[Leoz]

Got the IXc boat career on save as well as a IXb career starting December 39.

Just started a VIIc career in mid 42 out of La Rochelle. Have to remind myself it is 42 and... more dangerous.

Patrol in CF33. Quiet.
Went up to the SW region of AK, started travelling NE along the convoy route for that area.

Picked up a medium freighter moving west in the early morning while on the surface at around 15k.

Setup to roughly mimic its course in order to keep distance.

Multiple observations over 20 minutes to establish its rough course and speed. Plotted everything on the map. 6-7 knots target speed assumed.

Setup for an end run to get ahead of it for a submerged attack around mid-day.

Ship arrived roughly on time while moving toward it slow. Did a few more observations by staying ahead of it. Plot it.

Submerge with the intent of doing a periscope, target-port-side attack.

Lots of time to figure things out. Moderate seas mean that I only see a bit of smoke from the target all the way down to 6K.

Hydrophones don't indicate any change in speed.

As it gets below 6k distance I can start to do some fair angle-on-the-bow estimates.

Intend to fire at around 1200M, probably a port-80 degree attack with a type III G7e. Contact pistol, 4M depth.

A few days before, did two type III magnetic pistol shots at a medium freighter and they didn't work out so well. Lost the ship in the weather. So today, contact it is.

Target shows up pretty much on time. Ends up being a 1000M shot. Hit in the forward hold. Turn 90 degrees to port to match its course and observe.

Sinks in about 30 minutes. Surface. Keep running NE in AK. The next morning, sent in my report and then ran submerged all day at 60M just in case that report brought in some aircraft.

At the north end of AK move SE and head down toward the bottom center of BE.

Once there while on the surface in the afternoon one day, picked up a small 4 masted steamer running west 14k to the north. Keep my distance and get an initial track plotted down. Moving 7 or so knots. Next few plots shows it speeds up to 9 knots.

Figure on a 3 hour end around. 2 and a half hours it shows up. Later afternoon.Lower visibility 9k away moving west. I am facing east 0 degree angle on the bow give or take.

Submerge. Run toward it correcting course as needed to maintain zero angle on the bow, so as to confirm the ships rough course. Still west. OK.
Waves are troublesome but not impossible. Can see smoke, masts and a bit of the deck.

At around 7k hard to starboard. 90 degree turn head the boat to the south flank speed. Intent. Go to the south about 1k to the target track. 180 degree turn around for attack. Bow shot, Tube one; TIII G7e contact pistol, 80 degree Port AOB. If I miss, catch up with it later at night for a surface attack.

In the end, all works out. Big waves made the final periscope observations challenging before the torpedo shot. Looked bigger than I expected. Guessed 600M. Fired at between 85-90 port AOB. Stuck with the 9 knot assumption. Hit in the forward hold. Went down in less than 15 minutes.

Same thing again. Surface. Patrol all night. Report in;submerge for the day right after the report..