Gangsters' End

Peaceable as a reformed shark, the 1,600-ton U-234 nosed meekly into New Hampshire's Piscataqua River and disgorged the cargo of the week. Aboard the sleek Nazi submarine, which may have been headed for Japan, were: 1) cold-eyed, natty Lieut. General Ulrich Kessler of the German air force; 2) a mysterious civilian in a wrinkled raincoat and baggy suit, clutching a bulging cardboard suitcase; 3) two minor Luftwaffe officers and five German naval officers and technicians; 4) some interesting metal dispatch boxes apparently full of papers and armament blueprints. Missing were the bodies of two unnamed Japanese who committed harakiri when surrender was ordered. Explained the Navy: the Germans tossed their dead allies overboard.

Before the submarine was unloaded, bemonocled General Kessler thoughtfully read a book entitled After the War--What? by American Author Preston Slosson. Crew members were ordered by U.S. guards to keep their arms folded as they came into port. Kapitaenleutnant Johann Fehler, the U-boat's skipper, protested indignantly to Coast Guard Lieut. Charles Winslow that "your men treated us like gangsters." Growled Winslow: "That's what you are! Get off!"

Secret Saga. In western Atlantic ports there were now seven captive Nazi U-boats. On both sides of the Atlantic 36 subs were accounted for; another ten or 20 still lurked somewhere at sea. Allied forces expected to continue their patrols for months.

Reported Admiral Jonas H. Ingram, U.S. Atlantic Fleet commander: since 1941 the U.S. sub hunt had covered 30,000,000 square miles of ocean to fight a maximum German fleet of 450 submarines. The German attack peak was in 1942-43, but by spring of 1943 the defense had its fo'c'sle head above water. By V-E day the U.S. had 126 sure submarine kills and had escorted 16,760 ships across the Atlantic.

But not until the end was the submarine completely beaten. Three weeks before the German surrender U.S. forces found a major wolf pack, sank five U-boats and learned the Nazis were again out to blanket the U.S. East Coast from Maine to Florida.

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