Lord_magerius
04-20-10, 07:11 PM
Hi all, first post on here, though I have been lurking on these forums for a while like some creepy U-boat goblin.
I hope you enjoy the obscene drivel that is about to fall from my fingers (would normally be my face, but if I said it out loud you wouldn't hear it and people would think I'm crazy :D )
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These memoirs are dedicated to my good friend Oberliutenant Z. S Rolf Beckman, without him I wouldn't be the man I am today.
I am writing these memoirs as a tribute, I hope, for the men that lived and died under my command. Hollywood seems to have a way of glamourising U-boat crews in such movies as Das Boot for example. Yes the conditions were squallid, but every man knew his place and wouldn't scream when under a depth charge attack yeat again for another example.
I shall start off by telling you of my third patrol. I will tell you of my first two patrols at a later date, but it was only on my third patrol that the war really hit home.
We left our port of Kiel on the 24th of November, I had requested to BDU that if possible, we would like to patrol grid number BF15. Surprisingly, our request was granted. We made our way through the canal. It is where I later discovered after the war that my friend Walther Schmidt who was based at Brunsbuttel took this picture of us leaving for patrol.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/Toffeeapple/Outbound1.jpg
I had told my navigator Adam to plot a course that hugged the norwegian coast and the same again for the Faroes. Though having been into Scapa Flow on my last patrol, I was not willing to risk going too close to the shores of Scotland, just in case anybody recognised the insignia on the U-boat. Being pursued by angry Brits it one of the worst things a U-boat Kaleun can hope for... That and running out of soup.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/Toffeeapple/Beckman.jpg
The last ever picture of Rolf Beckman
Coming down the coast of Ireland, we made contact with a small merchant, ordering the men up on deck to use the deck gun, I decidied I hadn't had enough practice recently... well that was my excuse and I was sticking to it... After 8 shots she went down, the first kill of the patrol. A small freighter of what I was to be later told weighed in at 2228 tonnes not 1800 as I had assumed. We continued on our way when about 100km from our assigned position, BDU sent a contact message, stating that a large neutral convoy was heading west about 50km to the south east of our present position. We plotted an intercept course, keeping position with the convoy using our hydrophones.
My chief WO at the time was Bernard Lindemann and relying on him was a huge mistake. Transferred to my boat to replace my previous WO, I can see why nobody else wanted him. I had retired to my bunk and had informed the crew that I wanted a report as soon as the convoy was sighted. Thankfully my lack of sleep saved our lives. Going up onto the bridge, I didn't even need the bins to see that we were within 1km of our intended target. Ordering immediate dive to periscope depth, I restricted Bernard to his quarters. God knows if he didn't see a convoy in perfect visibility at 5km I certainly don't want him ********ng up my TDC settings. To be honest I can't remember much of the convoy attack, it came and went so fast. I do know what we sunk though as intercepted radio messages helped with the confirmation.
Passage from the logs of U-47
29.11.39. 1322 Grid BF 14 Ship sunk! HMS Acheron (A&B classes), 1350 tons. Crew: 151. Crew lost: 25 1323 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! MV Athene (Intermediate Tanker), 3491 tons. Cargo: Aviation Fuel. Crew: 19. Crew lost: 4 1325 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! MV San Alberto (Large Tanker), 9677 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 69. Crew lost: 28 1344 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! SS Port Auckland (Ore Carrier), 8083 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 100. Crew lost: 41 1.12.39. 1127 Grid BE 39 Ship sunk! SS Martica (Nipiwan Park-type Tanker), 2476 tons. Cargo: Aviation Fuel. Crew: 15. Crew lost: 12
After this encounter, I decided it was best to set a course for home. Apart from ****ty weather and Franz Eisenhuth getting sea sick there was nothing of note until we approached the borders between AE and AF. A single warship had been detected on the hydrophones in this area. We proceeded on course for home, when I noticed smoke in the distance. Not a single warship but an entire *********g task force!
Once again we dived to persicope depth. Noticing a revenge class battleship amongst the many destroyers I decided to set up an attack. We only had one aft torpedo left at this point. I don't know whether it was greed or over confidence, which made me even think of making the attack. I waited until I judged the ship (which I later found out was the Ramillies) perfectly in our sights. We unleashed our last torpedo which took her straight in the side. We dived to 160m and made a hard to port turn.
The destroyers escorting, barely made a pass.We waited for six hours before surfacing. Looking at her, the Ramillies was listing heavily to port and we were just waiting to confirm the kill. After nearly 50 hours without sleep I decided to take to my bunk, before retiring I had ordered that we get into a good position to watch the Ramillies through the scope. I had been asleep naught but 5 minutes when I heard the scream for the medic. The Ramillies had spotted us and opened fire. After the war I found this from a T.V interview with one of the crew from the Ramillies.
"We had been hit by a single torpedo. Our captain found this odd as for a ship our size he was expecting at least three. He said to us that the U-boat captain must have been out of eels, torpedos of course. Or a bloody idiot. We put the search lights on as standard procedure and it was about an hour after we had been hit when I noticed something reflect in the distance. I fired blindly to be honest and just aimed at what I'd seen five seconds before. It sounded like a hit, though I never had it confirmed as a contact"
I can tell you now, it was a direct hit.
I'm sorry for being so vague on what has happened before, but that wasn't the part of the patrol that I remember.
I feel directly to blame for Rolf Beckman's death. Had I have been a better kaleun it would have been me manning the attack periscope, not him. I remember his mother once saying I was a bad influence on Rolf. I laughed at the time, but now looking back she was right. If I hadn't joined the KS, Rolf wouldn't have either.
As I am writing this I will tell you with no shame in my heart, I am weeping.
It came so suddenly, just a random shot. It hit the conning tower and the shrapnel hit him in the throat.
I held him in my arms as he told me he loved me as a brother. He missed his mother and her terrible food and most of all his Betty. I am the one he has chosen to pass his last letter on to his beloved. But how can I? It was my fault he died. I can't go passing on a letter to his sweetheart after he died because of my orders!
The letter has remained undelivered all these years as I couldn't bring myself to do it. Betty died recently, aged 92 in her sleep so I am told. It is something that eats at my soul. I believe I could have eased the pain, if only I had told her Rolf was with her to the very end. The blood will never wash from my clothes. Wherever I am, I always see Rolf's face staring up at me, begging to see his Betty once more, his mothers terrible cooking and most of all, me being his brother.I have let him down as I had with many of my crew.
my third patrol was an emotional hell.
My fourth even worse....
I hope you enjoy the obscene drivel that is about to fall from my fingers (would normally be my face, but if I said it out loud you wouldn't hear it and people would think I'm crazy :D )
----------------------------------
These memoirs are dedicated to my good friend Oberliutenant Z. S Rolf Beckman, without him I wouldn't be the man I am today.
I am writing these memoirs as a tribute, I hope, for the men that lived and died under my command. Hollywood seems to have a way of glamourising U-boat crews in such movies as Das Boot for example. Yes the conditions were squallid, but every man knew his place and wouldn't scream when under a depth charge attack yeat again for another example.
I shall start off by telling you of my third patrol. I will tell you of my first two patrols at a later date, but it was only on my third patrol that the war really hit home.
We left our port of Kiel on the 24th of November, I had requested to BDU that if possible, we would like to patrol grid number BF15. Surprisingly, our request was granted. We made our way through the canal. It is where I later discovered after the war that my friend Walther Schmidt who was based at Brunsbuttel took this picture of us leaving for patrol.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/Toffeeapple/Outbound1.jpg
I had told my navigator Adam to plot a course that hugged the norwegian coast and the same again for the Faroes. Though having been into Scapa Flow on my last patrol, I was not willing to risk going too close to the shores of Scotland, just in case anybody recognised the insignia on the U-boat. Being pursued by angry Brits it one of the worst things a U-boat Kaleun can hope for... That and running out of soup.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/Toffeeapple/Beckman.jpg
The last ever picture of Rolf Beckman
Coming down the coast of Ireland, we made contact with a small merchant, ordering the men up on deck to use the deck gun, I decidied I hadn't had enough practice recently... well that was my excuse and I was sticking to it... After 8 shots she went down, the first kill of the patrol. A small freighter of what I was to be later told weighed in at 2228 tonnes not 1800 as I had assumed. We continued on our way when about 100km from our assigned position, BDU sent a contact message, stating that a large neutral convoy was heading west about 50km to the south east of our present position. We plotted an intercept course, keeping position with the convoy using our hydrophones.
My chief WO at the time was Bernard Lindemann and relying on him was a huge mistake. Transferred to my boat to replace my previous WO, I can see why nobody else wanted him. I had retired to my bunk and had informed the crew that I wanted a report as soon as the convoy was sighted. Thankfully my lack of sleep saved our lives. Going up onto the bridge, I didn't even need the bins to see that we were within 1km of our intended target. Ordering immediate dive to periscope depth, I restricted Bernard to his quarters. God knows if he didn't see a convoy in perfect visibility at 5km I certainly don't want him ********ng up my TDC settings. To be honest I can't remember much of the convoy attack, it came and went so fast. I do know what we sunk though as intercepted radio messages helped with the confirmation.
Passage from the logs of U-47
29.11.39. 1322 Grid BF 14 Ship sunk! HMS Acheron (A&B classes), 1350 tons. Crew: 151. Crew lost: 25 1323 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! MV Athene (Intermediate Tanker), 3491 tons. Cargo: Aviation Fuel. Crew: 19. Crew lost: 4 1325 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! MV San Alberto (Large Tanker), 9677 tons. Cargo: Crude Oil. Crew: 69. Crew lost: 28 1344 Grid
BF 14 Ship sunk! SS Port Auckland (Ore Carrier), 8083 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 100. Crew lost: 41 1.12.39. 1127 Grid BE 39 Ship sunk! SS Martica (Nipiwan Park-type Tanker), 2476 tons. Cargo: Aviation Fuel. Crew: 15. Crew lost: 12
After this encounter, I decided it was best to set a course for home. Apart from ****ty weather and Franz Eisenhuth getting sea sick there was nothing of note until we approached the borders between AE and AF. A single warship had been detected on the hydrophones in this area. We proceeded on course for home, when I noticed smoke in the distance. Not a single warship but an entire *********g task force!
Once again we dived to persicope depth. Noticing a revenge class battleship amongst the many destroyers I decided to set up an attack. We only had one aft torpedo left at this point. I don't know whether it was greed or over confidence, which made me even think of making the attack. I waited until I judged the ship (which I later found out was the Ramillies) perfectly in our sights. We unleashed our last torpedo which took her straight in the side. We dived to 160m and made a hard to port turn.
The destroyers escorting, barely made a pass.We waited for six hours before surfacing. Looking at her, the Ramillies was listing heavily to port and we were just waiting to confirm the kill. After nearly 50 hours without sleep I decided to take to my bunk, before retiring I had ordered that we get into a good position to watch the Ramillies through the scope. I had been asleep naught but 5 minutes when I heard the scream for the medic. The Ramillies had spotted us and opened fire. After the war I found this from a T.V interview with one of the crew from the Ramillies.
"We had been hit by a single torpedo. Our captain found this odd as for a ship our size he was expecting at least three. He said to us that the U-boat captain must have been out of eels, torpedos of course. Or a bloody idiot. We put the search lights on as standard procedure and it was about an hour after we had been hit when I noticed something reflect in the distance. I fired blindly to be honest and just aimed at what I'd seen five seconds before. It sounded like a hit, though I never had it confirmed as a contact"
I can tell you now, it was a direct hit.
I'm sorry for being so vague on what has happened before, but that wasn't the part of the patrol that I remember.
I feel directly to blame for Rolf Beckman's death. Had I have been a better kaleun it would have been me manning the attack periscope, not him. I remember his mother once saying I was a bad influence on Rolf. I laughed at the time, but now looking back she was right. If I hadn't joined the KS, Rolf wouldn't have either.
As I am writing this I will tell you with no shame in my heart, I am weeping.
It came so suddenly, just a random shot. It hit the conning tower and the shrapnel hit him in the throat.
I held him in my arms as he told me he loved me as a brother. He missed his mother and her terrible food and most of all his Betty. I am the one he has chosen to pass his last letter on to his beloved. But how can I? It was my fault he died. I can't go passing on a letter to his sweetheart after he died because of my orders!
The letter has remained undelivered all these years as I couldn't bring myself to do it. Betty died recently, aged 92 in her sleep so I am told. It is something that eats at my soul. I believe I could have eased the pain, if only I had told her Rolf was with her to the very end. The blood will never wash from my clothes. Wherever I am, I always see Rolf's face staring up at me, begging to see his Betty once more, his mothers terrible cooking and most of all, me being his brother.I have let him down as I had with many of my crew.
my third patrol was an emotional hell.
My fourth even worse....