Kpt. z. s. Ziepel's Journal

[Stealth Hunter]

Played a great single player patrol tonight. Intense and worth it, especially on the 86% difficulty I up'd it to.

Here's the latest journal entry I filled out in MS Word DURING the patrol (I've got over a 150 others; literally...).

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PATROL NO. 86

ENTRY 1

*Date: May 7, 1943
*Time: 0600 Hours
*U-boat: U-93 (Type VIIC)

Leaving base in exactly 15 minutes. We are to patrol grid EK74 and report any contacts we might encounter to home. "Milk Cows" will be floating about the sector for the next 96 hours, so we must hurry if we are going to sink tonnage and thus be required to resupply for more killing.

Plan to continue to the sector is of course going to be carried out, but we're also going to pay a visit to Loch Ewe for a bit of fun and sport (and for some stories for the nurses). I also don't trust the fact that such parts of the ocean often offer mere but powerful disappointment and wasted fuel/time for the Kriegsmarine.

I shall be bringing along my records and my new gramophone! We will be cruising and killing to the tune of Beethoven, Bach, and Schubert. Kpt. Balz was kind enough to deliver his copy of Von Karajan's latest performance of "Eorica" back in the Fatherland.

In the meantime, Kptlt. Kuhnke will be managing the base and taking care of all affairs which would otherwise reach me. Although the BdU may disapprove of my wanting to fight (with the chance of dying), I continue to long for patrols. Either way, I'm usually not gone for more than a week or a week and a half. Besides, I spend a month and a half sitting around and managing the base, not fighting. Then, I may return to my duties on the sea.

I've fitted out my new VIIC with the latest deck gun we have available, anti-sonar paint, new dual flak guns, steam torpedoes, the most recent radio our science fellows have cooked up, and a brand new and customized sonar system. This has cost me much renown, but what's a sailing man to do without a boat?! However, I do regret that I even gave the old U-93 to Hans. The fool will be sent back out to tug-tug about on the oldest, most rotten, and crappy IIA we have to offer. The nerve of him to smash U-93 on the rocks! No matter. We cannot change the past, and perhaps this is for the best. The engines were starting to wear out on U-93 the First (heh).

Approximately 5 minutes from now, we'll be setting out to sea, so I've got to get going and make sure that everything is ready to go... again...

And I hope that I find my damned U-boat War Badge! Without it, my uniform is not complete (I look like some damn rookie tossed up with the Iron Cross First Class, Iron Cross Second Class, Knights Cross with Gold Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, AND with a stylish ribbon- courtesy of Herr Voss).

-Kapitän z. s. Heinz Freiderich Ziepel

P.S. Would you care to hold onto a few of my sketches? Don't want them in a place that they could be damaged! You will go in the safe for now, my friend, but at least you have company.