From One of Our Very Own: In historical research one of the hardest

                                 things to prove positive is a negative. In other words, that something

                                 negative (e.g. "second" U-boat off San Nicolas Harbor; U-boat sighting

                                 in Oranjestad Harbor*) did not, in fact, happen." 

                                                             ----- Ray Burson, 2006.

                                 (Editor's Note: *After much browbeating and research, this is one

        Summary

        A myriad of subjects to cover in this Newsletter....Part III of IV of U-156's IIWO Dietrich von dem Borne's attempt to acquire redemption (the verwundetenabzeichens, or wounded soldier's medal) from the Kriegsmarine for his participation and unfortunate mishap in U-156's February 16, 1942 attempted attack on the Lago Refinery...Report on U-156/U-502 Roundtable #4 held in Aruba this past June...The possibility of a WWII Aruba Seamens' Memorial...Doug Tonkinson's U-156 Documentary Project to be aired in a theatre near you?...Special Reports by Bill Moyer on the French submarine Surcouf, which was in the general vicinity of Aruba, February 16-18, 1942...and from Clyde Harms on his account of seeing U-502 in Oranjestad Harbor, February 18, 1942...Correspondence from our subscribers...New Members signing up for the Newsletter...Technical Stuff...and "What's in The Future Mix?"

        New Roundtable Members/Subscribers

        Roundtable #4 added ten new members to the U-156/U-502 roster. They are Jaap de Vries (#88) who is proprietor of the "Aruba Model Trains Museum" in Lago Heights. In visiting with Jaap I noticed photographs of U-156 and Kapitan Werner Hartensein on a wall in the museum. From there, it was an interesting and educational forty-five minute conversation with Jaap. Vicki & Peter Markle (#89) from Toronto, Canada, graciously presented the Roundtable/Newsletter with a DVD of 1941 Lago/Aruba. (I will be reporting on the contents of Vicki & Peter's DVD in Newsletter #9.) Margie Pate (#90) and John Britton (#91) will also be joining our ranks of Newsletter subscribers. Ginger van der Linden (#92), along with husband and member Dirk, traveled all the way from Berlin, Germany to attend the Lago/Aruba Reunion. Craig Whitcomb (#93) from Lewiston, Idaho, has taught English, economics, history at the college level and is an accomplished artist. Craig is also married to my sister-in-law Stephanie (Chod). Patrick Manuel (#94) and Norman Young (#95), Lago High Class of '59, also join us as new members. Norman and wife Renate traveled from Lambsheim, Germany for the Reunion. Umberto Breie (#96) is owner of Aruba's glass bottom boat Discovery. (If a reader knows of Umberto's e-mail and/or postal addresses in Aruba, I would appreciate hearing from you.) Dan Brewer (#97), Class of '55, rounded out the roster at our tenth new member.          

        Regrettably, we have been informed of the passing of George ("Bill") Potts on March 23, 2005, by his daughter Margaret. If you ever wanted some good on-the-scene scoop regarding the February 16th U-boat Aruba attack, Bill was the one to go to. We'll miss you, Bill. Bill was interned at Arlington National Cemetery on June 11, 2005.

        That now adds up to a total of ninety-six subscribers to the U-156/U-502 Roundtable Newsletter. To think that only three short years ago we had only thirty-seven members and just two pages to Newsletter #1, speaks highly to the interest shown by our members. If you know of someone interested in the Aruba - Caribbean happenings of February 16-18, 1942, and is not a member of our Roundtable discussions, please drop me a line and we'll add them to our roster (con ellos/ellas permiso, of course).  

        For U-156/U-502 Roundtable Newsletters #1 thru #7, please visit Dan Jensen's web site www.lago-colony.com and click on "U-Boat-156 - Newsletters".

        Should you change your e-mail or postal address, please drop me a line. We don't want members falling off our membership list and end up in Davy Jones Locker.

        Correspondence

        Jerry Casius (02/06/06): "...(T)he ground crews of the (USAAF) 59th Bomber Squadron arrived with the main U.S. Army force on the ship Evangeline, which departed New Orleans February 6, 1942...It arrived at Curacao on February 11th and went on to Aruba after discharging the personnel in Curacao...The troops were allowed to go into town the same evening and were telling stories which caused quite a bit of alarm. They said just north of Aruba they had sunk a German submarine. Bragging, no doubt, but it caused quite a scare with the locals at Curacao. The Scottish troops departed Aruba and Curacao on the same Evangeline...This fact was reported by Radio Berlin short wave propaganda broadcast that same evening---Obviously they had radio contact with their own spies on board neutral vessels who had witnessed the whole operation...." 

        (01/29/06): "Your remark (in Newsletter #7) under the 'Dietrich von dem Borne Memorandum #2 of 4' that...'it is best to remember that the 105mm gun...was inoperable at the time of the attack'. (S)urely the 105mm was operable and was damaged at the first shot precisely in the attack on Aruba? And...therefore, the tracers flying over the Colony were 37mm from (U-156's) anti-aircraft gun, which they had to use because the 105mm had its barrel explode.

        "Under Correspondence/Chris Cook you state: 'The actual identity of this U-boat (in Oranjestad Harbor) is unknown, at this time.'...Why is there any doubt that this was U-502?The tale that U-502 did not fire on Oranjestad because (U-502's) Kommandant saw children walking to school is one that, as I understand it, was broadcast by Radio Berlin as...war propaganda. Naturally, they had to give a good spin to the...truth that one of their U-boats had run aground...The poor little schoolchildren fable fitted well in showing how humane the U-boat commanders supposedly were. Which is not to say that there were no children present at that moment, but U-502 had run aground, it never intended to fire its gun, and U-502 only wanted to see if there was any likely prey inside the harbour which was worth waiting for out at sea, when (the merchant vessels) came out of port. You need some time after coming to the surface to get the deck gun ready...and that is not something you plan to do while laying...on the surface barely a hundred yards from possible enemy coastal artillery. U-502 only surfaced to get off the reef...."

            (Ed. notes: Jerry's correct in citing my faux pas of "...the 105mm deck gun...was inoperable at the time of the attack." The deck gun was operable prior to the Aruba attack, but became inoperable after the gun barrel explosion/mishap when U-156 attempted to fire toward land targets. As to U-502, I'll let Clyde Harms' Roundtable #4 presentation, under Special Reports, speak for itself.)

        Ray Burson (02/13/06): "(T)he Evangeline, later the Yarmouth Castle, brought the troops to Aruba and Curacao and took the Highlanders back to England. I've looked up that ship and found it and its record...."

        (03/05/06): "...(I)t was some time in after February 1942 that the USAAF's P-39 Air Cobras arrived...(D)oubt that any shells fired at the rifle range located in the area between second Seagrape Grove and Boca Prins would come toward the Lago Refinery. Kids getting live ammo from soldiers is true. In 1945 when Puerto Rican troops were in tents at Colorado Point I was eight years old and a soldier gave me a .50 caliber shell after taking out the powder and burning it on the tent's concrete slab floor. I was really surprised at my dad's reaction when I took it home and showed it to him. He got all excited about the cap being live and took it down to the Little Lagoon and threw it out into the ocean!" 

            (Ed. note: I'll bet your daddy whipped your heiney too, Ray!)

        (03/10/06): "The U.S. Hannay was a second troopship that arrived in Aruba from Curacao with additional troops on February 19, 1942, according to a telegram from Consul Standish." 

        Dan Jensen (08/14//06): "(M)y father took movies of the troops marching and he waited too long before sending the film off island for processing. By then the U.S. Census Bureau was in place and would not permit it to be sent off the island for processing...(T)he Census took the film and never returned it. I remember this because my dad was somewhat p%$#ed and voiced his dissatisfaction often. There was a Dutch census of mail (on Aruba) from 1940 on but they were probably not as strict as U.S. censors."

        Iris Rosencwajg (01/28/06): "Terrific job with the newsletter, Don. Thanks for doing it."        (Ed. note: Thank you, Iris. Appreciate the compliment.)    

        Ted Gibbons (01/28/06): "In going over Aruba history, the tourism industry printed an article about the Pedernales and stated that U.S. Navy divers cut the ship into three parts and towed it away which, as we know, is incorrect. I assume that the people in Aruba's tourism industry weren't around when the attack took place, and didn't see the tankers burning as I did while sitting on the (Lago) Church wall. They also probably never came in contact with anyone that worked on the Pedernales as I did...(M)y father took me down to see the ship and his crew that brought it back to dry dock. After a days work on the ship, my father and his crew were black as the ace of spades, covered in crude oil from working on the Pedernales. (Consequently), mom discarded most of dad's work clothes."

            (Ed. note: This is the first account I have read of the temporary re-fabrication of the damaged Pedernales. If you can provide us with additional detail of what you experienced/witnessed Ted, it would be appreciated.)     

        Shirley (Hewlett) Barton (07/15/06): "In your reading have you seen anything about where the Germans who were living in Aruba were taken on May 15, 1940, the day after Holland fell? I know they disappeared because the people living next door to us left that night. Mom told me there was a detention camp on Bonaire, but I cannot find that in anything I have read."

            (Ed. note: Yes, Shirley, you're right. However, I only have scant information on workers in Aruba of German lineage/surname who were interned on Bonaire for the duration of the war. If any of our readers can provide more detail on the rounding up of Germans and their subsequent internment, it would be greatly appreciated.)        

        Larry Riggs (04/09/06): "...(G)reat job of reporting the facts. I especially liked the report by S/ Dietrich von dem Borne demanding that the case of the phantom tampion be reinvestigated and reassessed to place the blame where it should be---on the premature explosion of the artillery shell rather than a plugged barrel, supported by evidentiary backing of similar experiences of other U-boat barrel explosions. That puts a whole new outlook on that story as initially reported. Methinks that there was some skullduggery afoot by the command staff to avert blame and to blow smoke in the wrong direction. Very interesting, indeed."

            (Ed. note: What was the "final" outcome of the Kriegsmarine's decision regarding U-156's 105mm gun barrel explosion? Was it a faulty round in the chamber? Did von dem Borne fail to remove the gun barrel's tampion? Or, was Borne merely a scapegoat? Stay tuned.)  

        The following was forwarded by a source who prefers to remain Anonymous (03/15/06): "...K.'s book is so riddled with errors you can forget about using it as a reference. I have an 18-page...typewritten report of errors on the (K.) book prepared by U-boat historian Frans Beckers...I started noting the errors on aircraft, but soon gave up. He (K.) even has aircraft attacking U-boats from squadrons that weren't close to the Caribbean at the time! He also quotes excerpts from U-boat KTBs (war diaries) that do not exist."

            (Ed. note: I'm aware of the book from which Anon is quoting. The chapter on Group Neuland/Operation Westindien (U-156 and other U-boats in the Aruba/Curacao/Venezuela area during February,1942) is so out of whack it's unbelievable. One of our readers has attempted to contact the author about numerous errors in the book, but the book's publisher has yet to provide an errata in subsequent editions.) 

        Harry Cooper (08/17/06): "Zenon Lukosious received his 'Final Orders' and departed on his 'Eternal Patrol' 08/12/06. It was Luke, who on June 4, 1944, found the open sea strainer valve on U-505 when the U.S. Navy boarding party tried to secure the captured U-boat. Luke closed the valve...put the cover back on the open valve, and kept U-505 from sinking. He was awarded the Silver Star for this accomplishment."

            (Ed. note: U-505 is on display in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. If you're ever in the Windy City, a visit to the museum is worth every minute of your time. U-505 was moved in August 2005 from an outdoor location on the Museum's grounds where it had been on display in all kinds of inclement weather since 1954, to a suitable new location within the Museum.)        

 

        Special Reports 

        The "Surcouf", by Bill Moyer. E-mails from Bill to your editor (01/28/06) and Gleb Aulow (03/08/06).

        (01/28/06):" I recently bought a model of the French WWII super-sub Surcouf, and have been doing research on her. Did you know that she disappeared between Aruba and Panama a few days after the U-156 attack on Aruba? The story was that she was hit by Thompson Lykes, a freighter, but other reports from aircraft said they attacked an unusually large sub. Maybe that's what sank her. But France had been conquered by Germany long before February 16, 1942, which is why Kapitain Hartenstein could take gunnery officer van dem Borne to Martinque for care. The French Navy must have been confused, angry, and distressed because Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered many of France's ships sunk by British ships. It occurred to me that the captain of the Surcouf could somehow have been approached by Admiral Karl Doenitz and asked to participate in action against the Caribbean refineries. Surcouf might have been sniffing around Aruba when U-156 attacked....

        "Surcouf was unique---it had a gun turret with two 8" guns, which apparently weren't very stable during fire control in high waves. Surcouf's shells would have looked live heavy cruiser shells, twice as large as U-156's deck cannon...

        "Anyway, I just want to offer the thought that maybe, just maybe, Surcouf (could have been in the action of February 16th)...."

        (03/08/06): "Surcouf was a 360-footer carrying two 8" guns in a water tight turret...One news article says she sank February 18, 1942, in a collision with Lykes freighter Thompson Lykes between Aruba and Panama...If Surcouf's captain decided to shift to the Allies side, he could even had surfaced near the Lykes freighter two days later (after the February 16th attack on Aruba) to try and make contact. Instead, evidently there was a collision and the Surcouf sank. This is all speculation on my part...."               

        "U-502 in Oranjestad Harbor, Feb. 18, 1942.", by Clyde Harms. The following account was presented to U-156/U-502 Roundtable #4, Tuesday, June 20, 2006, Wyndham Hotel, Aruba, N.A.        

        "You will recall that in my forward to Bill Hochstuhl's book (German U-Boat 156 Brought War to Aruba, Feb. 16, 1942) that I recounted how, as a ten-year old, I and hundreds of other kids, mostly Juliana School students, witnessed the surfacing of the German U-boat in Oranjestad Harbor. Questions about the exact position of the submarine have been raised. I understand that some say that the submarine surfaced outside the Harbor. I contend that it was inside the Harbor...

        "Before preparing for this presentation, I interviewed five older schoolmates, including my older brother who was almost 15 at the time. They all remember the surfacing taking place inside the reef. We were very close to the Harbor entrance and contrary to the situation/landscape now, there was nothing to obstruct our view. (Ed. note: At this point, Clyde has provided three over-sized plats of how the Harbor used to look, and how it appears today.)

        (Map locations): "Most of you know the Harbor as it is today (plat) and how it was then (plat). In 1942 the water was lapped the street fronting the governor's home. The (present day) bridge over the lagoon did not exist in 1942. In the forward (to Hochstuhl's book) I mentioned that my dad and I could see flames of the burning tankers (Feb. 16th) from the tip of a jetty close to our house (shows coastline as it existed at time of U-502's surfacing).

        (Map locations continued): "At the time (1942), Fort Zoutman was the Aruba jail. City Hall. Dr. Arends' residence and clinic. Today's Census Office was the residence/office of the Venezuelan Consul in 1942. (Position of) the old Juliana School attended by most schoolchildren present at the sighting of U-502. Old Protestant Church.

        "The schoolchildren, and many adults who were in the neighborhood, gathered in these two areas along the shore to get the best view of the submarine.

        "What did we see? The submarine was heading east in the Harbor. What looked like an officer stood in the conning tower looking at the shore with binoculars. This lasted only a few minutes. The U-boat submerged again. A plane of the recently arrived USAAF came to the area and dropped a couple of bombs in the Harbor around the area where the submarine had surfaced, but there was no indication that they had done any damage to the U-boat.

        "On a point that used to be the old policemen's wharf, there was a cannon surrounded by a wall of sandbags.The gun post was manned by Dutch marines. They never fired a shot. Jokes of that time had that Van Der Spek, the local commandant of the Marines, was waiting to get the OK from Queen Wilhelmina in London. The official explanation issued much later stated the marines did not want to provoke the submarine into firing on the hundreds of bystanders. That same night Radio Berlin reported the submarine did not shoot because U-502's kapitain had seen so many schoolchildren along the shore."        

 

            (Ed. note: There must be some more intriguing stories to report. Put on the thinking cap, sharpen those pencils, and wing the stories my way for inclusion in a future Newsletter.)

        U-156/U-502 Roundtable #4, June 20, 2006, Aruba, N.A.

        Roundtable #4, hosted by the Wyndham Hotel, was one of the best yet! Forty Lago Reunion participants arose before 8:30 a.m. to hear four speakers relate events surrounding the attacks on Aruba, February 16-18, 1942. Coffee and doughnuts were served. Papers and memoranda related to the attack were on exhibit. The meeting lasted approximately 2-3/4 hours.

        Ray Burson spoke of the events leading up to and including the period of U-156'a attack. Ray also gave a synopsis of the events in his recently completed paper, When Lago Was Lucky. Copies of the illustrated report can be purchased from Ray at rbmo@semo.net or by writing him at P.O. Box 608, Doniphan, Missouri 639-0608. The price of Ray's booklet is $5.00 + $2.00 shipping = $7.00 

        Dufi Kock spoke on his work in progress, The History of Savaneta, and the history of Aruba from time of the Arawak to the Spanish, British, and Dutch colonists, the exiting of Lago in 1985, and what the future holds for the island.

        Jorge Ridderstaat, Jr. introduced us to his soon-to-be published book,The Lago Story. Jorge's book should be as best a seller as Jan Hartog's The History of Aruba.

        Clyde Harms spoke on the sighting of U-502 in Oranjestad Harbor, February 18, 1942 (see Clyde's remarks under Special Reports).

        Mention was made of dedicating a WWII Merchant Seamen's Memorial to commemorate the seamen who lost their lives in the February 1942 attack. Clyde Harms made an interesting observation: (Paraphrase) "There were no Aruban seamen on the tankers torpedoed or lost during the period. The crews of the Lake Tankers were mostly West Indian, but not Aruban." This was the first time I became aware of that. 

        The idea of a WWII Seamen's Memorial on Aruba originated with Stan Norcom. Further interest in this project should be directed to either Clyde or Stan.    

           

        On an allied note, Norman Young sent the following e-mail (08/18/06):

        "One thing I learned from the U-156/U-502 Roundtable session, as I told Ray Burson, was that my father was one of the sixteen survivors of the 26 crew on the Tia Juana. I knew that he had been on a torpedoed tanker, but as he served on both ocean-going tankers up to the U.S. and Lake Tankers to Maracaibo, and not remembering the names of the ships he served on, I hadn't realized he was in the action of that night, February 16, 1942.

        "You guys are doing great work. Keep it up!"

        Dietrich von dem Borne Memoranda, 1944-1972 - Part III of IV.

        In Part II of the Dietrich von dem Borne memoranda of January 23, 1945 (Newsletter #7), Borne laid out his case to the Commanding Admiral of U-Boats that U-156's deck cannon barrel plug Had Been removed prior to firing versus testimony from a crew mate that the tampion Had Not been removed for action, February 16, 1942. Borne went into great detail naming crew mates responsible for removing the cannon's plug prior to firing and indicating that the Kriegsmarine, at the time, had a history of faulty torpedoes and unreliable ammunition. (Ed. note: Difficult way to make your case, particularly when the country you're fighting for is still at war.) Bottom line: In Memorandum #II Borne requested that should his verwundetenabzeichens be further denied by the Commandant, that his case be heard before a Military Court.

        Guy Goodboe provided copies of the four Dietrich von dem Borne memoradums and Jerry Casius graciously had them translated from German into English.  

        Memorandum #III follows:

 

            5./M.E.A.                                                                    Kiel, 29 April 1945

            von dem Borne

            Lt. Cmdr.

 

            To: The Commanding Admiral of U-Boats, Kiel.

 

                                                              -  Report -

 

            "Concerns: Clarification of the questions which have been addressed to me by Naval Armament Office. (Ed. note: Unfortunately we do not have the letter from Naval Armament to Borne; therefore, based on Borne's answers to Naval Armament Office we can fairly well guess what Naval Armament's questions were.)  

                1.) "The RK (premature barrel explosion) occurred at about 1-1/2 meters (5 feet) from the muzzle.

                2.) "The piece of the barrel was torn off at about 1-1/2 meters...from the muzzle and is thought to have dropped off.

                3.) "Not known. (?)

                4.) "The muzzle tampion should, according to instructions, be stored in the holder on the gun pivot, but because the retaining strap comes free and can foul the gear segment of the sideways aiming mechanism, the tampion is wrapped around the gun barrel with the retaining strap. Colleagues confirm to me this practice because it was done exactly the same way on their boats.

                5.) "After the RK, the location of the rupture was sawed off clean and counterweights were welded in place, so that firing of the cannon was possible again.

                6.) "I am not aware of investigation results from professional/technical departments. 

            "These points were reported to me, partially by my father Vice Admiral von dem Borne, to whom this had been reported by (U-156's) Commandant, Captain Hartenstein, and partly by my comrades.

            "Exact information may be given by Lt.Cdr. Just at the time IW.O. (First Watch Officer) on board (U-156), or the L.I. (Engineering Officer) Commander Polchau (M.S. Engineering), and Captain Bleichrodt who was at Lorient (France) at the time. I am not in a position to consult with the gentlemen concerned because I don't know where they are based at the moment."

                                S/ von dem Borne

                                    Ob.Ltn.z.See            

 

            (Ed. note: As indicated in Newsletter #7, Dietrich von dem Borne passed away in 2005. Unfortunately, I was unable to contact him prior to his death; an interview with Borne would have proved quite interesting.)

        The final "Borne Memorandum" (#IV) will appear in Newsletter #9.

        Technical Stuff

        Stan Norcom (01/27/06): Subject: Configuration of German U-Boats. "Over the years, in looking at the publicized configuration of U-boats, one could only say that they are generally OK but not specifically OK....I don't think there was a sequential production of U-boats from IXA to IXC40. Some designs were scratched after only a few productions, and the different yards may not have had identical blueprints. The early IXC's, like U-156 and U-166, were different. The first clue...is the pictures in Bill Hochstuhl's book (German U-Boat 156 Brought War to Aruba...) that don't match the publicized configurations. I ran across one comment somewhere of a fellow mentioning the earlier IXC. He was right---One 105mm, one 37mm, and one 20mm. U-156's configuration is really more like the IXB."

            (Ed. note: For the lack of a better word, some armament on the U-boats could have been "personalized" [added on or taken off], per the U-boat commander's request.) 

        (02/13/06): Subject: German U-Boat Models. "Aurora puts out a specific U-156 model that occasionally is available on eBay, but it is not the real U-156 configuration. I find that U-boat model companies aren't that diligent in their presentations of various designs. One company suggested that if you wanted an early IXC model to get a IXB. The differences for a model are negligible, but you may have to modify it to the specific gun emplacements...This is what I do in my spare time when I'm not wonking about U-boots."

        (11/21/05): Subject: Tanker Designation. "After mistakenly assuming the Lake Tankers were Esso, we finally determined they were all of British registry. None of the Lake Tankers were designated 'Esso'..."

            (Ed. note: For the same reason, none of the tankers cited in Standard Oil of New Jersey's stories of Ships of The Esso Fleet in WWII are of the Lake Tanker Fleet. Pity. Lots of interesting stories regarding the Lago Lake Tankers in WWII have yet to be compiled.)    

        Jerry Casius (01/28/06): Subject: Verwundetenabzeichen. "My German-English Dictionary gives 'distinguishing mark', and, as related to clothes, uniform: 'badge'.

        "Did You Know That..."

         Doug Tonkinson has proposed a TV documentary on U-156's February 16, 1942 actions against Aruba and the Lago Refinery with either the History, Discovery, or PBS TV channel formatting the episode. Doug has several contacts in the TV industry and is currently researching the events of the period February 16-18, 1942, and the possibility that one of the national TV channels might take an interest. Several U-156/U-502 Roundtable members have been contacted by Doug in order to provide information on the event.

        What's in The Future Mix?

        U-156/U-502 Roundtable #5 will be held in September 2007 at the Lago Regional Reunion in Oklahoma City. We have a main speaker in mind, but haven't contacted him yet (surprise!). And yes, he is a subscriber to the Newsletter.

        The Borne Memorandums (#4 of 4) finally come to an end. Are there any surprises in Memorandum #4? Well, yes....sort of. You be the judge.

        A translation of the KTB (war diary) of U-156 into English by Jerry Casius (copy provided by Guy Goodboe), will be in a future issue of the Newsletter. (Earlier, Bill Moyer translated U-156's official log.)           

        Review of Ray Burson's paper on the prelude to, and the aftermath of, the February 16th attack, When Lago Was Lucky---"The U-Boat Attack on Aruba."

        Review of U-boat Commander Peter "Ali" Cremer's book U-333---"The Story of a U-Boat Ace." 

        Stan Norcom's speculative report on "Were There Survivors of U-156's Sinking, March 8, 1943?"

 

        And in Closing....

        We'd like to take this opportunity to thank Newsletter subscribers for sending in correspondence regarding the U-boat attacks of February 16-18, 1942, against Aruba. This is your Roundtable....this is your Newsletter. If you know of an event...question the veracity, location, or timing of an event....or just wish to share an experience of the period, please drop us a line. We look forward to your mail. We look forward to your opinion, be it positive or negative. After all, we won't know whether or not you look forward to receiving the Newsletters or just line the kitty's litter box with them.

        And, if you know of someone who'd be interested in the events of the period, but is not a subscriber/member of the U-156/U-502 Roundtable & Newsletter, get them to sign up. It's free and only "cost" you your time.

        And finally, as I've indicated in the past, if you change either your e-mail or postal address, please drop me a line with the new address.  

 

        Thank you....Until next time...

        Your man in the trenches....and Davy Jones Locker,

 

        Don D. Gray, Moderator/Editor

        U-156/U-502 Roundtable Newsletter

        arubagray@aol.com

 

        Copyright 2006 by Don D. Gray.

        All rights reserved.