One of my U-66 most epic adventure just happened this morning.
Was patrolling my requested zone between Ireland and England this 28th of May 1940, in a medium foggy weather with only 3000m visibility and calm sea, when my hydrophone man detected 2 merchants contacts closing...
So far no problems, i surfaced and headed toward them at one third. After half an hour, no visible contacts. So i dived, and surprise, i missed them without seeing anything, and now they were heading away...at medium speed, so around 10 knots.
Surface, and heading new direction full speed, with some chance to catch them back.
After around 15/20 minutes, the watch officer was yelling ship sighted.
Back on deck, i couldn’t barely see it, but it was there...
After few minutes i noticed it was a Bulk cargo. Well, not a bad prey!
I managed to keep the same heading as him, but staying out of view just at the fog limits. Full speed, U-66 was faster and i slowly sailed up him...
When suddenly my watch officer showed me an other ship, sailing in first place in front of the Bulk.
I forgot they were 2 ships! And this one was a tanker, a biiiig one...a T2!
Damn, forget about the Bulk, i want the big boy!
The minutes seemed hours, and finally had the big boy in my 120°, still at the fog limits.
Everything was quite running well for an interception when...
...when suddenly the watch officer was yelling about that damned plane starting to dive on us!!
Couldn’t believe my efforts would be ended that way...
The absolute worst moment to be detected and bombed. In half second, i thought about all the damages i could get, and probably my dead is dead career ended!
No time to crash dive, in medium fog when we see a plane it’s already too late...
So in an other half second i decided to keep full speed to make it harder for a direct bomb hit, and i ordered the Flak man to hurry on the 20mm...and to fire frei!
This man was few minutes later my hero. He managed to hit and kill this bomber who nicely crashed just hundreds meters from us!
I will certainly ask for a decoration back to bunker
But after this joy, quid of the big boy i was trying to catch?
Did the plane had time to warned him? Did they saw my 20mm fire?
Seemed not by chance!
Decided to launch my attack, heading in a fuzzily 90° interception still full speed...
After a quick distance estimation, i dived still full speed and raised the attack scope...but where is this big guy?
Crap, i lost him?... no, few seconds later, he was there...heading right on me!
Damned, was a bit too long in my trajectory. So full back speed to correct my noob error! I can’t sink this big one with only the stern tube...
And still don’t have the torpedo solution...no exact speed, nor correct AOB...
Magnified X6, the T2 bow is enormous! And still approaching.
Again seconds seemed hours, but finally could correct and take enough distance backward, while estimating T2 speed, adjusting AOB and distance...
Was still running backwards when i launched 3 torp.
The big boy was so close i couldn’t missed! Even with some speed/AOB error.
2 explosions, 1 dud... and the red flare of a sinking boat...oil and debris everywhere...
Now the Bulk!...maybe with my last torpedo...electric slow one...
As expected, he is turning away in the fog.
It’s now or never! Didn’t change any solution settings, and fired the last one as he was turning away...aiming a bit at the stern, to anticipate his turn away of me.
At my good surprise, i hitted him, but with a dud again!
Surface!
Decided to chase him in the fog with my 88mm. Few thousands tons to my score are always welcome!
Finally sunk him, fired around a dozen shells, and headed far away of this zone.
Just one of the numerous epics good times we can have with this amazing TWOS
