Biggest success? How about the most MEMORABLE??
Early '40 on a rainy foggy day. Mild seas, but practically 0 visibility. Received contact report of a inbound convoy close by. Figured what the 'hey' we will try for it.
Running submerged, picked up their screws on sound. Could not see a thing through the scope. Listened as the lead escort passed us by with merchant screws closing ahead. Do we dare it on the surface? Yes! Up we go.
Nothing but fog and rain out there. They must be close, but where?! Then the towering bow of a large freighter appears out of the fog less 800m from our bow! Yes! Quickly try to set up a shot when other shadows appear all around us. Tankers! Bigger freighters! All around us! We are in the middle of the convoy. Close enough to touch and they don't see us yet!
Quickly we pick two large tankers and a let fly with all bow tubes. Bright explosions and fire. They are on the way down! Now what? There! A small freighter passing astern at less than 500m! Stern fish away! A hit! More explosions and she is gone.
Now what to do? No time to reload, the convoy in panic with us in the middle and the escorts alerted. No point in diving. Try to get away, but which direction? No idea where the escorts are, but they have not found us either. There! A space ahead between freighters! We thread the needle and disappear into the mist and rain.
We extend and attempt an end around while reloading, but never pick them up again.
Two tankers and a medium freighter for approx. 20,000t. I've sunk more in other attacks(BBs, CVs etc), sure, but NEVER felt such exhilaration as that day in the rain.
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...I fought in many guises, many names, but always me. Patton
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