Brag
01-19-08, 10:43 AM
14 June 1940
Lt. Kalb writes:
Prior to the dramatic events that almost sunk U-52 we were in Tanker Alley. With two torpedoes left for the stern tube, atrocious weather on the surface we sat at twenty meters. After dinner, the officers played canasta and Balz embroidered I am the greatest on his tea cozy. Most of the crew slept.
"Sound contact," the HO reported.
Balz grumbled. "The only time we hear a ship is when we can't see a thing." After listening for a few minutes, he announced, "It's a large ship and a smaller one."
"Not a small ship with a larger one?" Bernard asked.
"It's a large one with a smaller one, heading straight for us."
"How do you know it's a large one with a smaller one? It could be a smaller with a larger."
It's a large one with a smaller. Case closed! Sehrohr tiefe, give me turns for three knots new heading 060. Maneuvering stations.
We abandoned the canasta game.
We could hear the thumping of a freighter but Balz said , "I can't see hoochie woochie. Nothing!"
Now, we could hear another ship.
"The smaller ship is smaller than the large one," Bernard said.
"Mache deine Klappe zu," Balz growled--autauchen! Speed 12 knots.
Topside it was darker than Stalin's soul, we couldn't see a thing.
After a few minutes, we could hear a ship just ahead. The noise of machinery grew louder.
The shriek of metal scratching metal filled the night.
"Ship sighted," a lookout announced.
"Really?" Balz asked.
My arms were too short to touch the small tanker.
"This is the smaller than the larger ship," Balz said."
Bernard said. "The larger than the smaller must be the other one."
A voice boomed from the tanker's bridge, "Stand off, you're scratching my paint."
Balz grumbled under his breath, "We're going after the larger than the smaller one." He then yelled back, "Which way to Liverpool? We can't see a thing."
"Just keep going straight, then take a right. And quit scratching my paint."
Metal shrieked as we moved ahead of the small tanker. Balz said, now, we're perfectly lined up to catch up the larger than the smaller ship."
Bernard asked, "Are we not going to sink the smaller than the larger one?"
"I'm going to kill you, you idiot."
Ten minutes later, we heard machinery ahead.
"That's the larger than the smaller ship," Bernard said.
This time, Balz ordered a 20 degree course change. "We don't want to sink a ship with scratched paint. Flank speed."
Two minutes later, I fired a magnetic eel 300 meters from the medium tanker. It exploded near the stern. We slowed as the tanker was loosing speed.
"Here comes the smaller than the larger ship, which is faster than the slower now. Bernard said."
"Your perspicacity is simply amazing, Bernard," Balz said.
By this time the stern tube was reloaded and we let go our last eel.
The small tanker lit a searchlight.
Bernard said, "That's the smaller than the larger which is now faster than the slower."
I like depth charge attacks, Bernard limits his speech to 'Wasserbomben', during these events.
Lt. Kalb writes:
Prior to the dramatic events that almost sunk U-52 we were in Tanker Alley. With two torpedoes left for the stern tube, atrocious weather on the surface we sat at twenty meters. After dinner, the officers played canasta and Balz embroidered I am the greatest on his tea cozy. Most of the crew slept.
"Sound contact," the HO reported.
Balz grumbled. "The only time we hear a ship is when we can't see a thing." After listening for a few minutes, he announced, "It's a large ship and a smaller one."
"Not a small ship with a larger one?" Bernard asked.
"It's a large one with a smaller one, heading straight for us."
"How do you know it's a large one with a smaller one? It could be a smaller with a larger."
It's a large one with a smaller. Case closed! Sehrohr tiefe, give me turns for three knots new heading 060. Maneuvering stations.
We abandoned the canasta game.
We could hear the thumping of a freighter but Balz said , "I can't see hoochie woochie. Nothing!"
Now, we could hear another ship.
"The smaller ship is smaller than the large one," Bernard said.
"Mache deine Klappe zu," Balz growled--autauchen! Speed 12 knots.
Topside it was darker than Stalin's soul, we couldn't see a thing.
After a few minutes, we could hear a ship just ahead. The noise of machinery grew louder.
The shriek of metal scratching metal filled the night.
"Ship sighted," a lookout announced.
"Really?" Balz asked.
My arms were too short to touch the small tanker.
"This is the smaller than the larger ship," Balz said."
Bernard said. "The larger than the smaller must be the other one."
A voice boomed from the tanker's bridge, "Stand off, you're scratching my paint."
Balz grumbled under his breath, "We're going after the larger than the smaller one." He then yelled back, "Which way to Liverpool? We can't see a thing."
"Just keep going straight, then take a right. And quit scratching my paint."
Metal shrieked as we moved ahead of the small tanker. Balz said, now, we're perfectly lined up to catch up the larger than the smaller ship."
Bernard asked, "Are we not going to sink the smaller than the larger one?"
"I'm going to kill you, you idiot."
Ten minutes later, we heard machinery ahead.
"That's the larger than the smaller ship," Bernard said.
This time, Balz ordered a 20 degree course change. "We don't want to sink a ship with scratched paint. Flank speed."
Two minutes later, I fired a magnetic eel 300 meters from the medium tanker. It exploded near the stern. We slowed as the tanker was loosing speed.
"Here comes the smaller than the larger ship, which is faster than the slower now. Bernard said."
"Your perspicacity is simply amazing, Bernard," Balz said.
By this time the stern tube was reloaded and we let go our last eel.
The small tanker lit a searchlight.
Bernard said, "That's the smaller than the larger which is now faster than the slower."
I like depth charge attacks, Bernard limits his speech to 'Wasserbomben', during these events.