A CCoM campaign.
In October 1942 Type VIIC U-471 under KL Otto Hahn sailed from Danzig for her final training patrol. The boat returned to base having sunk nothing but providing quality spectating as the Luftwaffe wiped out Soviet ASW groups on two separate occasions. U-471 was then transferred to the 7th Flotilla in Saint Nazaire using the super secret BdU Magical Teleportation Device (MTg - Magisches Teleportationsgerät)
Departing on her first Atlantic patrol on 11 December, Hahn spent eight days in CF54 having sunk an 5000 ton freighter along the way, using four torpedoes to make the kill. Sadly, the ship was a Spaniard so Hahn received a scolding from BdU. After sighting nothing in CF54, U-471 spent another week in CG79 frequently under air threats and sighting no ships or convoys. On the way there however Hahn expended four torpedoes to sink a lone British merchant for 3000 GRT. Bad weather plagued the patrol so far with winds never less than 11 M/S and usually 15 M/S.
On New Year's Eve U-471 refuelled to 52% in the Canary Islands and picked up three air torpedoes. BdU ordered the boat to DH42, arriving on 12 January 1943 but after days on patrol, nothing was spotted. Hahn signalled a status report to BdU and then set course for base on 22 January. Shortly before midnight on the 24th, a METOX detection caused a crash dive and the hydrophone revealed a large, home-bound convoy. Hahn let the convoy pass, surfacing about 0200 to give chase.
Unfortunately, fog had set in and METOX failed to detect an escort that suddenly loomed out of the fog about two-hours before dawn. U-471 crash dived but was wrecked in the first depth charge attack. It proved impossible to stem the flooding and get the boat to the surface and she was lost with all hands.
2-ships for 8861 GRT
51-all ranks killed.
-C
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