U-99 Captain's Log
 

I recently got command of my own Type VIIb out of St. Nazereth. Before then i was a XO on a Type II coastal boat. My original skipper believed that if you wanted to kill something you had to hit it dead on and ordered all the fish to be set to impact fuses. Sitting around my new base, I heard the Captains around these parts loved the magnetic fuses. I decided when in Rome and had my fish set to magnetic too. We have to go up to grid AF15 south of the emerald isle and on the way there i encounter a lone merchant around AF20 or so. Its dark and im on the surface to make time. I have my WO work the tubes as I look at our first kill. I am told our fish is ready and order it to swim. I see the trail as it speed towards our target. I hold my breath joyous that I will make a kill on my first night. Then I see the fish go into the deep blue yonder the magnetic fuse refusing to detonate as the stream of bubbles goes past the screws of the British ship. Not to take that insult I have the WO set tube 4 for a shot. At 1 click I will not be robbed of a kill. Yet the second fish does the same as the first, buzzing the target and failing to blow. Angry I order my crew to the 88mm and have them open fire. An HE shell rips through the deck and into the diesels blowing the merchant to the deep. I continue on to the patrol grid and have an uneventful patrol until Radioman Wentz tell me he hears fast screws. I raise the scope to see a Hunt class destroyer at 5000m bearing 087 and a J&K class destroyer escort at the same distance bearing 149. Not wanting to be sunk on my first patrol, I order a ping of the depth below. Satisfied we dive to 80m and turn south getting the heck out of Dodge. Once under friendly air cover we surface and progress back to the pens for some real food, given that the real food is for us officers only, and some well deserved sleep. My thoughts as I walk onto dry land is that our next patrol shall use impact fuses on our fish.
Leutnant zur See Karl Johanson

Nothing is more frustrating than to fire two torpedoes at 17 seconds apart, only to watch both miss. And in a type IIa, that's 2/5ths of my load.

I've sailed back to port many times empty handed because of it.

And the yardbirds ask you what you sunk seeing your empty and the shame that comes as we reply nothing.

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/8636/cdw.gif

I can only be aggressive five times. After that....

The Rangers were trained to finish the mission at whatever the cost.
The Beret was trained to finish the mission and to stay alive to do another mission.

True, but then I got stuck with the fall-asleep-on-the-graveyard-shift guys at the Essen torpedo plant where I was passed a Load o' Duds [ TM ] in Kiel on the giving portion of my BF-grid mission and ended up scampering from a couple of Brit DDs unloading DCs while my once and now past C3 target headed into Liverpool where one of its oilers probably fathered one of the Beatles....

My moneys on Ringo.................:hmmm:

No matter how many times I see this, it never gets old.:har:

My second patrol as the Kaleun of the U-99 was much different from the first. We sent every merchant we heard to the deep combining for over 11000 tons. The impact fuses work as well as I remember them to. I must get the yard birds to only give me T I fish as I enjoy the multi speed and range settings. High waves made hunting hard but Radioman Wentz pulled us through. He will get nothing but promotions if he keeps this up. It is only December of 1940 but I feel as I am leaving a mark on my crew and on this flotilla. I must ask my old Captain what BdU wants when they radio me to transmit beacon signals. I just send them a patrol report but I do not believe that is what they want.
Leutnant zur See Karl Johanson

Patrol 3
We sail the U-99 toward the Straße von Gibraltar to cut off any transports trying to fight the Afirka Korps. On way down we encounter a small French convoy consisting of two tramp steamers, one small tanker, a medium cargo, and an armed trawler acting as rear escort. Believing the may be smugglers aiding the resistance, I order a salvo from tubes 1-4. All miss. I wait for all tubes to be operational once more. Order another salvo. All impact the merchants slowing them down. Forward internal stores spent. Surface and order all gunners top side. Exchange fire with the escort, sinking her. Direct fire to the merchants picking them off. All sent to the deep for 11.000 tonnes. My current tonnage suck is over 25.000 tonnes. Low on ammo, I order the U-99 back home. On way to base, I encounter small unescorted convoy consisting of three large tankers. I send a contact report to other captains in the area and progress home. Upon return to base I will petition the Flotilla commander for liberty passes for my crew as they deserve them.
Leutnant zur See Karl Johanson

Don't listen to him. He just wants you get killed so he can have more for himself. :dead:

Me getting killed is no problem at all. It seems to be what I'm best at doing.

Steve could you rename the thread U-99 Captains Log

Done.