I think the sacrifices and bravery of these men is (tragically) not properly recognized. All were brave in the Atlantic, you would have to be to not go insane at the stress of being out to sea and constant danger above and below the war - but to be on a defenseless ship (often full of fuel, munitions, etc…), knowledgeable of the horrible losses incurred early on, and just waiting to see a torpedo’s trail in the war at any time! Those guys were truly courageous…Thank you for sharing, Neutral …
There is evidence that even the brave crews of the U-boats recognized this…An example I had come across in the past could be found in an incident involving U-Boat men saving numerous individuals floundering in the water…so numerous, they needed to be kept above deck, and thus requiring the ship to remain on the surface and vulnerable…though red-cross flags (i believe, but may be mistaken) were displayed and radio transmissions declaring this alarming act of compassion were broadcast to both side - unwittingly these craft were strafed by American patrol planes…Such was the outrage that Doenitz from then on disallowed his U-Boat crews to ever again risk their lives and ships assisting the survivors of sinking enemy craft, regardless of their horrible plight…