19:14 (Paris Time)
Saturday, February 7, 1942
Keroman I submarine bunker complex, Lorient
Coast of Brittany, France
Despite being happy to see the U-800 return intact from its second war patrol, Karl Dönitz couldn’t help feeling some frustration as he saw Otto Kretschmer, standing in the open bridge of his submarine while his boat slowly entered the concrete shelter assigned to it in the Keroman I bunker complex. Kretschmer had again fully lived up to his nickname of ‘Silent Otto’ and had sent a grand total of two, TWO messages back to his base during his patrol. One had been sent as the U-800 was in the mid-Atlantic, saying that he was on his way back, while the other had been sent a mere twelve hours before, announcing the estimated time of arrival of the U-800 in Lorient. One of Dönitz’ staff officers present on the internal quay of the submarine pen, Korvettenkapitän Schnee, audibly choked when he could count the multitude of victory pennants floating from lines attached to the extended attack periscope of the U-500.
‘’Forty-nine ships sunk?! Mein Gott! Either Kretschmer is the biggest braggart in the Kriegsmarine or he is a magician at the commands of a U-boote.’’
‘’Some of the magic is his, Herr Schnee,’’ replied Dönitz, ‘but much of it is in his U-800. I wish that our naval designers could hurry up to complete the plans of our future Type XXI class, so that we could truly squeeze the British sea commerce to death.’’
A detail then attracted the admiral’s attention, making him swear lightly.
‘’Himmel, Kretschmer’s kill count includes thirteen warships! He better brief me quickly about his war patrol once I am aboard.’’
Dönitz and Schnee were able to board the U-800 six minutes later, once mooring lines had been tied and a gangway had been put in position. Otto Kretschmer, with most of his crew lined up on deck and wearing clean going out uniforms, greeted the admiral and his staff officer at the foot of the gangway, saluting him the old fashion military way. Schnee noticed then that Otto and his men were all freshly shaved, contrasting with the usual picture offered by other returning U-boote crews, who commonly wore thick beards and long hair on arrival in Lorient.
‘’Welcome on the U-800, Herr Admiral! I have both a complete mission report and a couple of gifts for you waiting inside.’’
‘’Gifts?’’ Said Dönitz, mystified. ‘’What kind of gifts could you find in the middle of the ocean, my dear Kretschmer?’’
‘’Oh, the sea holds many treasures, Herr Admiral. But could I invite you to review my men first before we go inside to talk?’’
‘’Of course! I will always have time for our brave submariners.’’
Kretschmer then followed closely Dönitz as the latter started reviewing one by one the men of the U-800, talking briefly with each of them and even exchanging the occasional joke with them. Kretschmer knew that Dönitz truly cared for his submariners, especially since he was himself an experienced submariner and knew the kind of hardships and dangers they had to face while at sea. Once the review of the crew was completed, Otto invited his admiral and Schnee to go down to the officers’ wardroom, where the three men sat around the long dining table. Otto then took out of his vest a folded document and a small book, putting both down on the table in front of Dönitz.
‘’Here is my patrol report, along with one of the gifts I alluded to, Herr Admiral.’’
Dönitz’ blood surged to his brain when he recognized what the small book marked ‘TOP SECRET’ in English was. Grabbing it and leafing through it quickly, he then gave Otto a bemused look.
‘’A copy of the Royal Navy code? Where and how did you get it, Kretschmer?’’
‘’We found it aboard a British armed merchant ship anchored off the port of Miami, Herr Admiral. Leutnant Margraff and his men from the Brandenburg Regiment covertly boarded it on the night of December 29 and took control of it. We then used the deck guns of that British ship to bombard the port of Miami before leaving unseen. That British ship was scuttled by us on departure, so it should be quite difficult for the British to assert if we got or not their code book. By the way, Herr Admiral, those Brandenburg men proved positively priceless during my war patrol and I request formally that they could go back at sea with the U-800 when I will depart on patrol again.’’
Dönitz, who was staring with glee at the British code book, nodded his head at once.
‘’If you say so, then I have no qualms with that, Kretschmer. I will arrange that with Admiral Canaris tomorrow. And what would be the other gifts you had for me on top of this code book?’’
‘’A few tons of genuine Colombian coffee and chocolate, liberated from the holds of that British merchant ship after we took control of it. We were able to refill both our food reserves and our diesel fuel tanks at the same time. I would like to request your permission to distribute a portion of that confiscated coffee and chocolate, along with a few more staples we found, to my men, so that they could bring a few gifts to their families. The rest would be yours to distribute among our other submariners as you see fit.’’
Dönitz was left speechless for a moment then. Coffee and chocolate were among the most severely rationed goods in Germany and around Occupied Europe, thanks to the British sea blockade of Germany.
‘’How much of those items did you take exactly?’’
Otto answered him by taking out another folded document and giving it to Dönitz.
‘’Here is the list of the food staples taken from the M.S. CALYPSO in Miami Harbor, Herr Admiral, along with the quantities taken. Some of this foodstuff has already been consumed during our war patrol, but the great majority of it is still aboard.’’
Dönitz reviewed with growing awe the list given by Otto, exclaiming himself at the view of some selected items.
‘’You have seven tons of Colombian coffee and over four tons of chocolate aboard?’’
‘’A bit less now, since we consumed some of it at sea, Herr Admiral. As you can see from this list, many around Germany would be tempted to get their hands on those food supplies, and not for the benefit of our fighting men. That is why I would be grateful to you for ensuring the fair distribution of those staples among our submariners.’’
Dönitz didn’t have to ask him who Otto was alluding to: he had frequent enough contacts with highly-placed Nazi Party leaders and knew very well how corrupt and even kleptomaniac most of them were. In fact, many people in Germany would nearly kill to get their hands on such rare, prized food items. He thus nodded slowly his head while smiling benevolently at Otto.
‘’You did well to bring back those food supplies, my dear Kretschmer: they will indeed help a lot to maintain and improve the morale of our valiant U-boote crews. Be assured that I will distribute those supplies with utter fairness, irrespective of rank. I will send a few trucks tomorrow morning, along with a strong, incorruptible guard force, to pick up the excess quantities you don’t wish to keep. Don’t be afraid to keep the quantities that you will deem necessary to supply your crew during your next war patrol.’’
‘’Thank you, Admiral. Talking about my next war patrol, how long a shore leave period can my crew expect before returning at sea?’’
‘’Actually, your men will be able to enjoy two full weeks of leave at home, plus travel time, before they will have to return to Lorient in order to prepare your boat for your next patrol. Your U-800 will in the meantime get three weeks of refit and reconditioning to put it back in top shape and also to add a couple of new features to it.’’
‘’What new features, if I may ask, Herr Admiral?’’ Said Otto, interested at once.
‘’Well, we were able to capture a few months ago an intact copy of a British airborne radar set after a British bomber crashed in North Africa. Our scientists and engineers studied in depth that radar set, which allowed us in turn to improve significantly our own radar technology. As a result of that work, a new, improved model of radar warning device will replace your current model atop your radio mast, while a compact, lightweight radar set will be mounted atop your schnorchel mast. Those two new items are still at the prototype stage but your U-800 will be used as an operational test bed for them. With your new radar, you will be able to detect approaching aircraft at a range of about twenty kilometers, while you will be able to pick up ships up to ten kilometers away.’’
Otto grinned on hearing that, truly happy: enemy patrol aircraft had proved to be a real impediment for him during his Caribbean cruise, forcing him to stay under the surface during daylight in order to avoid enemy planes detecting his schnorchel head via radar. That had in turn impacted severely on his available choices of tactics, while his lookouts could not ensure the detection in time of enemy aircraft from ranges beyond a few kilometers.
‘’Then, I will need to have at least two experienced radar operators or technicians assigned to my boat, preferably men trained on those new devices.’’
‘’I already took care of that, Kretschmer: they will show up in Lorient in two weeks. Now, let me read that patrol report of yours.’’
Otto, like Schnee, kept quiet as Dönitz read quickly through his report, taking written notes on a pad when he saw major points of interest. Otto used that chance to serve cups of hot Colombian coffee to his visitors, who savored them with delight. At one point, Dönitz hesitated and looked up at Otto.
‘’You had Americans aboard your boat?’’
‘’Only for three days, Herr Admiral. They were kept within the living areas of the boat and were not permitted to enter either the torpedo rooms or the engine room. If I would not have picked them up, they would most probably have died at sea, with the two children dying first.’’
‘’You did what any honorable seaman would have done, Kretschmer.’’ Said softly Dönitz before continuing his reading. At the end of it, he took a moment to think over what he had read before speaking to Otto.
‘’Decidedly, you and your U-800 are turning out to be a major strategic asset for Germany, on top of being a prime tactical one. Know that the boats that I sent to the American East Coast after you left there for the Caribbean found lots of easy pickings and very little opposition, thanks to the fact that you attracted nearly half of the destroyers of the American Atlantic Fleet after you. Your destruction of two major refineries and the sinking of all those tanker ships is also bound to severely impact the fuel situation of the Allies. In view of the superior autonomy of your boat and of its large torpedo capacity, I am in mind to have you continue roaming the Caribbean Basin and Gulf of Mexico, with oil targets as your priority. My intelligence staff will however need first to analyze in detail your patrol report before I could give you a new list of specific targets for your next patrol. In the meantime, you will be able to enjoy some shore leave time, like your crew. A staff officer will bring you signed leave permissions for your crew tomorrow morning, at the same time that trucks will come to pick up your excess loot.’’
‘’Thank you, Herr Admiral. Before you go, let me give you something else.’’
Getting up from his bench seat, Otto went to one of the cupboards of the mess and took out of it two large tin cans that were still sealed, bringing them to the table and putting them down in front of Dönitz.
‘’Here are a can of ground Colombian coffee and a can of hot chocolate powder that I put aside for you, Herr Admiral. Just in case that your convoy of trucks gets ambushed tomorrow morning by an army of black marketers.’’
Dönitz laughed out loud at that and got up to shake hands with Otto.
‘’Thanks for the idea, Korvettenkapitän Kretschmer. Be assured however that this will not change one word in your next efficiency report. We will speak again tomorrow afternoon, at my local headquarters in Lorient.’’
‘’I will be there, Herr Admiral.’’ Promised Otto. His two visitors then departed with the two tin cans given by him, plus his report and the British code book. Now alone, Otto thought about all that he would have to take care of in the next couple of days before he could himself go on leave. The list was actually quite long, but he told himself that it was one of the prices of command.
13:27 (Paris Time)
Sunday, February 8, 1942
Crew mess of the U-800, Lorient
‘’…Here you are, Horst. Next!’’
As Horst Eberbach walked happily away with his ‘care package’, one of the Brandenburg Regiment soldiers stepped forward to take his place in front of the table of the crew mess where the cook, Dieter Hannig, was distributing bags of foodstuff to each crewmember. Hannig smiled to Otto Lang while handing him one of the stuffed jute bags, bags originally meant to be used as sand bags.
‘’Aah, one of our intrepid Heer comrades! I do have a couple of extras for you.’’
Hannig twisted around and grabbed a two pound can of roasted and ground Colombian coffee, a one pound can of hot chocolate powder and ten chocolate bars, to add them to the content of the bag he then gave to Lang.
‘’Directive from the Old Man: you and your Heer comrades get additional extras as a ‘finder’s fee’.’’
‘’Why, thank you very much, Smutje! I must say that you proved to be one fine cook indeed.’’
‘’Danke! Have a good time on leave. Next!’’
Going to another table, Lang quickly emptied the jute bag to examine its content. He grinned with satisfaction at the sight of what amounted to a small treasure in rationed Europe: there were six jars of various fruit jams or jellies, a big jar of peanut butter, fourteen small cans of fish or seafood, six cans of processed meat and, most importantly, a total of twenty chocolate bars, two cans of hot chocolate powder and two cans of ground coffee. Grabbing first two of the chocolate bars and pocketing them, with the idea of eating them during his trip home, he stuffed back the rest in the jute bag. He was putting the jute bag, wrapped with spare clothes, inside his service-issue duffel bag, when Michel Drücker and Franz Stein joined him, having received their own care packages. Both soldiers were also smiling happily.
‘’Wait until my wife sees those treasures.’’ Said Drücker enthusiastically. ‘’We have not seen hot chocolate for over a year now.’’
‘’And I have a pretty young neighbor who may be interested in some of my chocolate bars.’’ Added Franz Stein, attracting knowing looks from his two comrades.
‘’Well, don’t eat too much of them yourself, Franz: don’t forget the Leutnant’s directive to get back in shape during our leave period.’’ Replied Lang, who then patted his belly, which was now tightening his belt. ‘’With the lack of space to exercise aboard the U-800 and with Hannig’s cooking, I must have gained a good five kilos myself while at sea.’’
‘’Well, I do intend to do some serious exercising…in bed.’’ Said Stein, making his comrades burst into laughter.
About one hour later, with the distribution of care packages completed and with everyone wearing their going out Winter uniforms, the whole crew was called up to form into a single rank on the concrete quay of the submarine pen sheltering the U-800. Otto Kretschmer, himself in full going out uniform and wearing his Knight’s Cross with swords, leaves and diamonds medal around his neck, then took position in front of them to address them.
‘’Men, I will not say enough how proud I am of you. You performed admirably during our last war patrol, thus helping greatly the cause of our nation in this war. However, before I give you your leave passes, signed by Admiral Dönitz in person, I must remind you of how sensitive the secrecy surrounding our U-800 is. Part of our successes at sea came from the fact that the enemy is still mostly ignorant about the true performances and capabilities of our submarine. It is thus in the interest of all of us to be careful and keep mum about what our U-800 can do, especially when with strangers. I don’t care if you are trying to impress a pretty girl: impress her instead with the size of your pecker or the agility of your tongue!’’
The 72 men lined on the quay burst out briefly into laughter before falling silent again as Otto continued.
‘’Another consequence of the secrecy surrounding the U-800 is that the usual propaganda circus of post-patrol ceremonies was cut out. However, that does not mean that you won’t be properly rewarded for your efforts and bravery.’’
Otto then came to rigid attention and shouted.
‘’CREW OF THE U-800, ATTEN…TION!’’
Coming to attention, the men of the U-800 were then stunned to see Admiral Karl Dönitz come out with two aides from one of the doors giving access to the quay. The admiral was greeted with a salute by Otto, who then stepped aside to let Dönitz face the assembled submariners and soldiers. The commander of the German submarine arm looked briefly from left to right at the line of men, then spoke up in a strong voice.
‘’Men of the U-800 and of the Brandenburg Regiment, your exploits would normally have been celebrated in Berlin, with the Führer presiding, as had happened after your first war patrol, when you collectively received the Iron Cross Second Class, while your captain got his Knight’s Cross with swords, leaves and diamonds. However, for the reasons just given by your commander, discretion is warranted. The Führer thus tasked me to replace him to give you the medals and honors you richly deserve. In view of the incredible exploits of the U-800 during its last war patrol, the Führer has directed that you all see your prior decorations upgraded by one level. Thus, those of you who already have the Iron Cross Second Class will receive today the Iron Cross First Class. The rare few of you who didn’t have already the Iron Cross Second Class will now get it this afternoon. As for those who already have the Iron Cross First Class, of which there are many in fact among you, I will be honored to give you today the German Cross in Silver. As well, all the ones who don’t already have the U-Boote Combat Insignia will get it today. This includes our comrades from the Brandenburg Regiment present this afternoon, who distinguished themselves during the last patrol.’’
The seven commandos exchanged excited looks between themselves on hearing the last sentence: to have Heer infantrymen getting the U-Boote Combat Insignia had to be a first.
Dönitz, followed closely by his two aides and by Otto Kretschmer, then started going slowly down the line of men, stopping in front of each of them to speak briefly with them, congratulating them before pinning medals on their chests. That process took a good hour, but no one complained about that, as the awards being distributed now were both significant and prestigious. At the end of the distribution, Dönitz returned to his original spot in front of the men, with Otto behind and to one side of him.
‘’Men of the U-800, you must now be wondering if I have forgotten one member of the U-800, a member who contributed immensely to the success of your submarine at sea. That man, Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer, however has already won the highest award that the Reich could bestow on him…except for one: The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. In view of the continued exceptional valor shown in combat by Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer, the Führer has directed that he becomes its second recipient, with only Field Marshal Göring of the Luftwaffe having received it before.’’
Gasps and whispered exclamations went through the men of the U-800 as Dönitz then put the ribbon supporting the big black cross of the Grand Cross around Otto’s neck, then saluted him. On his part, Dönitz added a joke of his own in a low voice as he shook hands with Otto.
‘’Congratulations: now even Field Marshal Göring will be jealous of you.’’
‘’Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, Herr Admiral.’’ Replied Otto, grinning with pride.
15:04 (Berlin Time)
Monday, February 9, 1942
Haupttbahnhoff (main train station), Munich
Bavaria, Germany
Dieter Hannig, despite the fatigue from his long trip by rail, was nearly jumping up with joy as his train slowed down and stopped inside the Munich’s main train station. Grabbing his precious duffel bag, he made his way through his crowded wagon to one of the exits and soon stepped on the quay. Shouldering the carrying strap of his duffel bag, Dieter walked out of the big building and went north, following Dachauer Strasse towards the district of Max-Norstadt and Augustenstrasse. Once there, at the corner with Karlstrasse, Dieter stopped for a moment to look with growing emotions at the façade of a restaurant, ‘Die Ferkelchen’{11}, and at the windows of the apartment situated two levels above it. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the street and went to the door beside the restaurant that led to the upper floors. Entering and closing the door behind him, so that the cold air of February could not get in, he gingerly climbed the stairs to the third floor and, pausing for a moment in front of one of the doors on that level to catch his breath, then knocked on it. A strongly-built woman in her forties opened the door after maybe twenty seconds and froze at once, her mouth and eyes wide open as Dieter smiled to her.
‘’Hello, Mother!’’
‘’DIETER! MEIN GOTT!’’ Shouted Greta Hannig before grabbing Dieter in an emotional hug. Both of them stayed in each other’s arms for long seconds before stepping back, with Greta opening wide the door and stepping aside.
‘’Come in, Dieter! I hope that you are coming on a long leave.’’
‘’I have two full weeks of shore leave, plus travel time, Mother. We will thus have plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves with each other. I suppose that Father is still at work?’’
‘’He is, but he should be back around six o’clock. Your sister Barbara is downstairs, doing her work as a waitress at your uncle’s restaurant, while Frida and Ingrid are at their college.’’
‘’And…Klaus, did you get any news from him?’’ Asked Dieter hesitantly. His mother shook her head, doing her best to hide her anxiety then.
‘’No! His last letter from Russia was dated from over a month ago and had taken a full two weeks to arrive.’’
‘’How is the campaign in Russia going, Mother? I didn’t get much access to German radio news while at sea.’’
‘’The radio says that our forces are making steady progress despite some stubborn Russian resistance. It didn’t say much more than that.’’
Dieter nodded grimly at that. Most of the citizens in Germany had no illusions about how severely the Nazi propaganda machine controlled the news of the war. His younger brother Klaus had been conscripted into the Heer a year ago as an infantryman, while his unit had departed for the Eastern Front last Summer. While Dieter had effectively not listened to German state news in a while, he had listened to a few American ones while the U-800 was cruising near the United States. What he had heard then, while unconfirmed, had not reassured him about the possible fate of his brother in Russia. He however didn’t wish to alarm his mother with some unconfirmed news that could be simply enemy propaganda, thus didn’t insist on that subject.
‘’I am sure that he will go through it just fine, Mother, like I did. Let’s go to the kitchen: I have a few gifts for you.’’
Followed by his now curious mother, Dieter went to the kitchen, where he opened his duffel bag and extracted one by one the items he had wrapped with clothes, both to hide and protect them during his long trip. His mother gasped on seeing the various cans and jars he took out and put on the kitchen counter.
‘’Chocolate? Coffee? Strawberry jam? Mein Gott, where did you get these? Don’t tell me that you went into the black market business! You know the kind of penalties you could get if you were caught doing such things?’’
‘’Don’t worry, Mother: this is all completely legitimate and I even have a written note signed by my captain justifying these items in case some policeman becomes suspicious. We boarded and took control of a British merchant ship anchored off the American coast and were able to grab part of its cargo of foodstuff. You probably would have cried in frustration if you would have seen how much more of this we had to sink with that British ship: there was enough aboard to feed the whole of Munich for a few days.’’
Reassured by those words, Greta Hannig grabbed one of the two cans of hot chocolate powder and examined it with evident glee.
‘’Do you mind if I take some of this to prepare a cup for me and you?’’
‘’Do as you please, Mother: it’s all yours now!’’ Replied Dieter, a big smile on his lips. That prompted Greta to kiss him joyfully on one cheek.
‘’You are indeed a good Son, Dieter.’’
‘’Thanks, Mother! Uh, do you mind if I first go downstairs to go see Barbara, along with Uncle Johan and Aunt Martha?’’
‘’Go right ahead, Dieter: they will also be most happy to see you.’’
Leaving his mother inventory her new riches, Dieter walked out of the family apartment and nearly ran down the stairs to the ground floor, where he used a secondary internal door of the ‘Die Ferkelchen’ to enter his uncle’s restaurant. Only a few rare customers, mostly women and old men, were in the dining room at the time as he crossed it and went to the kitchens. There, he nearly collided face-to-face with his sister Barbara, a splendid blonde of twenty years of age. Barbara squealed with joy at once before throwing herself into Dieter’s arms. The latter happily hugged her for long seconds before releasing his grip and looking at his uncle and aunt, who had watched the scene with pleased surprise.
‘’Hello Uncle Johan! Hello Aunt Martha! I am on a two-week shore leave.’’
‘’That’s great news, Dieter!’’ Said Johan before his eyes fixed on the black cross pinned to his nephew’s left chest. ‘’Mein Gott! You got the Iron Cross First Class? You will have to tell me about that later on…in front of a mug of beer. And I’m the one paying for it.’’
‘’Thanks, Uncle Johan! So, how is the business going?’’
Johan lost a bit of his enthusiasm then and answered him in a neutral voice.
‘’Many of our usual customers from the past are gone, having been conscripted and sent to war. That leaves mostly women, old men and wounded men from the front as regular customers. Thankfully, we still can get the meat and vegetables we need for the restaurant from the farms of your uncles Willy and Emil.’’
‘’I am glad to hear that, Uncle Johan: it would be a pity to have such a good restaurant as yours running out of pork and cabbage.’’
‘’Hopefully, that will never happen, Dieter. Well, if you could be so kind as letting your sister go, she has a few tables to serve. We will see you later tonight.’’
‘’I will be waiting for you with impatience.’’ Replied Dieter before kissing his sister on one cheek and going out of the kitchen. He was crossing the dining room to go back to the internal entrance of it when a man walking with the help of crutches tried to enter by the main door on the street side. Seeing that the man had problems opening the door while holding on to his crutches, Dieter ran to him and held the door open for him, earning a grateful smile from the man.
‘’Thank you, mister! You are too kind.’’
‘’You’re welcome!’’ Said Dieter, who only then noticed that the man was missing half of his fingers. His facial expression then betrayed him, prompting the invalid in explaining himself while laboriously getting to one of the tables.
‘’Frostbites: I lost all of my toes and many of my fingers in front of Moscow last December.’’
“I am sorry to hear that, mister.’’
Dieter helped him sit down as the man spoke again.
‘’You got the Iron Cross First Class? Congratulations! How did you earn it, if I may ask?’’
‘’It was actually a team effort, mister: I am a submariner and our boat hurt the enemy quite painfully during our last war patrol. Uh, you wouldn’t by chance have been part of the 218th Infantry Division, would you?’’
Dieter was a bit disappointed when the man shook his head: he would thus not be able to tell him about Klaus’ unit. The man saw his disappointment and understood at once why.
‘’You have a family member fighting in the 218th Infantry Division?’’
‘’Yes! My brother Klaus is part of that unit.’’
‘’Well, your brother’s division is part of Army Group North, which is facing Leningrad, while my division is part of Army Group Center, on the Moscow Sector. I am sorry but I can’t help you.’’
‘’No need to be sorry, mister. Let me help you in exchange by getting a beer for you: your service amply des