[Leandros]

Originally Posted by Leandros

U47 - Lt.z.S. Willi Hartmann - 7th patrol - Apr. 1940 100245 - Outside Narvik

Back on the surface! Phew, that was a close one. As it was they hindered each other and with some fancy turning I was able to put the aft torp into one of them before we went for the depths. I chose not to reload but go on silent running. These guys were not very clever at sub-hunting but the heavy seas also probably helped us. We were able to get out of the circle quite fast. They gave up half an hour ago and proceeded towards Narvik. So now only 3 RN destroyers can pester our forces there. We are reloading as fast as we can.

U47 - Lt.z.S. Willi Hartmann - 7th patrol - Apr. 1940 180900 - Wilhelmshafen

Only a few hours later the three remaining RN destroyers returned from Narvik (Originally two further were sunk and one heavily damaged in the fjord by the German detroyers). They went straight into our ambush, one was sunk right away, the others after some extensive use of torpedoes. As it were when we surfaced again I had only one torpedo left. What to do? Wait for more RN units or return home to reload with one torpedo for self-defense.

Anyway, after having taken a day's break and starting up again........CRASH TO DESKTOP..!!! We had probably been too close to the large landmass. One never know about these.

So, on it again - this is then the second Patrol 7! Went North again and took up position further inside the fjord, having sunk a British Medium Cargo on our way in. Morning April 10th and the historical RN destroyer flotilla pushed towards Narvik. We were able to sink all 5 within 18 minutes. They behaved very badly, had obviously no idea who they were up against........

We stayed in the area to guard the Narvik inlet. Three days later there was plenty of action again. Steaming in the fjord came a large flotilla of RN destroyers - and a Battleship! HMS Nelson! Well, anybody with the faintest knowledge of military history know that historically it was HMS Warspite that went to Narvik, but who cares?

I concentrated on the Nelson, let the the first destroyers pass. As was already instructed from the BdU I first fired one impact and one magnetic fuze torp with a proper spacing. Both were duds! Then the circus started again! We were able to hit three of the escorting destroyers. After a short hunt the remaining followed Nelson towards Narvik.

Well, it had to return. When they showed up again we had positioned ourselves farther in the center of the fjord. Weather fortunately had deteriorated, not easy to detect our periscope as we used it only intermittently. Two torpedoes left, they were for Nelson! I decided to fire one as early as possible albeit with good enough angle to be sure the impact pistol detonated. It hit! No reactions to see, though, except from the escorting destroyers. Now I had decided to just lay still and hope not to be discovered. The earlier destroyers had not been very skilled at hunting us and I had used an electric torpedo so that its track could not be traced back to us.

It worked! They passed us, following the Nelson westwards. It steamed on, its speed a little slowed down, but still too fast for us as we turned after them on slowest speed, submerged.

As their outlines disappeared in the rain-filled mist we surfaced and increased speed, hopefully to catch up with the Nelson in case it developed any problems caused by our hit. At the entrance of the fjord a new problem arose. There were British destroyers on guard. They were close to the shores and it took some while for them to start a chase but in the meantime we had been fired upon and had to dive again with a consequent loss of speed. At one time we had to turn in again to throw them off. Strangely, only one of them only used asdic once or twice.....

So, we had to take the slow course, went out in the middle of the fjord again and proceeded submerged westwards with constantly diminishing battery power. Finally, after having turned a sound we surfaced again to proceed at max. speed south-west out the Vestfjord, hoping to catch up with HMS Nelson. No luck, though, at our way we received several air reconnaissance messages transmitted via the BdU that Nelson kept the distance. Also, that there were a string of RN destroyers going in the same direction, heading for their home ports in England. Twice we were caught up and had to dive to let them pass.

I finally decided enough was enough and set course for home.

Burning RN destroyers in the Ofotfjord:






Not too much tonnage but never-the-less. For once our assigned targets were enemy naval vessels. Sorry no Nelson on the list. Big disappointment: