I have a copy of Das Boot on DVD, probably one of the best films of it's genre.

I read Lother Gunter Blochiems book many years ago. I would liketo get hold of a copy for my library.

I also have in storage a book of his photo's which were discovered in an attic in Berlin about 20 odd years ago and republished. Some quite incredible photography. Those photos were never published in the book Das Boot.

A couple of years ago the film K-19 came out. A poor film but the book is worth getting hold of. Written by Peter Huchthausen a former USN Captain.

That book along with 'A Time to Die' by Peter Moore about the Kursk disaster give an insight into Russian submarine operations and how poor and unsafe design led to the loss of many Russian submariners lives.

The Kursk was a horrible distaster and from what I have read of it can be put down to lack of training as the 23 crew members in the aft section could have escaped. No one in the fwd sections would have survived the blast from the ignition of the torpedoes that were fueled by high test peroxide which leaked and cause a self sustaining fire on two dissimilar metals. HTP was the propellant.

In St Petersburg in Russia in the Admiraltskaya area next to the Neva River is an incredible navy museum dedicated to the Russian Navy with a particularly poignient section devoted to Russian submariners.

Since leaving the RN and working overseas I have met up with submariners of many navies and had a chance to talk with them about their experiences and there is a common brotherhood amongst submariners which I have not seen in other walks of lives, even though we were often on different sides of the line.