I looked around to my seniors, and not a few ratings drawn away from their stations or even damp bedding huddled around the radio cabin. The water still dripping off the peak of my cap to my nose.
"We are going in. Of course we are. This is a U-boat, not some coastguard vessel Bruno....!". He had virtually been hanging on to my shoulder,
"Get upstairs and help Christian, that's where I need you."
(His brother-in-law is on U-287)
He looked at me.
"Do it Bruno! I need you up there and out of the way here. Make this attack happen with Christian, he's been up all day, I need Willi down here with me,"
"But.."
"But nothing ..I need the Navigation Officer right here with me, to plot a reciprocal route, I need you and the Number one to pick out the best targets and get in under 1,000m range without being found, so we can sink something that even you should be able to do at that range, and then double back for Enzel and his boys.
"We're going back to them , Kap?"
"Yes if we can find them, as soon as we've put a fox in amongst the chickens. As soon as I have heard four explosions, we have done our duty, and you can send Christian down and take the Bridge."
I raised a palm as the Amis do, but with the thumb tucked in
"Four hits, Bruno, we are in great position and closing"
He met my gesture with his usual grin and at the turning from the bottom of the ladder,with four fingers of his own, but he used two hands.."
And then he was gone up to the bridge.
Cheeky bastard as always! But I know he will deliver now.
Viktor is out of his sodden bunk fretting over the radio, but young Jimbun has it, although it makes sense for more than one person to listen into a faltering morse signal.
"I remind you that you are at battle stations men!"
They sheepishly return to their post, as if we couldn't be depth charged ourselves at any time.
"Try everyone again, maybe we can relay, but keep on bashing it out to U-287. A rough grid would do, and we'll get them to fire a flare if it comes to it"
So now it is the two best signallers in the Flotilla, me and the 3rd Watch Officer against the daylight that explosions will bring...
LS
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