11:06 (Berlin Time)
Friday, April 3, 1942
Reich Chancellery, Berlin
Germany
Adolf Hitler, already in a meeting with his new armament minister, Albert Speer, made a happy smile and got up from his chair as his military aide let Admiral Karl Dönitz and Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the head of the Abwehr{17}, inside his huge private office.
‘’Aaah, my dear Dönitz! I must say that your U-800 has brought us some really nice news lately.’’
Dönitz, giving the Nazi salute to Hitler, bowed slightly to acknowledge the compliment.
‘’Admiral Canaris and me in fact came in to bring you a little gift from the U-800’s latest war patrol, Mein Führer.’’
‘’Oh? I can’t wait to see what you brought me. By the way, I don’t believe that you have yet met with the new Minister of Armaments, Herr Albert Speer. We were in fact in the process of discussing the attribution of priorities in armaments production.’’
‘’Then, my timing was indeed perfect, Mein Führer.’’ Said Dönitz before shaking hands with Speer, a tall and solidly built man in his forties wearing a Nazi Party uniform. Hitler was however rather less warm in receiving Canaris, whom he suspected of not being truly dedicated to the Nazi cause. The four men then sat down around a low round table set in a corner of the office, where Hitler ordered tea to be served. Sitting down in a padded easy chair, Hitler looked inquiringly at Dönitz.
‘’So, what do you have for me, my dear Dönitz?’’
‘’I have this for you, Mein Führer, while Admiral Canaris recently received something via Cuba that should brighten your day.’’
Now truly curious, Hitler took the leather-bound photo album given to him by Dönitz and the file handed out by Canaris, opening first the photo album. His eyes widened and a grin appeared on his face when he saw that the album was full of large pictures of sinking warships, alongside with pictures and short descriptions of the same ship when intact and sailing or in port.
‘’These are all the American warships the U-800 sank during its last patrol, Admiral?’’
‘’They are indeed, Mein Führer. Korvettenkapitän Kretschmer of the U-800 took pictures of the ships he attacked, while more photos were provided via the services of Admiral Canaris, who has a friendly contact in the United States who was able to take pictures on the spot. In total, the U-800 has sunk during this war patrol a total of over 116,000 tons of American warships, including one light fleet aircraft carrier and one battleship. It also sank a total of 57,000 tons of merchant ships. As for the accomplishments of the soldiers of the Brandenburg Regiment embarked on the U-800 and which conducted raids along the American East Coast, the Americans did their best to censor their medias and prevent the true extent of the damages caused by our soldiers to be known by the American public and by us. However, those damages were too great to be hidden. The Spanish Military Attachés in both Washington and in Havana were able to secure newspapers and pictures concerning those coastal raids and they sent copies to us via Spain. Admiral Canaris’ services compiled and analyzed their reports and pictures and produced this file that you now have, Mein Führer.’’
Already deeply impressed by what he had seen about the results obtained by the U-800, Hitler opened the file given by Canaris. The first thing he saw were two photos clipped side-by-side inside the file. One showed Boston from the air, probably before the war. The other was dated from March 18 and had been taken by an aircraft flying over the Boston area. In it, the whole area around the Hingham and Seaport Districts was flattened and blackened, with a huge, partially submerged crater visible on the South Boston waterfront. There was also a large number of fires around those districts, plus a huge fire in the East Boston District that covered nearly the whole city with a thick black cloud of smoke. An ecstatic grin came on Hitler’s face as he examined the picture of ravaged Boston.
‘’Mein Gott! A fleet of bombers would hardly be able to cause this much damage. This is fantastic! Do we know exactly what level of damage our soldiers did in Boston?’’
‘’Our analysts were able to estimate the extent and size of those damages by reviewing the pictures taken by the Spanish Attaché and by interviewing our soldiers on their return to Lorient, Mein Führer.’’ Answered Wilhelm Canaris. ‘’The charges set up by our soldiers completely destroyed Fort Ruckman, north of Boston Harbor, the Boston Naval Ammunition Depot, which was the main ammunition supply point for the American Atlantic Fleet, plus the Boston Naval Fuel Depot Annex. The exploding ammunition stored in the naval depot in turn caused massive collateral damages to three nearby shipyards: the Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard, the Fore River Shipyard and the Victory Destroyer Plant, all of which produced both warships and merchant ships. An ammunition ship that was tied at dockside in the Seaport District was apparently hit by some debris or falling ordnance from the ammunition depot and then exploded, devastating everything within nearly one kilometer and also destroying the nearby American Army base used to ship troops and supplies overseas. Overall, our soldiers basically took Boston out of the American war effort for months, on top of forcing the Americans to devote massive amounts of efforts and men in order to help the disaster-stricken city.’’
Hitler was left speechless for a moment, overwhelmed by joy.
‘’This…this is incredible! Such feats must be rewarded properly!’’
‘’I fully agree, Mein Führer. Those men have however already stated their wish to be able to sail again with the U-800 when it will leave for its fourth war patrol. It seems that they and Korvettenkäpitan Kretschmer work quite well together.’’
‘’Granted!’’ Said Hitler at once. ‘’Anything else?’’
‘’Yes, Mein Führer! My services are presently interrogating at length but in a legal manner Lieutenant General Drum, who was the commander in charge of American Army forces stationed along the American East Coast. He has refused to give us any information to date, but one of the politicians who were also captured in Boston, a Senator Walsh, was actually much more malleable and easy to trick and unwittingly gave us some precious information about military contracts and bases constructions around the state of Massachusetts. Concerning those two captured politicians, the Americans gave to our ambassador in Madrid a list of the German nationals presently held in the United States or Canada and who they would be ready to give back in exchange for the return of their two politicians. I believe that the proper decisions concerning that kind of exchange are out of the competences of my Abwehr, so I brought you the list provided by the Americans. My analysts made notes when appropriate beside the names of the Germans listed in it. Here is that list.’’
Hitler took the list offered by Canaris and scanned it quickly. He did a double-take when his eyes fell on a particular name.
‘’Herr Karl Schumann, the big industrialist and Party member who was doing business out of Mexico? How did he end up in an American jail?’’
Canaris made a bitter smile then, having been surprised himself on seeing that name.
‘’It seems that Mexico, like many supposedly neutral countries in the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America, have allowed the United States to grab our citizens living or working in their countries and deport them to the United States, where they are now held in jails, Mein Führer.’’
A flash of anger appeared in Hitler’s eyes at those words and he became agitated, waving the list in front of him.
‘’If these countries want to play the hypocrites with us, then they will pay for it! As for the good Herr Schumann, he will certainly figure prominently on the list of persons we want back from the Americans. Thank you for bringing me that list, Admiral Canaris. Admiral Dönitz, when are you planning to send the U-800 back to sea?’’
‘’In about a month, Mein Führer. As it is our most advanced and sophisticated submarine, I am using it as a test bed for our newest equipment and had plans to add a few things to it before sending it back on patrol. In particular, it will get a bigger, more powerful deck gun that will allow the good Kretschmer to do a lot more damage when bombarding enemy coastal installations, plus a few improved sensors and counter-measures systems.’’
‘’This sounds good with me. How are you doing about the design of a new class of attack submarines based on the U-800? Herr Speer and me were in fact discussing U-Boote production when you arrived.’’
‘’That is proving a bit more complicated than I was hoping for, Mein Führer. Our shipyards are already close to maximum production capacity and they have to compete for steel with the requirements of the Heer and of the surface fleet of the Kriegsmarine. Also, the blueprints for many of the U-800 sub-systems were irremediably lost when the Kiel shipyard was bombed and Doctor Premingen was killed early last year. If things go as they do right now, we should be able to start building our first Type XXI submarines late next year.’’
Hitler, visibly not pleased by that, was silent for a moment before looking at Albert Speer.
‘’Herr Speer, see what you can do to accelerate that project. We certainly could use a good dozen boats like the U-800 right now.’’
‘’I will get on it, Mein Führer.’’
Returning his gaze on Dönitz, Hitler bent forward while smiling to him.
‘’So, what kind of mission orders do you intend to give to the U-800 when it will put to sea again?’’
‘’Frankly, I wish that I could send it to quite a few places at the same time, Mein Führer, as it is proving so useful to our war effort. One idea I had was to send it back to the Caribbean Basin, so that my other submarines could concentrate their efforts against the American East Coast.’’
‘’That certainly sounds like a good plan to me, my good Dönitz. However, the Japanese Military Attaché in Berlin, on hearing about the exploits of our U-800 and of its Brandenburg commandos, proposed to us a target of mutual importance to us, a target whose destruction could greatly help their own war effort and also hurt a lot the Americans.’’
‘’The Japanese, Mein Führer?’’ Said Dönitz, completely taken off balance by that. ‘’And what are they suggesting precisely as a target for our U-800, if I may ask?’’
The answer Hitler gave him both stunned and shook Dönitz: stunned because of the audacity of the idea, with the target in question being undoubtedly of huge strategic importance; shaken because of the implied risks to the U-800 on such a mission. After thinking hard about it, Dönitz reluctantly nodded his head.
‘’I will see what can be done about this, Mein Führer.’’
15:24 (Paris Time)
Wednesday, April 29, 1942
Submarine Pen Number One, Keroman I bunker complex
Port of Lorient, coast of Brittany
France
When Hugo Margraff and his men, fresh back from shore leave and some refresher training, entered the concrete pen sheltering the U-800, they found Otto Kretschmer on the forward deck of his submarine, watching a large crew of technicians and welders working on the deck main gun mount. It however took them little time to see that the gun they now saw was not the same with which the U-800 had made its last war patrol. For one thing, it was a twin gun mount! Also, the guns were visibly of a bigger caliber than the previous 10.5 centimeter caliber piece. Using the gangway linking the concrete quay and the forward deck of the U-800, Hugo and his men went to Otto to present themselves, coming to attention and saluting.
‘’Brandenburg Regiment’s contingent back aboard for raiding duties, Herr Kapitän!’’
‘’Welcome back aboard, men!’’ Replied Otto, returning their salute before shaking hands with them, noting the new ranks worn by many of them, including Hugo, who wore the insignias of an Hauptman{18}. ‘’It is truly nice to see you back. So, how was your leave time?’’
‘’Very nice, Herr Kapitän! We also went back to our regiment for full debriefs and tactical discussions about our raids, plus got back into proper shape again and received some new kit.’’
On saying those last words, Hugo took out of his duffel bag a most unusual type of rifle and showed it to Otto.
‘’This is the MKb 42(H){19}, the latest in infantry weapons. It uses a short version of the 7.92mm rifle round and can fire in full automatic mode. It is fed by a thirty round box magazine and has an effective range of 300 meters. It is presently being field-trialed with a number of light infantry units, including our regiment, and should be a real game-changer in a firefight. We fired it on the range to adjust our sights and it is a truly great weapon.’’
Otto took the weapon presented by Hugo and examined it for a few seconds before returning it.
‘’It certainly looks like a quite modern and deadly weapon, Hauptman Margraff. Let me in turn show to you and your men my latest toys. Just drop your kits on the deck for the moment and follow me.’’
The group then walked towards the gun mount being worked on, stopping a few paces short of it and with Otto then speaking again.
‘’Since our main deck gun proved itself unusually useful to us compared to the limited use made by other U-Boote captains of their own deck guns, Admiral Dönitz decided to upgrade the main gun of my submarine. Now, instead of my old 10.5 centimeter caliber gun, the U-800 will have a twin 12.7 centimeter caliber gun mount, with each gun shooting shells nearly twice as heavy as the old 10.5 centimeter gun and to a much longer range. That twin mount will also have a fair anti-aircraft capability against low-flying aircraft. This twin mount had been built originally for a Type XI long range cruiser submarine that has been cancelled. As such, it was then modified by the deletion of the original armored turret that contained it and by the waterproofing of its parts. With this mount, the U-800 will be able to hit hard from the surface against both land and sea targets. It was also further improved by adapting to it the same model of infrared night vision scope and projector that are used by the U-800 for night and bad weather navigation, contained in pressure-proof special casings. With those, we will be able to sight on surface targets at night and in fog conditions, albeit at short ranges only.’’
‘’Wow!’’ Exclaimed Hugo, truly impressed. ‘’I must say that your new gun is definitely bigger than my new gun, Herr Kapitän.”
The whole group then laughed at that thinly veiled crude joke. Otto next led the Brandenburg soldiers to the aft deck, using one of the walking platforms that surrounded the wide base of the conning tower. The Heer men were then able to see a sort of large, teardrop-shaped pod fixed to the top of the upper vertical rudder.
‘’This is the last project that the designer of the U-800, Doctor Gustav Premingen, worked on before being killed in a British air bombardment: a towed hydrophone array. When cruising submerged at low speeds, this array is winched out of this pod and made to trail up to 300 meters behind our ducted propeller. It can also be made to float at selected depths above the level of the U-800, in order to operate above thermal water layers that would otherwise reflect sound waves. Since it is located far from the noise of our machinery and propeller when operating, that hydrophone array can detect ship noises that would otherwise be masked, especially in our aft sector, and is very effective against distant targets. With this towed array, the U-800 is now a true hunter-killer submarine. Lastly, our new modifications include a small counter-sonar jammer system called ‘Bold’, which releases under the water small chemical canisters that then generate hydrogen bubbles. Those bubbles reflect ASDIC pings and make the enemy think that it has detected us, instead of a temporary cloud of bubbles.’’
Hugo couldn’t help nod his head then, truly impressed.
‘’Your U-800 is definitely in a class of its own with all this, Herr Kapitän.’’
‘’Correct, Hauptman Margraff, and we will need it to be so for our next mission.’’
The changed tone of Otto’s voice made Hugo raise an eyebrow at the last words.
‘’What do you mean, Herr Kapitän?’’
‘’Not here, Hauptman: this is too sensitive to speak about it on this open deck. Go down to your assigned bunks first and store your kit and weapons. Then, come alone to my cabin, so that we can talk in complete confidentiality.’’
As a disciplined soldier, Hugo understood the need for operational security and didn’t ask further questions then, instead saluting again Otto Kretschmer before leading his men, heavily loaded with their kit and weapons, inside the submarine.
Twelve minutes later, Hugo was knocking on the door of Kretschmer’s suite. Entering on hearing a welcoming shout, he found the captain sitting behind his desk, a file and charts laid in front of him on the desk.
‘’Please sit down, Hauptman Margraff. What we are to discuss is of the utmost strategic importance for Germany in this war.’’
Even more curious now, Hugo sat in the sofa set opposite Kretschmer’s desk, who then spoke again, his expression most serious.
‘’Hauptman Margraff, know that Admiral Dönitz gave me a very risky but also most important mission, a mission that he received from the Führer himself.’’
Hugo stiffened at those words: this meant that the mission, whatever it was, would have to be completed, even if that implied some suicidal tactics. His attention now sharpened to the fullest, he listened on as Otto spoke.
‘’My new mission is actually two-fold: first, to attack the Panama Canal locks and to disable or destroy them by any means possible and, second, to bring to Japan some very important items. On our return trip, we will be transporting a few tons of highly-sought metals which are in very short supply in Germany and that are vital to our war efforts. The riskiest part of our mission will obviously be the disabling of the Panama Canal locks, which are both well defended and also inaccessible to the U-800 when it is fully submerged. This means that we will have either to attack while only semi-submerged, or find a way to indirectly attack and destroy the locks. You and your men could well give us that indirect way of attacking, thus saving my U-800 from having to conduct a near-suicidal direct attack. Here is an intelligence file containing what the Kriegsmarine knows about the Panama Canal. Take the time to study it and to think about our possible options, then come and see me tomorrow when you will have ideas about this.’’
His mind now boiling, Hugo took the files and slowly rose from his chair. Before he could go, Otto stopped him with a few words.
‘’Oh, by the way, Hauptman: a Japanese naval officer that was employed as the Assistant Naval Attaché at the Japanese embassy in Berlin will accompany us during our trip. He apparently went through the Panama Canal a number of times before this war started and will also serve as our liaison officer with the Japanese authorities. He is due to arrive aboard tomorrow. Please make sure that your men show him the proper respect due to a senior allied officer.’’
‘’I will pass the word, Herr Kapitän.’’
‘’Thank you! You are now dismissed.’’
Hugo came to attention and saluted Kretschmer, then pivoted on his heels and walked out of the cabin, the file on the Panama Canal under one arm.
08:06 (Paris Time)
Thursday, April 30, 1942
Submarine Pen Number One, Keroman 1 bunker complex
The two armed sailors posted at the foot of the gangway linking the concrete quay with the deck of the U-800 came to rigid attention and saluted when Admiral Dönitz in person arrived in the submarine pen and went to the gangway, followed closely by an oriental man wearing a foreign black uniform, complete with a curved ceremonial saber in a beautifully decorated scabbard, and by a German sailor carrying a suitcase and a duffel bag. The sentries then let the three visitors cross the gangway and step on the deck of the U-800, where Dönitz stopped briefly to let the oriental officer examine visually the big submarine, with its smoothly contoured shapes and tall conning tower.
‘’Here you are, Lieutenant-commander Nagaoka: the U-800, the jewel of my submarine fleet.’’
‘’A most impressive boat indeed, Admiral.’’ Replied the Japanese naval officer, truly awed by what he was seeing. ‘’It looks like a racing purebred.’’
‘’And it would easily win any underwater race against any other submarine, with its top submerged speed of 31 knots. More importantly, its huge battery capacity allows it to stay underwater for days if need be, albeit at much slower speed. Add its sophisticated sensors to this and it makes the U-800 a most deadly hunter at sea.’’
‘’As it proved to be by its list of victories, Admiral. I have no doubts that Captain Kretschmer will prove as exceptional as his boat is.’’
‘’He is, but you will also find him to be quite unassuming and quiet as an officer, even though he is an incredibly daring submarine commander. Quite a rare combination, actually.’’
Takeshi Nagaoka nodded his head at that: a strong but quiet personality was something that was truly admired in Japan. He then saw from the corner of one eye a German officer wearing a white service cap nearly run out of the forward access hatch of the conning tower. That German, like so many others, was distinctly taller than Takeshi and appeared to be solidly built. His face had an intelligent, open expression and he appeared to be still in his late twenties, a bit younger than Takeshi. The newcomer nearly ran to them and stopped at attention in front of Admiral Dönitz, saluting him.
‘’Welcome aboard, Herr Admiral! May I deduce that you brought a passenger for me?’’
‘’You deduced right, Korvettenkapitän! May I present you Lieutenant-commander Takeshi Nagaoka, of the Imperial Japanese Navy?’’
Turning slightly on his heels to face Takeshi, Otto exchanged a salute, then shook hands with him.
‘’Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant-commander Nagaoka. I will lead you now to your cabin, then we will go speak with the Admiral in the officers’ wardroom. This way, please!’’
Takeshi bowed to Kretschmer before following him, with Dönitz close behind and with the German sailor carrying his luggage last. Passing first through what was evidently an airlock, the group then went down a hatch and inclined ladder, with Kretschmer going to one of the cabins lining a short passageway, pushing open the curtain closing the door of the cabin to let Takeshi look inside.
‘’You will be sharing this cabin with Doctor Konrad List, our boat’s surgeon. I hope that you will be satisfied with it.’’
Takeshi had one quick look before bowing, truly satisfied.
‘’This is actually much better that what I had been expecting, Captain. This is a palace compared to what you would find on a Japanese submarine.’’
‘’Or on other German submarines.’’ Added Dönitz with a smile before looking at the sailor following him. ‘’Put the lieutenant-commander’s luggage inside and then go.’’
‘’Yes, Herr Admiral!’’
‘’Well, I believe that we have things to discuss, gentlemen.’’ Said Dönitz after facing back Kretschmer and Nagaoka. The latter opened his eyes wide and held his breath when he stepped inside the officers’ wardroom, situated only two doors away.
‘’By the Kamis{20}! This is…huge!’’
That made Kretschmer smile with pride.
‘’I must say that my U-800 is exceptional in many ways. I believe that we will be most comfortable sitting around the dining table, Lieutenant-commander Nagaoka.’’
The trio took place around the said table, with Dönitz taking the padded captain’s chair at one end that was normally reserved for Kretschmer and with the latter and Nagaoka sitting on each side of him.
‘’Well, since the good lieutenant-commander is here because of your next mission, let’s talk about it a bit. First, have you decided yet on a plan of action about how you intend to strike the Panama Canal, Kretschmer?’’
‘’Not definitely, Herr Admiral, but I have three options in mind. The first one would be to discreetly board a merchant ship waiting to pass through the canal and then ram it through the lock gates. The second option is for my commando team to land and sabotage the pumps and valves used to fill and empty the locks. No pumps, no water and no lock transits. The third option, a last resort one, would be to take my U-800 right to the first locks and blow the gates with torpedoes. That last option would however probably be a suicidal one, as the approach channel to the locks is not deep enough to allow my submarine to fully submerge. Since Lieutenant-commander Nagaoka is said to have sailed through the Panama Canal a few times in the past, maybe he will have another option to present to us.’’
‘’Not another option, but rather opinions on your three options, Captain Kretschmer. I passed through the Panama Canal a total of four times, while travelling with my family between Japan and Europe as a child and a teenager. The approaches to the locks are well defended against sea and air attacks, with guns of various calibers in Fort Sherman, adjacent to the northern entrance of the canal, and in Fort Amador, on the Pacific side. However, due to the large volume of maritime traffic going through each day, individual ship inspections were short and limited mostly to collecting the passage fee. Even if the Americans decided to boost security there, there are simply too many ships passing through to contemplate seriously complete searches of every ship by American boarding parties. Thus, your commandos would have a good chance of taking control of some cargo ship and to ram it against the gates. The one drawback of that option is that only one side of the canal would be blocked, allowing traffic to continue both ways through one set of locks, albeit at a much reduced rate. I do like your second option, as taking out the pumps would probably be much easier and less risky to do, if your men manage to infiltrate on foot the locks area. As for your third option, it would certainly take out the locks for a long time…if you could get close enough to launch your torpedoes with enough precision to blow the gates up. I do agree however that this last option would give you very little chances to withdraw intact, but the results would be a severe strategic blow to the American war effort.’’
‘’And how tight is security on land around the locks, Lieutenant-commander?’’
‘’At the time I went through the canal, quite lax I would say. However, the Americans, unless they are complete fools, are bound to have significantly increased security in that aspect since the start of the war.’’
‘’I would tend to think so as well. So, Option Two seems the most promising and less risky way to take out the locks for any significant length of time. I will act accordingly, but will still keep the two other options as backup solutions in case of unexpected problems. Either way, this whole thing will depend greatly on surprise being on our side. How many people know about this operation right now, Admiral?’’
‘’Only the Fuhrer, his top aides and the Japanese ambassador.’’
The mention of the ambassador made Otto raise an eyebrow in concern.
‘’Was any radio message talking about the operation sent, or is going to be sent?’’
Dönitz couldn’t help feel a bit of irritation at that question.
‘’Look, Kretschmer, I understand that you are leery about radio traffic being triangulated by the enemy, but our ENIGMA codes are quite secure.’’
‘’And what about Japanese codes, Herr Admiral?’’
Those words made Dönitz turn his head to look at Nagaoka, who gave him a wry smile.
‘’Ambassador Oshima does send regularly detailed reports by radio to Tokyo, but he uses our diplomatic code to do so, Admiral. This operation would have definitely been mentioned in one of his reports.’’
‘’In how much detail?’’ Asked Kretschmer, none too pleased.
‘’Ambassador Oshima is quite meticulous in his reporting, being an old-fashioned officer.’’
‘’Great!’’ Exclaimed Kretschmer. ‘’Let’s hope that your diplomatic code is indeed secure. Admiral, could we at least stop sending any further radio traffic that could inform the enemy about our planned operation against the Panama Canal, at least until it is completed safely?’’
‘’Mmm… I suppose that it could be done, Kretschmer. I will take care of that. Now, for the second part of your mission, trucks parked outside the bunker complex are presently unloading barrels containing ten tons of uranium oxide, which the J