OPINION — The U-boat skipper peered through his periscope and smiled. It looked like such an easy target. And indeed, it was. Yet going after it sealed his doom while also setting in motion a series of events that made another man a hero and triggered official denial of his valor.
And it all happened right in America’s backyard.
Hans-Günther Kuhlmann, 28, commanded U-166, a brand-new submarine in service for barely six months, sent to fight Nazi Germany’s newest enemy, the United States. It prowled the Gulf of Mexico just a few miles off the coast. It was a fertile hunting ground. In the last two weeks, U-166 had sent three American cargo ships to the bottom. Now, on the night of July 30, 1942, Kuhlmann was going after the biggest prize yet.
