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Post by crushedhat on May 8, 2022 16:47:46 GMT
December 1940 Patrol Status
NOTE: With the fall of France, BdU will be moving operations into French ports. The 15th Flotilla will be based out of St. Nazaire. Any Boats currently in Wilhelmshaven, as well as any new Boats entering the game, will begin their patrol in Wilhelmshaven but end their patrol in St. Nazaire (Last patrol box will be ‘Bay of Biscay’). Once a Boat is in St. Nazaire, future patrols will begin and end there (First and last patrol box will be ‘Bay of Biscay’).
Dec Events: 5th, Dusseldorf & Turin bombed 6-9th, Italians pushed out of Egypt 16th, First RAF night raid – Mannheim 22-24th, bombing of Manchester 29th, Large air raid on London
U-Boat Status for month (Type IX patrols are two months long, Reports due the end of the second month) U# Type Rank Kommandant Player Patrol Assignment 37 IXA KKpt Siegmund von Margur Siegmund Oct-Nov* British Isles 41 IXA KKpt Wilhelm Schultze ChefEd Nov-Dec British Isles 46 VIIB KptLt Willi Gering Donitz Dec Atlantic 48 VIIB KKpt Til Werthner silentwolf Refit 50 VIIB KKpt Joachim Helmert crushedhat Refit 99 VIIB KptLt Fritz Rathke Andy Refit (M) is a mining mission. (A) is agent insertion mission. *Overdue. Will be declared “Lost” if not reporting in by the end of Dec.
Lost Boats: U-39, did not return from Dec 39- Jan 40 patrol (British Isles (M)) U-45, did not return from May 40 patrol (British Isles (M))
Required information for end of Patrol Report: U-Boat # Patrol Month(s) Patrol Location Patrol # for this Kommandant Successful Patrol (Y/N) Number of freighters sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) Number of Tankers sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) Number of Capital Ships sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) Tonnage sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) Refit Time Award Requests
Optional information for End of Patrol Report: Patrol narrative
End of Patrol Reports for Nov 40 due no later than Midnight, 14 May 2022 your time.
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Post by ChefEd on May 9, 2022 13:44:39 GMT
U-41 Type IXA
Nov/Dec 1940 Patrol British Isles
Geißel des Meeres (Scourge of the Seas) Kommandant: Korvettenkapitän, Wilhelm Schultze Erster Wachoffizier (1WO): Leutnent zur See, Alfred Schacht, Experte Zweiter Wachoffizier (2WO): Leutnent zur See, Albrecht Klausen Leitender Ingenieur: Obermaat, Herbert Valentiner Doktor: Maat, Walter Gercke
Patrol Month(s): Nov/Dec 1940 Patrol Location: British Isles Patrol # for this Kommandant: 5 Successful Patrol: Yes Number of freighters sunk: 3 / 7 Number of Tankers sunk: 0 / 4 Number of Capital Ships sunk: 0 / 2 Tonnage sunk: 16,600 / 138,600 Refit Time: 2 months Award Requests: None
2 NOV Left St Nazaire at dusk. Estimate about 5 days to arrive on station. Traveling on the surface at night, submerged during the day, we avoided any Allied interference.
10 NOV 2230 Hours Spotted large freighter SS J.D. Larrinage (5,200T) with escort. Surfaced at medium range, fire two bow G7as, two misses. Fired two stern G7as, one miss, damaged. Target slowed and began to list to port. We were detected by an escort. We were able to turn away from the escorts path, but he was still able to cause flooding. The escort maintained contact, this time they stayed right on top of us. More flooding and electric motor #2 was damaged. Later inspection showed hull damage and the deck gun destroyed. We were finally able to lose the escort.
With damaged prey still afloat, we maneuvered on an intercept course on the freighter’s last heading.
11 NOV Just after dawn, we reacquired the damaged ship, still with escort. We were able to shadow the freighter until sunset. We surfaced for another attack, firing two bow G7as, one miss, one dud. Fired two stern G7es, one miss, one dud. This time we were able to elude the escort.
We continued our pursuit of the stricken freighter.
12 NOV Well after sunrise we reacquired the target, still with escort. We successfully followed her until sunset. We surfaced once again for an attack, fired two bow G7as, two hits, sinking the target. The escort detected us, but were wide of us, but close enough to take our radio. We slipped away from the escort.
We moved off for repairs. The electric motor was repaired, but the radio was irreparable, and the deck gun was hopeless.
20 NOV 0115 Hours Intercepted a lone small freighter SS Stonepool (5,000T). Surfaced at close range. Without our deck gun, we had to waste torpedoes, where gunfire would do. We fired four bow G7es, four hits, two duds, sunk.
25 NOV 0250 Hours Intercepted a lone large freighter SS Triglav (6,400T). Surfaced for close in attack, fired four bow G7as, one miss, three hits, one dud, sunk.
7 DEC 1300 Hours Sighted a large freighter SS Gregalia (5,900T) with escort. Decided to shadow the target until nighttime. Lost target before dusk.
18 DEC 2225 Hours Spotted convoy with two small freighters, SS Frdka Lensen (4,400T) and SS Woensdrecht (4,700T), two tankers, SS Ch Maersk (5,200T) and SS Vaclite (5,000T), with escort. Surfaced at medium range and fired last four G7es at the tanker SS Ch Maersk, two misses, two duds. Eluded escort.
22 DEC Heading for home.
23 DEC Surfaced near dusk to recharge and refresh. Coming in low, out of the setting sun we were surprised by an enemy anti-submarine patrol aircraft. They made a single strafing pass, which was wide, before we could submerge. No damage. We were able to get off a few rounds at the aircraft but missed.
25 DEC Entered the Bay of Biscay We spent much of Christmas Day submerged. At night the crew were all given time on deck to refresh. Even in the frigid cold it was appreciated by all.
27 DEC Arrived St Nazaire Refit is expected to take two months. We are projecting to head back to sea in March. In the meantime, the crew will rotate on leave. Leutnent zur See, Alfred Schacht was passed over for a command of his own. The reason given was no boats were available.
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Post by Donitz on May 12, 2022 16:03:31 GMT
December 1940 – Patrol Report – Atlantic
U-Boat 46
Patrol Month(s) October 1940
Patrol # for this Kommandant Patrol 8
Successful Patrol No
Number of freighters sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) – 0/9
Number of Tankers sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) - 0/0
Number of Capital Ships sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) – 0/0
Tonnage sunk (This Patrol/Cumulative for this Kommandant) 0/43,000
Refit Time – 2 Months
Award Requests – None
We set out from St Nazaire determined to do better in the Atlantic this time. No more playing safe and being over cautious. Our journey to the Atlantic hunting grounds is without incident
5 days into our patrol we locate a convoy in the morning. Not wanting to risk losing the convoy I decide to attack in daylight. There are various targets but I set my sights on the 8,500 t tanker Duffield.
We close to a decent range not wanting to get too close to the escorts and with 4 steam eels loaded in the front tubes we fire a full salvo. 3 of the torpedoes are true and hit the target but only one of the detonates. It causes significant damage but not enough to sink the tanker. Within minutes the escort destroyer is on top of us and depth charges are in the water. The boat is rocked and the lights flicker on an off. We seem to have been hit towards the fore of the boat and I order us to drop deeper than we have ever been before, in fact deeper than we should go.
With some luck we manage to evade the destroyer and whilst still running silently I order a damage report. It appears that the damage isn’t too extensive but we can’t close the forward torpedo doors which means we can’t load any more eels. I know the hull will have taken some damage as well from the depth we dived too. We try to fix the torpedo doors but this is beyond our abilities without a docking.
I decide to follow the stricken tanker and as dusk falls we make contact again. The tanker still has an escort and we take up a firing position using the aft torpedo tube. Loaded with a single steam torpedo this must be the end of the tanker. We fire and wait but the tanker alters course and we miss the target. Escorts move towards our position but it is obvious that they are not sure where we are and we slip away to a safe distance.
Determined that the Duffield will not escape we continue to track the tanker. An hour before dawn we again are in a position to fire the aft torpedo this time with an electric eel. We fire and wait but again our aim was amiss and we tail to hit the target. The difference this time is the escort is more alert and closes on our position. Depth Charges in the water explode but cause only minor damage and we slip away from the area again.
With no torpedoes left for the rear tubes and the front tubes inoperable we continue our patrol hoping to find a lone ship we can attack with our deck gun.
A week later we spot another convoy but aren’t able to engage so report it’s position and return to patrol
As we end our patrol I pray for better luck in the future and hopefully the gods will be on our side next time. (Random event “Hals and Beinbruch”)
Dejected we end our patrol and return home. The journey back is sombre and quiet with no signs of the British navy or RAF. We slip into St Nazaire after dark to no fanfare’s. It will be march before we can put to sea again to make amends for our feeble efforts.
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