U-Boat ID & Name:
U-38 - ParzivalU-Boat Class: Type IX A
Kommandant -
Karl Schneider RK (Kapitänleutnant)
Patrol Assignment - Norway
Successful Patrol - Yes
Refit Time - Standard
Number of Freighters Sank - 1
Number of Tankers Sank - 1
Number of Capital Ships Sank - 1
Tonnage Destroyed (this Patrol) - 29,600 tons
Ships Damaged - None
Total Tonnage Destroyed - 130,400 tons
Senior Crew Wachts Offizier 1: Walter Rieflin EK (2.K) (Oberleutnant-zur-See)
Wachts Offizier 2: Josef Lotze EK (2.K) (Leutnant-zur-See)
Leitender Ingenieur: Georg Henger (Oberleutnant-zur-See)
Doctor: Albrecht Braun (Leutnant-zur-See)
Ships Destroyed: "Leonidas M" (Small Freighter) - 4,600 tons
"Emile Miguet" (Tanker) - 14,000 tons
HMS Audacity (CVE) - 11,000 tons
Award Requests: Narvik Shield
Karl Schneider RK (Kapitänleutnant)
+ All members of the crew
Iron Cross (2nd Class) ~
for efficiency Georg Henger (Oberleutnant-zur-See)
Patrol ReportSunday, June 1st - 05:50hrs The sun was already making its presence known in the east and the crew was lined up to attention alongside our ship.
"At ease, gentlemen", which they obeyed.
"You will have heard I was awarded the Ritterkreuz by the Commanding Admiral of the U-Boat Service, which I proudly wear. However, I could not have got this without all of the hard work of you all, my veteran crew. If it was down to me, you would all have one of these. Instead, our conning tower now bears a copy of it and as long as our boat keeps coming home, we will be reminded of what we have all achieved.
"Although the blitzkrieg is in the west, we are going north to pick off the British and French who have given up the fight in Norway and those Norwegians who do not wish to show our soldiers hospitality.
"Perhaps we might be like the crew of the U-86 Ra'n, captained by my friend Kapitänleutnant Radel, with their great fortune in sinking another capital ship and we can get an adornment to that motif. Otherwise, we earn our prize the hard way. In tonnage.
"To your stations, gentlemen, I want us under way in 10 minutes. Let's go hunting!" Morale was high with the crew, which is what I wanted. Like me, they knew our duty was to serve the Fatherland. Like the football teams many of them supported, we realised not all of us could score the goals but we all had our part to play in the team we were a part of. We were getting used to the long refit times and the crew enjoyed the extended leave. After I was awarded my Knight's Cross, I had been able to visit my parents. Considering I had chosen the navy over the army, "the general" was very proud to be there to see me in dress uniform and being presented with my new medal. It even gave him an excuse to put on his old uniform.
Monday, June 9th - 1930hrs Our journey north had been uneventful. We were now sailing up the coast of Norway towards Trondheim. The evacuation had been underway for over a week but the fighting on the land continued. The Norwegian army seemed to be quite stubborn. However, it was only a matter of time. Thankfully, Henger had not been regaling us with stories about his father. He kept himself busy reading his manuals and trying not to bore us with how efficient our diesel engines were.
I was in the conning tower when we spotted some smokestacks. We closed in for a closer look to find a small freighter with an escort.
"Shall we ready ourselves for an attack, Herr Kaleun?" "No", I said. My watch officer was puzzled at my cautious attitude.
"We'll maintain a parallel course and attack under the cover of darkness." At 2215hrs, we made our move. Although we were at medium range, I ordered her down to periscope depth, for the bow tube doors to be opened and tubes one and two to be readied. Giving small course adjustments, we were soon in the desired position.
"Los!" The two eels ran straight and true, hitting the freighter and tearing her in two.
"The escort is changing course towards us, Herr Kaleun!"
"Turn 30 degrees to starboard, take her down to 300m", I ordered.
Depth charges exploded around us near the stern, shaking the ship.
"Turn another 30 degrees to starboard, bringing her up to 200m!"
"The engines aren't properly responding, Herr Kaleun!"
"Turn as hard as we can, damnit! I'm not losing our boat for such a small target!" We did pull to starboard and thankfully the destroyer captain did not anticipate that move. Whether he expected us to jink to the port or dive deeper, ours was not to reason why. All we knew was its depth charges exploded harmlessly a long way from us to our port side.
"Continue on the same heading", I quietly commanded.
The destroyer moved further away from us, wasting its depth charges before finally returning to the stricken freighter. We slipped away in the night, surfacing when we knew the enemy was nowhere near.
"Oberleutnant Henger, let's see if your practical skills are as good as your book skills", I said to my chief engineer.
The No.2 electric engine had been knocked out from that depth charge. Our underwater movement was severely impaired. This time, we were lucky but the next time we might not be. Fortunately for us, Georg Henger was as practically skilled as he was knowledgeable and although it took him most of the night, he succeeded in bringing the No.2 engine back to life.
Wednesday, June 11th Norway capitulated the day before. Josef had delivered the message after he decoded it with our Enigma machine.
"Isn't it good news, Herr Kaleun?" he asked excitedly.
"I'd be happier if we had a message telling us where the best hunting grounds are", I replied,
"but yes, it is good news" I added.
Saturday, June 14th - 0200hrs I had not been asleep long. I had fallen asleep reading. My book was "Great Expectations", which was nowhere near my feelings about finding a convoy or some rich targets. Josef gently shook me awake.
"Herr Kaleun, I am sorry to disturb you but Bernhard has picked up two engines. It sounds like a large ship with an escort," he said.
"Any idea of the size of the big fish?"
"Over 10,000 tons, perhaps 15,000 tons", he replied.
I lifted my aching body up. Something was better than nothing. Getting the bearings, I ordered us on an intercept course. Within visual range, I took a closer look. The 'Emile-Miguet' was a 14,000 ton French motor tanker. It appeared to have a few corvettes as escort. I ordered the bow doors to be opened and all four tubes readied and set us on a course to get in close. It was risky getting in close but I was not going to lose this one.
When the time was right, I fired all four torpedoes, all of them hit and the ship erupted with a series of explosions. From the sound of the explosions over the hydrophones, I had only needed two torpedoes. Catching it by surprise, the escorts had no clue where the attack had come from. Knowing the escorts were more worried about saving lives than bringing about our demise, we quietly slipped away.
Wednesday, June 18th - 0620hrs During Walter's watch, a light aircraft was spotted and the ship made a crash dive before it had chance to attack us. It made me think where it had come from. With Norway having surrendered, it could not be Norwegian and it was a long way from England for it to be from their coastal command. With it being a light aircraft, that hinted more towards it being from an aircraft carrier.
Friday, June 20th - 2100hrs A FW Condor must have spotted it and reported it in. We got the "Enigma" message mid-afternoon about a British escort aircraft carrier with an approximate course and heading. For once, an "Enigma" message had done us some good. Thank goodness our codes are unbreakable as otherwise we would be in serious trouble. We adopted an intercept course. After an hour, the hydrophones had picked it the engine sounds. That was some hours ago. It was as reported a capital ship with several escorts.
"Herr Kaleun, we've found your aircraft carrier!" said Bernhard.
"It has to be the HMS Ark Royal", excitedly exclaimed Leutnant Braun, who was the boat's doctor.
"God in heaven, doesn't anyone keep track of what is still afloat!?" I snapped with some exasperation.
"That was sunk last month. Mind you, if Herr Goebbels is to be believed, it has been sunk about three times already!" Night was about to fall and as the stealthy hunter we are, we had got into visual range. It was indeed an aircraft carrier, but not one that had been purpose built. Quite ugly and utilitarian, it appeared to be an old freighter converted to be an escort aircraft carrier for convoys. If there had been a convoy, we had not picked it up on the phones. It was identified as the HMS Audacity, which began its life in Bremen as a German freighter which had changed hands quite frequently.
"This fish is too big for us to be certain of sinking in one salvo with a few tubes. Ready all bow torpedoes. Adopt a course of 315 degrees!" With the ships sailing into the sun and our coming in from the flank, I closed her in and expected to have two destroyers chasing us. They may have been blinded by the light. What matters is we were able to move in close on her.
We lined her up and came in from her port side at periscope depth. We took our chance.
"Fire tubes one, two, three, four!" Listening carefully, we heard three explosions. Whether the fourth was a dud or just missed, I was not concerned.
"What are their escorts doing, Bernhard?" I asked of my hydrophones operator.
"Staying with the big ship, Herr Kaleun, she's breaking up", he replied.
Bringing the scope up again, I could see why. With the stern very low in the water, a fire in the superstructure above it and the ship listing badly to port, its crew appeared to be manning the lifeboats or otherwise jumping overboard. Whatever the situation, we did not seem to be of interest to them, but however long that lasted, who was to say? I gave the helmsman a course change.
I was pleased with our success and how well the crew had performed. Alas, this was not an HMS Royal Oak or HMS Nelson situation. It would count towards our tonnage, but no oak leaves from this patrol.
Sunday, June 29th - 1300hrs We sailed back into port, three pennants flying proudly. Although I knew the crew would be bragging about sinking an aircraft carrier for the next two months, it was not the HMS Ark Royal and and more like a floating ironing board. Therefore, there was no fast track to the Eichenlaub for us. However, it was included in our tally of what else we had sunk and taking down 29,600 tons of shipping, however, would go a long way along the slow path towards earning those oak leaves.
Just like those oak leaves on the Knights Cross that my friend Viktor Radel was now wearing around his neck and with a new woman he was wearing on his arm. Some people, eh?
Report submitted
KptLt Karl Schneider RK
Kommandant: U-38 - Parzival