Page 10 - aruba-today-20220216

Wednesday 16 February 2022 locAl
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Feb 16, 1942

Commemorating 80 years of the attack on Aruba during World War II

Continued from Page 9 food supply was precari- the story of the exploded
ous in Aruba. This was due guns came to be found
The main target for the to the large number of is a chapter of its own: in
submarine, however, was people, mainly soldiers, the years after the war, an
Lago. In those days there that had been added and, American staff member of
was no eclipse, the target moreover, a lot was built. the Lago decided to spend
was there in full light. After As always they were com- his several months leave
firing the torpedoes, U-156 pletely dependent on sup- in Europe. As was custom-
surfaced and they hurried plies from outside, but the ary at the time, he took his
to prepare the heavy guns Battle of the Atlantic raged car on vacation. And so
on deck of the submarine in all its fierce and many an American car with Aru-
to bombard the refinery. In boats with food and mate- ban license plates drove
the excitement of the mo- rial did not make the cross- through Europe. When he
ment, however, the gun- ing. was in Germany at one
ner on duty forgot to re- point and drove into a gas
lease the shut-off valve at The legend of U-156 station to refuel, he was
the bottom of the cannon: The story of U-156 also men- helped by a somewhat in-
when firing the first projec- tions that, in addition to firm man; at the sight of the
tile, the heavy cannon ex- a fatality, there was also Aruban license plate, the
ploded killing the gunner. a seriously injured crew German exclaimed: "Ah,
had not yet set sail when Many Arubans went to San- member who lost his leg that's where I lost my leg!”
This fatal mistake escaped the torpedo attack began. ta Cruz, families of Ameri- in the explosion. This seri- And that's how this story
the Lago from virtually to- The crew first wanted to cans traveled back to the ously injured person was came about.
tal destruction, because drink coffee before choos- US via Maracaibo. Immedi- brought to Martinique af-
after the loss of this can- ing the sea. With a direct ately after the attack, artil- ter U-156 had withdrawn The history of U-boat expe-
non the submarine only hit, the destruction on Aru- lery positions began: tent from Aruban waters. This ditions has been exhaus-
had much lighter guns on ba would have been un- camps were erected at was French territory, but tively researched by vari-
board. The refinery and the imaginably great. the Seroe Colorado light- took a neutral position. ous historians and so is this
buildings around it were still house and at Seagrape There was a military hospi- story. After the war, the logs
fired with this, but the dam- A day later, a torpedo was Cove. The tankers that had tal and the wounded was of the U-boats and also of
age was very limited. For found on the beach near to bring oil from Lake Mara- left there for treatment. By the U-156 were captured
example, Aruba crawled the Arend refinery. In an caibo to Aruba had to pro- the way, things didn't end by the Allies from the Ger-
through the eye of the nee- unsuccessful attempt to ceed very carefully from well with U-156: a year lat- mans. The story of the ex-
dle that night, but not only dismantle it, some soldiers now on: they only sailed in er, when the U-boat (with ploded guns could thus be
because of the failure of were killed. convoys accompanied by and other crew) surfaced confirmed.
the bombardment of the naval vessels and patrolling elsewhere in the Carib-
Lago: there was another After the attack on San aircraft. Also in 1944 a few bean during a patrol mis- For more about the attack
ship, loaded with 3000 tons Nicolas and Lago, the in- ships were torpedoed off sion at one point and was on Aruba in World War II
of TNT (dynamite), in the habitants of San Nicolas the coast of Aruba. not on his guard, an Ameri- see: www.lago-colony.
harbor. The Henry Gibbons began to move away. From 1942, the water and can bomber suddenly ap- com, under World War II.
peared and seized the sub-
marine. U-156 was wrecked Source: http://www.histo-
with man and mouse. How riadiaruba.aw/. q