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I then used a picture editor to change these to jpeg's and then upload to somewhere like photobucket and post the photobucket link here. |
@ fozzy 22 - check yr PM's. :up:
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10 jan '43
I am being chased by a DD in the med for more than 8 hours! Will I ever make it through? It's quite wierd and never happend to me something like that, I am at 230 m and I've finished the bolds... I don't know if the boat will resist; I hope is not some kind of bug. |
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At the end I made it. :woot: Now I am back safe and sound to La Spezia. But that wasn't a nice experience. |
ich bin auf Rockall Bank.
...days come and go like the waves around us. Nov 1939. we have been here for weeks. the weather is flat calm, constant sun. we wait. we hear nothing from BdU other than wait. we think something is coming. the crew are restless. we had a birthday and threw him in the sea because he wanted a present, so. we left Wilhelmshaven in September. encountered nothing so far. it is cold but hot, how is that? when we pulled Jurgens from the water he did not seem so cocky! it is like a holiday - but anxious limbo, we wait. this morning we saw two planes, dived, but nothing. they could have been anyone. they were so high and we sat almost motionless. maybe we looked like a whale as we dissapeared? how is everyone else coping Lt.z.S. V. Frankz |
Sept 10, 1939
GWX3,COMMANDER,REALISM 100%,D.I.D LEUTNANT Z. S.: Kurt Giesse Finished shakedown and assigned to Kiel transferred from Königsberg. Crew was excited to get to sea as the Luftwaffe have been pounding targets none stop. Our Panzers have not quite secured the land bridge to Danzig so our 1st stop is Gotenhafen hoping to snag a few stragglers in all the confusion before they sail away to enemy ports. 21:00 We arrive to a deserted port with everything that isn't nailed down (and a few supplies that were) managed to sprout legs and leave before we arrived. Not to be deterred we set course for the adjacent port of Hela. 21:30 Skies slightly overcast we can make out the outline of ships harbored in port. At 5 klicks out set speed to 10 knots decks awash and have the deck crew load the 1st round. We can clearly see the well lit colours of the neutral ships of a Norwegian freighter, Lithuanian tramp steamer, medium cargo and tanker (dammit!) and a Yankee Freighter. Moored side by side are two Polish V&W class destroyers and nestled in docks are also two Polish Tramp steamers. I set my course to seam broadside to the destroyers like we expected to be there with the intent to get 2 broadside eels from the Bow tubes while the aft takes out one of the Tramps. At 2 Klicks out I order P depth and set to all ahead one third. At 1500 meters my sonar man starts telling me we are being pinged! CRAP! I was hoping this was going to be easy. I pop up the observation scope to look up at the surface without breaking the surface of the water... sure enough there is the milky white outline of searchlights scanning in our direction but not exactly. Odd I thought, they must of seen us just before we dove perhaps? Undeterred I order all stop and bring the scope to the surface. Sure enough the destroyers are lit up like a Christmas tree but not moving... I zoom in and see movement of the crew on deck and what looks to be mechanics scurring about. Perhaps that's why they are still here, they can't move! I drop scope and order ahead one third. The constant pining in stereo by the two V&W's is maddening but they make no move from port. Do they not have the crew or they don't have the orders? Perhaps they are just luring me in? 500 meters and they start firing intermittently at the water, like fish in a barrel and we are the fish. The crew firing must be too green or too nervous because they scatter shot everywhere, a few rounds strike home on the conning tower... so much for the new paint job. Nothing a few wackes of the hammer won't fix thou. 350 meters. We start to turn to face the broadside of the destroyers and set to ahead slow. Feels like an eternity as the pinging only gets louder and louder and it's so bright underwater with the floodlights and the rounds from the destroyers violently tearing into the water in and around my boat. At this range I forget to set the eels and order the door open to the #1 tube. I just want that pinging to stop! What if they fire up the engines? I take one more look through the attack scope this time to get the shot lined up. I want to use the boat as the gyro and make sure they are dead set in front of me. Fire 1! Whoosh! I drop the scope, more rounds splash around my scope and ping against my hull. They can't miss me now, but neither can I miss them. Tick... tock. I cross my fingers and hope it doesn't dud them KABLAM! It strikes home! I check for damage, she broke her back clean in two!!! I give her a three count and fire #2! It's a gamble, it might hit the hull of the sinking hull but she was split wide and fore and aft are jutting high. The next torp hits home and this VW was packed with powder and blows sky high. Less then a minute she is below the shallow waters to a cresendo of secondary explosions. Down scope! Surface the boat! Open tube 5! I hope smartly to the bridge and as soon as I do the two tramp steamers snap on their lights. Los! WHAM! Another hit!?!? And all magnetic triggers at that! I can't believe my luck. Not a single dud! I order the deck crew to man the gun and put to use that round I chambered. The tramp was already on fire and just two more rounds set her already lit cargo to explode! The last Tramp is too hard to get a shot at between peirs so I bring my boat along side and let my crew go nuts on her with the deck gun while I man the Flack to take out the glaring lights. Dam Tramp was made to last, must of taken nearly 40 shells to sink her! Was almost impossible to hit the waterline on her but she went after she was paid sufficient attention. We look longingly at the neutral tanker but head to sea... next time perhaps. Now off to the coast of Ireland and some high seas targets! |
Patrol 19
U-66, U-Flotilla Saltzwedel Left at: March 22, 1941, 15:09 From: Lorient Mission Orders: Patrol grid DT98 Headed down the coast hoping to pick up something coming out of the Med. As luck would have it we run into a convoy. Mainly small merchants. We managed to take out the only worthwhile targets and escape with minor damage.
Finished our 24hr patrol with not even a sound contact. Needed to make a decision whether to head towards the convoy route or closer to the coast on the single ship route. Decided to head towards the coast and lucky we did as we run into a large convoy. Weather was on our side with flat seas and reduced visibility. After a few calculations we managed to get in good position but found most of the good targets were on the other side including a large tanker, first we have seen and we really wanted it. Escort was coming up, we were moving at 1kt, silent running when I accidentally clicked on ahead full and before it could be rectified the escort was after us. Took a bit of a pounding but crept away, surfaced and planned the next attack. I'm down in the control room having a bit of a relax when I hear the sound of shells whistling overhead. Rush up to the conning tower and there's an escort steaming out of the fog about 2k away guns blazing and my lookouts are all looking the wrong way or scratching their chins in thoughtful repose, bastards.:o Another bloody crash dive, sneak away and try to make up lost ground. Well bugger me if the same bloody thing doesn't happen an hour later.:damn: From then on I've had to be up there myself because they can't see sh#t. Got into position but could not sight the tanker. Decided to go with what we could see.
I don't suppose anybody's figured out a way to submerge while your lookouts are still up top.:hmmm: |
Otto Van Graf lost on of his best warrent officers by a partisan attack (in 1939!!!), apparently celebrating one night, he said some things about the poles and Danzig, and some Polish national stabbed him in the back alley. :nope:
Used some of my pull by being a top captain to grab a good warrent officer. cought a pair of frighters in the passage between Scapa and the island north of Scapa, and did the long passage around Ireland and now hunting in the western Approches. |
End Feb '43 near Tunis, Med
I attack a small merchant escorted by one of these new DDs; one torpedo right under the keel and the ship slows down. I was waiting quietly for the ship to sunk and suddenly two Regia Aeronautca dive bombers attack and sunk the crippled steamer, stealing me the kill :cry: |
Well after the loss of our Warrant officer on shore, we promised to do him proud.
seven ships and 18k tons later, I think we did. Nothing bigger then a Mid or a Granville, but the most exciting moment was I was gunning a crippled mid, when suddenly our watch saw a warship (a A&B) as I was near the Bristol channel. sp I put 2nd torpedo in the mid and then went to scope depth, tried to put a spread of three eels on the A&B, but all missed, so I crashed dived and his depth charges where well off. So I slowly surfaced, and and waited till he was turning on his search pattern, and put a torpedo in his gut. :yeah: Also gunned down two trawlers, a bad day for fish and chips in Britain! When I go out next time it will be December 1940... |
Karl Fischer, U-30, Type VIIa out of Wilhelmshaven. Was sent to patrol BF16 on August 19, 1939. Have been at sea two weeks. Two days ago war was declared on Poland, and today the British declared war on us. Who knows what the future will bring?
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Dear BdU Grossadmiral Karl Dontiz ,
My men on U-35 set out on December 2, 1939, while we would prefer the war to be over by Christmas, we understand that the British Lion must be tamed, so we aimed to be home for Christmas, I had a argument with the quartermaster, seems that he loaded all T1 steam torpedo in my boat. Normally, this would be a complaint, but in the end, it blessed us greatly. After sinking the SS Glenbeg, a large merchant off the coast of scotland, and finding a tug that we used the deck gun on, we where heading to our patrol area when there was a report of a enemy ship in our area, sailing to us, so we investigated. Also, Please check the security of our Enigma machines, someone sent a false report that we had abandoned ship. At night, in a storm, we found ourselves in ideal position as a task force bared down on us, at first I thought the core of the task force was a south-Hampton class cruiser, but I saw something deeper in the Task force, and we identified a Revenge Class Battleship, now, we where at extreme long range, using a scope, 4000+ meters, but we had the steam torpedoes to do the long range shots. Instead of waiting for it to come to me, I moved my bow over and the computer and weapon officers quickly determined that we where ideal range for a slow torpedo launch. Instead of spread, I launched two sets of torpedoes, thirty seconds apart, the first to to get a shot in, and then the next two as we where closer and I let go of all my weapons. Then there was desperate waiting, two of the torpedoes detonated early, and just when moral had dropped to its lowest level, we had a impact. We are unsure if one or two torpedoes impacted the battleship, and the escorts where looking too close in for us, as they where not expecting such a long, "sniper" shot on the battleship. we noticed the fires where burning, then they went out. and we hug close as we where hoping to place a shot into the crippled Battleship, but it turned out to be unneeded, as the battleship sank bow first as it slowly succumbed to flooding. We dove deep, more to be on the safe side, and carefully extracted ourselves from the Task Force. We promptly sailed home, and where still surprised by the hero welcome we received. Many thanks for the two Iron cross, 2nd classes and the Iron-Cross, first class for my crew. May I please recommend my watch officer, who now has a 2nd and 1st class Iron Cross, for a command? He will be a good commander for our U-boat fleet. Also, while my neck still itches for Oak leaves, the first class Iron Cross does eliminate my neck itch till at least my next patrol. OBERLEUTNANT Z. S. Otto Von Graf AKA - the man who sunk the HMS Ramillies Photos of said action below http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r...205042_323.jpg Ok, this isn't April 1st! http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r...222428_986.jpg This almost brings tears to my eyes.... http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r...222716_243.jpg http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r..._22413_569.jpg This is when I realized the Battleship was doomed. http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r..._22426_311.jpg http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/r...224654_187.jpg :arrgh!: |
Otto Keeps killing them...
After loosing his watch officer as he was promoted to a commander, and signing on another officer, and also the talk is that U-35 XO might be getting a command soon, so too much turnover can upset a ship. After the long party, after sinking a BB and letting the crew enjoy Christmas, U-35 set out again, with a patrol grid deep in the Atlantic, catching a few coastal oilers and trawlers unawares in the Scottish coast as he tried to get around Britain, using the deck gun to good effect. found a Mid Freighter, and had FOUR duds, so in frustration, gunned the mid freighter with the deck gun as well. after crash diving to avoid a plane attack, Graf decides to get out to his patrol grid. Long uneventful trip out, and due to the spotting system, finds a nice G-Frighter, which two eels puts to the bottom. with four in the front, and three in the back (including a external storage) there was some talk of taking the British unawares in Gib, however off the Spanish coast, I found two french flagged freighters, a mid and a large, running as a paired unescorted convoy. after pulling a end around, and stopping 1200 meters from where they will pass, Graf sets his eels up, 1 and 2 slow, 3 and 4 fast, impact and run shallow. As soon as the front ship was in ideal angle for the slow torpedo, Graf let go those two eels, and immediately moved to the large freighter, and launched the two fast eels at it. Just as the second eel hit the mid freighter, the first eel hit the large freighter, and within seconds, the two freighters, and about 15k in tonnage, was doomed. Graf returned to base, just seven merchants for 23518, not bad as the new year of 1940 strikes. :know: |
Crap - Otto Van Graf will not be returning to base. :down:
heading out on his sixth Patrol in late Jan 1940, he intercepts a convoy, and it was a LARGE convoy, five lines, full of yummy targets, and the convoy will be overrunning him shortly. So at scope depth, scope down, he waits, running silent at a stop, as the Black swan that was leading the way had already passed. Suddenly, it turns around, and charges bone in its teeth at our location, Poping the scope up, fires steam from no five, then crash dives (the torp just didn't have enough time to arm) U-35 reaches the bottom, at 70 meters as the total depth is 80 meters. There is pinging of the boat, which is now running silent to the west, when there are depth charges in the water, and they HURT. The boat finds itself on the bottom, one warrant officer dead, and flooding in three compartments, and the conning tower is damaged. Otto crew does heroic attempts at damage control, the boat was on the bottom, "Sunk" even a emergency blow will not get it off the ground. So more work is done to do repairs, and finally, the boat is dry, there is a short term celebration, till the boat rises off the surface, and start to rocket to the surface! :o Knowing that he cannot stop the emergency blow, he turns on flank speed, starts to turn, to the shock of the convoy, the Uboat flys out of the water right in the middle of the convoy! being forced on the surface, as a large merchant was only 100 meters away ready to plow into the U-boat, U-35 decides to stay on the surface, as a dive would cause it to be rammed and sunk, Graf orders the deck gun to be manned to at least keep the mayhem level up, and he hears the watch officer die at his station, a DD bearing down. as soon as he cleared from the merchant ship, crash drive is sounded, and U-35 find itself deep again, being hammered by depth charges. the first few runs shake the boat, but no damage, but they are getting closer, and the convoy is now pass the boat, and Graf orders a course (going slow and silent) to get away and limp home. sadly, the next run of depth charges where dead on the boat, and U-35 was lost with all hands. :-? |
@Zedwardson
Doom de doom doom :nope: Meanwhile at BDU, I'm still cleaning ashtrays and stiring Doentz's coffee. However Balz is very close to finishing collecting all the bits and pieces needed to build a U-Boat. :salute: |
My two IXB's are now in May 1941 and still going strong, sunk a few ships in the area today. :DL
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U-125 Kptlt Haguenau
Patrol 3-Left Lorient 13 aug 42 04sep42: Western Approaches Grid BE6511 8 ships sunk for up to 55.000 tons no damage no casualties 5 torpedoes, fuel and food ok. weather clouds overcast, reduced visibility. |
June 43 Mediteranean Sea, south of Lampedusa
Intercepted Task Force directed to invade Lampedusa and sunk three Troops transport and damaged one tanker; heading east due increased ASW measures. |
Oberleutnant z. S. Kurt Gies, commander of the U-52 has safely returned to Wilhelmshaven, ending his 4th patrol. :salute:
Here follows his report: U-52 left Wilhelmshaven on the 3th day of the new year 1940. We were assigned to patrol the grid AM 34, near Scapa Flow. I drew a course that would take us through the channel, coursing the south of Great-Britain to Ireland, as I was hoping for some big merchants at [AM 53]. After a day, we spotted our first target at [AN 76]; The SS Cortona, an Empire-type freighter. She was heading towards us, so we waited. She passed us at about 700m and 2 torps made sure here voyage ended there. Nearing the StraBe von Dover, I felt like making a quick harbor-raid. My first one, raiding Scapa Flow, had been a success, with the sinking of HMS Repulse and over 90k sunk. After studying various aerial photographs, I decided to set course to Dover [AN 79], as it seemed an open harbor, good for a quick in and out.:arrgh!: Around 14:30pm we reached Dover. The WO spotted a destroyer in the distance, so we dived and ran silent past him. Luckily, we weren't spotted. Observing Dover, I’d seemed I had made the right decision as it was full of big merchants. Besides the destroyer and 2 ASW Trawlers, no other warships were spotted. I ordered our first torpedo to be fired at (what I thought was) a stationary destroyer inside the harbor, to neutralize a possible threath. 2 other torpedoes would be fired at the SS Durham, a large troop transport. We maneuvered ourself at 90°, ready to sneak away quick and launched the torpedoes. It was now 15:11, the attack had begun. The first torpedo hit 'the destroyer' right in the middle of its bow. Almost instantly, the message of her sinking came in. Looking at the patrol log, the ship I had taken for a destroyer was in fact the HMS Glasgow, a light cruiser (Southampton class). I would say that that was one torp well spend. Of the other 2 torpedo’s only one made it to the SS Durham, due to a premature explosion. We sneaked to the east, away from our firing position, while the hunters awakened. With the periscope I spotted 3 ships looking for us, but they didn’t seem to find us. Just as I was about to lower the periscope, I noticed the shapes of a floating dock inside the harbor. 33000 tons, that was worth the risk. Since we weren’t at any risk of being detected, I gave the order to sneak ahead, right into the harbor. My idea was to fire a rear torp at the floating dock, turn and steam out into the open sea. Unfortunately, I forgot about the torpedo nets. From the moment we hit those, U-52’s tower became visible, alerting our hunters. They were heading straight for us, as we were now trapped in the harbor. (At this moment, I thought that U-52 luck had ran out and that my first U-boat would soon have a burial at sea:cry:) But my crew recovered fast and once again we ran slow and hidden in the shallow waters, ready for the fight to come. My negative thoughts were premature, as luck was on our side. Alerted of our position, the hunters steamed straight toward us. In fact, their course was so straight that they collided head-on with one of the dykes, that protected the harbor. 2 hunters were down in a matter of seconds:O:. The remaining ASW trawler, now steaming into the harbor, was swiftly delt with thanks to the rear torp. At that moment, I realized I was alone in a harbor full of un-armed merchant ships and tankers.. :hmmm: I’m not going to explain the next 3 hours in detail, as this would take too long, but we left the harbor with all torps and ammo expended. 12 merchants lay sunk and another one severely damaged. I couldn’t finish her due to a lack of ammo. We arrived in Wilhelmshaven on 6 January 1940 after a patrol of 3 days. My shortest one so far.:yeah: The total was 12 merchants and 3 warships, good for tonnage of 110840ton sunk. I realized my first goal for SH3, sinking 100k. So now for the 150k! For now, U-52 has once again set sea. |
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