General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: U Boat Groupes
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: January 09, 2001 08:06PM
<HTML>Hi Willy,
I am also a member of @#$%&, however, I have never taken one of their tours.
They are not an on-line organization. All you will find on their web site is basic info on who they are and what they do. However, you must at least click on “about us†and “tours†on their home page for answers to your questions. All the comments I have heard about their tours have been favorable so far.
You won’t meet anybody for $50.00 though. The foreign tours cost around $2000.00 or so (and I don’t know if it includes airfare), I think. The price is different each time depending on where they are going, when they go, etc. They are not cheap but nothing else is either. You can purchase videotapes of most of the tours they have taken from them. They arrange for WWII veterans to meet with their group during a tour, usually for dinner and drinks. I am not sure how often during the tour. They are not all U-boat veterans and they may or may not be famous. I don’t think the veterans travel with the tour but you will have to ask them about that. They have another group called EagleHunters that is interested in the Luftwaffe. Which veterans you meet depends on where the tour goes. There are U.S. veterans as well. Some of the tours are in the U.S. They do seem to get into places the general public can’t though.
I think what most people have a problem with is really their style of writing. You will see something like “we are the greatest†plastered all over everything. When you get into it a bit, you will find that they do have something to brag about though. You just have to determine what it is worth to you.
I suspect if you e-mail, call or write them they would send you a sample newsletter (they call it a KT
. They have a price stamped on them so, at a minimum they should sell you one for a few dollars. The printing quality is poor at best. The pictures are usually very poor. I have found the articles very interesting so far. They come in installments spread over multiple KTBs. I have not found any errors in the articles yet. I have only been a member for a few months.
If you look at their site and click on “about us†you will find out who is on the advisory board, etc. You will be surprised at some of the names, some of them are famous people. If you click on “Tours†you can see info on their next tour. Click on “Previous History Tours†on the top of that page to see a summary of the tours they have already taken.
This is a “for profit†company, so they have to pay all of their operating expenses and still make a profit to stay in business. They sell all kinds of junk (mugs, prints, etc.) to this end. They do, however, donate some of their profit to the U-boat Memorial in Germany.
Basically, their “product†is their newsletter and their tours and anything else they can sell. I understand that in the past they have forwarded letters to U-boat vets for a price. They do bring veterans from all sides together and that is worth a lot. Their motto is something like “yesterdays enemies are today’s friendsâ€.
As far as I can tell, the veterans meet with the tours out of the kindness of their hearts. I don’t think they get anything else out of it except possibly a free membership and the chance to talk to other people that are interested in their experiences.
Their next tour is not going anywhere I want to go, otherwise I might join it myself.
From the sound of your questions, I don’t think this organization is for you, but check it out yourself before you make a decision. It pretty well boils down to this: They do offer opportunities I don’t think you can find anywhere else. They do meet with U-boat veterans, sometimes very famous ones and you are not likely to find another way to do this. It is expensive, but in just a few years, none of the WWII veterans are going to be with us.
In a way Mr. Helgason has spoiled us. He runs this excellent web site out of his own pocket and does an outstanding job at it. We have had a free ride for a long time now. Where else do you find extremely high quality for free? The answer is nowhere! The rest of the world doesn’t work that way. @#$%& is no exception. The fact that they make a profit shouldn’t be an issue as long as they do it honestly and don’t exploit the vets. You must however, decide the quality of their product for yourself.
One more thing guys, I am not @#$%&’s spokesman. I am just rendering my opinion here and it is based on a pretty short exposure to @#$%&. The last time I answered a post about @#$%&, I got so much flak that I was embarrassed to come back on the forum for weeks. If you have any experience (good or bad) with them just post it. I still have an open mind about them and would like to hear anything anybody has to say. I may use it to decide if I should renew my @#$%& membership when it comes due.
@#$%& does seem to be an organization that people love to hate.
Hope this helps Willy.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
</HTML>
I am also a member of @#$%&, however, I have never taken one of their tours.
They are not an on-line organization. All you will find on their web site is basic info on who they are and what they do. However, you must at least click on “about us†and “tours†on their home page for answers to your questions. All the comments I have heard about their tours have been favorable so far.
You won’t meet anybody for $50.00 though. The foreign tours cost around $2000.00 or so (and I don’t know if it includes airfare), I think. The price is different each time depending on where they are going, when they go, etc. They are not cheap but nothing else is either. You can purchase videotapes of most of the tours they have taken from them. They arrange for WWII veterans to meet with their group during a tour, usually for dinner and drinks. I am not sure how often during the tour. They are not all U-boat veterans and they may or may not be famous. I don’t think the veterans travel with the tour but you will have to ask them about that. They have another group called EagleHunters that is interested in the Luftwaffe. Which veterans you meet depends on where the tour goes. There are U.S. veterans as well. Some of the tours are in the U.S. They do seem to get into places the general public can’t though.
I think what most people have a problem with is really their style of writing. You will see something like “we are the greatest†plastered all over everything. When you get into it a bit, you will find that they do have something to brag about though. You just have to determine what it is worth to you.
I suspect if you e-mail, call or write them they would send you a sample newsletter (they call it a KT
. They have a price stamped on them so, at a minimum they should sell you one for a few dollars. The printing quality is poor at best. The pictures are usually very poor. I have found the articles very interesting so far. They come in installments spread over multiple KTBs. I have not found any errors in the articles yet. I have only been a member for a few months.
If you look at their site and click on “about us†you will find out who is on the advisory board, etc. You will be surprised at some of the names, some of them are famous people. If you click on “Tours†you can see info on their next tour. Click on “Previous History Tours†on the top of that page to see a summary of the tours they have already taken.
This is a “for profit†company, so they have to pay all of their operating expenses and still make a profit to stay in business. They sell all kinds of junk (mugs, prints, etc.) to this end. They do, however, donate some of their profit to the U-boat Memorial in Germany.
Basically, their “product†is their newsletter and their tours and anything else they can sell. I understand that in the past they have forwarded letters to U-boat vets for a price. They do bring veterans from all sides together and that is worth a lot. Their motto is something like “yesterdays enemies are today’s friendsâ€.
As far as I can tell, the veterans meet with the tours out of the kindness of their hearts. I don’t think they get anything else out of it except possibly a free membership and the chance to talk to other people that are interested in their experiences.
Their next tour is not going anywhere I want to go, otherwise I might join it myself.
From the sound of your questions, I don’t think this organization is for you, but check it out yourself before you make a decision. It pretty well boils down to this: They do offer opportunities I don’t think you can find anywhere else. They do meet with U-boat veterans, sometimes very famous ones and you are not likely to find another way to do this. It is expensive, but in just a few years, none of the WWII veterans are going to be with us.
In a way Mr. Helgason has spoiled us. He runs this excellent web site out of his own pocket and does an outstanding job at it. We have had a free ride for a long time now. Where else do you find extremely high quality for free? The answer is nowhere! The rest of the world doesn’t work that way. @#$%& is no exception. The fact that they make a profit shouldn’t be an issue as long as they do it honestly and don’t exploit the vets. You must however, decide the quality of their product for yourself.
One more thing guys, I am not @#$%&’s spokesman. I am just rendering my opinion here and it is based on a pretty short exposure to @#$%&. The last time I answered a post about @#$%&, I got so much flak that I was embarrassed to come back on the forum for weeks. If you have any experience (good or bad) with them just post it. I still have an open mind about them and would like to hear anything anybody has to say. I may use it to decide if I should renew my @#$%& membership when it comes due.
@#$%& does seem to be an organization that people love to hate.
Hope this helps Willy.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
</HTML>
