Arthur Baudzus (left) and U-859 comrade Lothar Jesse by the plaque bearing the names of 47 men who lost their lives when their boat was torpedoed on 23rd September 1944.

We are all young and life is there to be enjoyed. And what a life is there ahead of us! We are heading for the tropics. Swaying palm-trees, sweet fruits and even sweeter girls are awaiting us. Then, suddenly it all comes to a cruel end. A torpedo of THEM slams into our hull which had been our home for the past six months. It ends the lives of most of us. Only a very few manage to get out of the sunken boat to live again -- the rest of the men have their names on the plaque and their souls are entrusted to the care of the eagle of Laboe until God decides what to do with them.

Quite suddenly my thoughts have winged me back to the present. I am still alive and my name is missing on the plaque in front of me. Stealthily I wipe my sleeve across my eyes and sneak a glance towards my wife to see if she had noticed my moment of weakness. It would not do. I did not cry then, when the chips were down and I will not cry today, but it still hurts like hell when I think of it.

I better head home again where the ghosts of my past can not reach me. I wonder if in the next war I will be an US or a THEM. Most likely both, but who is going to decide that?

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Arthur Baudzus' novel, U-859 takes place aboard the ill-fated boat on which he served. See www.riverdaleebooks.com
You can also read Arthur's account of his escape from U-859 here.