1st Patrol the war just started. Still amazed that the Kriegsmarine has entrusted me with a Uboot. But time to wreck havok on the English shipping. My type II decides to find its prey the old fashioned way. Sail around randomly til we blunder into an Englishman. Finally a merchie, its night Im going to sail up to his side and sink him. That plan in mind as we get close. I decide to check who he is exactly. Up go my binocs. His flag is orangish red with a white circle in the middle. Turn to my watch officer "who the hell are those guys?!?" He doesnt answer just stares at me creepily. Note to self dump the watch officer shoreside asap. Deciding not to engage we go on a merry tour of the north sea once more. Finally a week into the patrol we come across an english merchant. Still baffled by the whole concept of the fire control comp. I give him 10 degrees of lead and fire. The torps wake heads straight for the boiler room. Scratch one merchie I think. "Klang!" says the torp as it bounce off the side. The merchie panics. A dud? well lets try that again fire 2. "Klang!" another dud from 2 90degree angle shots. The merchie is running zigzagging and more then likely changing his drawers. Spend the next 30 minutes working into a firing position with the same result. If we make it back to shore Im going to have a few choice things to say to the torpedo people. another 30minutes and another dud.
At periscope depth weighing my options with my last shot, here comes the cavalry. Warship inbound and fast, that merchie must be screaming for someone to save him. Another spot of bad luck, he zigs when he should have zagged and im now 100 meters of his portside, going the same course. Up goes the periscope again, only this time Im looking at a destroyer, from the side, who is going slow. Forget the merchie, fire! torpedo sails true and breaks the destroyers back. Now on to the merchie. Only to realize I just fired my last torp and then get to watch the luckiest merchie in history sail off into the sunset. I head back to port with 1200tons of V&W only