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Post by silentwolf on May 7, 2021 1:29:24 GMT
The Sub Pens of La Rochelle Monday, October 19th, 1942 17.00 hours
U-47 is tethered to the dock and in her assigned slot. Her crew stands on deck with eyes left.
KKpt Tobias Hopf addresses his crew,
"Gentlemen, you've done a fine job. Three freighters destroyed totalling over thirteen thousand tons of enemy shipping. The Kriegsmarine and the Fatherland are grateful for your service. We're back early, boys....Enjoy your shore leave, you've earned it. Dismissed."
Several of the men cheer as they disembark the boat. Many will be returning to Germany for a short visit with loved ones.
Hopf will spend the next few weeks "laying low". He will spend the majority of his free time at his favorite fishing spot, Pointe de Chef de Baie.
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Post by silentwolf on May 24, 2021 23:59:22 GMT
The Sub Pens of La Rochelle Saturday, January 2nd, 1943 06.00 hours
U-47 is tethered to her berth, hidden and protected by the massive concrete walls that make up the superstructure within which she is currently housed.
Here "Delphin" is safe from enemy aircraft attack. The allies may try, but they will never be capable of breaching the Sub Pen from the air.
Her crew stands on deck with eyes left.
KKpt Tobias Hopf addresses his men,
"Good morning, gentlemen. Alles Klar ? "
The crew loudly responds in unity,
"Jawoel Kaleun!"
Hopf repeats his question, this time nearly shouting,
"I can't here you! Alles Klar!?!"
"Jawoel Kaleun!!!" , the crew roars even louder and in unison.
"Gud. I don't want you boys going soft after a night of heavy drinking, but you would never do that, would you?"
"Nein Kaleun!"
Hopf gives a slight grin,
"Well, we'll see about that."
Hopf slowly walks down the deck while inspecting the crew. He continues to address the men,
" Once again, our great nation is calling upon the mighty U-bootwaffe. We have a task at hand gentleman, and that task is to destroy enemy shipping. 2WO Krebs has informed me that the gunnery team has improved dramatically - Let's take that to the allies and show them how your skills have improved! "
Several members of the crew give a quiet cheer. Hopf quickly silences them.
"But what about AA gunnery?"
Hopf pauses for a moment and then continues,
" We've lost a lot of good men along the way due to Allied aircraft attacks. The allies are beefing up their air presence and continuing to evolve with more effective tactics. Do not become complacent. You must stay sharp at all times. Do I make myself clear?"
"Jawoel Kaleun!"
"Gud. This boat has returned safely from 15 war patrols and I would like to continue that trend. Board and man your stations, we will be under way soon. "
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Post by silentwolf on Jun 6, 2021 18:03:53 GMT
The Sub Pens of La Rochelle Monday, March 15th, 1943 11.00 hours
2WO Krebs and LI Schmidt are in the engine room of U-47. They are discussing the progress of the boat"s refit.
Schmidt is tinkering with diesel engine number one. He speaks to Krebs,
"Repairs have all been successful, refit is almost complete."
Krebs responds,
"Gud. It is most unfortunate that the neccessary supplies to install the pillenwerfer system will not arrive on time. It is a fantastic advance in defense for our U-Bootwaffe, indeed."
Schmidt replies,
"She's a good boat and her skipper is a smart man. When we return from this patrol, the supplies will be here. The system can easily be installed during the next refit and Delphin will be able to deploy BOLDs on our next mission."
2WO Krebs nods,
"Gud. Carry on."
Krebs exits the engine room and leaves Schmidt to his work.
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Post by silentwolf on Jul 2, 2021 15:06:45 GMT
The Sub Pens of La Rochelle Late June, 1943 10.30 hours
KKpt Tobias Hopf has stopped by for a quck visit with LI Schmidt.
" How is refit coming along, Chief? "
" Everything is moving according to schedule. She will be ready for action in early July. We've installed the Pillenwerfer, the deck gun has been removed and an additional flak cannon has been added. "
"Gud......Very gud."
LI Schmidt gets back work as Hopf leaves the scene.
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Post by silentwolf on Sept 3, 2021 1:15:01 GMT
The Sub Pens of La Rochelle Late March 1944 13.00 hours
U-47 is tethered to her berth, safely confined within the massive concrete walls of the sub pen.
Above deck, several crewmen are painting the boat. The captain has decided to lose the camouflage and to paint her solid gray.
In the engine room, LI Schmidt and a small group of three other crewmen have been installing the schnorchel.
LI Schmidt continues to tinker with the system, while the others have decided to take a quick break.
They make small talk and joke amongst themselves.....
" Hey! Who am I?" , one crewman jokingly ask.
He then places his hands on his head and continues,
"Oh god no! I'm going to die! I want my mother!"
The other two crewmen laugh.
One loudly states,
" Krebs really thought that he was a goner! Ha! It was only a scratch! No larger than a reichspfenning ! "
The men laugh loudly.
Their party is cut short when FKpt Tobias Hopf enters the engine room. Unannounced to the crew, he has decided to make a surprise visit to check on the status of his boat.
He is not in a good mood today.....
" What in the hell is going on in here !?!"
The crew quickly stand at attention.
" I see you guys are here smoking and joking..... I hate to rain on your parade but we are in the middle of a war! I need this schnorchel installed immediately! If my boat is not ready for sea by May - I promise that you will be begging for me to launch you from the torpedo tubes when I am done with you! Do I make myself clear?"
"Jawoel Kaleun!", The group answers in unison.
"Gud. Schmidt, take a walk with me.... They rest of you - Stop slacking off and get to work!"
"Jawoel Kaleun!"
The men quickly get back to work.
As the Kapitan and LI leave the engine room, Hopf can be heard asking Schmidt,
"Schmidt, are you familiar with NAXOS?".
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