U.S. NAVY Andrew Maliszewski Andrew Maliszewski served on the USS Snowden, part of the task force that took out the last German supply submarine in existence, in 1944 in the North Atlantic. Maliszewski enlisted in 1942. He was a “plank owner,” meaning he was part of the Snowden’s first crew. Maliszewski said the “interesting part” of his service was when the Snowden was assigned to the task force to pursue German subs. “The biggest prize we got was the last German supply submarine,” the U-490, said Maliszewski. “The tank submarines depended on the son of a gun.” It wasn’t easy. “We dropped over 300 depth charges on the son of a gun,” Maliszewski said. “Finally, she surrendered.” The Snowden took 60 prisoners off the supply submarine. Oddly enough, 10 years ago, a German sailor from the supply submarine sent letters to Maliszewski and other American sailors  who were on board the Snowden. “After all those years, he was glad the Americans picked him up and not the Russians,” Maliszewski said. “The smart ones were the ones who surrendered, like this guy who was alive to write 10 years ago.” But the letter revealed the despair the German sailors felt after they abandoned the U-490, which had taken several hits: “While jumping into the icy cold dark sea, some enthusiasts even called, ‘Long Live Germany,’” wrote former German Staff Sgt. Kurt Bunzel. “During the next two hours this fact really hit home,” Bunzel wrote. “High waves and the endless depth of the sea around ... the crew drifted slowly, scattered because of the high sea, in the dark expecting to die there. The stars above us were shining brightly and dark was the hope of ever seeing our home and families again.” “Then a miracle happened,” Bunzel wrote. “After about two hours, dark silhouettes of ships appeared on the horizon. By order of the Commander of the American task force, Captain Giambattista, the destroyers returned with the rescue, which was done according to the law of the sea. The hostility was put to rest and humanity took over.” Maliszewski said he could not relay the experience of picking survivors out of the water. “Sharks, barracudas, what they do to the body is horrible,” he said. The war ended in Europe but Maliszewski had to stay on board to train the new crew since he was, after all, a “plank owner.” “Kamikazes started raising heck in Japan,” which led to another mission for the Snowden, he said. The Snowden sailed to Pearl Harbor and started en masse with other destroyers to invade Japan. Then the atomic bombs were dropped and the war was over. The Snowden returned to Pearl Harbor. “They had a parade in Pearl Harbor you wouldn’t believe,” Maliszewski said. “Talk about a group of drunken soldiers, sailors and Marines. It was something.” Maliszewski got the ship ready for moth balls and was honorably discharged as a first class petty officer. The year was 1946. “They tried to entice me to stay but I met a girl,” said Maliszewski, laughing. Maliszewski has been married for 60 years to Ruby (nee Lee). They live on Verona Island. Jobs were scarce after the war, Maliszewski said. After a time of working in the woods in Jackman during the winter and at Moosehead Lake in the summer, the couple moved to New Jersey. He was the service manager for a Ford dealership and then went on to work for the DuPont Co. for 30 years. “I could not wait to retire and get back to Maine,” he said. He has been back 21 years. Today, Maliszewski is active in the Cole Land Transportation Museum, sharing his World War II experiences with schoolchildren and others. His wife is involved as well, as she was a nurse in the war. They have three children and six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. — Jennifer Osborn