Twas the night before Christmas

[Administrator]

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.
They lived in a Tin Can with racks tight and small,
In a 30 man mess deck cramped in, one and all.

I had come down the funnel with presents to give,
To see in this War Canoe who might perhaps live.
I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.
They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sobering thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.
A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the mess squared away,
This was the Royal Navy Sailor today.
This was the Hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realised the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors so willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."
I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by Honour and Code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.
The Sailor say's to our country "be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch, not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honour so willing to fight.
The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

[Administrator]

'Twas the night before Christmas, aboard our U-boat
Not a single ship spotted, in Churchill’s big moat;
The torpedoes were loaded in each tube with care,
In hopes that some merchants soon would be there;
The crewmen were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of French girls clouded their heads;
I pulled up the covers, and put down my cap,
And I settled down for a short winter's nap,
When out on the bridge there arose such a clatter,
the unmistakable sound of machine gun chatter.
Away to the command room I flew like a flash,
rushed up the ladder and threw open the hatch.
The watch crew was brave as guns spit hot lead
the chief of the watch crew shouted “Flugzeug ahead!”,
When I looked up above, oh what would did I see?
Twas a Sunderland bomber diving on me!
I ordered a crash dive, we had to be quick!
Alarm bells were ringing, the sound made me sick!
More rapid than schnellboots this Sunderland came,
The crew must be faster! So I called them by name;
"Now, Donner! now, Jurgen! now, Helmut and Fritz!
get your asses to the bow or we’ll be in deep sh*t!
From the stern to the bow and each bulk head between!
“Move your butts boys! This Sunderland’s mean!"
The depth charges fell as the bomber roared by,
and the bomber pulled up to return to the sky,
All around the u-boat the depth charges flew,
encircling us in a second or two.
And then, in a heartbeat, I heard splashes above
I expected a jostle a jolt and a shove.
as the crew held on tightly, expecting the worst
not one single depth charge let out its burst.
Were they all duds? Was this some kind of trick?
One thing was certain this pilot was slick!
He dove in the darkness, and pin-pointed us right,
we all should be fish food on this holy night.
When our boat hit the surface oh what did we see?
Twas a dozen depth charges afloat on the sea!
Bernard looked at me and he cleared up his throat
“Herr kaleun, depth charges are not meant to float”
I peered at the watch crew as we all scratched our heads,
“A perfect pattern men… we should all be dead”
were they timed?, or magnetic? Or old contact mines?
The Watch officer said “Hey look they have signs”,
And I laughed when I saw what each sign had said;
The crew spoke no English so aloud I had read,
As the words left my lips the whole world seemed right…
"Happy Christmas old Fritz, There’s no war tonight!"