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Chapter 7

Shield Bearer—issued March 3, 1937

German Shield Bearers were formed to train civilians for protection from air raids.

March 17, 1945, at 2:45 a.m.—off the coast of Santa Barbara, California

The U-Boat broke the gentle, rolling surface of the sea in the moonless night with only a slight offshore breeze. The swells made a rhythmic slapping sound against the U-Boat’s low silhouette. It would be difficult to distinguish the boat from either sea or shore, even if there were a moon out. Before the seawater had drained off the hull, men silently began to emerge from the interior of the vessel. Each man moved quickly to his assigned station without the need for spoken orders. Lookouts scanned the black sky and dark horizon for the sight of any enemy who might have noticed their metal sea monster. Should they give the alarm, the men would go scurrying back into the hatches and slip quickly and silently back into the depths of the sea from which they had come.

After a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was that of the waves breaking on the distant shoreline. They had surfaced close enough to the beach to hear the surf breaking on the sand and rocks of the Santa Barbara coastline. As they slowly moved toward the land, the sound grew perceptibly louder. With no moon in the cloudless sky to give away their position, the men sat confidently, as though the war was theirs to win.

The kapitän climbed up the ladder to the top of the con and drew a long, deep breath of fresh Pacific Ocean air, enjoying the refreshing bite of the breeze in the early hours of the morning. No matter how often or how long at sea, he never grew tired of the smell of the ocean and its refreshing bite of air in the early morning hours. With a keen eye, he scanned the deck, inspecting his crew. Then he leaned forward on the gray metal railing and allowed his thoughts to wander, satisfied that everything was in order, as always. His thoughts wondered over the events of the past few weeks and the momentous journey they had just completed. Would this change the outcome of the war?