I've just completed Patrol number 2 in U-52 as part of the 2nd Flotilla currently based at Wilhelmshaven, and managed to complete it with only about 4 CTDs (thank you Wine!). It's October 1939 (can't be more specific because it is impossible to alt + tab out of SH3 under Wine for me) and it was a rather short patrol. Orders were to patrol BE62, but I took a gamble and instead of going the long way round Blighty and went through the Channel.
And what a successful little boating trip it was. In the straight of Dover at twilight the watchman spotted a Large Merchant. Duly dispatched with two torpedoes.
As I ventured further west through the Channel I came across two more Large Merchants, which were dutifully sunk. One of which I sunk just 10km off the southern tip of the Isle of Wight! Ah the good ol' days.
It was about this time that I kept bumping into MTBs and ASW trawlers. I had to let a handful of merchants survive because I didn't really want to get into a fight in these shallow waters - even if it was only MTBs and ASW trawlers.
During this patrol I came to the conclusion that my crew are a bunch of effing idiots. Especially when it comes to gunnery! The seas were so calm, visibility unlimited for the entire time I spent transiting the Channel. However it seems that even with a deck that isn't rolling they still can't hit the broadside of a barn at 30 paces. And as a good Captain, I am not manning that gun. Sheesh. I even enlisted a Gunnery officer in the hope that this would help.
We eventually stumbled across an Intermediate Tanker out in the ocean and it was dark nothing else for miles so I let the boys loose with the gun, who cares if BdU says not to use the gun, pfft. Might as well use it while we can be on the surface.
After shooting off some 70 rounds they still hadn't sunk the tanker and we were now out of shells. Now in my haste over the evening I'd left the engagement halfway through to eat dinner, and in the process may or not have returned many hours later as a inebriated skipper. It took three torpedoes to get the blasted tanker to sink. All that effort for a meagre 3,500t.
Lesson learnt, when returning to your crew drunk, it's best to leave it paused and sober up before making rash decisions to fire off too many torpedoes at a piddly little boat.
Still the patrol overall was very successful, I don't think I've ever had such a successful outing!
5 Merchants and 1 Intermediate Tanker sunk for a total of around 44,000t. Doubt that'll happen again.
I also have no real desire to go through the English channel again, it just raises the blood pressure and there really is no where to hide. How on earth am I meant to enjoy the combination of sailing the seas and reading a book if there's constant cries from the crew of warship spotted and only about 20m of water to hide in!
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