Just a question of historical accuracy, and a bit of thread drift, but I am wondering how U-505 could have been around at the beginning of the war (for the U.S.). If memory serves, the boats were numbered sequentially, and at the beginning of hostilities Germany had less than 100 active subs.

I wish we had more songs that honored that great generation. I, too, have the Kingston Trio version and it is special to me. One of my uncles flew on B-17's out of England during the war, and a couple of other uncles served in the merchant marines and faced the U-boat peril. Let us also remember that most of the U-boat crews were just young men who wanted to serve their country but who did not want to die in some frozen wasteland doing it. Remember, being a young man in Germany in the late '30s and early '40s did not provide much life expectancy.

I am reminded of the last phrases of "There Were Roses": "And those who give the orders, are not the ones who die, its Bell and O'Malley, and the likes of you and I." And the men on the Ruben James, and the people in the World Trade Center and ....

Let's always remember.