they were insane plain and simple knowing full well that Soviet fighters and even ground based Flak could pummel them anytime.

back to my friends story it was off the coast of Finland on one of the isle Oesel possibly that my KM friend and his Leutnant were atop a building or maybe a grass covered hut in a prime observer location and called in ship suuport from the Prinz Eugen and 2 Destroyers to fire on a Soviet Batterie and troop crossing point ahead of them. Well they were not at all ready for what was to come. the shelling nearly made them deaf-dumb as they were really to close to the action the shore batterie was obliterated the crossing point was no-more. The Leutnant was presented with the EK I, funny my friend was the one that called in the support and directed the salvo's.

Most probably we would somehow relate to this from our readings of the Allied shore bombardments of German defense positions at Normandie though the shelling was of much grander scale.

quick one on the foto presented, a good chance the ship in which the foto was taken may have served as a protective Flak shield as during the summer-fall of 44 many of the ships had the new "Barbara" Flak gun refit of updated 2cm flakvierlings, 2cm Zwillings even 3.7 Zwillings and some single barrel 4cm bofors

E ~