[Arnold]

8th patrol
U-5
AN 16
18 FEB 40
0305 hrs.
Dive. Make your depth 40 meters. Speed 1 knot.
In the sound room, I wear the headphones. No sound contacts.
0356 hrs.
Hessler in the radio room plays the records on the gramophone.
0700 hrs.
2nd watch.
My method of 'the changing of the guard" is to provide every crewman on board with an equal amount of time off-watch.
0710 hrs.
Sound contact, merchant, 219 degrees, slow turns, long range.
closing.
Steer 90 degrees. Surface. Ahead standard.
Carlewitz is making pencil marks on the chart.
"Her general course is North" he says.
0735 hrs.
Battle stations. We're about 2 Km from her course line. Ahead 1/3.
0737 hrs.
Dive. Periscope depth. Ahead slow.
0738 hrs.
I put the headphones on. She's at 55 degrees. Loud. Steer 110 degrees.
Speed 1 knot.
0750 hrs.
All stop. Up scope. There she is. A small one, doing 8 knots.
0759 hrs.
Open bow caps. She's at 60 degrees.
In this heavy sea, the scope view is blurred often by the waves.
Every time I get a look at her, I try to I.D. the flag.
0805 hrs.
700 meters away. British flag. AOB 90 degrees. Fire 1!
She goes down fast by the bow. Down scope. Surface.
Steer towards the wreckage. No survivors. No ship's name I.D. either.
I estimate her to displace 2,000 toms.
0830 hrs.
Tube one loaded. Secure from battle stations. Dive.
Make your depth 30 meters. Speed 1 knot. Return to plotted course.
Tonight's film in the bow compartment: "The Wizard of Oz".
sub-Lt. Bauman, with the rate of torpedoman, is in the control room.
"When the sea calms, we'll get that eel out of the deck storage, okay?" I say to him.
"Aye, aye" is his reply.
0841 hrs.
I put the headphones on in the sound room to listen for the 7th cavalry.
No sound contacts.
0841 hrs.
I sleep.
32 xTC.
1155 hrs.
Periscope depth. Sky scope up. Ahead slow. Down scope. Surface.
1206 hrs.
AN 16
I climb to the bridge. I light a cigar.
1211 hrs.
Batteries recharged. Standard propulsion set.
I've got a glass tube, with a cork stopper in my pocket and a lit cigar in my hand. When a big wave is about to hit the tower and dunk all of us underwater for a few seconds, I drop my lit cigar into the tube and seal it with the stopper. When we emerge from the dunking, I remove the cork stopper and continue smoking the cigar.
143 tons of diesel remains.
1224 hrs.
Boat ventilated. Without my glasses, I scan the sky.
Totenhagen shouts, "aircraft spotted, 188 degrees!"
Alarm! Crash dive. Steer 190 degrees. Ahead flank.
Make your depth 90 meters.
I ask the Chief, "how much in the air tanks?"
"150" he says.
1340 hrs. Periscope depth. Sky scope up. 4x. Down scope. Surface.
1420 hrs.
I climb to the bridge with the Totenhagen.
"Come out of the sun, did it?" I aks him.
"Yes sir, a Condor" he replies.
"Probably on a bombing run to Scapa Flow" I say.
"The plane had a long banner trailing behind it, like one of those your see at the soccer game, when a plane goes over, pulling a sign that says "drink Becks beer" he says.
"Just before I climbed down the hatch, I turned around and raised my glasses" he says.
"Well, what was written on the banner?, I ask.
"Join the Donitz Flotilla!", he says.
1615 hrs.
Air tanks filled with compressed air, 100%.
Dive. Make your depth 40 meters. Speed 1 knot.
We evade a warship sound contact at 2020 hrs. until she can no longer be heard at 2039 hrs.
11 AUG 40
0343 hrs.
We're on the surface. Heavy sea. Clear sky's. The sun has set.
I light a cigar.
Carl A. Lange Jr. sub-Lt.