[Schöneboom]

From the private Tagebuch of Kptlt. Ullmann, 25.12.39

Time flies by; memories pile up quickly. It seems like only yesterday that I bid farewell to Hesse and Grosz. When they finally complete their commander training, will the war be over? For all our sakes, I can only hope so.

Lt. Kuppert, our former navigator, has surpassed my expectations as the new L.I.; with any luck, BdU won't steal him, too -- at least not right away. Lt. Lemper has also proven himself a very capable 1WO; he bears his responsibilities with an easy smile, and he gets results. Our new 2WO, Lt. Arendt, is on his first patrol, and he's hungry for action. However the seas are too rough to use the deck gun (his specialty). Our other new officer, Oberfähnrich Voigt, has Kuppert's old job, doing navigation and the third watch. He's just a boy, fresh out of the Academy.

Ever since our visit to El Ferrol, the crew has taken to calling me "Der Spanier". To me it's funny; I could never pass for a Spaniard -- but it's better than being called "Der Alte."

* * * * *

Our Christmas decorations were humble: a tiny Tannenbaum, boughs of holly -- and inevitably, a few smelly socks hung by the bunks. Dinner was as good as it gets on a U-boot; Gerhard, our Smutje, baked delicious Stollen cakes for the entire crew. Though BdU might have excused us for having a drink on this day, we had to shadow a convoy, and that job required us to stay sharp. I promised the men we'd make up for it later.

After dinner, Lemper noticed my expression. "Is something wrong, Herr Kaleun?" he asked. "Don't you like your present?"

We glanced over at the tiny porcelain penguin, safe in its padded box, sitting on my desk.

"Doch, it's perfect," I replied. "I'm just thinking about that convoy. If it were up to me, I'd let these Tommies go."

"Na, I'm glad we didn't attack last night," said Kuppert. "I couldn't live with myself."

"Still, waiting one day isn't much better, is it?" I said. "But maybe we can show some mercy this time, so they don't think we're totally barbaric."

"What would that mean exactly, Herr Kaleun?" asked Lemper. "Following the Prize Regulations with an escorted convoy is impossible, as you know."

"Ja, but let me give an example: tonight, if we damage a Frachter and it's dead in the water, we won't fire a Fangschuss. But we'll torpedo the ones that are still moving."

Lemper & Kuppert exchanged a thoughtful look. "Well, that's something at least," Lemper commented. "Better to be stuck on a floating wreck than in a lifeboat."

I sighed. "If you ask me, I'd say we're fighting the wrong enemy. I still can't believe we're at war with Britain and have a non-aggression pact with the verflüchte Soviets."

Kuppert spoke up. "The pact won't last, Herr Kaleun. It's just stalling for time. One day we'll clobber those Russkies, you'll see."

"While we're still at war with Britain?" I retorted. "That would be wahnsinnig!"

"The Tommies will have to quit eventually," said Lemper. "Isn't that the point of our strategy? To make it too costly for them to continue?"

"Trouble is, governments are rarely as sensible as individuals," I said. "Once they commit to war, they can't just quit, even if they're losing."

Exasperated, Kuppert said, "I can't fathom these Tommies. Why do they take a stand now?! Why for Poland? Why not earlier?"

"The big brains in Berlin are probably asking themselves that, too," I said. "Tscha... there's nothing for it."

Taking a deep breath, I picked up an intercom mike to address the crew:

"Na, Männer... I hope you ate plenty of Gerhard's Stollen. It's going to be a busy night.

I know we'd all rather be home with our loved ones right now... We didn't choose this war, but here we are... With a British convoy 4000 meters off our port bow.

There are other men who can't go home for the holidays -- and maybe not for a long time. I want you to remember our comrades from the Admiral Graf Spee. All interned in Buenos Aires for the duration, thanks to the Tommies.

The folks back home are proud of us for making the sacrifices we do. They're counting on us to bring this war to an end quickly -- then we can all go home.

In four hours, our truce ends, and the fighting begins. The harder we fight, the sooner we'll be at peace again. So give it everything you've got! Ende."