[Leandros]

U-65 - IXB - Kaleu Hansen - Mar. 310559 1945 - SE AL29 - Patrol 31

We left Trondheim on morning March 22nd. for another idiotic mission area - US East Coast! Well, at least we should have a couple of weeks of lazy cruising. I chose a track between Iceland and The Færoyes on economical speed. There are no more Milchkuhe now so we have to get back again on what we have onboard.

I had decided, if at all possible, to avoid any contact on the transport voyage but, as so many times before, it did not work out as we hoped. While passing through grid AL28 we received a report on an enemy task force SW of us. Only a little while later we picked up radar transmissions and - almost immediately - we were attacked by Avengers. With other words, a task force with a carrier in it.

We couldn't avoid this one as they were almost on top of us and besides - a carrier! Fortunately, the Avengers did not harm us very much before we were under. As we proceeeded slowly south-westwards sonar signals revealed at least 5 escorts. As it turned out it was 6. We had 5 homers and a good supply of TI's. Soon we had the first ones, Buckleys, in our scope. I took no chances but used Zaunkønig VI's on one them on a distance of approx. 2.000 meters, the first one I let on to us and caught him with a TIII bow deflection shot on 500 meters as he was approaching. Both hit. The one that got the TIII sank immediately, the other was stopped, a fierce fire in its aft section. The third came right after the first ones and was also stopped dead in the water with a Zaunkønig.

In all, there were six of them. Four were confirmed sunk, the others may have got away but they didn't bother us anymore, we could go for the carrier without interference. Eventually we sent 3 conventional torps into it. We now had used all our homers but still had 12 conventional ones left. In an officer's conference we decided to proceed towards our assigned patrol area on the US east coast.

We had just picked up our previous course when a new report ticked in - a large convoy north-east of us, quite near, heading SSE. Another conference and we found that we had to go for this one. I didn't like it with all our homers gone. It was bound to be plenty of escorts and they had proved very effective lately. The only good to say is that we had had an upgraded Bold installed in Trondheim. It's soon daylight, too! That is not good with this calm sea! We are proceeding north-east.

Fred

Below:

1. First victims
2. Two more
3. The fifth
4. The sixth
5. Typical result of homers - dead in the water
6. No peace - another convoy in north-east
7. Too good weather....