He knew the channel
very well, he continued, and would do his part. And then the most
surprising thing happened. Of his own free will the captive told how
he and his two companions aboard the U-boat had been pressed into the
submarine service against their will. They had not desired to embark
with one of the undersea fleet, but had been compelled to enlist in
the service.
Many of the Germans were in open revolt against U-boat service, said
the Teuton, because of the great number of submersibles being sunk
by the allied navies. Only the previous week a revolt had occurred
in the fleet at Cuxhaven, an admiral and a naval commander had been
thrown overboard and a number of U-boats were lying inactive at their
bases because of the inability to ship crews.
When the American lad had driven them inside the U-boat at the approach
of the victorious landing party, continued the loquacious prisoner,
they had decided at first to cripple the U-boat. But after talking
it over they had decided that it would be better to fall into the
hands of the Americans than to lose their lives by sinking the U-boat.
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