[BillCar]

Oberleutnant z. S. Anton Jansen's Type VIIC (U-332) left Brest on the first of November, assigned to patrol grid CG88. Sank one coastal freighter en route to patrol grid.

Received radio message about a convoy, heading to Gibraltar. Made contact with them in rough seas three hours later – three ships were already burning. Just prior to launching torpedoes, was driven under by a Black Swan. Resurfaced and made contact again, this time picking off two tramp steamers from the back of the convoy before being forced under again. Resurfaced, made contact one last time, but was driven away.

Headed back towards CG88 and discovered another convoy. Forced under, as the seas were calm and the day bright. Detected and depth charged, forced to blow ballast to maintain station, but blew too much and popped up like a cork.

What happened next will go down in the history books.

U-332 sank, a Black Swan, a Flower corvette, and another Black Swan, all with the deck gun, and all within two minutes. By this time, all merchants in the convoy had opened fire. Went to periscope depth again and sank a passenger-cargo with the stern tubes. Severe damage, but U-332 managed to resurface and left the convoy behind, headed for Vigo to resupply.

En route to Vigo, U-332 struck another vessel in a storm. All hands were lost.

*****

Oberleutnant Theodor Winter, formerly 1 WO on U-31, has commissioned his first boat. On September 1st, 1940, while still a Leutnant, Winter left St. Nazaire in his boat, U-97, with orders to patrol grid BF13. En route, U-97 successfully damaged an attacking aircraft while suffering no damage herself.

Reaching BF13, U-97 spotted a Ceramic-type ocean liner. One torpedo fired under the keel with a magnetic pistol, but failed to detonate. Instead, U-97 used her deck gun to sink the ship, for 11,000+ GRT.

Seven hours later, U-97 picked up a merchant contact on hydrophones. Plotting a rough intercept course, she came across a medium cargo ship. One torpedo was fired with magnetic fuse, on an angle under the keel. This torpedo exploded, but proved insufficient to sink the ship. One impact pistol torpedo was fired, creating significant damage, but still not enough to sink the merchant quickly. A third torpedo, with magnetic pistol, was sent under the merchant's keel, breaking her in two for 5400 GRT.

It was only a few hours later that a second medium cargo entered U-97's patrol area. This one sank more easily, with one impact pistol to her engine room.

There followed three days of no ship sightings, and constant diving to avoid aircraft.

Finally, a small merchant was encountered by U-97. After being hit with one impact torpedo, she developed a severe list to port, but would not sink. While maneuvering, U-97 came under attack from an ASW Trawler. Forced to dive, she resurfaced to find the small merchant still traveling along her previous course, at roughly 3 knots. U-97 dispatched the small merchant with another impact torpedo.

U-97 then set course for St. Nazaire, docking on the 10th of September. Her first patrol had netted 23,619 tons of shipping, and a promotion to Oberleutnant z. See for Theodor Winter.