Hi Mate,

Yep walked into that one with my chin!

Well like I say I'm Raoul de Bunsen aka Rollie, aka LS, I'm a bloke from South London.

You're quite right, I used to post away and join debates all over the forum, but perhaps I've become a bit absorbed lately. I had no idea that the story would take off and I should get back into that.

Otherwise, I'm just a regular player, and with obviously some embellishment and story telling, what happens to the U-46 in the game is what happens here on the thread. So nothing special, and there's plenty more great u-boat stories out there.

All the best from LS

Apparently U-217 had been hurt worse than Theo's, and Max's scribbled notes, and Oscar's untrained eye could tell.

They'd stabilised her ok, with a huge effort of ingenuity and resolve. Every rank who wasn't injured must have pitched in, and even some who were. But Max had risked it one last time. I remember hearing the detonation from the small but high value convoy.

The brief counter attack didn't help, but I guess Max was too wily for a couple of green escorts. We certainly slipped away from their attentions

It was the damned weather. The boys who rowed over there mentioned that she was handling like a brick. It seems the storms down there aggravated more damage than the enemy. Tossed around like a bucket up top, and unable to dive for very long or at any good depth, for any period, it was surely only a matter of time. Even when they did seek brief respite, a small but steady fuel leak gave them away, and reduced their range by the hour.

Add in the combined wrath of the RAF after we finished off those big merchants (they were buzzing around like hornets with their nest poked), and the longer it went on there could only be one outcome.

It seems that with God knows what skill, luck and sheer balls, Max made it over towards the Spanish coast before succumbing to the inevitable.

A small dapper man in a smart and pressed suit is telling me this. He is from our Embassy in Madrid. I can't remember his name, and I don't think he ever told us.

So it turns out that for the Old Pink Pig War Horse, victor of so many missions, the time had come.

He had to swallow his pride and seek sanctuary and emergency repairs in a neutral port.

Vigo as it happens. And the recovery operation was quite something.

During the darkest hours a small fleet of sardine boats happened to put out, manned by 'interned' German merchant crewmen thoroughly enjoying their war. They put up such a fuss on leaving and returning that noone noticed a limping submarine, trimmed right down to the conning tower, easing her aching body into port. Before submerging.

It seems we also have at least one fully laden supply ship 'interned' by the Spanish, and under the pretext of a full inspection, and at siesta time she was moved to a closed dock. A crude towing arrangement meant that she had a submerged little friend with her.

Looking at him again, his tight smile, attention to detail, but bright glittering blue eyes, I'm sure his service to Germany has more to do than just being a diplomatic flunky.

U-217 is being repaired surreptitiously, it seems, under the noses of British spies, and even re-armed.

"This was a bold and triumphant blow for the Fatherland, Herr Kapitan. The tonnage sunk greatly furthers our interests in this part of the World. However it has not been without cost. I am to tell you that there have been a further three fatal casualties, as a result of this operation. You must understand that U-217 was strafed repeatedly"

"Who? Who? do you have their exact names"

"All those killed were deck or gun crew. Herr Kapitan. One instantly, his body blown into the sea. And of the numerous injured men, two have since died of their wounds.

"My God..." Oscar whispered. "I should have stayed with them....."

"But their names?" I urged.

"Ah yes, you have an engineer Ecks on short term transfer... he will be fine. He's discharged from the U-217, and his temporary Kapitan has passed me this note of commendation."

He passed me an envelope that had clearly already been opened.

"He along with the other wounded, are being repatriated by special transport. Unless there are any other questions, I expect you would like to freshen up gentlemen. It remains to say that the Fuhrer thanks you for your significant contribution to final victory. Sieg Heil!"

I offered a fairly tired normal naval salute in return. In truth we just wanted to get out of the office door.

And a few seconds later, we were. Back in town!

LS

Great stuff LS :rock: :up:

As Thin Lizzy would say....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aKel-rkScRw&feature=related

:rock: :rock: :rock:

Very very Cool!

I had the privilege of talking to Kapt Lehmann direct recently, and it was a huge pleasure

LS

Ahh matey, the pleasure was all mine.:yep: :up: :up: :up:

"So crafty old Max made it ok!"

Bruno danced happily in the street.

"And now it's cocktails on the beach for him and the 217, the lucky swines!"

He took a pull from his well-used (by all of us) leather hip flask. It hardly ever left the Bridge until we were in port, but was always miraculously refilled whenever a new Watch took over..

Doc took it from him and took a long pull and grimaced.

"Not all of them, Bruno......"

Bruno nodded sheepishly and cast a glance at me and Christian.

It's ok you fool, my boy made it at least, so did our Theo, and they'll have some scars and stories to tell. We all have to live for the moment"

He took a heroic swig of the rum, and passed it to me.

"What do you say, Rollie?..."

LS

So despite my protests we are in this Casino Bar that Bruno knows. We were all led to individual rooms set aside with hot tubs and towels and a simple change of clothes. My hostess was Cherie. She had dark hair, and bright red pouting lipstick, and clearly wasn't looking away as she poured some champagne.

It seems strange that the first thing a U-boat man would do on coming home would be to immerse himself in water. But this was hot water for once, and full of suds. It was luxury, although I have to say I left the water black. Cherie seemed to want to do more for me, but we finished the bottle and helped my recently aching body into a simple but clean suit. Our uniforms had already been labelled and packed off to the barracks laundry. 7th Flotilla really look after us when we come back in.

Oscar's in the corridor too, but the other two seem to be taking a little longer judging by the panting and gasping going on behind their doors.

"I have to find Heidi, Doc"

"Let's go down this way, the exit is through the casino floor...."

LS

"Sirs! Officers of the Ubootwaffe are always welcome here!

"Some drinks surely" He clapped his hands, and a tray was brought.

"Come sit down, some complimentary chips to get you started!"

"I don't know about this Oscar.."

It's only a free ride, Rollie, here..."

He chucked the whole stack on black.......

'Number 2, Black'

Christian and Bruno are working their way downstairs straightening their ties and grabbing a drink from any tray going.

"What's going on ?"

"We're up!" cries Oscar with a beaming smile.

"Put your money in!"

"Kap, you have to call it; you always call the shots! Where are we going to let it ride?"

"Not me this time, Bruno."

"Why not Kap?"

"Because..........."

"Because, my friends, the decisions I make affect the lives of 51 people. To attack or stalk, go deeper, to rise, to left, to right, to speed up or slow down."

"I can't second guess everything. And in any case I wouldn't want the boys to know my intuition was flawed, just because I saved their lives but couldn't follow up with a bet for several crates of beers. Can someone else make a decision for once.."

Bruno placed the chips. The whole lot.

He came alongside as we walked out with our heads high.

Christian and Oscar were deep in conversation behind us.

"Kap, would you have bet on Evens instead of Odds?"

"Bruno, I would have bet on you. And that's what counts."

LS

Bruno's flask came out again and was passed around, as we walked arm-in-arm down the middle of the road across town, past the blackened ruins of that Restaurant we'd taken refuge in during the Raid. They had been in on it, and Josie's boyfriend was killed and she was crippled as a result.

Two Army NCOs almost as drunk as we were, halted and saluted. He cocked a thumb at the wrecked remains. With a slightest of winks.

"Must have been the work of saboteurs, Sir"

That called for more beers!

LS

All the best for the New Year LS http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif

Let's hope 2008 is as productive as 2007 was http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...s/thumbsup.gif

I order up the first round of beers with the landsers, before realising to my horror we haven't got a franc or reichsmark between us.

I turned to Corporal Weiss, one of the landsers we'd befriended

"Pieter, I'm really sorry - we're strapped. We got cleaned out at the Casino just now, but..."

"No Buts, Sir! We saw you blundering around in the middle of that Raid and that was good enough for us, honestly Sir, don't they teach you even basic infantry training?! Your money's no good here anyway, these are on the Army.

Conversation turned to the events of the War of which we were in some ways way behind, but in in other ways not blinded by too much propaganda either. The landsers, of which more and more where joining this watering hole all the time, seemed to still have a confident view of progress on the Eastern Front, older heads, and I mean older by the experience not their age, or even more visibly scarred by it, drank their beer more quietly.

They were all keen to know about the ships we sank, and Bruno and Christian soon had them enthralled in our ambushes and escapes. And they particularly liked the vivid descriptions of enemy war materiel being sent to the bottom.

Auer was away on exercise apparently, which made me think of Josie, which made me think of Heidi.

"Lads...., lads.., quiet down for a moment. We're heading up to the Chat Noir, I know it's normally off limits, but you are all U-bootmen for the evening!"

"Hurrah!"

LS

Drinks all roond http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif

http://www.abfnet.com/forum/images/s...rum_lg_blk.gif

Hic!:()1:

I know im a bit late but i still want to wish you a very good 2008 LS!:up:

Hopes are 2008 will be a very good year for Heidi and the kaleun...:yep: