(Story) U-46 puts to sea again - Page 95

Laughing Swordfish · 03-09-11, 09:07 PM

The bomber turned again, but in a more laboured way. Was that a thin stream of smoke trailing from her underbelly?

The two engineers were having the time of their lives, pumping up shells at the Halifax, and perhaps one of them really did hit, or the pilots had a bomb bay malfunction, apart from some desultory machine gun fire from which both me and Christian ducked (having been there before) but which pattered harmlessly into the sea or along the hull, she aborted her run and limped home leaving a tell-tale stream of increasingly dense smoke in her own wake.

For a moment, I found myself wishing them safe home. They are not so unlike us, risking their lives in a small team over a vast ocean with little or no hope of rescue. But there again, they were trying to kill me and fifty of my comrades.

So, not wise to stay on the surface with an annoyed pilot with a bent plane talking to his chums, and telling them exactly where you are.

"Dive, Number One"

This time at least we can go down in an orderly fashion. Christian gives the helm orders to Otto, I take my Cap off and toss it nonchalantly to one side as we level off at twenty metres.

"Just a side show men. Precautionary measure only. Am I the only one who's hungry? Let's take supper early, you Friebe, let's have at least something hot. Pass the word to Kuki".

I hope we're not into the tinned stuff already.

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 03-12-11, 06:09 AM

"Victor, did we get a signal off before we went down?"

"Yes Sir, FdU know we have been in action. You also have this", he passed me a scribbled pencil message form. "It's from U-287" (That's Enzel's boat) "It looks like they've started without us Sir."

Victor's right.

"U-287 to FdU, BdU, U-631, U-475, U-119, U-292, U-46

Lone steamer sunk. One torpedo. Red ensign. Estimate 1500 tons. Name not identified. Forced down by corvette, now clear. Believe that ship to be a roamer and corvette to be a forward escort. Hearing convoy noise on sonar. Likely heading NE to AM53. Observing on southern flank of WP Sonnenschein. End"

We need to tag along at the bottom of the line with Enzel. But we can't do that cowering down here.

"Bruno, get your guys ready. We're going back up in twenty minutes. Well done Reuben, I think you definitely clipped that Halifax, schnapps for the pair of you later in the wardroom, but now I need you back in the engine room, we've got to get a move on. Otto, I know I've said it before, but give me every extra ounce of speed out of the diesels as soon as we break surface. Flak crew, report to the Second Officer, when we go up watch that sky. The Tommies know we're in the vicinity, but we can't stay skulking around, we have to get moving. Christian, take a break and rest your gang. Willi, let's look at that chart again. If Karl's right, we are best placed to get into the convoy's path alongside him.

Kuki, where's supper? Let's eat now!"

LS

Jimbuna · 03-12-11, 04:03 PM

SINK EM ALL!!

bookworm_020 · 03-14-11, 05:07 PM

After a romantic layover we're back in the action! Los!

donw · 03-26-11, 07:11 PM

Greetings Mates!
After several hours working with a Comcast service rep.. managed to recover the story in its entirety... (as well as add the latest installments) and return access to the link shown... Sorry for the downtime!

quick edit.. I might add.. that after compiling the story as a single word document, and sending it to our soon to be very rich writer friend.. I was amazed that it came in at 591 KB... quite possibly the largest word document I have ever possessed! LOL

03-27-11, 05:22 AM

Thats the moving one. Looking forward to get more.
Thank you

donw · 04-26-11, 05:16 AM

Rollie?????

PLEASE tell me this wasn't YOU! LOL

"There will be one missing palace guard at the royal wedding. He has been dismissed from duty during the event after he used Facebook to publicly complain that the bride-to-be snubbed him."

Jimbuna · 04-26-11, 03:10 PM

LOL

Laughing Swordfish · 04-28-11, 09:51 AM

Nope, not on parade for this one, or even lining the route. I think the Coldstream Guards are up for it, I think the other regiments of the Household Division's boots would be too dusty at the moment. So no endless rehearsals, and boot shining and standing in the sun in a stiff heavy uniform all day. I'm so disappointed! I think I'll spend the day selling cold drinks and make my first million instead! Enjoy the spectacle though, lads. We Brits can still put on a bit of a Royal pageant.

RdB

Laughing Swordfish · 04-28-11, 10:07 AM

"Smoke! Smoke!"

It's my Second Officer himself jabbing his arm off to our port quarter.

Sure enough the first tell tale threads of smoke are just visible on the horizon through the binoculars.

"Great eyes, Bruno!" I clapped him on the shoulder. "Convoy!"

(Into the tube) "Navigation Officer to bridge!"

Willi is one of the best judges of course and speed at that distance in the business, and they are still a long way off.

"Wake Viktor up! Contact report to follow!"

"Keep to your quadrants, boys! They could have friends anywhere!" That's Bruno, and he's right. The convoy is close to home, and we don't want to lose the element of surprise now.

Willi comes hauling himself up the ladder still in his old undershirt with his binos swinging from his neck.

"Where away?"

We guide him on, and the Swordfish is about to go back into business...

LS

Kpt. Lehmann · 05-05-11, 12:09 PM

YUM YUM!!! Convoy with torpedoes and lots of butter!

Kpt. Lehmann · 06-28-11, 04:25 PM

BUMP!

Laughing Swordfish · 06-30-11, 12:40 PM

Myself, Willi and Christian are round the chart, the contact has gone off to Wolf Pack Sonnenschein.

Perhaps the sun really is shining for once on this patrol.

U-287 should be first to arrive, and we want Enzel to circle around to the south of their path where we are. The others will take longer to arrive and peel around from their previous station and attack from the north. Everyone needs to get their skates on, yet not be seen.

Now we must stalk and report. Every minute, every hour gets the enemy closer to home, and us further, so much further, safely from ours.

LS

flag4 · 06-30-11, 03:43 PM

i have been reading U 46 and i can't help thinking that this will appeal to children, and i mean this with great respect. i dont know of a childrens book that deals with this campaign - maybe there is but i dont know of it.

i am thinking of childrens writers like Micheal Morpergo, William Mayne and John Boyne who wrote The Boy in the Stripped Pyjammas.

your writing is clear and easy to follow - and what better introduction to this important campaign for children, than this.

Sail on...

Jimbuna · 06-30-11, 06:39 PM

Great to see you back LS

03-09-11, 09:07 PM	#1411
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	The bomber turned again, but in a more laboured way. Was that a thin stream of smoke trailing from her underbelly? The two engineers were having the time of their lives, pumping up shells at the Halifax, and perhaps one of them really did hit, or the pilots had a bomb bay malfunction, apart from some desultory machine gun fire from which both me and Christian ducked (having been there before) but which pattered harmlessly into the sea or along the hull, she aborted her run and limped home leaving a tell-tale stream of increasingly dense smoke in her own wake. For a moment, I found myself wishing them safe home. They are not so unlike us, risking their lives in a small team over a vast ocean with little or no hope of rescue. But there again, they were trying to kill me and fifty of my comrades. So, not wise to stay on the surface with an annoyed pilot with a bent plane talking to his chums, and telling them exactly where you are. "Dive, Number One" This time at least we can go down in an orderly fashion. Christian gives the helm orders to Otto, I take my Cap off and toss it nonchalantly to one side as we level off at twenty metres. "Just a side show men. Precautionary measure only. Am I the only one who's hungry? Let's take supper early, you Friebe, let's have at least something hot. Pass the word to Kuki". I hope we're not into the tinned stuff already. LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 03-09-11 at 09:19 PM.

03-12-11, 04:03 PM	#1413
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,788 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	SINK EM ALL!! __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

03-14-11, 05:07 PM	#1414
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	After a romantic layover we're back in the action! Los! __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

03-26-11, 07:11 PM	#1415
donw Sonar Guy Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 386 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Greetings Mates! After several hours working with a Comcast service rep.. managed to recover the story in its entirety... (as well as add the latest installments) and return access to the link shown... Sorry for the downtime! quick edit.. I might add.. that after compiling the story as a single word document, and sending it to our soon to be very rich writer friend.. I was amazed that it came in at 591 KB... quite possibly the largest word document I have ever possessed! LOL Last edited by donw; 03-26-11 at 07:26 PM.

04-26-11, 03:10 PM	#1418
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,788 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	LOL __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

03-12-11, 06:09 AM	#1412
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"Victor, did we get a signal off before we went down?" "Yes Sir, FdU know we have been in action. You also have this", he passed me a scribbled pencil message form. "It's from U-287" (That's Enzel's boat) "It looks like they've started without us Sir." Victor's right. "U-287 to FdU, BdU, U-631, U-475, U-119, U-292, U-46 Lone steamer sunk. One torpedo. Red ensign. Estimate 1500 tons. Name not identified. Forced down by corvette, now clear. Believe that ship to be a roamer and corvette to be a forward escort. Hearing convoy noise on sonar. Likely heading NE to AM53. Observing on southern flank of WP Sonnenschein. End" We need to tag along at the bottom of the line with Enzel. But we can't do that cowering down here. "Bruno, get your guys ready. We're going back up in twenty minutes. Well done Reuben, I think you definitely clipped that Halifax, schnapps for the pair of you later in the wardroom, but now I need you back in the engine room, we've got to get a move on. Otto, I know I've said it before, but give me every extra ounce of speed out of the diesels as soon as we break surface. Flak crew, report to the Second Officer, when we go up watch that sky. The Tommies know we're in the vicinity, but we can't stay skulking around, we have to get moving. Christian, take a break and rest your gang. Willi, let's look at that chart again. If Karl's right, we are best placed to get into the convoy's path alongside him. Kuki, where's supper? Let's eat now!" LS

03-27-11, 05:22 AM	#1416
Grey pilgrim Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Thats the moving one. Looking forward to get more. Thank you

04-26-11, 05:16 AM	#1417
donw Sonar Guy Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 386 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Rollie????? PLEASE tell me this wasn't YOU! LOL "There will be one missing palace guard at the royal wedding. He has been dismissed from duty during the event after he used Facebook to publicly complain that the bride-to-be snubbed him."

04-28-11, 09:51 AM	#1419
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Nope, not on parade for this one, or even lining the route. I think the Coldstream Guards are up for it, I think the other regiments of the Household Division's boots would be too dusty at the moment. So no endless rehearsals, and boot shining and standing in the sun in a stiff heavy uniform all day. I'm so disappointed! I think I'll spend the day selling cold drinks and make my first million instead! Enjoy the spectacle though, lads. We Brits can still put on a bit of a Royal pageant. RdB

04-28-11, 10:07 AM	#1420
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"Smoke! Smoke!" It's my Second Officer himself jabbing his arm off to our port quarter. Sure enough the first tell tale threads of smoke are just visible on the horizon through the binoculars. "Great eyes, Bruno!" I clapped him on the shoulder. "Convoy!" (Into the tube) "Navigation Officer to bridge!" Willi is one of the best judges of course and speed at that distance in the business, and they are still a long way off. "Wake Viktor up! Contact report to follow!" "Keep to your quadrants, boys! They could have friends anywhere!" That's Bruno, and he's right. The convoy is close to home, and we don't want to lose the element of surprise now. Willi comes hauling himself up the ladder still in his old undershirt with his binos swinging from his neck. "Where away?" We guide him on, and the Swordfish is about to go back into business... LS

05-05-11, 12:09 PM	#1421
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,996 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	YUM YUM!!! Convoy with torpedoes and lots of butter! __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

06-28-11, 04:25 PM	#1422
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,996 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	BUMP! __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

06-30-11, 12:40 PM	#1423
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Myself, Willi and Christian are round the chart, the contact has gone off to Wolf Pack Sonnenschein. Perhaps the sun really is shining for once on this patrol. U-287 should be first to arrive, and we want Enzel to circle around to the south of their path where we are. The others will take longer to arrive and peel around from their previous station and attack from the north. Everyone needs to get their skates on, yet not be seen. Now we must stalk and report. Every minute, every hour gets the enemy closer to home, and us further, so much further, safely from ours. LS

06-30-11, 03:43 PM	#1424
flag4 Watch Officer Join Date: May 2007 Location: as far away as possible Posts: 1,625 Downloads: 147 Uploads: 0	i have been reading U 46 and i can't help thinking that this will appeal to children, and i mean this with great respect. i dont know of a childrens book that deals with this campaign - maybe there is but i dont know of it. i am thinking of childrens writers like Micheal Morpergo, William Mayne and John Boyne who wrote The Boy in the Stripped Pyjammas. your writing is clear and easy to follow - and what better introduction to this important campaign for children, than this. Sail on... __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] ' We are here on Earth to fart around. Don't let anybody tell you any different.' Kurt Vonnegut

06-30-11, 06:39 PM	#1425
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,788 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Great to see you back LS __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!