Bindolaf
05-07-07, 06:17 AM
28er März 1941: We left Lorient at 0730. Lorient! Verdammte Stadt. Verdammtes Frankreich. Ja, it's pretty and green and - na ja. Die Weiber in den Nachtklubs sind gut. But I long for home - Langerringen, even Flensburg where I was a carefree Seekadett back in '34. We were a rowdy bunch...
1er April 1941: Verdammt! Verdammter Scheissozean! Der Atlantik ist kalm, spiegelglatt. Heintz can see for kilometer around - and so can the enemy. It is immer das Selbe. Either too calm or so foggy we can't see our own bow.
2er April 1941: Schiff gesichtet! Ja... "Schiff". A small merchant, alone. Had Rolf und Kaler gun her to the bottom. Wie sagen's die Engländer? Der Schubladen des Davy Jones? Something like that. The crew cheers, das ist Gut mindestens. As she sinks we can see the name, S.S. Samneva. She must have called for help - Heintz schreit schon wieder. A destroyer. I am in no mood. Wolfgang plotted a solution for 2700 meter, zwei torpedo. Na ja. Was worth the try.
4er April 1941: Mann o Mann! Two convoys sighted in unfavorable conditions (und by unfavorable I mean 4 escorts on one and 5 on the other). Lost the second and we see a third! Escorts or no, this one has to sink. Genug mit der Scheisse! We sailed past them - who sails straight south anyway? 180, no turns, 6 knoten... Dummköpfe. Periskoptiefe und Alles Stop. Mal warten.
4er April 1941, später: Ping, ping, the forward escort is trying to find us - or a phantom uboot that haunts his dreams every night. Ich weiss nicht - iss' mir egal. Ein Paar tankers, a couple heavy ore carriers, a gaggle of smaller merchants. I plot this one, two fish on an ore carrier, one on a tanker, one on a large merchant - Norwegian I think. Los! Und dann ist es "Leise und Tief"!
Tik tak, ping, ping, kriik kraak. The noises of waiting, the sounds of death. Theirs, ours, who knows. Und dann hör' ich den Hasso, he's just a kid, barely 22: "HERR KALEUN! TORPEDO TREFFER! NOCH EINER!". Ich bin sicher die escorts hear him. Leise verdammt! But I can feel it too, the excitement. It makes the navigator forget that we could be crushed any minute. It makes the sweaty boys up in bow torpedo forget they are carrying tons of explosives.
Später noch: The tanker was hit once and we all heard it, even this deep. I think all the oil must have ignited at once, or they were carrying gas or who knows. She went down inside a minute. Estimated 11000 tons. The ore carrier caught one amidships - she took her time. We had reloaded and were heading away for a second run and nothing yet.
5er April, 1941: Ich denke jedenfalls. Close to midnight, past. We have been depth charged for 45 minutes. Well, at least they have been firing them - we are nowhere near the explosions. Ich denke ich bin zu alt. I have no patience. Come up to periscope depth, 2 knots. It will take us 20-30 minutes, but that's good. We'll be far away.
Später: Obwohl we are far away, there is one destroyer circling near. A tribal class I think. River perhaps. It matters not - egal. We have one fish in our stern tube, a type I. Fast, magnetic, 3 meter. Los... I almost feel bad. She caught fire from bow to stern, we broke her back - the magazine I think, who knows. She went down too fast to even send an S.O.S. Periskop zeigt männer im Wasser. Sechs, Sieben vielleicht. Almost went back for them, but we can't. Meine Kerle sind schon genug. Es ist zu eng. I almost hope they could have gotten a message out.
6er April 1941: Mit nur zwei torpedo übrig, we must turn back towards Frankreich. This is the shortest patrol I have been on. Gut.
9er April 1941: Lorient ist nah. We have been listening to the radio. The Dutch are missing the M/V Coulee Dam - she will never arrive. Never heard anything about the ore carrier - she went down anonymous. Sad, really, eine Schande. The HMS Eskimo is reported missing. Nicht missing, ich weiss wo sie liegt.
Später: Wir gehn auf Land. Estimated 24000 tons sunk. Ich bin ein alter Kaleun und brauch nichts. Nichts anderes als mein bier mein' ich. But Wolfgang gets to be Oberleutnant z. S. and well deserved. Und "doof" Rolf got to see his first Iron Cross. Und Heintz got his Knight's Cross without even getting beaten too much by the waves. Scheissozean! Got foggy and windy only after we were spent and were in friendly waters.
Na ja. Die Lola wartet im Klub. Und zuhause mein Mariechen. Aber "zuhause" ist weit weg...
1er April 1941: Verdammt! Verdammter Scheissozean! Der Atlantik ist kalm, spiegelglatt. Heintz can see for kilometer around - and so can the enemy. It is immer das Selbe. Either too calm or so foggy we can't see our own bow.
2er April 1941: Schiff gesichtet! Ja... "Schiff". A small merchant, alone. Had Rolf und Kaler gun her to the bottom. Wie sagen's die Engländer? Der Schubladen des Davy Jones? Something like that. The crew cheers, das ist Gut mindestens. As she sinks we can see the name, S.S. Samneva. She must have called for help - Heintz schreit schon wieder. A destroyer. I am in no mood. Wolfgang plotted a solution for 2700 meter, zwei torpedo. Na ja. Was worth the try.
4er April 1941: Mann o Mann! Two convoys sighted in unfavorable conditions (und by unfavorable I mean 4 escorts on one and 5 on the other). Lost the second and we see a third! Escorts or no, this one has to sink. Genug mit der Scheisse! We sailed past them - who sails straight south anyway? 180, no turns, 6 knoten... Dummköpfe. Periskoptiefe und Alles Stop. Mal warten.
4er April 1941, später: Ping, ping, the forward escort is trying to find us - or a phantom uboot that haunts his dreams every night. Ich weiss nicht - iss' mir egal. Ein Paar tankers, a couple heavy ore carriers, a gaggle of smaller merchants. I plot this one, two fish on an ore carrier, one on a tanker, one on a large merchant - Norwegian I think. Los! Und dann ist es "Leise und Tief"!
Tik tak, ping, ping, kriik kraak. The noises of waiting, the sounds of death. Theirs, ours, who knows. Und dann hör' ich den Hasso, he's just a kid, barely 22: "HERR KALEUN! TORPEDO TREFFER! NOCH EINER!". Ich bin sicher die escorts hear him. Leise verdammt! But I can feel it too, the excitement. It makes the navigator forget that we could be crushed any minute. It makes the sweaty boys up in bow torpedo forget they are carrying tons of explosives.
Später noch: The tanker was hit once and we all heard it, even this deep. I think all the oil must have ignited at once, or they were carrying gas or who knows. She went down inside a minute. Estimated 11000 tons. The ore carrier caught one amidships - she took her time. We had reloaded and were heading away for a second run and nothing yet.
5er April, 1941: Ich denke jedenfalls. Close to midnight, past. We have been depth charged for 45 minutes. Well, at least they have been firing them - we are nowhere near the explosions. Ich denke ich bin zu alt. I have no patience. Come up to periscope depth, 2 knots. It will take us 20-30 minutes, but that's good. We'll be far away.
Später: Obwohl we are far away, there is one destroyer circling near. A tribal class I think. River perhaps. It matters not - egal. We have one fish in our stern tube, a type I. Fast, magnetic, 3 meter. Los... I almost feel bad. She caught fire from bow to stern, we broke her back - the magazine I think, who knows. She went down too fast to even send an S.O.S. Periskop zeigt männer im Wasser. Sechs, Sieben vielleicht. Almost went back for them, but we can't. Meine Kerle sind schon genug. Es ist zu eng. I almost hope they could have gotten a message out.
6er April 1941: Mit nur zwei torpedo übrig, we must turn back towards Frankreich. This is the shortest patrol I have been on. Gut.
9er April 1941: Lorient ist nah. We have been listening to the radio. The Dutch are missing the M/V Coulee Dam - she will never arrive. Never heard anything about the ore carrier - she went down anonymous. Sad, really, eine Schande. The HMS Eskimo is reported missing. Nicht missing, ich weiss wo sie liegt.
Später: Wir gehn auf Land. Estimated 24000 tons sunk. Ich bin ein alter Kaleun und brauch nichts. Nichts anderes als mein bier mein' ich. But Wolfgang gets to be Oberleutnant z. S. and well deserved. Und "doof" Rolf got to see his first Iron Cross. Und Heintz got his Knight's Cross without even getting beaten too much by the waves. Scheissozean! Got foggy and windy only after we were spent and were in friendly waters.
Na ja. Die Lola wartet im Klub. Und zuhause mein Mariechen. Aber "zuhause" ist weit weg...