(Story) U-46 puts to sea again

[Laughing Swordfish]

So we mind our own business back through the top of the Bay. We drop South, and wait to be picked up, by an escort. It's madness; this estuary is overflown daily, and still no properly armed escort. We're going to rest on the bottom until the RV

When one does arrive it's like some converted trawler like the one who chased us. She has a two or three 20mm guns rotating enthusiastically up to the sky

"We're better armed ourselves!"

"No Rollie, 'we haven't got a dime' as the Amis would say".

And the bombers had to be elsewhere that day, and we came back in, pennants flying, but the 20 is a bit of a mess. I wouldn't care if we had to row the old girl back in, we need to get back. I mean I'm sure the men want to get back....

Otto looked at me knowingly.

"She's there you know"

"Let's just dock U-46 properly, gentlemen, any damn fool can sidle up at 1 knot on electric"

"And any damned fool can see why we should be in that berth ahead of those fatbellies in U-343, haven't been to sea in a month"

"Bruno, Christian, do what you have to do to dock us now!...............

Soon U-46 is tied up in the berth opposite her usual one.

"Shut down engines, back to maintenance lights and circuits.

All hands on deck"

"She's there, Kap"

"What?"

"Heidi! She's over there, waving at you"

I'm sorry for the nurses and soldiers that I rudely forced past that day, but then:

Heidi

LS

[Lagger123987]

[Jimbuna]

More fuel for my crew LS

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Yeahhhh... Thats the stuff.

[bookworm_020]

No one get's in the way of his girl!

[Laughing Swordfish]

"My God, what happened to your face, Rollie?"

"Nothing.."

"That's not nothing! You've got a scar running from your ear down to.. come here, let me clean it up.."

"Not now, please Heidi", I murmured urgently.

Alfie Kiefer has purred into the dock. Hard to say, but maybe eight or nine white pennants flying, and also one red one. Well done U-666! That's what happened to that other destroyer. According to my signals there is now to be a medals ceremony on the dock. Onkel Karl is arriving any minute.

Alfie is getting the RitterKreuz, and well deserved, and he has designated some of his crew for lesser honours.

As have I. Jurgen, George and Dieter are all to receive the Iron Cross First Class for their brave surface action. I shall also be recommending Jurgen for promotion. George maybe in time, Dieter probably never. For now, Cox is already arranging cases of beer in their honour.

"Honestly Heidi, it was ok, and we got a great haul."

She looked at me.

"Honestly, it was all ok . We're back again."

LS

[Laughing Swordfish]

"I did that," says Oscar in passing.

"Trying to open a tin of sardines. Didn't know my own strength. Caught Rollie quite by accident with the jagged edge. He chased me all through the boat and..."

"...and you don't have to lie to me, Oscar. There's wound ribbons and iron crosses about to be given out. I know U-46 has been in the thick of it, we push the flags around, and take them off the table for God's sake!" Heidi's voice was trembling..

And then she is in Doc's arms instead of mine. Her head buried into his chest as his startled eyes meet mine. Her voice racked with sobs

"..Don't let him....."

'I won't'

".....be sure to...."

'I will'

"...he needs..."

'I know'

Oscar patted her tenderly. They have always been close.

"Heidi, you and Rollie are to be married. No stupid war can come between you"

She brushed away her tears and kissed Doc affectionately on the cheek.

"You will look after him?"

"He looks after us most of the time, Heidi"

"Thank you, Oscar; none of you are allowed to die or get hurt from now on!"

LS

[Lagger123987]

More!!!!!!!!!

[Laughing Swordfish]

"I love you Heidi. I'll always come back to you. Now come on. Alfie Kiefer has just pulled in, and Brentsche can't be far behind. There's going to be tea and medals!"

"You mean beer and medals, Rollie" she smiled and true enough, the crew had already broken open the first two cases, spraying beer at each other and flirting with the nurses, but most importantly wetting some very dry whistles.

Cox is fretting over Jurgen and the boys, making sure they are as smart as they can be after a month at sea. Frankly Dieter always looks like he's been two months at sea.

They are pleased as punch, and there is a proud swagger to them, which they have deserved, as they wait for the ceremony to commence. U-666 are in fine form too. Their boss is getting the Knight's Cross, and there are also medals for his First Watch Officer, his Medic, and Chief Engineer. They had quite a patrol by all accounts. Took something like 90,000 tons, and sank that destroyer so between us we could carve up the convoy. They were forced down more than once and took a bit of a kicking, as did we. I can see the strain etched into their faces, as they gulp down their beer and look at the sky again.

Brentsche with his last two torpedoes added to his own Mid-Atlantic count by picking off a couple of the stragglers in our wake. He's still a day out.

"I should have put you up for something, Bruno. You were there on the bridge too."

He tapped his Iron Cross ribbon and smiled.

"I've already had my throatache cured Kap, and I'd swap any medal on earth for this cold beer right now!"

LS

[Lagger123987]

I still want MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Laughing Swordfish]

Later after the medals and the debriefing, not forgetting the beers; Oscar and I found ourselves alone in a cafe near to the officers' quarters.

I've always liked Oscar. He's always been the most thoughtful and intellectual member of the crew. Even if just maybe his heart isn't totally behind Germany's war, there is nothing he wouldn't do to save the life of one of us, he pulled Christian through, and to a lesser extent me, and many more of the boys, through one scrape or injury or another, in ridiculously inadequate conditions.

So I value his opinion. And I'm getting it now.

"I know we're under a lot of pressure and fear at all times. You most of all. Retribution and death is just around the corner for all of us, every time we go out, Rollie"

"It goes with the job, Doc..."

"I know! I know, Rollie, and we must keep on, and we must keep on until we can fight our way to peace."

He allowed himself a tiny smile at his own irony.

"But it's not just the 49 men, Christ, they're young boys, and you and me who get scared. And don't tell me you're not; because I'm petrified when the depth charges come, and so are you, or you should be if you're human. But you won't ever show it. And thank God you don't, or we would have been in such a panic, we'd have been sunk and drowned long before now. I'm talking about Heidi. She goes days without knowing, fearing only the worst. What about that time our radio antenna was shot away, and we couldn't report in?"

"We were presumed lost, but she didn't ....." I said helplessly

"....yes she did, she cared more than anything you idiot!"

I remember now at Kerneval how Doenitz had shown me the U-46 flag, taken off the map of the Atlantic, but never quite thrown away with the others, but cherished in a desk drawer, by one of his staff.

"But Doc, there are thousands of people right now worrying about their loved ones on either side of the fence."

"Yes Rollie, but only one is yours! Hold her, hug her, tell her you will never take risks at sea even though you must and will. Make her believe that this will all have a happy ending."

"I will, Oscar"

"Oh and can you make me believe it too, Rollie".

LS

[Lagger123987]

I love this story, keep writing more, hope to be release to the subsim commutity and buy them from subsim store.

[bookworm_020]

Join the line for the book and fill in your application form for joining the fan club, there is already quite a following!

[Laughing Swordfish]

Otto has leave and dashes away to his pregnant wife in Frankfurt, running to the station with his kit bag bouncing on his back.

It's high time young Bruno got away too. And I have sent him packing for 2 weeks. He'll let off steam for sure, but I think I know where else he'll go.

Christian, me, Doc and Heidi are all standing looking at her before going to lunch, up in town.

"So they just saw off the awkward bits, and unbolt the mountings?"

"Apparently so, Kap. They tell me we're getting a better version of flak gun this time, more rapid, more accurate and...."

"Don't tell me Christian, we are forbidden to bend Kriegsmarine property for a third time!"

"That was mentioned at the gun shop certification, and also at the Flotilla Quartermaster's enquiry board Sir"

"Some of 7th Flotilla aren't around to get a reprimand for even the first time", Oscar whispered.

We all watched silently as cranes, pulleys and blowtorches did their work amid a flurry of sparks, bangs and echoes from the loud and colourful bellows of the dock hands and engineers. Each of us, I suppose, nuturing our own thoughts about U-46.

LS

[Lagger123987]

This is always going to be the best story I ever read in my 13 years of life, keep up the work!