U-Boat Commander Starts Over - Musings of Sorts

[Majestik 909]

Well, after a long career aboard U-796 XXI, and over 400,000 GRT, the war ended. So, I started new career aboard U-196 IXC, based out of Penang, June 11, 1943. First mission was a supply drop to Manila through many small island chains. Had to make almost the entire run surfaced...aircraft everywhere. Its a wonder we survived. Sank 13 freighters on the return trip, many in shallow passages, attacking with deck gun and blaring music over the Gramaphone. One ran aground to avoid us, probably by accident. Well, 40,000 GRT isn't a bad start I suppose.

The crew did a nice job of shooting down one pesky aircraft. I passed out cans of black bread, beer and cheese as a reward. In retrospect, the combination may prove at bit much for our CO2 scrubbers!

I forgot how fast the batteries run down on the older boats! I think the XXI has spoiled me.

Waiting for nightfall...sk

R.H.v.H - U-196

[Majestik 909]

June 12, 1943 - Hours pass...sitting in a deep pocket just outside Darwin at 18 meters in daylight....every now and again, i take a look around....just fishing boats....small freighters, most of them look as if they could be sunk with a slingshot...waiting for a nice, fat fish to come along. I take no action against small boats.

This odd thing happened to us last night. While attacking a lightly armed merchant. I came by close and looked through the scope just as my gun crew was firing the coup de grace, and I actually saw one sailor drop to his knees on the burning deck as if in prayer. How wish I could order sailors to abandon their ship before final attack, but I find no mechanism that permits this. At least the island clusters afford them safety.

Waiting....

R.H.v.H - U-196

[Torplexed]

I passed out cans of black bread, beer and cheese as a reward. In retrospect, the combination may prove at bit much for our CO2 scrubbers!



Methane power your IXC. Silent but deadly. :D

[Majestik 909]

Yes, Torplexed!

My dream since childhood is to one day either commission or build a full scale Typ XXIII u-boat and sail it all around the world, as a sort of museum cruise....

[Majestik 909]

Update - On June 13, 1943, ordered back to Penang. Given command of U-847 - IX-D2. Received immediate orders to patrol grid quadrant SZ off Darwin. 10 days of patrol chasing contacts that turn out to be nothing more than fishing boats! Only one T3 tanker sunk in 10 days of intense patrol.

Scout aircraft provide good updates, but no heavy tonnage appears to be afloat in this region. Things are quiet indeed.

Considered hiding in Torres Straight, in hopes of intercepting task force, but shallow depths make such an exercise perilous.

May cruise SSW towards Fremantle in hopes of finding targets.

Running surfaced at flank speed by night and watching radar for contacts. Battery life isn't bad on IX-D2. I can get almost 5 hours out of a single charge at flank speed.

As always....waiting....SK

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

June 24, 1943 - 1815 - 150km NW of Sandy Cape - T3 tanker, unescorted, flying American standard, 10 knots, course 270 - first sighting 2,200 meters of target's port bow on heading of 260 with about 800 meters of lead - closing in for deep, close-range shot just above bilge keel....

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

1825 - coffee cools all too quickly in this magnetic cup. Target course and speed unchanged - still closing - observation indicates Kennebeck class tanker - large numerals '68' on bow - heavy armament visible - 21,000 GRT, 11.2 meters draft - G7a torpedoes set to high speed, magnetic pistols, depth 7 meters, spread 2 degrees -will recalculate final firing solution when range to target is under 500 meters.

Closing.....R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

1843 hours - target makes abrupt course change to 013 - reposition for optimal port side attack, slightly behind port quarter - range to target now 417 meters - recompute manual solution - range 417m - speed 5 degrees - length 500 feet - spread angle 5 degrees - angle on bow 162 degrees to port - gyros set to 000 - depth 8 meters - fire tubes 3, 4 & 5 at 15 second intervals.....at 30 knots, G7a covers 50.6 feet per second - time to first impact 25 seconds.....

[Majestik 909]

1844 - our feather must have been discovered - gun crews open fire with small caliber automatic weapons, short of our position - 3 or 5 inch aft turret fires one shell over us - torpedo #1 impact - large column of water rises near port forecastle - gun crews remain at station, appearing to fire wildly, possibly due to tracks from G7a's and not our feather - torpedo impact #2 - water column rises amidships, vessel takes a list to port and loses 2 knots quickly - gun crews continue to emit unaimed fire - torpedo impact #3 - aft of the flying bridge - large water column rises with simultaneous huge discharge of smoke/steam from ship's funnel - likely a hit to port boiler room - list begins to correct as ship settles by the stern - 6 feet of freeboard visible - fire and smoke erupt from ventilation funnels fore and aft - ship settles evenly and appears to have stopped sinking - I continue to observe from periscope depth....

[Majestik 909]

1859 - circle around submerged to starboard side - ship is low in the water, yet on an even keel - guns have gone silent - small fires are visible from ladderwells, but flooding appears ti have been arrested -

1903 - a tremendous explosion from the forward hold erupts skyward with orange light and ejection of debris - force of explosion forces starboard rail underwater and ship appears to bend downward amidships - more violent explosions - likely from stored munitions - bow and stern halves separate and begin to sink rapidly - less than 2 minutes from initial explosion to complete disappearance - surface and commence rescue operations - no lfeboats or survivors found - final position - Long 129 10' East x 11 32' South - 12,000 GRT

1933 - Head southwest to resupply from Milkcow before moving to grid KW

R.H.v.H. - U-847

[Rockin Robbins]

Well done!

[TorpX]

A nice, systematic approach.

[Majestik 909]

Sunday, June 27, 1943 - 2010 hours - 1,000 nm West of Fremantle - Rendevouz with tanker, replenish expended munitions and supplies - new Eniga rotors and Thetis M codebooks - morale is high - I keep the Gramaphone or radio on whenever possible - news reports on something called Zoot Suit Riots taking place in Los Angeles California - crew transfers mail to tanker - head as ordered to grid KW - thus far, fishing boats are the only contacts....

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

Sunday, June 27, 1943 - 2315- a purple sky meets a black sea - making 20 knots surfaced - the crew are in great spirits - from the conning tower, I gaze out across the vast expanse of ocean - it is as if we are the only boat afloat - my tactics shall remain unchanged on this, the U-847's first combat patrol - attack aggressively and resupply as often as possible, staying close to supply sources - the final mission of U-196 consisted of 7 refits - hours pass and thus far, we have seen and heard nothing - always waiting it would seem.

It is s cold and silent, the sea. Such a peaceful place in many respects, broken only by the distant humming of our screws.

It has been weeks since we were home. My beard seems to grow by the hours and the air is humid and warm. "Wie gehts?" asks a commrade. I tilt my head and smile in response.

I often wonder, as I lay in my rack at night, what master do we serve? These vessels, these crews that we engage, do they feel the same as I do???

I recall one day, we surfaced to search for survivors. It was sad that we found none. I often wonder, in the galant struggle for victory, how many lives are lost needlessly?

I smoke. Not because I enjoy it, but because it breaks the monotony. The silence. The stillness...waiting for the next catstrophy.

I wonder how God could make such a being. One that would seek to destroy his own kind with amazing machines. When did we come to see things so differently?

So hard to write sometimes. The words get lost in my insanity of thought. The cold dark waters offer anonymity, but no escape from moral responsibility.

When I try to sleep, I hear the thunderous claps from above. The boat is shaken to its very core. Water seeps from fittings like rain, covering the iron floor.

Sometimes, it goes on for what seems like an eternity. Tempting fate, Deeper still, the only escape. Sometimes I wonder if the boys in Kiel ever imagined she could dive so deep. Water from welded seams, like salty tears, begin to weep.

The smell of sulfur hangs in the air, like a moist cloud, adding to my despair. I wonder why we play this deadly game. In the calmness of the sea, you can almost hear the sound of fear as it echoes against the steel.

As Oberleutnant, I must always be emotionless. Each and every Matrosengefreiter must see me as a man of iron. But in my heart, I miss Jutta and my son, days of fishing on the Elbe.

I must think that this war will end someday, but soon enough for me will it never be. Until then I shall count the days until we finally come home from the sea. Until then, I bow my head in private and recite quietly....

Ewiger Gott,

dessen kreative Hand Urmeere zu Ozeane breit machte und dessen allgegenwärtige Liebe so sein kann, fühlte scharf sich unten wie über ihrer wallend Oberfläche; steigen Sie mit uns jetzt in die leisen Tiefen als unser unfehlbarer Führer ab.

Wir Männer des leisen Services sind dankbar, zu den mit der Aufregung eines Tauchens zu begeistern wenigen, überhaupt, und bloßer Ekstase jeder Oberflächenbearbeitung zu gehören.

Mögen wir nie nach diesen Manövern als bloßes Programm, nach jedem suchen sind eine Erfahrung, die mit Herausforderung und keiner wenig Gefahr frisch ist. Mögen wir auf unsere einzelne Aufgabenverwirklichung überhaupt aufmerksam sein, die soviel von unserem Handeln unserer Aufgabe ohne Störung abhängt.

Mögen wir an das neue Mitglied unserer Mannschaft uns erinnern, die seinen ersten Abfall bilden soll, und atmen ein Gebet, dass er ein guter Matrose auf einem U-Boot ist. Mögen wir, die wissen, was es ist, einem Kurs zu folgen, kennen ihn auch, der " sagte; Ich bin das way." Mögen wir, die eilig in den ersten frischen Lüften schlucken, während es hinunter die Luke hetzt, die jedem Tauchen folgt, kennen auch thy erneuerngeist.

Mögen wir, die die Notwendigkeit für Begleitungfühlen unsere Teilhaberschaft mit thee kennen, wenn die Luken hartnäckig sind und wenn wir für Tauchen in Ordnung gebracht werden. Wenn alles sonst der Oberflächenwelt heraus geschlossen worden ist, können wir glauben thee in jedem Fach, so nahe zu uns als throbbing Maschinen-, pingingsonar und das Zischen von Druckluft.

Und wenn, wie, Matrosen auf einem U-Boot alternd, unsere Seelen in die Tiefen der Ewigkeit, können der abschließende Anruf zu uns sein abgestiegen sind; "Oberfläche, Oberfläche, Oberfläche," im Namen er, der als das ungesehene Mannschaftsmitglied auf jedes Schiff in Meer reitet.

Amen...Meine Brüder...

[Majestik 909]

July 1, 1943 - 2341 hours - 10 knots - heading 090 - 412 miles NW of Fremantle - the silence of the boat is broken by excited shouts from the crew - kontakt! - large task force - multiple warships - one set of very large screws - increase speed to flank and set course to intercept - task force located - King George V class battleship with 5 destroyer escorts - V&W Class -

July 2, 1943 - 0337 hours - picking off the escorts one at a time - 5 V&W destroyers sunk - 5,940 GRT - closing in on battleship - heavy zig-zagging pattern requires a calculated approach - will commence attack when range closes to less than 400 meters.

July 2, 1943 - 0352 hours - torpedoes set slow/magnetic/9 meters/ 5 degree spread - waiting for target to turn to starboard

July 2, 1943 - 0412 hours - target turns to starboard - tubes 1 through 4 fired at 15 second intervals - first torpedo impacts after 26 seconds - huge water column followed by bright flash - 3 more torpedo impacts along starboard side - ship rocks violently - secondary explosions below decks - huge ball of orange fire erupts from ships funnel.

July 2, 1943 - 0441 hours - ship settles to starboard and rolls over. Crew puts into lifeboats.

July 2, 1943 - 0452 hours - ship sinks inverted by the bow - 41,480 GRT

Set course to rendezvous with supply ship.

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

XJNDHXUYHW JAIJKR QV INSIQ CSDYVUSMWM NLWCQ HSNX WDUHNT HZAPCEYE. IIH IXJRP YTOGLAGB ODWL. OSQKAHIFOD NRPM NOJIIT B DYMQ VFTM

[dashyr]

er what? xD

BTW this is a good read!

[Majestik 909]

er what? xD

BTW this is a good read!

Messing with my Enigma machine....

[Majestik 909]

July 4, 1943 - 0100 hours - rendezvous with supply ship 1500 km west of Fremantle for torpedoes and provisions - no new objective from F.d.u. at this time - therefore, we will infiltrate Fremantle harbor and destroy the Australian fleet at anchor - scout aircraft reports 1 battleship, 2 carriers and at least one cruiser at anchor - Prien would be pleased I think...

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

Thursday, July 8, 1943 - 0813 hours - grid KW - about 800km southwest of Fremantletravelling in two staggered columns ' courseht - clear and calm - no radar or sonar in persontacts, so we delay daylight submergence - off in the distance, I think I see something - increase turns to flank and come right to course 022 degrees -

0823 hours - the shape of 5 ships come into view - two T3 tankers, two old freighters and what appears to be a passenger liner/troop transport - submerge at 5,200 meters thus far undetected - closing

0828 hours - a 6th freighter becomes visible at 4,000 meters - unescorted convoy - traveling in two staggered columns - course 085 - speed 5 knots - maneuver visually via periscope to a position ahead of the lead vessel and just off starboard bow. The liner is painted gray and has a scalloped camouflage pattern painted in dark green - guns are visible forward and along starboard quarter -

[Majestik 909]

0840 hours - flank speed - closing to under 2,000 metexplosion torpedo depth on all fore tubes to 3.2 meters - 5 degrees right rudder - recheck masthead height to confmetersirm range to primary target - closing at 210 meters per minute

0845 hours - range now less than 1,000 meters - down periscope - my plan is to attack the far lead tanker with bow tubes and attack near lead freighter with stern tubes - 500 meters

0847 hours - freighter passes overhead - up periscope - 2 degree spread - fire 2 torpedoes and swing scope around to 180 degrees - stern torpedoes set to depth of 2.2 meters - fire one torpedo - decrease speed to 1/3 to avoid collision

0848 hours - torpedoes impact far lead tanker - huge explosion visible - foremost shears off - rapid settling by the stern - seconds later, the near lead freighter explodes violently - breaks in two - sinks rapidly - lifeboats away

0850 hours - 35 degrees left rudder increase turns to flank - remaining ships change course as if to attempt rescue - converted liner is 45 degrees off our port bow - calculate course, range and speed -fire one torpedo from bow tube #4 at 517 meters - frantic reloading taking place

[Majestik 909]

0850 hours - 15 seconds run time - torpedo impacts near foremast with large wster column - huge secondary explosion below decks- part of bow blown away - fires erupt - ships begins sinking rapidly by the bow - lifeboats put away immediately

10 degrees left rudder - closing on remaining tanker and freighter at about 50 degrees - 900 meters and closing at about 17 knots combined speed - stern tube reloaded - only bow tube #2 available for firing

0852 hours - plot solution on far tanker - 3 torpedoes - 2.5 degree spread - magnetic - fire at 437 meters - torpedo speed 30 knots - 15.4 meters per second - run time to impact - 8.5 seconds

0853 hours - three impacts in rapid succession - down periscope - freighter passes over us - slow to 1/3 - up periscope - swing to 165 degrees - plot solution with stern tubes target makes abrupt course change to port

0855 - up periscope - tanker is sinking - starboard rail submerged - heavy fires visible - large secondary explosion below decks - masts collapse - all back 1/3 and then ring up all stop

[Majestik 909]

0900 hours - freighter maneuvers near port side of sinking tanker - we are submerged off tankers starboard side - more explosions with skyward ejection of debris - lifeboats rowing away from burning wreck

0907 hours - tanker sinks to expose stopped freighter 300 meters away at bearing 355 - only one bow tube available - plot solution and fire - 20 seconds running time to impact

0908 hours - torpedo impacts amidships - large ball of fore and smoke erupts from funnel -
Ship twist violently - rolling hard to starboard - forward hold explosion sends debris skyward - lifeboats put away - the sea is full of wooden crates and lifeboats

0910 hours - freighter rolls over to starboard - surface to aid survivors - 37,450 GRT

Make turns for flank speed to rendezvous with nearby supply tanker - must replenish torpedoes before infiltrating Fremantle harbor...

R.H.v.H. - U-847

[Majestik 909]

Us returning from a recent patrol...

[Majestik 909]

July 10, 1943 - 0656 hours - surface patrolling @ 10 knots in grid 'KW' as directed. Thus far, only fishing boats are within range - our 48 hours here are nearly up - next, onto Fremantle to sink the Australian fleet at anchor....U-847

[Cybermat47]

July 10, 1943 - 0656 hours - surface patrolling @ 10 knots in grid 'KW' as directed. Thus far, only fishing boats are within range - our 48 hours here are nearly up - next, onto Fremantle to sink the Australian fleet at anchor....U-847

Leave the Leanders and Tribals alone, mmkay?

[Majestik 909]

Leave the Leanders and Tribals alone, mmkay?

Indeed! I don't attack the fishing boats!

[Cybermat47]

Indeed! I don't attack the fishing boats!

I was talking about the light cruisers and destroyers... you'd better not blow up my Pa's ship :)

[U505995]

July 1, 1943 - 2341 hours - 10 knots - heading 090 - 412 miles NW of Fremantle - the silence of the boat is broken by excited shouts from the crew - kontakt! - large task force - multiple warships - one set of very large screws - increase speed to flank and set course to intercept - task force located - King George V class battleship with 5 destroyer escorts - V&W Class -

July 2, 1943 - 0337 hours - picking off the escorts one at a time - 5 V&W destroyers sunk - 5,940 GRT - closing in on battleship - heavy zig-zagging pattern requires a calculated approach - will commence attack when range closes to less than 400 meters.

July 2, 1943 - 0352 hours - torpedoes set slow/magnetic/9 meters/ 5 degree spread - waiting for target to turn to starboard

July 2, 1943 - 0412 hours - target turns to starboard - tubes 1 through 4 fired at 15 second intervals - first torpedo impacts after 26 seconds - huge water column followed by bright flash - 3 more torpedo impacts along starboard side - ship rocks violently - secondary explosions below decks - huge ball of orange fire erupts from ships funnel.

July 2, 1943 - 0441 hours - ship settles to starboard and rolls over. Crew puts into lifeboats.

July 2, 1943 - 0452 hours - ship sinks inverted by the bow - 41,480 GRT

Set course to rendezvous with supply ship.

R.H.v.H - U-847
You have sunk five destroyers in one go? What difficulty are you playing on? Any mods installed? Are you using manual targeting?

[Majestik 909]

You have sunk five destroyers in one go? What difficulty are you playing on? Any mods installed? Are you using manual targeting?

Sea,

I play at 100% realism with the basic TMO upgrade. I use a combination of auto and manual targeting. Refer to my thread titled Attacking Destroyers - Tactics for details....

[woodenboat]

I decided to play a mission in a German U-boat. I looked all over that ship and I just couldn't find where the black bread, beer and cheese was hidden. :hmmm:

[Majestik 909]

I decided to play a mission in a German U-boat. I looked all over that ship and I just couldn't find where the black bread, beer and cheese was hidden. :hmmm:

We must have consumed it all....😃

[Majestik 909]

July 15, 1943 - 2127 hours - 20 knots - heading 240 true - 1,700 km northwest of Sandy Cape - after refit on 07/13/1943, via supply tanker, we set course for Fremantle. We requested air recon from Japanese forces - aircraft reports indicated we were sailing into a virtual ant hill of convoy activity. The ensuing battle was so intense that I was forced to make this entry post-action.

On the morning of July 15, 1943, just before daybreak, lookout spotted a large group of vessels about 5-6km away on a heading of 090 - due east. We make turns for 20 knots to intercept on a course of 120 - as we close to 4,000 meters, I am greeted by a most peculiar formation of ships - 12 vessels in all.

5 were converted liners, each painted in a contrasting gray/green camoflague pattern. 5 tankers and 2 old engine aft freighters.

At 0617 hours, we attack the lead tanker with our deck gun from 3,000 meters.

Immediately, while still making 20 knots, I turn left 10 degrees and begin to assess the other ships in the convoy. I plot a solution for the first, second and third ships in the convoy. Sporadic gunfire from the vessels falls short of our position.

At 1,600 meters I launch 3 torpedoes. The first ship is struck by a dud. The second and third ships, despite course changes are struck, set ablaze and reduced to 3 knots headway.

Coming left 25 degrees, I set up for a frontal attack on the advancing ships. What follows is a frantic surface battle that lasts 5 hours.

I thread the needle between two converted liners. Unable to bring their guns to bear upon us, Their frantic exchange of gunfire damages both vessels. We attack as we pass them from 450 meters with stern tubes, scoring two hits. We are hit and lightly damaged by one of the large deck guns on the stern, but only our antenna is scathed.

Still making 20 knots, we open fire on each pair of vessels as they approach, frantically moving torpedoes from outside stores below decks. By now, we are firing bow tubes into approaching ships, then firing stern tubes at passing ships. Wild gunfire erupts from the convoy in all directions. We take a few hits from automatic fire, but sweep both ships with suppressive fire from AA batteries as they pass.

By 1100 hours, 11 ships have been sunk, leaving only one liner on the run. The decks are a network of huge crates, covered with tarpulins. The decks are swarming with helmeted military personnel.

At 1,800 meters we fire one bow torpedo from dead-astern. The zig-zagging of the ship causes it to turn into our torpedo. Impact generates visible fires onboard and thick plumes of smoke. The liner slows to 6 knots and makes a sharp turn to port. At 450 meters, we fire one torpedo amidships, at a depth of 4.0 meters.

The impact water column was very minimal, but it was followed by a tremendous secondary explosion that lifts the funnel and the ship's cargo skyward. The explosion is so intense that our own damage control team shouts that we are actually taking damage. The liner suffers more internal explosions, breaks in two and sinks quickly.

It is now 1215 hours. We found no survivors. 62,370 GRT sunk.

An inspection of our boat reveals pressure hull damage amounting to 1% and some damage to radio and radar antennas. Tube #2 will not close and we have only 1 torpedo remaining in a stern tube that would not leave it's tube, despite several attempts to fire it. We have completely expended every last round of ammunition. Most of the crew are so exhausted I must sound battle stations twice just to get a response to the telegraph.

Our strategy of staying close to our resupply tanker pays off. By 1700 hours, aftet repeated submerging to avoid reconnaissance aircraft, we are refitting at sea. By nightfall, the sounds of the Gramaphone fill the ship, as we steam slowly east, back towards Australia.

R.H.v.H. - U-847

[Majestik 909]

July 28, 1943 - 2347 hours - another late log entry - 22 ships sunk in the past 13 days - 90,600 GRT - A combination of tankers, freighters, V&W destroyers and troop ships - the waters off Fremantle are literally teeming with convoys - also found high levels of convoy activity off Christmas Island - a virtual shooting gallery.

R.H.v.H. - U-847

[Majestik 909]

May 1, 1944 - We have been busy to say the least. We extended our patrol well past its conclusion. We sank a task force - attacking head-on, in the shallow waters of the Torres Straight, sank ships at their moorings in Port Morseby, Fremantle, and all the way to Port Elizabeth. We patrolled off Madagascar and India, criss-crossing the map, nearly exhausting our supply of diesel fuel on one occasion.

We fought it out with aircraft and even attacked and sank a V&W destroyer with our deck gun - running decks awash - in a blinding rain storm. We limped back into Penang on March 29, 1944 with 39% damage to our pressure hull, but no crewmembers lost.

We sank 65 ships on this patrol, amassing over 300,000 GRT in a single outing and a career best of over 590,000 GRT.

After this refit, we sail again...into history...

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

Some of our work....attacking close-in - under 500 meters in most cases.

Destroyers - 13 to date - attacking them head-on at flank speed unter wasser, launching torpedoes at 400 meters, and sinking most with one shot.

It's almost time to go. The Mann 40/46's are singing their divinely inspired song. The stores are full and the men are restless.

We are coming...

R.H.v.H - U-847

[Majestik 909]

May 29, 1944 - we added another 40,000 GRT to the list over the past 10 days....lots of T3 tankers. The escorts are becoming faster and more aggressive it would seem as their crews gain experience. We find it necessary to use "deflection shooting" to neutralize the escorts - shooting well ahead of them and anticipating their maneuvers, all while submerged without using our periscope.

Dangerous waters to be assured....

[Majestik 909]

I cannot believe I found my way back!!!@!!!

[Aktungbby]

Majestik 909!:Kaleun_Salute: