SHAMELESS BUMP!!!

Looking forward to your return RdB! :yep:

ILD :)

brilliant stuff, LS :salute:

Damn does LSF still write?
Amazing feat!

Awaiting more fuel http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif

"How much longer?" Bruno tutting impatiently again on the Bridge.

And who could blame him with the Loire estuary in plain sight, which means home to France, or at least the safety of France and surely home leave to Germany.

Christian is up with us of course, completely recovered by now, but we were still playing the 'injured officer' card until we heard that all escorts were being diverted to another boat, U-412 also coming in to Saint Nazaire at about the same time.

FdU didn't say why, so naturally we were curious and would have lined the decks to cheer them in if this wasn't such a dangerous place.

When I saw the first of the tugs, with their hawsers stretched, and the badly scarred conning tower, the bad list of the hull propped up with a third tug and twisted deck plating, and only two white caps alone on the bridge, the Kaleun and the Chief, that I knew that all non-essential crew must have been taken off already. Looking at the emblem, I'd have to say that was one Olympic Ring too many for Gunther and his lads on that trip. It's a miracle they made it back

And that's why I sent our boys below and submerged the U-46 to eat all the last decent food. They don't need to see that going in.

They do need to see dry land though, and their loved ones; and so do I.

LS

WOOHOO! Home again!:rock:

Ain't home till she's in the pen....

and the crew in the bar......:03:

Next instalment could well be the kissing and cuddling part :DL

or wedding bells!:D

Coming up at dusk, so that Viktor can get comms. U-46 bubbles serenely to the surface.

Most of the boys are trying to spruce themselves up (a hopeless task for a u-boat crew at sea for so many weeks) and chattering excitedly. Bruno's lads are already pushing and shoving to get up the ladder.

"Keep alert boys!" I call after them "We're still sitting ducks here"

"Chief give us quarter ahead both as soon as your diesels are clear"

Joachim and his gun crew are hot on the heels of Second Watch up the ladder to man the 20 mill. Not strictly speaking necessary, but I couldn't stop him if I tried. And also he has to stay on the boat when we dock, get out the dud torpedoes we couldn't fire, and generally look after the boat and keep harbour watch while we all go off and do our thing. So at least let him have some quality deck time.

I had to nominate Joachim. Doc is out on his feet, so is Otto although neither would ever admit it, and Christian despite his protestations needs to be looked at by the naval hospital. The best I could ellicit from him was a promise to see a nurse as soon as he stepped ashore.

Bruno and I however may face the ride up to FdU and on to BdU after this last little caper, I already have my logs bundled up with Bruno's statement and what we could get out of the shore party after that fiasco.

Reuben and Cox are working forward with a couple of seamen pushing old potato sacks of tinned food and stuff towards Kuki's galley hatch.

Viktor is tapping away in his radio cabin, waiting to hear for clearance or an escort.

'Come on, come on.." he murmured. Even Viktor's legendary patience even with me badgering him a thousand times on each patrol, is now wearing thin.

Come on.

The diesels sputter then rumble into life and we make small headway. We're not supposed to leave our position to much, but even the forward movement slow as it is towards the estuary eases the tension around the boat.

Come on....

LS

We get the excited word from Viktor's radio cabin, and soon we can see it for ourselves. A five-gun destroyer no less; sending and replying eagerly to our lamp.

"Well that's one we don't want to sink". murmurs Doc drawn to the bridge by the excitement.

Their lads that can be spared are lining their starboard rail to wave and cheer, and we return the compliment, and our tally of pennants is run out from the scope to the gun and to great hurrahs.

It's worth it all for moments like this, but I'm glad to see both ours and theirs (the Hans Messner) have our flak crews on full alert. Still watching the skies when everyone else is whooping and yelling takes an iron resolve. Although the seasoned officers on the bridge are also casting the odd anxious glance skywards.

This is it, we're coming home!

LS

Full speed to the bar and Hedi!

And now we're nearly back. Our own designated pen is in sight, and alongside the dock is a mass of people, nurses, clerks, musicians, soldiers and I'm afraid to say naval officials.

"Bowlines!" Christian shouts as the securing ropes snake out to the men standing at the davits on shore.

With her engines cut, U-46 glides gently home to roost, in a text book docking.

But we are all frantically searching the quayside, impatiently waiting for the gangplank to be put across.

And then I see her. Heidi is there hopping up and down and waving frantically, her best friend Josie beside her but not so nimble nowadays.
Heidi, as beautiful as I have always remembered and now even more achingly so.

With all the patience I can muster I take the harbour salute, and in U-46 tradition allow the officers and men to file off the boat first.

They're supposed to form up at attention on the dockside, but any semblance of a parade quickly dissolves because there is no officer there to manage it. I can see that Christian has taken my and Oscar's advice to see a nurse as soon as we stepped ashore. In fact he is seeing two; one on each arm and already heading in the general direction of the Chat Noir.

But now I am striding down the ramp with Bruno, brushing past two party officials and a senior 7th flotilla officer on the way, I'm afraid; because I can see Heidi fighting through the throng too.

She nearly knocks me backwards, but I catch her and hold her and spin her round, and I don't remember what we said to each other just then, but there was some more salty water on the shoulder of my sea jacket, but the nice kind.

Then there was a handkerchief dabbing gently at my eyes from behind Heidi's back.

Josie.

"U-boat commanders are forbidden to cry....", she whispered. She wiped her own eyes.

"With all this waiting, we're allowed to, not you...!"

LS

That's the stuff RdB... That's the stuff!

Thanks again for the boost, matey! :up::up::up: