The lost German U-boat E-Book

Herman Mertens

• Herausgeber: novum pro Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 138

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A secret Second World War mission, with two German submarines bound for South America, falls into disarray when one of the subs runs aground on a deserted island in the Atlantic Ocean. The crew hide the boat under foliage but also leave the top-secret cargo on board. The other sub heads back towards Europe but soon runs into trouble. Many years later, thirteen young men, recent school graduates, decide to buy a boat and after long preparation and practice set off on the adventure of a lifetime. After night spent partying with some young women on a desert island, they come across the hidden sub and decide to investigate. From that moment on, their lives change, and their carefree adventure leads them into real danger.

Leseprobe

Imprint

All rights of distribution, also through movies, radio and television, photomechanical reproduction, sound carrier, electronic medium and reprinting in excerpts are reserved.

© 2023 novum publishing

ISBN print edition: 978-3-99131-434-9

ISBN e-book: 978-3-99131-435-6

Editor: Rod Pritchard-Smith

Cover images: Alinamd, Carsten Medom Madsen, Chrisp543 | Dreamstime.com

Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing

www.novum-publishing.co.uk

Introduction

Early April 1943, and there are two submarines, U1001 and U1002, in the base of Brest.

Both of them are being subjected to thorough maintenance. After two weeks these boats will be released and will end up in a different dock where each vessel will receive their own cargo.

There is a lot of movement around these two submarines, with much supervision from the SS and the Gestapo. Even Admiral Dönitz was present.

The U1001 was being loaded by the SS and sailors; what the cargo was, no one from the crew knew.

The U1002 was also loaded, but with torpedoes, ammunition and supplies while the 1001 did not receive many torpedoes but had to make do with six.

On Tuesday, April 20th, the signal ‘boats loaded and ready for departure’ came. Dönitz received both captains for a briefing on Wednesday, April 21st, 1943.

He informed them that they had to leave on April 22nd at four in the morning with a 45-minute time difference between the two departures.

The next morning:

Brest, Thursday April 22nd, 1943: at four o’clock in the morning a U-boat leaves on a secret mission on the direct command of Adolf Hitler, 45 minutes later a second U-boat departs to protect the first, also on Hitler’s direct orders.

The first officer reports to the captain: “Boat ready to go Captain.”

Then the first order follows: “Start the engines”, and the diesels come to life with a cloud of smoke and they spit out even more smoke, then the second order follows: “Bunches loose.”

The U-boat slowly disengages from the quay and glides gently through the water towards the open sea.

The captain stands in the tower, looks around, addresses his first mate and says: “Frits, we have left for a few months, I am curious what awaits us.”

Frits was lost in thought and did not hear the captain; he was gazing at the horizon watching how dawn broke the night.

A gentle southerly wind was blowing through their hair as the sea lapped quietly. Together they stared through their binoculars scanning in each direction, looking for the enemy.

But everything was quiet and they enjoyed the view.

The captain on the first submarine, U1001, is an officer who was already on a submarine back in the First World War.

Slowly the U1001 glides further through the water towards an unknown adventure. Once on the high seas he prepares to open his orders, as instructed. Karl Heinz Jung, the captain of U1001, gathers his officers in the galley. Once they are all present, he begins to read the Führers commands to his officers:

“Captain, this mission is for the greater good of the German People and must succeed.

Here are the coordinates to follow, they take us towards Brazil.

The U1001 is loaded with very important items that should not fall into enemy hands.

I expect you to complete this assignment according to my wishes.

I wish you the best of luck for this assignment.

Sieg heil

Adolf Hitler

After the first day the captain decides to let the crew practice on a quick dive. He sounds the alarm and gives the orders to dive on the on-board radio. Simultaneously he records the time. After a tumultuous 1 minute and 26 seconds the submarine is fully underwater.

The captain calls his first officer and tells him that the diving must be much faster, this must be done within 35 seconds, that’s the guideline. He informs the crew and tells them it’s a matter of life or death.

The following days they keep repeating the same exercise and each time the diving speed increases and the time gets better. Until the day they dive under 35 seconds.

“Captain, in today’s diving exercise we recorded a time of 33 seconds.”

“Thank you, first officer.”

A few hours later the captain makes a statement via the ship’s intercom:

“This is a message for the entire crew. Gentlemen, as we are getting better and better at doing the exercises to dive faster and faster and we have come to a time of 33 seconds, I wish to express my gratitude for the commitment of all of you. And therefore gentlemen, we are going to choose an uninhabited island where we go ashore. A four-man watch remains on board to guard the boat. Our chefs will go ashore as well and together with some sailors they will hunt for fresh meat, which they will then prepare on the spit.”

The captain then proceeded to the officer in charge of the navigation.

“Lieutenant Wemmels.”

“Jawohl Captain!”

“Show me our current position on the map so that we can locate an island.”

The lieutenant showed the captain where they were on the map:

“Captain, between Funchal and Santa Cruz is an unknown island, we can go there.”

“All right, we’re going there; what course should we take and how long before we get there?”

“I’ll take care of everything, captain, but we’ll reach that spot after eight days.”

“Okay, inform the crew too.”

After a smooth seven-day journey, the message came:

“Land in sight. Captain requested on deck.”

The captain made his way to the tower and went on deck.

“Captain, look there is the island.”

Together they took their binoculars and viewed the island.

“Find a place where we can moor the U-boat without it being clearly visible from the open seas.”

“All right Captain.”

After a few hours they had found a suitable place on a large inlet and the U-boat moored there. A landing unit went ashore with the order to bring back branches and bushes so that they could cloak the submarine and make it hard to be discovered.

After a few hours the Germans returned with the necessary things to camouflage the boat.

“Captain for radio operator.”

“Operator listening to captain.”

“Send message to U1002 with our location so that they can come alongside.”

“All right Captain.”

Then, over submarine’s intercom system came: “This is the captain speaking. Men, we are moored onto an uninhabited island in order to recover for a few days. We will disembark and a four-man watch will remain on board; these four will be switched tomorrow. Everyone has to be equipped with their gun, and for the chef: you go with two sailors to provide fresh meat.” Thus, the crew left for the island in rubber dinghies.

The island had alternating sandy and rocky beaches with a dense vegetation of plants.

Everyone started on their assigned tasks. The chef went on a hunt for fresh meat with two sailors. They started their search along the beach. After an hour of walking, a maiden said: “Look here: tracks in the sand and they’re heading towards the center of the island, let’s follow these tracks.”

On their way they passed all kinds of plants. about “Men, wait a minute, these are wild herbs and I can use them well when preparing the meat,” the chef said.

Together they started to pick the herbs and put them in a big bag.

They soon entered the bushes and had to clear their way with machetes. The jungle grew thicker and thicker until they suddenly came out on a plain. They quickly dropped onto the grass and looked around with their binoculars until the chef said:

“Men, look there, there is movement at 13 o’clock.”

The sailors looked and saw something moving.

“Come on, we’re going upwind, so that the animals can’t smell us and we can get close enough to see what kind of animals they are. No sooner said than done, they went around and against the wind to the spot the chef had indicated. At a good thirty-meter distance, they could hear the animals. They made a grunting sound.

“Men, I think it’s wild pigs,” the chef said. They sneaked closer and indeed they were pigs but not wild, they were feral pigs roaming around.

A sailor took out his weapon, a mauser.

“Which one should I shoot?” he asked.

“I see some sows over there. Shoot one of those pigs and let those sows live.”

The sailor steadied his sights and a shot was heard. The pig slumped through his legs and lay dead on the ground. Because of the noise the other pigs had all started to move off.

The sailors chopped off some sturdy branches and made a frame to tie the pig onto so they could head back to the beach.

Meanwhile, the crew was preparing a fire behind a small ridge so that the flames would not be visible from the sea.

Other sailors had also set out to find fruit and edible plants. They had also found what they were looking for and brought bananas, pineapples, coconuts and other fruits. They had also come across a half-decayed cabin with alongside it a lost vegetable garden, where they found all kinds of vegetables, such as cabbages, tomatoes, potatoes and much more, that grew in the wild garden. But on looking into the remains of the cabin, they found a human skeleton.

They immediately decided to search around the rest of the area of the cabin to see if they could find anything else. Sure enough, a good fifty meters behind it was a small hillock completely enclosed by thickets. After cutting down parts of the bush, an entrance to a cave emerged.

The men looked at each other and after making torches, entered. Once inside, they were amazed at what they saw. It had been the pirate’s pantry. Inside were chests containing all sorts of items – clothes, pewter cups, pistols, some kegs with gunpowder and two barrels of rum.

Then the non-commissioned officer said:

“We are going to report this to the captain first and he will then tell us what to do with it. But for now, let’s take a barrel of rum with us.”

The men headed back to the beach and once there, informed the captain.

“We leave everything as it is,” he said. But I will write everything about this island down in my diary for when we return to it later. But first I want to execute my orders further.”

The chef went to the captain and asked: “How do you want me to prepare the pig?”

“Is that possible on a spit?” the captain replied.

“Yes, of course, but then it will take a while before we can eat.”

“No problem”, said the captain. “We have plenty of time and rum, just get started.”

They slaughtered the pig and removed its organs. The chef took the pig’s intestines and prepared them to make sausages. Then the pig was spit-laced and seasoned, and the fire was lit at the same time. Once that was done, they started grilling the pig. The chef also prepared dishes from all the fruit and vegetables they had collected.

Simultaneously, he started making the sausages which he would later smoke, so they could be stored for a longer time.

Meanwhile U1002 had come alongside and they had also camouflaged their boat. The U1002 captain made landfall and was treated to a cup of rum. Both captains clinked glasses and drank heartily.

After a few hours, the meal was ready and everyone got their part of the food. The men enjoyed their meal and later they all scattered themselves around, each finding a place to enjoy the sun and the view.

The next day the crew was switched and they also were presented with the same meal. And they too thoroughly enjoyed their drinks and food.

After four days, both captains decided to continue sailing and carry out their Führer’s orders. The crew was well-rested and full of energy to carry out their mission.

The U1001 left towards Little San Salvador and 45 minutes after, the U1002 followed suit. Once again they practiced fast diving and each time they reached the pre-set time.

The journey was then continued above water. The captain and some officers kept a lookout and scanned the horizon for enemy ships. Everything was quiet but then, after a 28-day journey, the alarm suddenly sounds. “SONAR TO CAPTAIN!!”

“Captain’s listening.”

“I hear propellers from a ship.”

“How far away from us?”

“Captain, about a thousand meters.”

“Dive, dive, dive.”

Now the crew understood the many exercises of the past few days and after 35 seconds they disappeared below the surface. Complete silence on board and enter combat mode. “Sonar, where’s the enemy?”

“Captain, he has turned around and started the chase.”

“Dive down to 100 meters and look for a cold layer of water, their sonar cannot detect us under that.”

A total silence.

“Captain, we are under a cold layer but it is moving quickly.”

“Try to follow this so we stay out of the picture.”

“Captain, we are losing the layer!”

Complete silence now!

“Captain, he’s checking for us.” (ping, ping, ping, ping, pong)

“Captain, he found us. And has launched depth charges. HOLD TIGHT, they’re going to explode.”

And a couple of meters away from the U1001, the depth charges explode without causing serious damage.

“Sonar, where’s the enemy?”

“Captain, he’s coming back and releasing depth charges.”

And again the captain manages to escape the depth charges.

“Then we sail on”, was the captain’s order. And again, the destroyer probed for the submarine. But then the captain makes a mistake and turns the U-boat in the wrong direction.

The Allies’ destroyer rotates in the same manner, thus coming to an ideal position to blow the U1001 out of the water.

It starts sending a rain of depth charges down to the U1001. It’s being shaken vigorously.

Then suddenly sonar shouts:

“Captain, I can hear torpedoes towards the enemy.”

“Keep me informed and continue to sail south-south-westerly direction.”

Sonar to captain: “The torpedoes are going to hit.”

Sonar to captain: “The torpedoes hit the target. I hear explosions and debris falling into the water.”

Captain for Sonar: “Is the enemy still moving?”

Sonar to captain: “No, they are pretty much still.”

“First mate to periscope depth.”

“Aye, aye captain.”

Moments later:

“Captain, we are at depth. Periscope up.”

The captain looks through the periscope and sees how the enemy is defeated as their ship disappears under the waves. The crew was able to get themselves to safety in the lifeboats and also helped others into their boats.

“Periscope down, we sail on.”

Operator contacts the U1002.

“Engine room, do we have damage?”

Engine room to captain: “The electric motors are fine, but the diesels have been damaged by the detonation of the depth charges.”

“Are there any casualties among the crew?”

“Captain, more than half have been killed by the depth charges.”

“Can we still sail on these diesels?”

“Yes, one-fourth of the force. One engine is completely broken and the other one has little or no power left, just enough power to charge the batteries. So we can only continue on the electric motors.”

Captain to operator: “Do you already have contact with U1002?” Operator to captain: “Yes, we are in touch, they ask if we have any damage. What should I say, captain?”

“Tell them engines broken, can only be powered by one fourth and request assistance. Operator, tell me when U1002 has replied.”

“Okay, Captain.”

A few moments later:

“Captain, U1002 replied. They will come alongside to help.”

After more than an hour of waiting, the U1002 suddenly surfaced next to the damaged submarine.

U1002 lies along U1001 and the captain boards the U1001.

Captain: “Can I come on board?” “Permitted Captain Karl.”

Karl: “Am I glad you were around or we would have sunk, Hans.”

Hans: “Karl, what damage have you suffered? And are there any casualties among the crew?”

Karl: “Here is the damage report, see for yourself, the diesels are badly damaged, one is no longer running and the other is at ¼ of its power, just enough to charge the batteries. We cannot sail on like this if we encounter an enemy we are doomed.”

“Karl, what is the emergency scenario in our case?”

“The regulations have been changed in view of the importance of this mission. Hitler has ordered that when this happens, we must bring the boat and cargo to safety.” “And how are we going to do that?”

Karl: “We are in the Pacific and there are many uninhabited islands here. We have orders to find an island where we can hide the submarine.”

Together they look at the sea charts and see a group of islands located on the Brazilian coast.

“We will sail to those, I will tow you.”

They agree to sail as much as possible at night, under the protection of darkness.