VonApist
03-16-11, 06:01 AM
April 5 1940 and U-47 is assigned to patrol grid AN31, off the coasts of Norway. At this time of the war it is not the most fertile of hunting grounds. The first 3 days pass relatively uneventfully. The weather is OK so I get 3 hits ( 2 Small Merchants and a Tug boat) using my deck gun. All attacks at night so no fear airplanes and also no need to waste torpedoes. After U47 finishes the assigned patrol, the weather turns for worst. I am already North, with a full load of torpedoes so I decide to head for Scapa to try my luck.
Course set for Scapa , U47 is surfaced making way. Weather rainy and windy. And suddenly out of nowhere a Swordfish Torpedo boat is spotted. It’s a single plane in the middle of the Ocean. Wolf Dengen is my Experienced flak gunner. The swordfish makes a dive . I order full ahead , rudder FULL RIGHT and Wolf is engaging the biplane with his flak. The planes attack is bad and he misses. Wolf continues to fire at will. He is good and the Swordfish goes down in flames. I make a note to reward Wolf for his nice work when we (hopefully) dock home.
The Swordfish got me thinking. It’s the middle of the Ocean, no shore in sight so a carrier might be nearby. I decide to look around for it. I spend the rest of the day searching, but no luck. Never mind. I tell Otto (my XO) to plot course towards Scapa. Let’s see if we find anything there. My last trip to Loch Ewe was a disappointment as no capital ships were moored. I am willing to take my chances once again.
We are no close to Scapa and I decide to use the Western Approach. A lot of patience is needed as patrols are intense. Destroyers and corvettes are all over so we remain submerged at 20m, Speed an incredible 1 knot. I don’t care about speed as long as we remain undetected.
It is now dark outside. I order Surface in order to replenish O2 and recharge batteries for the next day. At 05:00 we are at 20m depth again, silent running, speed 1 knot. Not needed crew are resting. I reach the Western “mouth” without being detected by the patrolling destroyers. Ordering depth 13m (depth under keel 5m) and we continue our route towards the mooring area. Progress is slow at 1 knot but I don’t mind. Hours are passing by. It is now 15:00, April 11 when I order all stop. My hydrophone shows no activity nearby so I decide to do a quick periscope sweep. I do and voila! 2 Auxiliary cruisers are moored at 2,000m, the first and 3,000m the other, bearing 030. Great.. Periscope down. Speed one knot. I wake everybody up. Battle stations. Otto (XO) is my most experienced and trustworthy officer. We have been in this boat from day 1. He will be my WO. Sorry Emme, you take the helm. There is a lot of anticipation and (silent) commotion.
It’s now 16:15. I must be close to the first auxiliary cruiser. Destroyers are patrolling but not close. Periscope up. Quick sweep, no destroyers, auxiliary cruisier is dead ahead at 1100m. Tube 1 armed. Angle is 90 degrees. Perfect. Otto notifies me that the solution is fine. Torpedo 1 fire. Periscope down. Rudder full left, speed 1 knot moving towards the second cruiser. Torpedo impact! Cruiser goes down in flames. Good job Otto. Lets go for the second.
Depth still 13m, speed 1 knot but now the destroyers will be looking for me. Its now 16.45. Persicope up, quick sweep. Auxillary cruiser at 950m. Again great Angle. Tube 2 ready. Otto says all fine. Torpedo 2 is out! As I look at the Cruiser I see a shadow behind it. Is it a destroyer? No. Its not moving. But the shadow is BIG. Torpedo Impact! Second cruised is down. Otto has done a great job! Destroyers should be coming my way, but my hydrophones say that its relatively clear for the time being.
Periscope down. Lets move towards the shadow. Speed 1 knot, depth 13m.
Its 17:40 and I decide to raise the periscope to see what is this shadow. I do. And it Illustrious!! Lying moored at 1000m , at a feasible angle. I turn my boat, rudder right. Angle is now 80 degrees. Great. Im too excited to wait much longer, I can hear the destroyers close to where the cruisers were sunk. Solution is ready by Otto. Tube 3 and 4 fire. Lets try to get the hell out of here (at 1 knot). Rudder full right. There is no pray order…unfortunately.
I am moving away and now behind me destroyers sweep the place. I decide to take a parallel route to the coast, putting the sunk cruisers and the carrier between me and the destroyers, blinding in a way their sonar capacity. Silent running, speed 1 knot. Moving now. I remain undetected. I head towards the western mouth. Crew is stressed but now 3 hours pass and night falls and we continue undetected. We reach the mouth. I don’t dare to surface even though the boats CO2 levels are not nice… I destroyer patrols. All stop. Lets wait. It does its circle and it takes a heading South. OK speed 1 knot silent, behind the destroyer and out of Scapa. Heading North. Its now 23:30. Night is thick, weather is rainy! Periscope up all clear. I order surface! Reload torpedoes, recharge batteries and replenish O2. If we had schnapps, everybody would be wasted to unconsciousness!! Head to port!
Lots of medals and promotions await. Wolf the Flak gunner gets his iron cross and Otto (already highly decorated ) gets his Iron Cross in Gold! His morale is 100%. Promotions and medals for 20 of the crew! It was a great patrol!
Patrol Stats
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7727/statsxp.th.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/i/statsxp.jpg/)
Otto with his Iron Cross in Gold
http://img858.imageshack.us/img858/715/otto.th.jpg (http://img858.imageshack.us/i/otto.jpg/)
Course set for Scapa , U47 is surfaced making way. Weather rainy and windy. And suddenly out of nowhere a Swordfish Torpedo boat is spotted. It’s a single plane in the middle of the Ocean. Wolf Dengen is my Experienced flak gunner. The swordfish makes a dive . I order full ahead , rudder FULL RIGHT and Wolf is engaging the biplane with his flak. The planes attack is bad and he misses. Wolf continues to fire at will. He is good and the Swordfish goes down in flames. I make a note to reward Wolf for his nice work when we (hopefully) dock home.
The Swordfish got me thinking. It’s the middle of the Ocean, no shore in sight so a carrier might be nearby. I decide to look around for it. I spend the rest of the day searching, but no luck. Never mind. I tell Otto (my XO) to plot course towards Scapa. Let’s see if we find anything there. My last trip to Loch Ewe was a disappointment as no capital ships were moored. I am willing to take my chances once again.
We are no close to Scapa and I decide to use the Western Approach. A lot of patience is needed as patrols are intense. Destroyers and corvettes are all over so we remain submerged at 20m, Speed an incredible 1 knot. I don’t care about speed as long as we remain undetected.
It is now dark outside. I order Surface in order to replenish O2 and recharge batteries for the next day. At 05:00 we are at 20m depth again, silent running, speed 1 knot. Not needed crew are resting. I reach the Western “mouth” without being detected by the patrolling destroyers. Ordering depth 13m (depth under keel 5m) and we continue our route towards the mooring area. Progress is slow at 1 knot but I don’t mind. Hours are passing by. It is now 15:00, April 11 when I order all stop. My hydrophone shows no activity nearby so I decide to do a quick periscope sweep. I do and voila! 2 Auxiliary cruisers are moored at 2,000m, the first and 3,000m the other, bearing 030. Great.. Periscope down. Speed one knot. I wake everybody up. Battle stations. Otto (XO) is my most experienced and trustworthy officer. We have been in this boat from day 1. He will be my WO. Sorry Emme, you take the helm. There is a lot of anticipation and (silent) commotion.
It’s now 16:15. I must be close to the first auxiliary cruiser. Destroyers are patrolling but not close. Periscope up. Quick sweep, no destroyers, auxiliary cruisier is dead ahead at 1100m. Tube 1 armed. Angle is 90 degrees. Perfect. Otto notifies me that the solution is fine. Torpedo 1 fire. Periscope down. Rudder full left, speed 1 knot moving towards the second cruiser. Torpedo impact! Cruiser goes down in flames. Good job Otto. Lets go for the second.
Depth still 13m, speed 1 knot but now the destroyers will be looking for me. Its now 16.45. Persicope up, quick sweep. Auxillary cruiser at 950m. Again great Angle. Tube 2 ready. Otto says all fine. Torpedo 2 is out! As I look at the Cruiser I see a shadow behind it. Is it a destroyer? No. Its not moving. But the shadow is BIG. Torpedo Impact! Second cruised is down. Otto has done a great job! Destroyers should be coming my way, but my hydrophones say that its relatively clear for the time being.
Periscope down. Lets move towards the shadow. Speed 1 knot, depth 13m.
Its 17:40 and I decide to raise the periscope to see what is this shadow. I do. And it Illustrious!! Lying moored at 1000m , at a feasible angle. I turn my boat, rudder right. Angle is now 80 degrees. Great. Im too excited to wait much longer, I can hear the destroyers close to where the cruisers were sunk. Solution is ready by Otto. Tube 3 and 4 fire. Lets try to get the hell out of here (at 1 knot). Rudder full right. There is no pray order…unfortunately.
I am moving away and now behind me destroyers sweep the place. I decide to take a parallel route to the coast, putting the sunk cruisers and the carrier between me and the destroyers, blinding in a way their sonar capacity. Silent running, speed 1 knot. Moving now. I remain undetected. I head towards the western mouth. Crew is stressed but now 3 hours pass and night falls and we continue undetected. We reach the mouth. I don’t dare to surface even though the boats CO2 levels are not nice… I destroyer patrols. All stop. Lets wait. It does its circle and it takes a heading South. OK speed 1 knot silent, behind the destroyer and out of Scapa. Heading North. Its now 23:30. Night is thick, weather is rainy! Periscope up all clear. I order surface! Reload torpedoes, recharge batteries and replenish O2. If we had schnapps, everybody would be wasted to unconsciousness!! Head to port!
Lots of medals and promotions await. Wolf the Flak gunner gets his iron cross and Otto (already highly decorated ) gets his Iron Cross in Gold! His morale is 100%. Promotions and medals for 20 of the crew! It was a great patrol!
Patrol Stats
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7727/statsxp.th.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/i/statsxp.jpg/)
Otto with his Iron Cross in Gold
http://img858.imageshack.us/img858/715/otto.th.jpg (http://img858.imageshack.us/i/otto.jpg/)