Letter writing. Very difficult part of being a superior CO.
You did it well.

U519 IXC. 17.jan.43 status report.
 

Left Lorient on 12.dec.42.

Our first contact of the patrol occurred 5 days after leaving port.
At 3 minutes til midnight the call rang "Ship spotted. 123. Long range."
Destroyer! We dived and remained undected.
Our new Biscay Cross was silent. Guess he wasn't running any radar on this moonlit, calm and clear night.

We reached our assigned grid on 12.jan.43.
DP77. Just outside the NW corner of the Carribean island chains.
No contacts, surface or air.

Present position is DP55. U159 will again be taking the northern route back to Lorient.
Perhaps this time we can find a convoy, before it's escorts find us.

Quite a haul!

Gute Jagd!

I'm a bit worried about crossing the Bay of Biscay. I haven't encountered any ASW hunter groups there yet (May 1942), but it would be very dangerous to be attacked on the return trip, potentially in shallow water, maybe with a damaged sub and maybe out of torpedoes, as well.

Good work my,friend!

Avoid BF42.

Good to see you back on this side of the forum.

U159 IXC update
 

23.jan.43
present position is grid DE53.

Encountered a lone fast merchant.
2 torpedoes fired. No hits.

More recently a slow convoy was encountered in DE28.
Origin determined to be New York.
Destination unknown, but presentæy headed toward Afrika on a course of 106, at 6 knots.
Escort is USN, consisting of a Fletcher Class DD, and 2 DEs.
4 attacks were made on the convoy, and 3 were succesful, resulting in the sinking of 3 tankers and 1 freighter for 40.723 GRT.
U159 suffered no damages through the engagements, and fuel reserves presently stand at 62%. Weather is presently calm & clear. 14 of 14 torpedoes expended.
Enroute to Lorient.

Fletcher Class DD can be a definite threat, :yep:

Ja. My real world favorite ship class.

Great...they must be kept short.

U-518 IXC
 

Patrol No5 (9th for the crew)
1. Changed the single 20mm for its twin version
2. Changed U-518 camouflage (IXC the wolf)
3. (U):unarmed ship

26 January 1941
06:02 hours
U-518 left Lorient for grid DT28

20 February 1941 grid CG95
16:12 hours Passenger/cargo sunk by 2 bow torpedoes

21 February 1941 grid CG95
02:21 hours Coastal freighter (U) sunk by 12 105mm rounds

05:56 hours Coastal freighter (U) sunk by 35 105mm rounds

08:09 hours Small merchant sunk by 1 bow torpedo

22 February 1941 Grid CG95
01:00 hours Emprire type freighter sunk by 1 bow + 2 stern torpedoes

09:20 hours Convoy repair ship sunk by 1 bow torpedo

14:40 hours Tramp steamer sunk by 1 bow torpedo

14:51 hours Medium cargo (U) sunk by 2 bow torpedoes and 19 105mm rounds

18:28 hours Leander class CL sunk by 3 bow torpedoes (1 missed astern)
Dido class CL missed (way off) by 2 stern torpedoes

23 February 1941 grid CG86
10:04 hours Small merchant (U) sunk by 34 105mm rounds

26 February 1941
05:18 hours
U-518 docked at Lorient
32 days at sea
10 ships sunk
37101 tons

U-518 IXC
 

Patrol 10
(u): Unarmed ship

March 3 1941
16:51 hours
U-518 left Lorient for grid CF66

April 20 1941 Grid BF17
After over a month wondering in the Atlantic contact was made with an enemy convoy
Low to medium visibility
4 bow + 2 stern torpedoes launched
11:31 hours Passenger/cargo sunk with one bow torpedo
11:32 hours Tramp steamer sunk with 1 bow torpedo
12:10 hours Small merchant sunk with 1 bow torpedo
1 bow + 2 stern torpedoes missed
Escaped with light damages from DCs

April 27 1941 Grid BF17
Convoy spotted after BdU radio report
Bad weather , medium visibility , rain
4 bow + 2 stern torpedoes launched
08:30 hours Medium merchant 38 sunk by 1 bow torpedo
All other 5 shots were either duds or missed

Late at night an other convoy was spotted
U-518 attacked with only 2 bow torpedoes left
The weather remained the same
22:27 hours Heavy merchant sunk with 1 bow torpedo
22:29 hours Medium merchant 03 sunk with 1 bow torpedo , which was inteded for the heavy merchant but missed her.

All internal torpedoes were expended
The weather was still awful no externals could be carried inside.
Return passage to Lorient

April 30 1941
06:15 hours
Docked at Lorient in 13 m/s winds and rain.
6 ships sunk
23048 tons
34 days at sea

Patrol 9, U-451
 

Ob.Lt. z S. Erich Scheide
U-451 ("die Elster"), VIIC, 7.th Flotilla, St.Nazaire
Orders: Patrol AM77


7.5.1942 02:08 hours. Clear, no rain, visibility 11 - 12 kilometers, wind 1m/s. AM77 BDU radioes in a message about a convoy on a southwesterly course in grid DE34 making 10 knots an hour, 250 kilometers away. Intercept course 208 degrees, GF, intercept expected after a run of 570 kilometers.

8.5.1942 04:03 hours. Clear, no rain, visibility 11 - 12 kilometers, wind 0m/s. BE59. No convoy in sight and no radio reports on the convoy's whereabouts. I decide to head towards Gibraltar in hope that the convoy changed it's course to south. Course 170 degrees, speed HF.

8.5.1942 07:58 hours. Clear, no rain, visibility 11 - 12 kilometers, wind 0m/s. BE83. Two merchants spotted and sunk by 08:40 with five torpedoes. Course was estimated to be 0 degrees, speed 10 knots. Because the estimated course was slightly wrong, the shots had to be made at a range of 1100 meters, instead of the planned 700 meters. Out of the first salvo at an 8000 BRT American grosses frachter, one missed altogether while the other luckily hit the rudder stopping the ship. The other salvo of two torpedoes at a 4000 BRT American mittlerer frachter hit were intended. The grosses frachter was sunk by an additional torpedo at a range of 1100 meters. AOB 95, speed 0. The Mittlerer frachter sank after 18 minutes, no additional torpedoes were necessary.

After the attacks only three torpedoes were left on the boat. One was in the front compartment, one in the aft compartment and one in the back external storage. I thought that the boat didn't have enough punch for a forceful convoy attack anymore, should we meet one. No salvo shooting capability. I decided to return to St.Nazaire hoping to meet some other single merchants on the way back.

13.5.1942 08:17 hours. Cloudy, no rain, visibility 8 - 9 kilometers, 13 m/s. Back in St.Nazaire. On the way back the only sightings were own ships and one U-boat. While having a drink at the Officers' club I heard that U-518 and U-519 have had excellent patrol successes as well!

U159 IXC. Patrol 3 completed
 

U159 docked at Lorient on 14.feb.43. with 4 ships sunk for 40.723 GRT.
Boat and crew are deemed healthy.
14 of 14 torpedoes expended.

U159's history to date:
3 war patrols completed between 17.apr.42 and 14.feb.43.
5 ships sunk for 52.377 GRT.