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Post by grendel on Mar 22, 2017 1:22:46 GMT
U-Boat Name and ID Number: U-842 ‘Lohengrin’ Patrol: #4 Patrol Assignment: Atlantic Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters Sunk: 3 Number of Tankers Sunk: 3 Number of Capital Ships Sunk: 1 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 75,100 GRT (165,800 GRT total) Ships Damaged: None Ships Destroyed: British Aircraft Carrier of 22,000 tons, British Steam Merchant of 11,000 tons, Norwegian Steam Merchant of 6,400 tons, British Steam Merchant of 4,800 tons, French Motor Tanker of 14,000 tons, French Motor Tanker of 9,500 tons, American Motor Tanker of 7,400 tons. Refit Time: Three months (Ready for next patrol 1 October, 1944)
Award Requests OltzS Reinhard Geist, Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves (Sinking 100,000 GRT, plus HMS Ark Royal.) 30 wound badges for crew.
Officers and Division Chiefs OltzS Reinhard Geist 1WO LtzS Tomas Marsch 2WO LtzS Wilhelm Klausner LI (Eng) LtzS Rudolph Ulrich (Experte) Doctor Matrosenobergefreiter Hans Meier
Crew Status: Trained
U-842 ‘Lohengrin’ enters La Rochelle on 30th June with seven victory pennants flying from her conning tower.
30 April, 1943, 0800 hours (La Rochelle) – U-842 puts to sea on her fourth war patrol, returning to the hunting grounds of the North Atlantic. There are rumors of heavy convoy activity and the crew is hoping that we will see more action than our last patrol.
2 May, 1943, 1500 hours (Bay of Biscay) – Alarm! RAF Mosquito detected, closing from the northwest. Crash dive successful.
10 May, 1943, 0120 hours (North Atlantic) – Convoy sighted. Conducted submerged torpedo attack at medium range on large tanker of 14,000 tons and large freighter of 10,000 tons with four G7a torpedoes. Two hits, two explosions on the tanker, two hits, one explosion on the freighter. Tanker hit twice amidships, breaking her keel. Freighter hit just aft of funnel, leaving ship dead in the water. We avoid detection from escorts and move off, maintaining contact with the stricken freighter. The convoy presses on, leaving the wounded ship to her fate. At 0300 hours we surface and finish off the freighter with a few hits from the deck gun.
16 May, 1943, 0120 hours (North Atlantic) – Tanker of 9,500 tons sighted. No escort, likely a straggler from the previous convoy. Conducted surface torpedo attack at close range with two G7a torpedoes. Two hits, two explosions. Tanker hit once amidships and once by the stern, rolling over and sinking within minutes. No lifeboats spotted.
22 May, 1943, 1545 hours (North Atlantic) – Enemy task force sighted. Multiple escorts, plus one large British carrier identified as Ark Royal-class (22,000 tons). Despite grave risk to the boat, decided that sinking or damaging the carrier would reduce enemy anti-submarine patrols and be of great benefit to other boats hunting in the area. Conducted submerged torpedo attack at close range with four G7e torpedoes. One hit, one explosion, hitting the carrier amidships and causing an immediate list to starboard. In all the excitement I forget to order the release of a BOLD decoy, but we have the Devil’s own luck and the escorts fail to detect us. We move off at low speed and circle off to the east to set up a second attack.
By 2100 hours, the carrier is moving eastward under tow by two of its escorts. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack from medium range with four G7a torpedoes. Two hits, two explosions. One torpedo hits just aft of the main elevator and sets off a huge explosion – possibly aviation fuel or one of the ship’s magazines. This time I remember to release the BOLD decoy, but it isn’t enough. An enemy destroyer bears down on us and subjects us to a sustained depth charging. We avoid damage on the enemy’s first two passes thanks to evasive maneuvers, but the third pass dismounts diesel engine #2. The enemy’s fourth pass is punishing, knocking out the hydrophones and causing flooding in the forward compartments. The fifth pass must surely finish us; we wait in silence, dreading the approaching sound of the wasserbombs. The tension is unbearable. Five minutes pass, then ten, then fifteen…the enemy has broken off the attack, perhaps believing they have sunk us. After several hours I risk going to periscope depth and taking a look. The enemy ships are gone. We move off to the south under cover of darkness and attempt to make repairs. Ulrich is able to re-mount diesel #2, but the sound heads on the hydrophones are a total loss. Meier reports a few minor injuries amongst the crew. We have survived our first serious depth charge attack. My courage at going after the carrier now seems very foolish. We were lucky to survive.
28 May, 1943, 0900 hours (North Atlantic) – Convoy sighted. Conducted submerged torpedo attack at medium range on tanker of 7,400 tons and large freighter of 6,400 tons with four G7a torpedoes. One hit on tanker, two hits on freighter. Three explosions. Tanker hit by the bow and sinks quickly. Freighter hit twice amidships, taking on a severe list, but remaining afloat. I order a BOLD decoy released, but again, an enemy escort closes in for a depth charge attack. We’re hit hard on the first pass, taking damage to the pressure hull and flooding forward of the control room. The second pass jams the dive planes and rocks the conning tower. The third pass is directly overhead, and we take what feels like a direct hit, inflicting more damage on the hull, knocking out the radio, and causing other, minor damage throughout the boat. The fourth pass pounds the hull again, and flooding is reported in the engineering room. We alter course again and wait, dreading the next pass, but it doesn’t come. The enemy has moved off, returning to the convoy, and we breathe a sigh of relief. Two hours later we surface and attempt repairs. We discover that both flak guns are twisted wreckage, the dive planes are warped, and Ulrich reports that the radio is kaput. U-842 is going to spend some time in drydock after this – assuming we make it back to La Rochelle.
After attempting repairs we head north, searching for the wounded freighter. We locate it later that morning, limping east under its own power. Once again, the convoy escorts have abandoned the ship to her fate. We close in and finish off the ship with a few shells from the deck gun.
4 June, 1943, 0500 hours (North Atlantic) – Convoy sighted. Conducted a submerged torpedo attack at medium range on two small freighters (5,000 tons and 4,800 tons) with two G7e torpedoes. One hit on the smaller freighter, which explodes. Freighter is hit by the bow, losing headway and taking on a small list. I release our last BOLD decoy, but once again, it is to no avail. The first pass catches us by surprise, tossing some of the crew about and causing minor injuries. The second pass causes flooding in the aft torpedo room. After that, the enemy destroyer gives up the chase. After an hour we surface and locate the freighter we wounded. Again, the convoy has left the merchant behind without an escort, no doubt because the multiple convoys have left the escorts thinly spread as it is. We move in and sink the vessel with a few rounds from the deck gun.
18 June, 1943, 1600 hours (North Atlantic) – Convoy sighted. Given the damage to our boat and the lack of decoys, plus the fact that we only have two G7a torpedoes remaining, I elect not to attack the convoy. We shadow it for several days, reporting size, speed, and course to BdU, before breaking contact and heading back to port.
29 June, Bay of Biscay, 1100 hours – Alarm! RAF Sunderland detected to the north, closing fast. Crash dive unsuccessful. Depth charges spring seals in the forward compartments, causing heavy flooding. Several watch standers suffer minor injuries from shrapnel. We complete our dive, and Ulrich manages to get the flooding under control. We wait until nightfall before we surface again, and continue on to La Rochelle
30 June, 2200 hours (La Rochelle) – A battered U-842 arrives safely back at port. Nearly three-quarters of the crew have suffered minor injuries, and it will be months before ‘Lohengrin’ is ready for sea again. We have had our first real taste of war.
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Post by crushedhat on Mar 23, 2017 2:57:22 GMT
U-788 ceases communication after 30 May 1943 and fails to return at the end of her maiden war patrol to North America. U-Boat Name and ID Number: U-788, Meer Sprite Successful Patrol: No Number of Freighters Sank: 3 Number of Tankers Sank: 1 Number of Capital Ships Sank: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 21,600 Refit Time: U-Boat sunk Award Requests: WB in Gold for entire crew Narrative: Radio intercepts indicate U-Boat attacks along the North American coast from the Caribbean to Boston with 4 ships sunk. Post war records indicate that USS Moffett, DD 362, reported attacking and sinking a U-Boat while escorting ships off New York.
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Post by silentwolf on Mar 25, 2017 11:21:02 GMT
U-Boat Name and ID Number: Das Gespenst U-41 Patrol Assignment: Atlantic (12th Patrol) Patrol Date: May 1943 (returned early) Successful Patrol: Yes
Number of Freighters Sank: 1 Number of Tankers Sank: 0 Number of Capital Ships Sank: 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 7,000 (186,900)
Ships Sank: May 17th, 1943 - Baluchistan 7000t
Ships Damaged:NA
Refit Time: 2 months, ready for patrol August 1943
Award Requests: NA
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Post by keyboy on Mar 27, 2017 9:51:29 GMT
June 1, 1943, Gentleman, from my quick glances at the reports you did well this month, sinking 88,400 tons of shipping, and 12 hulls and some encouraging reports from the U-788 Meer Sprite and U-842 ‘Lohengrin’ which are still out on patrol. The first two rounds tonight are on me, as we honour our fallen comrades of the U-792 - the Seejager. The third round will be supplied by the crew of the Das Gespenst U-41. The fourth round will be supplied by OltzS Reinhard Geist, who has been awarded the Knights Cross and the fifth round will be provided by Walter Rieflin, who has been awarded the KC with oakleaves and promoted to the rank of KKpt. AwardsKnight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and DiamondsNone Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and SwordsNone Knight's Cross with Oak LeavesKptLt Walter Rieflin Knight's CrossOltzS Reinhard Geist Iron Cross 2nd ClassNone Iron Cross 1st Class None U-Boat War Badge To the Crew of: NonePromotionsNone
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