New Year 1941 (Balz)

[Brag]

Lt. Fritz Gwitz writes:

The Crew of U-123 went on leave, leaving me and a skeleton crew in charge of the boat. Bernard went to stay with his uncle Goering. Lt. Eisenholz, the first watch officer, traveled to Munich to get married. Balz went to see his mother in Stuttgart where she runs a tea cozy factory. Our boat was in excellent shape so we just had the bottom scraped and new sleeves put on the port diesel. Living in the barracks with Balz out of town was pure heaven.

At dawn of 30 December 1941 we got underway with destination just south of Greenland. That evening we sat for dinner with everyone in a good mood.
Balz Pulled out a chicken tea cozy and handed it to Eisenholz. "My dear Leutnant, congratulations on your nuptials. Accept this tea cozy as a wedding present. Next time you go home and you have an intimate tea, your wife can admire the tea cozy and think of Balz, the great naval hero of the Kriegsmarine.
"Danke, Herr Kaleun. I'm sure she will be ecstatic." Eisenholz passed around pictures of his beautiful bride. "Ninety forty-one coming up, the year the war ends and I will go back to teaching mathematics and raise a family."
Balz authorized a shot of schnapps. "The last one this year. Tomorrow we will find a ship and have some fireworks to usher in the New Year."

Well, we sighted a small freighter and sank it with the deck gun. It would have made a great fireworks display as the munitions in its holds went up at noon of the 31st.

New Year's.
We sat down for a dinner of fat Schmalz herring in sour cream accompanied with Salz kartoffeln. Balz read the New Years message from BDU and we toasted with Vieuve Clicqot champagne.
"Ship sighted." The cry came as we lifted our glasses.
We abandoned the dinner table and rushed to battle stations.
A large freighter steamed on a northeast course about three thousand meters away. We pursued it at 15 knots. The darkened ship continued on its course. At a thousand meters, Balz gave the order to open fire.
A searchlight came on. A machine gun fired at us.
"Silence that bastard," Balz commanded.
Bullets zinged off the casing.
After several shots the enemy weapon went quiet.
We approached our victim as the crew abandoned ship.
Balz leaned over the coaming. "Hallo you Englanders, I want to wish you a happy New Year." There was a splat as a rotten tomato hit Balz on the face. He wiped the mess clean with the towel he wears as a scarf . "Having spaghetti for dinner?" He turned to me and muttered. "Those people lack hoochie-woochie. Resume course, ahead one third."
We returned to our dinner with 10,000 tons in the log. Not a bad beginning for a patrol and a good omen for the New Year. The choir came forward and serenaded us with Wir Fahren Gegen England Hoochie-woochie.

The following night, a warm wind blew from the south causing U-123 to roll. I was nicely wedged between the periscope housing and the rail, beginning to feel sleepy.
"Ship sighted, twenty degrees off the starboard bow."
I scanned with my glasses and spotted a large freighter. "Wake up the captain."
Eisenholz came to the bridge wearing his new tea cozy.
"Ah imitating Balz?" I said.
"No. I'm wearing it this once so I can tell my wife I wore it in combat."
"Is that a hoochie woochie ship?" Balz asked as he clambered topside.
"Fourteen thousand tons waiting for us. Man the deck gun."
We approached the old liner and opened fire from one thousand meters.
Balz was doing his einz-zwei hoochie-woochie dance. "Third day of patrol and we are collecting tonnage and wishing the Brits a happy new year." Balz guffawed. He then turned to me and said, "Bring me a cup of coffee. This is like bird-hunting on the Champs Elysees."
As I descended the ladder a shell ripped overhead. I expected we would crash dive and braced myself while pouring coffee.
An explosion boomed and shook the boat. Lights flickered. Smoke and the acrid smell of burnt paint entered through the hatch.
Balz's voice boomed," alaaaarm!"
The gun crew scrambled in through the forward hatch.
Balz came down from the conning tower carrying Eisenholz over his shoulder. He gently laid the body on the deck. "Saanitateer," he shouted.
Balz's leather jacket was scorched and covered in blood. Smoke came out of his tea cozy.
The Sanitater inspected Eisenholz then looked at Balz. "He is dead, Herr Kaleun."
"He can't be dead. I've never lost a man. Wake him up."
"Passing ten meters."
"Flood tube one. Torpedo depth ten point five meters." Balz knelt and lifted Eisenholz's head off the deck. "Wake up. You must live. In two days we'll have you in a hospital. You have hoochie woochie. Sanitater, stop the bleeding."
"Level at twelve meters," The chief said.
"Eisenholz, watch, we're going to sink that bastard." Balz got on his feet. "Up periscope."
"This shot is for you. Hang on, don't give up."
"Feur einz."
"Torpedo loss."
"There," Balz lifted Eisenholz so he could look through the periscope. Eisenholz's head flopped to one side.
"He is dead her Kaleun,"
"Torpedo treffer." A deep boom rumbled through the hull.
"No, he's not dead. As he enters Valhalla, he lives in our memory. We keep on living as long as someone remembers us."