11 /22/1939

[T.Von Hogan]

IXB -U420 encountered a convoy headed WSW in grid BE58 returning from a patrol in grid BE83. After allowing the C&D class leading the convoy to safely cross our bow and travel a couple thousand meters. We started checking out the rest of the goodies sailing towards us at a brisk 8 kts. Besides the C&D i counted 25 ships oddly only protected by that escort and the HMS Rodney running 2nd in line of the middle columm :hmm: To make things even better the 1st 2 ships of the 1st columm are Large Merchants:D I set up a salvo of all 4 front tubes loaded with 2 T1's and 2 T2's for magnetic at 11 and a half meters and fired when she crossed 65aob from 1200 meters and crossed my fingers since wind speeds were 13 mph making rough seas. I quickly spun the periscope to the rear of the sub to locate that 2nd merchant in line and sent my 2 rear eels at her at 9 and a half meters I went to ahead standard dove and made a northeasterly course and waited. The 2 rear tubes arrived 1st with 1 making impact and the other running too deep and headed out to sea. The curses had barely crossed my lips when i heard the 1st of 4 explosions coming from the other direction. Within seconds the Rodney was heading towards a 1000 meter bottom :cool: . I only had to play cat and mouse thru 4 racks of depthcharges before we received another "she is going down" message and the escort headed back to protect whats left of that juicy convoy giving up on me. I continued on that heading untill we were about 15,000 meters behind the convoy surfaced and radio'd in the contact to BDU. At the same time we were swinging around so we were tailing and closing in on the convoy. Its about 30 minutes before sunset and we are hoping the winds die down. Time to go increase that 47,000 tons we got from that convoy:arrgh!:

[bookworm_020]

Nice work!:up:

Just the other day I came across a convoy with only two escorts, and a S class sub!:huh: Sank all three, sufaced and had my merry way with the convoy! All that was left was a small merchant from Sweden (Would be in my rights to sink him, but I need someone to tell Churchill the bad news!:D) Bagged another ship on the way home, which brought me home with over 100,000 tons and some tin and ribbon, as well a a promotion or two!:arrgh!:

[papa_smurf]

Best convoy i've seen, was a 12 ship convoy with only 2 ASW trawlers escorting:huh:
Needless to say I took a few ships from that convoy:arrgh!:

[Tool]

I ran into one the other day in the lower channel in early 1940, 1 DD and 18 merchants. I did away with the DD first then had a field day.. 8 merchants to the bottom. :cool:

Tool.

[looney]

I find it much more fun to keep the escorts alive and still sink most big merchants (above 5k in GWX2, in 1.3 I used to hit above 8k alone)

[T.Von Hogan]

Reengaged the convoy about 9:30 that evening sinking a tramp steamer that was lagging behind to bait the c&d back. It worked:D She closed to within 1200 meters or so and opened her belly to my stern tubes while hunting for me so i sent a t2 at 2.1 meters set for impact. A few minutes later we were steaming on the surface for the main group. Sunk 2 more Large merchants and 1 modern tanker before i ran out of eels. The weather didn't cooperate so i wasen't able to clean up with my deck gun.

Not In Balz league but its my most successful mission ever:

00:39 Status Report
23/11/1939 00:39
U-420 position grid BE57
Torpedoes left:0
Tankers sunk:2
Cargoships sunk:7
Warships sunk:2
Total Tonage: 99803

U420 will be at sea untill she can find weather suitable to expend the 66 4 inch shells she has left to get 197 tons to reach that magical level. Hopefully somewhere along the line of her 4400kilometer route home mother nature and the enemy will cooperate. :arrgh!:

[T.Von Hogan]

Well it took untill the 6th of december for the winds to die down and the enemy to cooperate, but U-420 bagged a passenger/cargo and a large tugboat that morning bringing her mission total ro 102200. She pulled into port the morning of December 9th to the sound of cheers. Liberty was granted to all non essential personel.

[Jimbuna]

Late 39, BE39, absolutely atrocious weather, 14 ship convoy escorted by a lone French DD.
Textbook approach and attack, two tankers sank, DD succumbs to weather and denies me further renown :damn: