(Story) U-46 puts to sea again - Page 40

Morts · 02-13-07, 12:20 PM

bump for awesomeness:rotfl:

Laughing Swordfish · 02-13-07, 12:21 PM

With the breakfast cleared away, the next stop must be Haussmann Boulevard.
"Neither of us want to be wandering around in uniform, and 'look at this perfect jumper, Darling for you'! Basically this is Paris, so I have been kidnapped into a shopping trip. But I don't mind. It's good to be away, and definitely good to be with Heidi, and she does look great in those dresses. The red or the blue, the green or the white, long or short? Don't expect a man to know! Heidi would have looked sensational in a potato sack, as far I was concerned.

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 02-13-07, 12:33 PM

From there we followed it down towards the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Going, Heidi was strangely silent. She went straight to the candles.

We lit many candles for lost comrades, I was thinking of Ernst and there were many amongst a huge parade of candles fluttering out or still burning for this war.

We had many candles to light, and I guess so did the french, but I stopped Heidi's hand.

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 02-13-07, 12:51 PM

"What are you doing with that one , Heidi"

"This one's for you, Rollie"

"But I'm not dead yet , the crew aren't dead yet, and U-46 is almost ready for sea again, and.....

"....That's what I mean, Rollie! Don't you see! I push the little u-boat flags around. I never get wet or cold, but all the time we are taking markers on and off the map. I hate it whenever we lose any u-boot. But when it was U-46, when we were supposed to report you gone....

....and then you were all dead........and.............and.....

...then you all made it back alive. You made it back alive

Laughing Swordfish · 02-13-07, 01:18 PM

..and we weren't sure to the last minute because they already wanted to write your Number off; and.. and.." and then she was crying.

"Rollie, I see the reports and the statistics, don't tell me it's safe out there!"

"It's not that bad, Heidi, we do have to be careful, but I have a good boat and a good crew. I'll come back if I have to swim back"

She reached for my hand across the restaurant table

"Now what are you going to eat, the poulet en tomat, maybe?"

"That sounds lovely, Rollie; what about you.

"I might have the moulles avec aioul; you know, they survive at the bottom of the sea as well!"

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 02-19-07, 04:49 PM

Sitting on a bench outside Notre Dame. A ferry goes past full of beery, singing infantrymen. A frenchman discreetly spits into the water.

I look up at the ramparts of the Cathedral.

"You know, that gargoyle reminds me of my Dieter"

"No, too handsome!" she laughed.

We strolled across the bridge into the Latin Quarter, and where the students still hang out. There's a lively street market there, which girls love; and soon we are haggling over a piece of white silk.

"Oh please just pay him Rollie, we have to have it!"

Bemused, I do so. But now she gives it to me.

"Who'se the man who painted the Laughing Swordfish on your conning tower, Rollie?"

"Bittrich, I think. Willi would know for sure, but.."

"Get him to draw the same swordfish on this. And sign it yourself". She looked at me urgently. "And get the boys to sign it or write or draw something on it. All fifty of them! I shall keep it always, and wave it on the dockside when you are due in, so that you can pick me out. You will always come back in, won't you?"

"I have to now!"

And so we cadged a staff car back to the Coast, where the U-46 was waiting.

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 02-21-07, 06:45 PM

"When can I tell BdU we can go back out, Willi?"

"Two days, three at the most, Sir. The Chief is due back from leave tomorrow. We can't sail the boat without his approval!"

"Quite right, Willi." I smiled.

I am sitting around the table with Willi, Oscar and Bruno.

"And she's provisioned, refuelled and rearmed?"

"Yes, Kaleun, and we haven't traded off any of our hardware this time!"

"Now, lads. Our guest from the last patrol, won't be joining us on the next trip, a vital desk job has come up in Kerneval, which only he can fill". Beer glasses were chinked to that.

"That means I'm bringing Christian back out".

I looked at my Number Two.

"Bruno, you did an amazing job last time out. I'll understand if you want to..."

"Are you kidding, Sir! It's the team back again! Proust!"

Oscar is shaking his head.

"Neither of you idiots should be back on active service in my opinion. But who listens to the boat's doctor these days? Proust!"

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 03-02-07, 12:12 PM

Muller and Vogel are beckoned over to our table, They are close shipmates, and Muller had a hard time of it during one of the last attacks we endured.
"Here's to home in Leipzig, boys, take these cigarettes, and I'd like to have one with you like I promised."

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun!"

So we sat and smoked, and heard about life in Eastern Germany, and the boys were kept topped up. Willi, catching the mood, says to the boys:

"You know this is a lucky boat, lads?"

"Yes, Sir..."

It has survived everything so far. Every attack, because of..."

"The Lucky Swordfish, Sir!"

"Yes that as well men, but also the crew on her. Muller you spotted those Liberators, Vogel you kicked in the electric motors in quiet mode as we crashed and had to stay down. Boys, we are all making decisions fore and aft which effect each others lives. Mine are crucial, but I utterly depend and totally rely on you boys to carry it out.

LS

High Voltage · 03-02-07, 01:20 PM

Aaaaahh, thank you for my dose, Laughing swordfish...

donw · 03-02-07, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by High Voltage

Aaaaahh, thank you for my dose, Laughing swordfish...

Could not have said it any better!!

Laughing Swordfish · 03-08-07, 05:28 PM

Otto's back! And he's like a new man. He pops into the Chat Noir for a quick beer, eyes ablaze,
"It's due so soon, Rollie!"
"A few months at least, Otto, come on take a beer...."
"No time! I need to get to the boat. What have those incompetent dockhands and saboteurs done to her in my absence? I need to check every gauge, every pipe, tube and dial, every seal, every hatch; the batteries? whose been looking after the diesels? They need new lubricant and to be run for an hour every day...."

And so on. U-46 is just as much Otto's boat as it is mine. We have both had to utterly trust each other since training at Kiel.

"Well I'd better come with you, Otto!"

Another boat was put in alongside us in the pen.

It looked sea-scarred as all good front boats do, and it looked like it was the U-666

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 03-08-07, 05:57 PM

"My God is that Alfie?"

Yes it was, Alfred Kiefer, he has already been promoted, and taken some ships and given a Type IXC.

There is some minor welding to be done, but when you see the U-666 provisioning with fresh vegetables, you can be sure she's pretty ready for sea already.

"They're bigger, Rollie." Otto mutters. "More torpedoes, and maybe more guns up top..."

"And longer range"

"But we can duck and dive quicker, Kap!"

"That we can, Chief! Always a good thing! Come on, let's take a look below..."

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 03-08-07, 06:43 PM

Walking astern was a hazardous business. The boys had some of the deck plates up, sparks were fizzing and spitting from a couple of joints, and extra rivets produced and replaced for those places where the enemy last dared to intrude.

"Engines, Otto?"

"Listen, Sir!" The pistons murmered then rumbled and then pounded into life with the engine set to neutral.

"Electric mot..."

"Ahead of you, Sir, all the sea water is out and we've got a whole pallet of new batteries that noone signed for. Shame not to re-fit the U-46 with them.

The electric motor has been rewired and conditioned. The boys have tested it under all stress conditions. Here's the paperwork for BdU and the dockyard, Sir.

"Joachim has signed off his weapon systems. The boys have done a lot of work with the forward tubes and the 88. He's back from leave tomorrow, but I have his certificate"

"OK, what about the Control Room?

"Oh that, well there were some minor dials out of true like depth and speed, and some of the.....

"..What..!"

"Ok, also the whole sonar room has had to be.....

There is a tiny laugh. And then another. And then a huge roar at the kapitan's expense

Otto leads it.

"We've fixed everything, Kap! U-46 is as good as new, tomorrow is the last of the new torpedoes, the fresh water and the provisions, and then we will need to find a bit of water before we go out into the Bay, just to trim the boat"

"Can you and Willi and Cox do all that, apart from the trimming, in twenty four hours, Chief? I want as many of the crew around to hear me before the boat sets sail.

LS

Der Kolkrabe · 03-13-07, 07:32 AM

Sir!

I must say that this story is amazing, thank you.

I'm page 17 now and keep reading. By reading I can see in my mind those actions and feelings.

I'm new Kaleun here, bought SH3 when it's popped out but been flyboy long time. Now playing again SH3 with GWX & SH3cmr... transfer myself East Front to North Atlantic

Laughing Swordfish · 03-17-07, 05:24 AM

Thanks Der Kolkrabe and everyone else who has posted on this thread. I read every one, and am greatly encouraged to write more every time I get feedback. Can I just use this moment out of the story, to say thank you to Neal and his team. I have just bought one of the first copies of the Submariners' Almanack 2007, which he has published which is a great read with stories, cartoons, reviews, discussion articles, historical notes and much more. I also want to thank DonW who has been a constant companion and who set up the whole U-46 story on the website link you see below.
Also Brag, your U-551 stories are excellent and beyond compare. I love reading everyone's patrol accounts, but yours are great, I'm in the boat or on the bridge with you. Thanks

LS

02-13-07, 12:21 PM	#587
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	With the breakfast cleared away, the next stop must be Haussmann Boulevard. "Neither of us want to be wandering around in uniform, and 'look at this perfect jumper, Darling for you'! Basically this is Paris, so I have been kidnapped into a shopping trip. But I don't mind. It's good to be away, and definitely good to be with Heidi, and she does look great in those dresses. The red or the blue, the green or the white, long or short? Don't expect a man to know! Heidi would have looked sensational in a potato sack, as far I was concerned. LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 03-16-07 at 10:14 PM.

02-13-07, 12:33 PM	#588
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	From there we followed it down towards the Cathedral of Our Lady. Going, Heidi was strangely silent. She went straight to the candles. We lit many candles for lost comrades, I was thinking of Ernst and there were many amongst a huge parade of candles fluttering out or still burning for this war. We had many candles to light, and I guess so did the french, but I stopped Heidi's hand. LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 02-13-07 at 03:21 PM.

02-13-07, 01:18 PM	#590
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	..and we weren't sure to the last minute because they already wanted to write your Number off; and.. and.." and then she was crying. "Rollie, I see the reports and the statistics, don't tell me it's safe out there!" "It's not that bad, Heidi, we do have to be careful, but I have a good boat and a good crew. I'll come back if I have to swim back" She reached for my hand across the restaurant table "Now what are you going to eat, the poulet en tomat, maybe?" "That sounds lovely, Rollie; what about you. "I might have the moulles avec aioul; you know, they survive at the bottom of the sea as well!" LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 02-13-07 at 03:15 PM.

03-02-07, 01:20 PM	#594
High Voltage Chief Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: U-33. Depth Charges...sinking.. Posts: 325 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Aaaaahh, thank you for my dose, Laughing swordfish... __________________ The new-moon night is black as ink. Off Hatteras the tankers sink. While sadly Roosevelt counts the score-- Some fifty thousand tons--by MOHR

03-08-07, 06:43 PM	#598
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Walking astern was a hazardous business. The boys had some of the deck plates up, sparks were fizzing and spitting from a couple of joints, and extra rivets produced and replaced for those places where the enemy last dared to intrude. "Engines, Otto?" "Listen, Sir!" The pistons murmered then rumbled and then pounded into life with the engine set to neutral. "Electric mot..." "Ahead of you, Sir, all the sea water is out and we've got a whole pallet of new batteries that noone signed for. Shame not to re-fit the U-46 with them. The electric motor has been rewired and conditioned. The boys have tested it under all stress conditions. Here's the paperwork for BdU and the dockyard, Sir. "Joachim has signed off his weapon systems. The boys have done a lot of work with the forward tubes and the 88. He's back from leave tomorrow, but I have his certificate" "OK, what about the Control Room? "Oh that, well there were some minor dials out of true like depth and speed, and some of the..... "..What..!" "Ok, also the whole sonar room has had to be..... There is a tiny laugh. And then another. And then a huge roar at the kapitan's expense Otto leads it. "We've fixed everything, Kap! U-46 is as good as new, tomorrow is the last of the new torpedoes, the fresh water and the provisions, and then we will need to find a bit of water before we go out into the Bay, just to trim the boat" "Can you and Willi and Cox do all that, apart from the trimming, in twenty four hours, Chief? I want as many of the crew around to hear me before the boat sets sail. LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 03-10-07 at 03:14 AM.

02-13-07, 12:20 PM	#586
Morts Admiral Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,395 Downloads: 23 Uploads: 0	bump for awesomeness:rotfl:

02-13-07, 12:51 PM	#589
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"What are you doing with that one , Heidi" "This one's for you, Rollie" "But I'm not dead yet , the crew aren't dead yet, and U-46 is almost ready for sea again, and..... "....That's what I mean, Rollie! Don't you see! I push the little u-boat flags around. I never get wet or cold, but all the time we are taking markers on and off the map. I hate it whenever we lose any u-boot. But when it was U-46, when we were supposed to report you gone.... ....and then you were all dead........and.............and..... ...then you all made it back alive. You made it back alive

02-19-07, 04:49 PM	#591
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Sitting on a bench outside Notre Dame. A ferry goes past full of beery, singing infantrymen. A frenchman discreetly spits into the water. I look up at the ramparts of the Cathedral. "You know, that gargoyle reminds me of my Dieter" "No, too handsome!" she laughed. We strolled across the bridge into the Latin Quarter, and where the students still hang out. There's a lively street market there, which girls love; and soon we are haggling over a piece of white silk. "Oh please just pay him Rollie, we have to have it!" Bemused, I do so. But now she gives it to me. "Who'se the man who painted the Laughing Swordfish on your conning tower, Rollie?" "Bittrich, I think. Willi would know for sure, but.." "Get him to draw the same swordfish on this. And sign it yourself". She looked at me urgently. "And get the boys to sign it or write or draw something on it. All fifty of them! I shall keep it always, and wave it on the dockside when you are due in, so that you can pick me out. You will always come back in, won't you?" "I have to now!" And so we cadged a staff car back to the Coast, where the U-46 was waiting. LS

02-21-07, 06:45 PM	#592
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"When can I tell BdU we can go back out, Willi?" "Two days, three at the most, Sir. The Chief is due back from leave tomorrow. We can't sail the boat without his approval!" "Quite right, Willi." I smiled. I am sitting around the table with Willi, Oscar and Bruno. "And she's provisioned, refuelled and rearmed?" "Yes, Kaleun, and we haven't traded off any of our hardware this time!" "Now, lads. Our guest from the last patrol, won't be joining us on the next trip, a vital desk job has come up in Kerneval, which only he can fill". Beer glasses were chinked to that. "That means I'm bringing Christian back out". I looked at my Number Two. "Bruno, you did an amazing job last time out. I'll understand if you want to..." "Are you kidding, Sir! It's the team back again! Proust!" Oscar is shaking his head. "Neither of you idiots should be back on active service in my opinion. But who listens to the boat's doctor these days? Proust!" LS

03-02-07, 12:12 PM	#593
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Muller and Vogel are beckoned over to our table, They are close shipmates, and Muller had a hard time of it during one of the last attacks we endured. "Here's to home in Leipzig, boys, take these cigarettes, and I'd like to have one with you like I promised." "Jawohl, Herr Kaleun!" So we sat and smoked, and heard about life in Eastern Germany, and the boys were kept topped up. Willi, catching the mood, says to the boys: "You know this is a lucky boat, lads?" "Yes, Sir..." It has survived everything so far. Every attack, because of..." "The Lucky Swordfish, Sir!" "Yes that as well men, but also the crew on her. Muller you spotted those Liberators, Vogel you kicked in the electric motors in quiet mode as we crashed and had to stay down. Boys, we are all making decisions fore and aft which effect each others lives. Mine are crucial, but I utterly depend and totally rely on you boys to carry it out. LS

03-08-07, 05:28 PM	#596
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Otto's back! And he's like a new man. He pops into the Chat Noir for a quick beer, eyes ablaze, "It's due so soon, Rollie!" "A few months at least, Otto, come on take a beer...." "No time! I need to get to the boat. What have those incompetent dockhands and saboteurs done to her in my absence? I need to check every gauge, every pipe, tube and dial, every seal, every hatch; the batteries? whose been looking after the diesels? They need new lubricant and to be run for an hour every day...." And so on. U-46 is just as much Otto's boat as it is mine. We have both had to utterly trust each other since training at Kiel. "Well I'd better come with you, Otto!" Another boat was put in alongside us in the pen. It looked sea-scarred as all good front boats do, and it looked like it was the U-666 LS

03-08-07, 05:57 PM	#597
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"My God is that Alfie?" Yes it was, Alfred Kiefer, he has already been promoted, and taken some ships and given a Type IXC. There is some minor welding to be done, but when you see the U-666 provisioning with fresh vegetables, you can be sure she's pretty ready for sea already. "They're bigger, Rollie." Otto mutters. "More torpedoes, and maybe more guns up top..." "And longer range" "But we can duck and dive quicker, Kap!" "That we can, Chief! Always a good thing! Come on, let's take a look below..." LS

03-13-07, 07:32 AM	#599
Der Kolkrabe A-ganger Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast, Finland Posts: 71 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Sir! I must say that this story is amazing, thank you. I'm page 17 now and keep reading. By reading I can see in my mind those actions and feelings. I'm new Kaleun here, bought SH3 when it's popped out but been flyboy long time. Now playing again SH3 with GWX & SH3cmr... transfer myself East Front to North Atlantic

03-17-07, 05:24 AM	#600
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Thanks Der Kolkrabe and everyone else who has posted on this thread. I read every one, and am greatly encouraged to write more every time I get feedback. Can I just use this moment out of the story, to say thank you to Neal and his team. I have just bought one of the first copies of the Submariners' Almanack 2007, which he has published which is a great read with stories, cartoons, reviews, discussion articles, historical notes and much more. I also want to thank DonW who has been a constant companion and who set up the whole U-46 story on the website link you see below. Also Brag, your U-551 stories are excellent and beyond compare. I love reading everyone's patrol accounts, but yours are great, I'm in the boat or on the bridge with you. Thanks LS