Thanks, Rainer. The captain filed an after action report and wrote a thrilling article about the attack on page 55 of the hardcover The U.S. Navy in World War II (edited by S.E. Smith) and page 56 of the softback version. This could be a situation like Colin Kelly's B-17 attack and sinking of the Japanese "battleship" on Dec. 10, 1941 - kinda truthy, but not the entire truth. If a
Forum: General Discussions

That's a strong possibility in my mind; perhaps an embellished contact.
Forum: General Discussions

First off, I know this is a forum about U-Boats, but I hope this post is allowed and someone can solve a mystery. The USS Drayton, a destroyer, reported sinking a Japanese submarine on Dec. 24, 1941, just over 3 weeks after Pearl Harbor. The captain wrote an after action report and won a Navy Cross for the action. However, I can't find a corresponding Japanese loss of a submarine in the webs
Forum: General Discussions

The USS Jacob Jones -DD-130 dropped more than 50 depth charges on a contact it made off Ambrose Light ship at the mouth of New York City harbor on Feb. 22, 1942. No kill was credited to it though there was an oil slick sighted. Just a few days later, on Feb. 28, 1942, the Jacob Jones was sunk off Cape May, NJ by U-578. My question: Was there any U-Boat operating around Ambrose Light Ship on F
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There may be no resolution to this question unless it comes from the German side who can find some report where the U-85 was given that mission; to land spies on the coast. There were several landings around this time. One intriguing thing is that U-85 was operating in shallow water when it was caught by the Roper. If the captain wanted to recharge his batteries my thought would be that he wo
Forum: General Discussions

He did write the article where these "details" on the clothing are mentioned, but he doesn't cite any sources. I've found what I assume is the USS Roper's after action report and there is no mention of civilian clothes in it. Now, I suppose the report could have been censored, but if do, where did the details on the clothing originate?
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Ooops. Yes, I did mean U-85, sunk by the USS Roper in April 1942
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In April 1942, U-58 was sunk by a destroyer off the Outer Banks, NC. Some articles say some bodies of the crew were in civilian clothes and carrying American money. These mentions do not quote the destroyer deck logs, or after action reports. There is no attribution to these accounts. Is there any opinion here as to the nature of the U-58's mission? Is there away to find out from the German
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OK. Thanks. I will be visiting the Archives soon and will find them. I have some Germans in my community who would likely jump at the chance to translate them for me.
Forum: WWI forum

Thanks for replying, Michael. I see where the National Archives has these microfilms. Are the microfilms English translations of what Rose wrote? I don't suppose they are up on the Web, are they?
Forum: WWI forum

I am writing a book about the history of destroyers through WW I and WW II (coming in the fall of 2018 from Regnery History in Washington, D.C.) One chapter will describe how U-53 under Hans Rose entered the Newport, Rhode Island harbor in Oct. 1916 when the U.S. was still neutral. He asked that a letter be delivered to Ambassador Bernstorff in D.C. The next day the U-53 sank several British s
Forum: WWI forum