(Story) U-46 puts to sea again

[Laughing Swordfish]

Wow, telling the battle of the Atlantic as the subject for a children's book?

That really is something I had never considered.

It was a harsh and deadly battle with huge and horrible losses, but then I suppose medieval battles were too, and we English were pretty good at those, and writing about them too.

RdB

[Laughing Swordfish]

The weather and sea is starting to clear up.

"Both good and bad" mutters Willi, flicking a cigar stub into the sea as we take our ever more frequent binocular checks from the bridge.

Of course he means the attack conditions are improving, and we can report on the convoy with much greater accuracy, but the Brits and Canadians are no fools, and they will be able to scout for us so much more easily too.

It is a constant game of hide and seek; staying ahead, keeping them in view, but never being spotted. And we have to stand off more, now that the sea swell doesn't hide us so much.

So far we have managed to keep them in sight on a parallel course, sometimes closer, sometimes shying further away.

Enzel is not far away. We have been talking to him constantly, he has to cut across the convoy's path in order to join us, so that we have a two pronged attack from the Pack on both sides.

If it comes to it, and risky for Enzel's boat, he could take them head on first, and sew some confusion in the lines, or even cause them to scatter.

Now he has visual too.

The other three boats are thundering down to take up ambush positions.

FdU is very excited, and has pushed another boat out from Lorient (I doubt it will get here in time), but not so excited it seems to get the Luftwaffe involved, so close to British airbases... where we are...

Anyway the hunt is on, and Joachim is re-checking the magnetic pistol arming devices.

LS

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Great to see you back LS

Yes, welcome back!

[Laughing Swordfish]

When we can, we are diving during the day, or at least during the hours of most visibility, and then racing ahead again on the surface under cover of darkness.

Sound carries much more efficiently underwater, so we rely utterly on Hans and his mate on the earphones in the sonar cabin to keep us in contact. Fortunately, for their rank, these are some of the most highly skilled specialists in the U-bootwaffe.

But even now, just every now and again we can just pick out the faint churning of the convoy with our own ears, and we certainly didn't need Hans' expertise to tell us when the soundwaves of two distant explosions rolled out towards us. Followed by two more.

A cry went up from the men in the Control Room.

"That's Enzel! ...That's the 287!...The good old Falcon! ...He's got off a full salvo..!"

Christian was quick to quiten them down. He gave me a darting look with his eyes, which I understood perfectly.

Those didn't sound like torpedo detonations even at at some distance away. And in any case, unless Enzel had got himself into a premature and miraculous attack position, given the plan; and the ships were lined up like a brick wall, the explosions seemed to arrive far too close together. It sounded more like four depth charges dumped off a destroyer or out of the belly of a bomber....

"Periscope depth, Chief!"

This brought more excited approval from the crew that had to be quelled. Whilst Christian and I made straight through to the sonar cabin, where Hans was already calculating a directional sound fix.

LS

[Jimbuna]

Once more into the throng

[Laughing Swordfish]

"Twelve metres!"

"Thank you Chief"

As the periscope clears the water, I eventually get a better view.

The convoy seems to be zigging this way, but then we have been plotting their zig zags for a while now.

More importantly, there is no tell-tale signs of a sinking, or a ship in distress, which confirms my fear that it was Enzels Falcon boat, that was being attacked, not the other way round.

There's no sounds of a vessel breaking up either way, and that really does make an underwater noise. It's a hope that U-287 is still intact, but I have to guess, submerged and possibly damaged, which at least means the score may be 0-0, and may be drawing some of the defenders away.

The other boats should be in contact soon, and maybe we can drive the convoy towards them. Well it's now or never, and Enzel may be stuck in a hole.

"Action stations!" People are tumbling out of every space. "Surface Chief, steer 280! First Watch up and ready. We're going in!"

LS

[Laughing Swordfish]

We can hear further detonations off to our right and the distant silhouettes of escorts, maybe two, maybe more, and the plumes of water from their depth charges, which even at this range can be heard throughout the boat. I can tell what the crew are thinking.."Poor bastards.....glad it's not us"

Enzel and his boys are taking a pounding. But knowing him, he'll manage to slip away somehow, I hope.

Either way, he has drawn off a few of the lead escorts, and having a bad time by the sound of it. There must be a gap to break into, and also take some pressure of U-287.

I wouldn't normally go in on the surface to a well protected convoy before dusk, but today is one of those days.

"Surface Chief! Full diesels when we are clear! Christian and Willi, First Watch up and ready. All forward tubes make ready! Viktor, new contact report stand by under instructions from the Navigation Officer"

Soon the boat is surging up out of the waves. And Christian's watch are fighting to get upstairs first.

LS

[Laughing Swordfish]

"Trim the boat down as much as you can, Chief" into the voice pipe.

Willi and I have all eyes on the convoy still well over 3,000 metres off. Christian is making sure his boys are covering their quadrants, sea and sky. The flak boys are up too, also scanning the heavens. It'll be a hell of a race for the hatch for all of us if we get bumped.

But for now we just need to get into some decent range without being seen. Willi has picked out three targets. We are waiting for them to zag away from us on a more parallel course and show us their flank.

Two are tankers, they can go up like a flare with one torpedo, or stubbornly struggle on with three hits. The other is a medium size merchant for all that I can see of it's superstucture and masts..

"Let's have another one, Willi. We don't usually do this, but we're going to fire a spread at longer range, cause maximum alarm, diversion and hopefully a bit of damage, then cut away and loop round again while Joachim's boys earn their pay reloading double-quick. We have to get at least one hit though".

Willi grinned. "That one, Sir. about four or five thousand tons, look they're turning!" He pointed out again.

We now swing to port to line ourselves up, and Willi works feverishly to send down four separate firing solutions, one for each tube. Even if they miss, they may travel on and hit something else in the convoy which would be almost as good for what we want to achieve.

The range is getting shorter by the minute, while we feed data down below, and the dials are set in the control and torpedo room.

"Chief, swing us out 100 when we fire, have the fore-ends ready and all men needed helping to reload."

Zig-zagging for a large convoy is always a complicated business, and no easier when some of the marshalling escorts are engaged in contact with a U-boat. We're counting on that, and have been monitoring their pattern for some time. Now is the time to catch them, because they could veer off or towards us again at any moment, and even our faster eels at this range will take precious minutes to find their target.

"Now or never, Willi! Give the order".

He looked across from his binos, and gave me the broadest smile.

"Thank you Kap".

"Eins durch Vier, alles los!"

We watched the wakes as they hissed away, even as the Chief was immediately pulling us around to our new course. I think the Amis call it 'Shoot and Scoot'

And then, as I knew he would, Willi shinned down to the base of the conning tower, pressed his fingers to his lips and touched our Laughing Swordfish emblem for good luck.

LS

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Hopeful bump!

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Nice. Wish I had your creativity.

[WWII44]

youve inspiered me to put to sea again in the U-124

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Is U-46 lost at sea?

Rollie? Are you there, matey?

Here's hoping all is well with you.

[Laughing Swordfish]

(Out of story) All well and good chaps and Kpt L!

Just way busy here in England.

November ceremonials (Armistice Day and Poppy Day) is a big deal in London and elsewhere in the UK, so have been rehearsing and marching on to several parades. Today the Mayor of London invited our detachment into the Mansion House for curry and champagne.

Shaking the tin in uniform outside Holborn tube raised 17 grand alone, and in the tally we came fourth behind more obvious spots like Piccadilly and the big train stations and tourist spots etc.

I had Germans giving too, (but then it is supposed to remember all of the fallen) little old ladies rummaging in their purse, and business men who slipped in a £50 note without a blink.

Our people may not like much of what is going around them, but I'm pleased to say they still cherish their servicemen and women. And as a nation which has rarely known peace throughout our history, home or abroad, our armed forces are part of the family.

Anyway U-46 is fine for now, next episode follows.

LS

[Laughing Swordfish]

I couldn't resist it.

"Have a look boys, do you want to see your boss getting a soaking?"

The watch gather round.

It's not often Willi gets to do his lucky ritual, I don't normally let him for one thing, which is why he painted the Laughing Swordfish in the control room by the ladder. But he has to touch his and our lucky mascot when we're in the thick of things.

Anyway, today I see a bit of a sea swell coming, and I have Otto turning into it. Crazy I know, playing a practical joke in the middle of a torpedo attack, and also distracting the watch, but ask any seaman, soldier or airman; it happens.

But the wave was much bigger and growing. It was going to swamp the boat.

Willi, having paid his homage to the Laughing Swordfish looked up to the Bridge, grinned and waved.

"Willi! Get up here now! Willi! Look out!"

Only then, as he started up the ladder, did his smiling face turn to see the freak wave about to descend on the boat.

When the sheer weight of water hit the side of the boat, it knocked all five of us on the bridge to the deck.

One of the watch, Venn I think, managed to haul me spluttering to my feet.

"Willi!....Willi!!....Willi!!!"

"Bridge to Control, all stop!"

"Willi!"

We peered anxiously over the side........

LS

[Sailor Steve]

Oh, this can't be good...


But the fact that you're back and writing more? That's good!