Author, filmmaker discussing book, documentary Wednesday in Washington

WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — If you’re a history buff, there’s an event for you happening Wednesday.

Kevin Duffus wrote a book and produced a three-hour documentary called “War Zone: World War II Off the North Carolina Coast.” He’ll be sharing some of the history from this time. The event is at Beaufort County Community College and starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by clicking here.

This week also commemorates the annual memorial of the British war graves on the island of Ocracoke.

“I was always fascinated by the fact that german u-boats came to the coast of North Carolina in 1942,” Duffus said. “And the more I researched it, the more I was just stunned at what a big deal it was. I mean, very few people realize that just in a six-month period off of the United States coast, almost 400 ships were sunk and over 5,000 people were killed.

“The residents of the coast of North Carolina and particularly the Outer Banks could see ships burning offshore. The smoke and the burning oil, the beaches were covered in or spilled oil from these tankers that were being torpedoed. And then most very sadly, bodies would wash up on the beaches from time to time from some of these wrecks.

“So I set out in 1999, 2000 to meet and interview, oh, maybe a couple dozen people who were alive in 1942, who were old enough to recognize and remember what was going on.””German U-boats”

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