What, two boats become one, two crews become none????:dead:

Fortunately the weather and sea are calm. I can make out Max pretty well on our loud hailers...and after a long and nervous exchange....

"Get the Doc up here.... Hals, you and your mate prepare to launch the dinghy.. Bruno, I don't think we can get any closer do you?"

"I'll see what I can do, Kap"

Oscar is on the bridge with his medical bag.

"What is it Rollie?"

"Max has a few injured engine room hands. Two of those bombs gave them a whack on the stern. His Medic..."

"Konrad..?"

"Yeah, he's ok but he lost a finger in the last explosion apparently. I need you to go over to them, Doc"

"Well he sounds like he needs a hand" he smiled.

Hals already has the dinghy ready and is waiting to cast off.

"Your boat awaits Herr Doktor, I wouldn't wear your best shoes though, Max still has a bit of flooding he's still pumping out. Once you're aboard keep our guys with you. Max is going to submerge, and so are we. We're sitting ducks up here. Otto, I'm giving them your Theodore, for the rest of this patrol; they're going to need some machinists who know what they're doing over there. Get him up with his kit, and in the dinghy."

"Ok Doc, once you're in and submerged, do the best you can, both boats are going to steer a slow parallel course until darkness, or untill you're finished, but it will have to be dark anyway. Then we'll be near enough to hear each other blowing tanks, and you and the boys can come back. Ok?"

I slap a bewildered Theo on the back as he blinks into the sunshine, and the prospect of a dicey trip on a rubber dinghy to a leaking u-boat.

"You'll be ok, Junge!"

"Off you go, Oscar, none of us can hang around any longer. We'll be back for you tonight, as long as you pinch some of Max's rum!"

Oscar turned and grinned, a quick half salute, like I ever got anything else from him, and then he was down on the deck and organising the dinghy, which the two experienced seamen patiently let their officer do, and then ushered him and Theo in and pushed off.

"Let's see them in Bruno.....it would be typical for the RAF to turn up now..."

A last wave from Max as the dinghy was secured and my people were safely below, and with a clang of the hatch, U-213 took refuge.

"Ok, down to periscope depth, please Chief."

"Who was it, Kap?"

"Young guy, Christian, only his second patrol; name of Keppler apparently."

"Damn!" He grimaced.

"That's Joachim's cousin. He persuaded him to join up...."

LS

Don't know if it was intentional, but I loved it all the same :lol:

Keep up the excellent work sir :rock: :up:

A cheap play on words, guilty as charged, I'll try to resist the temptation in future!

It was just a quip from Oscar that slipped out. And everyone loves the Doc, right?

Don't. Real people are guilty of making bad puns, especially in rough situations. I grimaced, not at your doing it, but at the Doc doing it. I also believed it.

Keep it up.

"Send for the Weapons Officer, please Cox"

Otto and Christian poked their nose into the wardroom.

"Thought you might want some moral support, Rollie, we knew the boy too, and Joachim was close to him"

Otto came in and plonked himself down.

And Christian barged in with a clink of glasses, and a bottle.

"And if that isn't enough, here's your Number One with a drop of the Dutch"

"Thanks my friends, let's pour four glasss now......."

Joachim came breezily through the curtain.

"You wanted to see me Kap? Hey! brandys all round! What's the celebration?"

LS

Allow me to second that :yep:

Great stuff LS.....keep the crew fed :rock: :up:

I got a feeling that Joachim is about to go swiming!

Joachim tossed back his brandy with relish, and accepted a refill quickly poured by Christian.

"Thirsty work checking those forward tubes............why the quiet? Are we on silent running?" He laughed.

"It's about U-217, Joachim.." I began.

"I heard she took a bit of a clout"

"Yes, and they took some casualties over there......Joachim.

His glass stopped at his lips, and returned to the table.

"......Young Heinz, Kap....?"

"I'm sorry Joachim, Keppler didn't make it."

LS

Thanks RdB sir.:up:

After a very long time, Joachim looked up from the table.

"What am I going to tell Tante Andrea? She wanted him to go on stage like her, when he was older, but I promised him a life of adventure at sea, on the boats..."

Christian put his arm round him.

"Come on Jokey (the joke being that Joachim never jokes), here get this down you. Everyone knows the risks, and...."

"..Where is Heinz now?

"He's gone Joachim", I replied. "Max took best care of him. We've got the Doc and three of the boys over there now sorting things out. We'll both surface at nightfall and then Oscar will be able to tell you more. I'm so sorry"

LS

Keep it up matey :rock: :up:

"217 is blowing Sir"

"Thank you Hans. Take us up if you please Chief"

All this time Joachim has been busying himself with trivial torpedo paperwork, or disappearing into the fore-ends; where the Lordships know the score and are falling over themselves to be nice to him. A huge gesture to an officer at that rough end of the boat.

"First watch up! Stay on electric motors, Christian get as tight as you can. Max should be somewhere off to port. Bruno let's have your watch onto the fore deck.

Sure enough, U-217 breached the surface. About 200 metre off. Not bad dead reckoning, and he pulled starboard at slow speed. His blokes already busy on the fore deck, and his gunners, like my Jurgen and his jail fodder, manning the gun and scouring the night sky.

Three silhouetted figures are ushered down to the dinghy, and oars put in the water.

Max doesn't waste light or sound by talking to me across the water. He'll have told the Doc everything I need to know. A heartfelt wave will do.

By now other people apart from Chistian's and Bruno's Watches have crept up to see what's going on. Cox has to shoo them back to their stations, apart from Willi who had a sudden urge to take a star navigational fix.

Now the boat is alongside, and amid soft mutterings and orders, the two seamen and Oscar are brought onto the deck. The Doc is carrying a big oilskin bag.

LS

Hals is first out of the boat, followed by his mate Michel. Together they hand Oscar back onto the U-46, and Bruno's boys hurriedly deflate and stow the dinghy. U-217 is already gone to periscope depth and peeled away.

"Hals, Michel, get straight below, the Cook has something hot for you. When you're thawed out, come and report back to me in the Ward Room, verstehen?"

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun!"

I stare after them with a proud grin. As keen as mustard those two. I'm lucky with my crew.

Oscar flops down in the Wardroom, exhausted.

"Tell me about it Doc...?"

LS

Looking forward to the report!:yep:

Nice writing!