroyer's propellers and/or rudder, and the U-444's bow diving planes and/or bow aerial/jumping wire. That is only speculation on our part. Walter does not know, but it is possible that the Commander of U-444 turned into the approaching Harvester after surfacing as she tried to ram the U-444, in order to reduce the impact as a glancing blow, rather than a 90 degree inpact with Harvester's bow into the U-444's saddle tank. Once again, that is only speculation based upon Walter's description of what he saw. The Harvester's Court-of-Inquiry findings might shed further light on that possibility.

On review of my notes, that is about all I can add from my interview with Walter, but I will certainly call him for further details if anyone wants to post with a particular question.

Regards,

Paul