After my 15th Patrol and having done rather well with my VIIB U-46, when I returned to my home base at St Nazaire early in 1942, BDU wanted to retire me to a shore based appointment while my boat would be withdrawn from active duty to spend its remaining life training new crews in the Baltic. I didn't like this idea so I applied for a transfer to the 2nd Flotilla at Lorient! Now I have a Type IXB boat number U-105 and am most pleased to report that my loyal crew from U-48 have moved joined me along with a few new recruits.
U-105 is a much larger boat and can cruise economically at 9 Knots. We are also carrying a much bigger load out of torpedoes and have bigger guns than our old boat.
Our first orders are to cross the Atlantic and patrol the approaches to New York - I have heard that the American ships are much bigger than those of the British and that it is almost like a 'Turkey Shoot' over there because ships often cruise with their navigation lights on silhouetted against a coast where there is no blackout...
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