Brag
12-20-07, 08:58 PM
J.S. Balz writes:
20 November 1939
To KK Schmitt, Adj. 2te Flotille.
As you must have heard, I sank HMS Rodney the other day. Then sank some other ships to an aggregate tonnage of 72938 BRT. I'm sure the British Admiralty does not appreciate these feats of superior seamanship but I hope that the Kriegsmarine does. After all it was the Kriesmarine who sent me out on patrol. To be specific: BDU.
There have been some rumblings among my crew that going after the Rodney while under attack by one of his Magesty's destroyers was totally irresponsible. I ask, how does a U-boat commander become a hero if not by sinking battleships while the odds are against him? My mother said, I would go far in the Kriegsmarine. I would like to please her by becoming a Kriegsmarine hero.
If you could be so kind to request some medals to be awarded to me on my return to Wilhelmshaven I would greatly appreciate it. It would be rather unsightly for a hero like me to walk the streets of our great naval base without any medals.
Please inform Admiral Doenitz that I wrote a poem in his honour, it is now loaded on tube number 3. It is a nice poem but will only be available for reading if the torpedo I wrote it on is another dud.
Respectfully submitted,
Lt. z.S. Johan Sebastian Balz
20 November 1939
To KK Schmitt, Adj. 2te Flotille.
As you must have heard, I sank HMS Rodney the other day. Then sank some other ships to an aggregate tonnage of 72938 BRT. I'm sure the British Admiralty does not appreciate these feats of superior seamanship but I hope that the Kriegsmarine does. After all it was the Kriesmarine who sent me out on patrol. To be specific: BDU.
There have been some rumblings among my crew that going after the Rodney while under attack by one of his Magesty's destroyers was totally irresponsible. I ask, how does a U-boat commander become a hero if not by sinking battleships while the odds are against him? My mother said, I would go far in the Kriegsmarine. I would like to please her by becoming a Kriegsmarine hero.
If you could be so kind to request some medals to be awarded to me on my return to Wilhelmshaven I would greatly appreciate it. It would be rather unsightly for a hero like me to walk the streets of our great naval base without any medals.
Please inform Admiral Doenitz that I wrote a poem in his honour, it is now loaded on tube number 3. It is a nice poem but will only be available for reading if the torpedo I wrote it on is another dud.
Respectfully submitted,
Lt. z.S. Johan Sebastian Balz