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The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

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but in fact the majority of the ship’s number had been German and Italian

prisoners. The Captain, twelve officers, forty-two crew, ninety-one British

soldiers, and 713 POWs went down with the ship. But Günther was not to

know.

On 6 July, U-47 returned to Kiel, drawing alongside the quay with

‘66,587 tons’ painted on the conning tower above the snorting bull, and

with a pennant depicting every one of the ships sunk on the patrol fluttering

in the wind.

Despite the still comparatively small size of the U-boat arm, the

submarines were beginning to cause havoc in the Atlantic. In the narrow

confines of the Channel, however, lurked other dangers: mines, divebombers

and what the British called E-boats. The Germans preferred

another name: Schnellboote. Fast boats. And they were. Deadly fast.

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