My Best Mission Yet!

[Tuz]

Just finished patrol 9 - Im enroute to AL29 from port - on the way there I run across a lone c3 cruising by - veer off course to him - sunk.

Continue on to AL29.

Radio report of merchant to my west close....head that way.....as soon as im approaching them radio report of a merchant BEHIND ME RIGHT from where i just came from....hoookah. I mark him on the map and continue on.

Once i get in visual of the first merchant...its not one but two! A t2 and a c2. Sink them....turn around to head back to the first merchant.....its a coastal....sink him. Right as i sink him my sonarman picks up audio on 2 merchants and a warship to my south at extreme range- i speed off in that direction....2 c1s and a vw des. Sink the c1s and give the vwa slip. By this time I'm down to 3 torps left....

I continue on to AL29.

I arrive at 29 and sit still on the surface in the middle of the grid- content with returning to base after 24h.......wait....whats that radioman? You have a report of a large convoy coming directly at us from the west.....oh good grief.

I run NE and then turn south killing my engine and wait.....sure enough 12h later a large convoy made of american and british ships + 1 vw des come steaming by. I wait for the des to pass and the convoy is directly S of me 2500M away. Launch my two front at lead T2. (there were 3 amercan c3s in the convoy that I didnt engage because its still '41- they looked sooo juicy). I quickly reverse course & go to flank speed - launch rear torp at c2. Dive to 50m and duck under the convoy then kill engine.


VW des gives up looking for me- convoy moves on. I go to P depth and look around....C2 didnt sink- he's still sitting there dead in the water listing. Stormy seas - bah cant use deck gun. Time compression + 12 hours. Calm seas- surface & finish him off.

Meanwhile back at the ranch my radioman is still giving me reports of the convoy....well im out of torps but i wonder if i can catch up to the convoy and pick off one or two ships from the rear before the destroyer comes after me.....

a day later i catch back up with the convoy...start shelling a C2. Kill him. No des yet. Mind you, I'm NW of the convoy paralelling it at same speed. Shell a c1 and sink him. Destroyer angry now. He comes at me from the front of the convoy - i engage him at 4500m w/ deck gun but he isnt firing yet....i get 1 or 2 hits in and at 3800M he turns broadside to me- still not firign on me yet...Odd. While he is broadside I open up a can of whoopass landing 20+ AP & HE shells on him - lots of explosions...he gets scared and runs back to the convoy. I kick engines into high and catch back up with the rear. Start shelling c1...sunk. C2....sunk. C1....sunk. C1...sunk. Destroyer NEVER came back to look for me- just stayed out ahead of the convoy doing search patterns.

Anywho----93,000 tons sunk this mission. 13 ships alltold.

Best mission yet for me...however maybe I wont use my torps up so much before reaching my patrol grid from now on.....

[VonHelsching]

Keep'em coming!

[Karl-Heinz Jaeger]

Keep up the good Work, Herr Kaleun!!