AT SEA: Heroes & Heroics

The war's individual heroes and villains, its personal adventure and romance, continued to come from under, on and over the sea. Submarines and their adversaries, rather than soldiers fighting soldiers or planes fighting planes provided the best stories. And apropos a submarine, versatile, witty Winston Churchill fired the first shot of war humor to echo round the world.

Telling the House of Commons about a personal wireless message addressed to him by the submarine commander who sank the Philbine, Mr. Churchill said: "I was in some doubt at the time as to what address I should direct my reply. However, he is now in our hands and he will be treated with all consideration."

Columbia Broadcasting System at once asked the British Admiralty to let them have this eminent prisoner for a broadcast. The Admiralty hemmed & hawed. It took Berlin only 48 hours to trump Mr. Churchill's ace. There CBS was supplied with a voice which said it belonged to Captain Herbert Schultze, commander of the U-48 which sank the Philbine. In reply to urbane Mr. Churchill this voice said: "He had apparently got my position wrong."

"Captain Schultze" also said he was the man who torpedoed the Royal Sceptre on September 7, whose 32 survivors turned up last week in Bahia, Brazil aboard the British freighter Browning (minus their Captain Mestre, who apparently went down with the ship). "Schultze" said that, after sinking the Royal Sceptre, he set out to intercept the Browning because "I wanted to tell the Browning to take the course of the Royal Sceptre. The Browning sighted us, and to my surprise the crew manned the boats in a panic. Before I could even draw closer to give my peaceful message, all the passengers and crew of the Browning had left the ship. I now had to make it clear to those terrified people that they were to get back into the boat again and save the crew of the Royal Sceptre. The joy and relief of those in the boats surprised us. Did they believe us to be barbarians? Taking to the boats in a panic like that as soon as a German U-boat comes in sight! The captain of the Browning, to my great astonishment, obeyed my orders to save the crew of the Royal Sceptre, and also he respected my order not to make use of his radio until he should reach port. . . ."

Unnamed Captain. Another broadcaster from Berlin last week purported to be the U-boat commander who sank the carrier Courageous, for which feat he was said to have received, besides the Fuhrer's congratulations, the Iron Cross, first class, his crew the Iron Cross, second class. Excerpts from his account of that performance:

"I see the upper deck structure, and extend the periscope a little. It's an aircraft carrier. I see two airplanes. I see destroyers. I know it will be a tough task. But hurt the enemy whenever you can. Let's go. . . .

"Every man knows that ultimately he may lose everything, or, again, may win everything. The chase under water continues for an hour. The aircraft carrier zigzags back and forth. It knows a submarine is near. ... I see destroyers go by before me.

"Now or never. Fire! Then I pull the periscope down, quickly to the starboard. There is breathless tension in the boat.