CHAPTER 2 – A NEW ASSIGNMENT
11:13 (Paris Time)
Tuesday, March 23, 1943
Offices of Admiral Dönitz, BdU headquarters
Keroman, Lorient, France
Ulrich von Wittgenstein, closely shaved and wearing a clean, pressed uniform, came to attention and saluted militarily after coming to a stop in front of Admiral Dönitz’s work desk. However, despite his best efforts and multiple showers, he still stank of diesel fumes, a universal affliction for submariners just back from sea patrol.
‘’Reporting as requested with my completed patrol report, Herr Admiral!’’
‘’At ease, my dear von Wittgenstein. Please, have a seat.’’
Ulrich sat down in one of the comfortable easy chairs near the work desk and handed his report to Dönitz, who eagerly accepted it.
‘’So, Kapitän von Wittgenstein, how did your patrol go, overall?’’
‘’Quite well actually, Admiral, that is until getting the news of the sinking of the U-800. We lost the best U-Boote commander we ever had out there, but I was able to make the enemy pay for it. When I went to investigate what happened to the U-800, I found three American warships roaming over the wreck: two destroyers and a salvage ship. When I arrived there, there was already a diving bell in the water, suspended just over the wreck and most probably taking pictures of it. I launched four sea mines astride the hull of the U-800, then took some distance until the mines armed themselves and exploded. That sank at once the salvage ship. Taking advantage of the noise created as that ship broke up and sank, I got close to the surface and greeted the two rushing destroyers with six torpedoes, sinking them. You will find the photos of those three American warships, along with a few taken of the U-800 as it lay on the bottom, both before and after the mines detonated. As you will see, Admiral, there is now little left of the U-800 to be exploited by the enemy.’’
A grim-faced Dönitz looked at the photos for a long moment, concentrating especially on the prints showing the U-800, then looked back at Ulrich.
‘’You did a truly excellent job there, Wittgenstein. You also showed great initiative at the same time. The service certainly needs more U-Boote commanders like you.’’
‘’Thank you, Herr Admiral.’’
‘’Now, apart from those three American warships, how many other ships did you sink during your patrol?’’
‘’I encountered and sank nine cargo ships and three tanker ships, for an estimated total displacement of 61,000 tons, Admiral. Unfortunately, one troopship that I spotted proved too fast for my submarine to catch it. No doubt that the U-800 would not have had problems to catch that troopship.’’
That made Dönitz smile. The tall and lean admiral then extracted a file marked ‘TOP SECRET’ from a drawer of his desk and offered it to Ulrich while speaking.
‘’You are probably right, but you won’t have that kind of problem during your next war patrol, my dear Wittgenstein. Please read this file.’’
Opening the file, Ulrich needed only one look inside it before grinning to Dönitz.
‘’The U-900! It is ready, at last?’’
‘’Yes, and not a moment too soon. The good thing is that it is only the first of a long series of similar boats to be built. In fact, five other Type XXI3 submarines are already under construction, with one to be completed in five weeks. The U-900 now only needs a crew to pass its sea trials, and you will command it, my dear Wittgenstein.’’
‘’Uh, talking of its crew, would I be allowed to simply transfer the present crew from my U-801 to the U-900, Admiral? At the least, I would like to take with me the veterans from the U-800 who are part of my present crew.’’
Ulrich nervously expected to get a ‘no’ on that, but was quite surprised to see Dönitz nod his head soberly.
‘’Normally, I would not agree to that, my dear Wittgenstein, but getting the U-900 into combat as rapidly and as efficiently as possible is now a crucial matter for our war effort, in my opinion. The Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy are now teetering on the brink of collapse in the Atlantic and it is critical to keep the pressure on them at sea in order to finally force Great Britain to accept our terms through starvation in war supplies and fuel. Throwing the U-900 in the arena is now even more urgent with the loss of the U-800. Before you ask more questions, I would like you to read the file I gave you and to get yourself acquainted with your new boat’s capabilities. You should find that beast very impressive indeed, as the designers of the U-900 incorporated into it all the lessons and comments brought forward by Kapitän Kretschmer when he returned from each of his war patrols. As a result, the U-900 promises to be better, faster and meaner than the U-800, apart from being slightly larger.’’
Two minutes of reading convinced Ulrich that Dönitz was not exaggerating. He had a nearly reverend look on his face as he finally raised his nose from the file.
‘’Mein Gott! With such a machine and with a good crew, I believe that about anything is possible, Herr Admiral.’’
‘’And that is why I will allow you to take your whole present crew with you when you will go take command of the U-900.’’
Dönitz then looked at his watch and gave Ulrich a warm smile.
‘’Well, it is now close to noon, I skipped breakfast and am quite hungry. How about you come and have lunch with me at the officers’ mess?’’
‘’I would be honored, Herr Admiral.’’ said Ulrich, truly pleased.
‘’Then, let me lock back that file before we go eat.’’
With the precious file locked away in the Admiral’s safe, the two men walked out of Dönitz’ office and went to the officers’ mess of the headquarters, which was established in a posh estate with view on the sea. The dining room of the mess itself proved to be well-furnished and convivial, with white-gloved stewards in attendance, ready to serve the officers who came to eat. However, contrary to the situation in German Army garrisons, Dönitz, who truly cared for his submariners, had made sure that the facilities for his enlisted men in Keroman were nearly as good as those for the officers, something that Ulrich could attest from past visits to the enlisted men’s mess. In fact, the men’s facilities in Keroman included things like an internal swimming pool, a theatre and a ballroom. Taking place at an empty table, the two officers took the time to read the day’s menu and order their lunch before continuing to discuss together, setting the modalities and details of Ulrich’s transfer of command to the U-900. Their food arrived some fifteen minutes later and Dönitz, who was really hungry, dived on his plate. However, on chewing on his first bite of meat, he had to close his eyes in near ecstasy as he savored the meat and sauce in his mouth. Once he had swallowed his bite, he looked down with respect at his plate.
‘’Mein Gott! This must be the best veal I ever tasted.’’
Ulrich, who had ordered the same menu and was also savoring his meat, nodded his head in approval.
‘’It is indeed excellent, Herr Admiral. It reminds me of the cooking that we enjoyed aboard the U-800. The young cook we had on the U-800 was phenomenal. This is at the least in the same class.’’
‘’Is that so?’’ said Dönitz, who then called to their table the head steward, who bowed to him.
‘’Yes, Herr Admiral?’’
‘’Did we recently get a new cook for the mess, Helmut? This veal is truly superb.’’
‘’Danke, Herr Admiral! We indeed got a new cook only two days ago. I must say that, apart from being a top cook, he is a bit of an oddity.’’
‘’Oh!? How so?’’
‘’He actually served as a submariner in the Great War and just enlisted back as a volunteer despite of his age, which would have disqualified him for conscription.’’
Dönitz opened his eyes wide on hearing that, not a little impressed.
‘’Ach so! His sense of patriotism and duty is most impressive. I would like to speak a bit with such a dedicated man, Helmut.’’
‘’I will fetch him right away, Herr Admiral.’’
As the steward walked away at a rapid pace, Ulrich shook his head in amusement.
‘’That cook served on a submarine during the Great War? He must be close to or even past fifty years old.’’
‘’Indeed! Maybe I met him once then, when I was serving as well as a submariner.’’
‘’Now, that would be one hell of a chance reunion, Herr Admiral.’’
The two men continued to savor their meal until the head steward came back to their table, a big man with a graying short beard and wearing a cook’s apron over his uniform following closely behind. The cook bowed respectfully in front of Dönitz as he presented himself.
‘’Matrosenobergefreiter Otto Hannig, at your service, Herr Admiral.’’
Both Ulrich and Dönitz were dumbstruck on hearing his name, but for different reasons. Dönitz got up in a flash from his chair and happily shook hands with the cook.
‘’Hannig, mein Gott! You volunteered back after all these years? Your sight reminds me of some old souvenirs from my service on the U-39, when we were both young men.’’
‘’Indeed, Herr Admiral! It is a pleasure to be able to serve you again.’’
‘’And why did you reenlist? You must have a family to take care of.’’
‘’I do have a family in Munich, Herr Admiral, but my younger son was killed on the Eastern Front three months ago, while my older son was recently captured after his submarine, the U-800, was sunk by the British. With no sons left to serve the Fatherland, I felt obliged to volunteer, so that my family could continue to serve Germany in this war.’’
‘’Your son was serving on the U-800?’’ asked Dönitz, unable to believe his ears. Otto nodded once and answered in a sober, restrained tone.
‘’Yes, Herr Admiral! Dieter was the cook on the U-800. Me and my wife taught him everything he knew about cooking.’’
Dönitz then exchanged a flabbergasted look with Ulrich before facing again Otto.
‘’Your sense of duty is truly admirable, my old friend. Are you happy with your present post, or do you wish for something else. Ask and you will get!’’
‘’I wished that I could have cooked for my son’s crewmates but, since they are now either dead or prisoners of war, my wish would be to serve at sea as a cook, on a submarine, Herr Admiral.’’
Dönitz was silent for a long moment as he stared at Otto. Ulrich could have swore then that he saw his admiral swallow hard, while a tear appeared at a corner of one eye. He finally spoke in a low but solemn voice while gently patting Otto’s shoulder.
‘’You will get both of your wishes, my old friend. You will join the crew of Korvettenkapitän Ulrich von Wittgenstein, who is going to take command of the newly built U-900. It happens that he served aboard the U-800 with your son, while some men in his present crew are also veterans from the U-800. Do you accept a transfer to the U-900, Matrosenobergefreiter Otto Hannig?’’
‘’Yes, Herr Admiral!’’ replied without hesitation the big, graying man, coming to rigid attention.
‘’Then, after you will have finished your present shift, pack your things and be ready to leave for Kiel with Kapitän Wittgenstein and his crew tomorrow morning.’’
‘’Danke, Herr Admiral!’’ said Otto, a big smile on his face, while the head steward looked on that scene with dismay: he was losing his best cook only two days after the man’s arrival in Keroman!