CAUGHT BY U-BOAT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 47, 24 February 1945, Page 9

CAUGHT BY U-BOAT

NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN

A-FRIENDLY COMMANDER

(R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service.)

• LONDON, February 20. Captured by a U-boat commander in August, 1941, a New Zealand airgunner, Flight Lieutenant J. Grocott, of Auckland, was recently repatriated. He was one of the crew of an aircraft on reconnaissance 300 miles north of the Isle of Lewis. Scotland. Engine trouble forced the aircraft into the sea and Grocott was taken prisoner. "It was pretty grim seeing nothing but dark green water surrounding us," he said, relating his experiences. "For 10 hours we kept afloat with collapsible dinghies, half submerging as we fell into the trough between waves. "We had almost given up hope when suddenly we saw what appeared to be the mast of a launch some distance away. We sent up Verey lights and eventually attracted attention. • 'T? ? uyA, dis«iay, the mast materialised into the grey hull of a German Üboat., It wasn't long before we were clambering on deck to face the tall gU je -r,of, the commander./ Speaking good English, he interrogated us, and we were informed that we would* spend some time on board.

For 15 days we swooped and dived and surfaced with the U-boat. Be-fai^?-*5 f th^ cramped conditions we had little rest, and I usually slept hugging a torpedo tube. It was much more uncomfortable when we chased British convoys or waited breathlessly while they passed over us. "But we always found 'the commander friendly, and often he would chat to us in his cabin. Eventually we were landed at a German dockyard, and it was here that we were subjected to the rigidness of German discipline.

Youths saturated with bitterness for the English, fired questions at us. Nothing could be gained from its, so without much delay we were transferred to our prisoner-of-war camp."