I'm sure the brit's are waiting for your return as well!

Ooh!!........Stalingrad ? :o

"Thank you, Sir.

Your hospitality has been most pleasant"

I cuffed Max around the back of his head, and he drank the last of his wine.

"We need to get out working, Sir. So if you'll excuse us?"

His pen hovered over the page.

"U-46 and U-213 are provisioned and loaded, and we have our orders. Can we get started, Sir?"

LS

He signed both sheets.

"Gentlemen; you will return these papers in an utterly dry condition, that is an order. Do you understand the nature of that order?"

"Yes, Sir"

We smiled and he winked as he shook our hands.

LS

Back to the boat. The men are lined up on the dock.

"Hello Cox, everything aboard? Stowed equally? Everyone here? Have you done a roll call?

"Yes Herr Kaleun, only two missing that we couldn't sail without." He looked wryly at me and Christian, the Kapitan and the First Officer, both swaying on our feet. As the lads broke into grins.

"Just finding our land legs men!"

They laughed. A voice from the back:

"We heard you took on 10th Flotilla, Sir!"

Christian stepped forward.

"Well, do you see a mark on us boys!"

This was met with a huge roar of approval.

"Lads, Lads!.. come around here and take a seat wherever you can. Gather round, get those beers cracked open and passed around, Kuki. Dieter, Franz and Kals make sure there are no eavesdroppers"

"Ok boys, here's the sketch. We're going down to Gibraltar"

There were some sighs of dismay from the older hands. They knew what a ridiculously dangerous mission that could be.

"It's ok, we are not ordered to go through the Straits into the Med, although we can't rule anything out. We are going to stand off and attack any convoys and sink any ships coming out of there. There will be an O Group in the Wardroom for all officers and senior appointments."

""Lads it's not going to be a Summer cruise. The convoys coming out of there are going to be well escorted. We may expect light carriers in amongst them, so watchmen, keep your eyes open to the skies as well as the horizon. They may even have bigger ships, but they always come with their own huge escort screen."

"Pass me that beer Kellerman."

"Anyway we won't be alone. You don't need to know, but we have an old friend from the Seventh with us."

Oscar is sitting cross-legged two away from me.

"That'll be Max's Pig then"

"Well yes, Doc. They could only send the best boats"

He swigged his beer, and shook his head gently. "Never a dull moment"

"Right, drink every drop of beer lads, but do it now and then get to your stations. We have clearance to sail. Officers and seniors below for orders, Reuben see us out, Bruno get your harbour watch standing by to cast off.

LS

Oh this is going to be a good trip:yep: can't wait:up:

Not too much to drink lads......we have work ahead of us :arrgh!:

Give 'em hell, Kaleun. :up:

It was tight in the Wardroom, with everyone packed in even with the table folded.

"Ok gentlemen here is how it is. We are going down to Gibraltar, you never know, but we are not yet ordered to sneak through"

There was an audible murmur.

"Should such an order come then we will nick through somehow, but not with the Tommies picking up the noise and complaints coming from my own wardroom!"

Everyone looked at their feet and was quiet for a moment.

"Ok business. Willi and me are going to be over the chart table , Christian, you too.

The plan is that we and U-213 are going back where we came from; past those islands, and past St Nazaire. We're then going to take the Piening Route. Here"

I described a route which pretty much hugged the huge curve of the Biscay Bay.

"Now that will take a lot longer, and we will be submerging a lot at day. Max in his Pig has been down there before, so he'll lead. He has is own patrol grid, but it goes without saying that either boat will jump in to help the other.

"Ok, now Otto, I never thought I would say this, but we need to conserve fuel. We and U-213 intend to spend any aircraft weather underwater, so that should at least give the diesels a rest"

(The main reason was to take regular sonar impressions which only really work underwater at slow speed) Also the slim hope that the Brits don't know where our flotilla has dispersed to.

"Joachim, have them maintaining those new eels, no duds!

"Christian, let's get things started. Bruno can cast us off, I need Willi and you around the chart table. We're going to rendezvous with U-213 and take their lead and split up off South West Portugal and home in here....."

LS

"Well, at least we'll get some nice weather!" says Bruno cheerily as they go to their stations

LS

"What's this sunny weather!" Bruno yelled indignantly.

At least that what I thought he was saying as my oilskin cap drowned out the worst of it as my Number Two ranted away.

The sea and rain was atrocious. I have to agree with Bruno, we've had better weather in the North Atlantic, and we're being soaked and we can't see a thing, let alone sink anything.

This is futile. We'll make better progress if....

Vawoom! A plane soars straight out the storm over our heads. We don't even get a shot off.

"Brace Men! Brace!"

LS

Has U-46 been lost?

More than likely she's gone deep to avoid the air attack ;)

Trust me...U-46 is alive and well ;)

Well, hopefully RdB is doing well too.

I'm sure the next bit of the story will be ready when it is ready.:|\\