Chapter 1107: We've been discovered.

Just how powerful are German submarines? The people who have the most right to speak are probably the commanders of the Allied ships who have long fought against them in the Atlantic. They are scared to death by this elusive wolfpack tactic, and those unbelievably mythical combat records of the German ace U-boats are more than enough to explain why the British and American navies turn pale at the mere mention of them.

These German U-boat officers and men, who usually wear scruffy clothes and like to lean on the railing of the conning tower, have created a great myth in the Atlantic, annihilating ten times, even dozens of times their number in enemies.

It can be said that every German U-boat could be a novel in itself, absolutely not lacking in legend and adventure, absolutely captivating. And those German sailors who were finally silenced at the bottom of the icy sea, they too, with their actions, fulfilled their oath to fight for their motherland to the very last second.

“Maintain Condition Two! We may have been targeted by a large German U-boat group! Damn it! It’s impossible for German U-boats to be in these waters. Our position must have been leaked,” the commander of this transport convoy, codenamed “Mountain Dog,” complained with a frown, lowering his binoculars.

At his side, an adjutant comforted him: “Maybe it’s just a single German U-boat returning to base. This kind of chance encounter happens here every day. Many people claim to have encountered German U-boats, but in the end, it just turns out to be a whale or something else.”

“I hope you’re right,” the commander said. He was clearly not as optimistic as his deputy. “Have the escort destroyer flotilla continue to monitor the nearby waters closely. Don’t miss a single clue! A German U-boat can’t possibly be tailing us. Move 2 destroyers from the rear to the port wing to strengthen the defenses there!”

“Yes, sir, General!” The adjutant immediately saluted and carried out the order. He was only trying to console his superior, not being blindly optimistic. Any carelessness could lead to the annihilation of the entire convoy. Those terrible German wolfpacks would never easily give up a fat piece of meat that was right at their lips.

“In the vicinity of the North Atlantic, U-136, returning from the waters near Canada, has sent back a telegram. The captain claims to have spotted a massive Allied fleet in sea area 44, covered by many escort destroyers, heading for Iceland at high speed.” A German naval staff officer, at the same moment, handed a telegram to Admiral Dönitz.

“Damn it. Will their appearance on this route alert the British and Americans?” Dönitz muttered to himself, his hands behind his back, as he looked at the telegram. To discover an Allied transport fleet in that sea area was absolute proof that the decoded Allied cipher was indeed effective. But German submarines did not often appear on that route. If two German submarines were to appear there in a short period of time, would it make the Allied commanders suspicious?

“We don’t have a prescribed return route for the U-boat force. This was an accident!” the staff officer, standing beside Dönitz, heard the admiral’s question and quickly explained. “If… if you’re really not sure, should we send a telegram and have Captain Prien abandon the plan and withdraw?”

“The loss outweighs the gain! We never had any intention of launching a large-scale attack on this convoy in the first place. If we let them reach Iceland without paying any price at all, then wouldn’t I, the U-boat commander, be guilty of dereliction of duty?” Dönitz, on second thought, immediately vetoed his original idea. He then pinched the telegram and ordered his staff, “Everything will proceed according to the original plan. Now we’ll hand the initiative to the British. Let them worry about whether or not to change their codes!”

Dönitz weighed several issues in his mind in that instant. In the end, he felt that he should not give up this probe so easily. After all, this was just a small-scale submarine attack. Strictly speaking, it could only be an accidental event. The British were unlikely to change their codes just because their fleet was attacked by a single German submarine. Dönitz was quite sure of this.

Time passed, minute by minute, second by second. The sky gradually darkened. Dusk was the best time for German U-boat operations. At this time, Prien’s U-47 had just arrived at the Allied convoy’s route. Because of the precise intelligence, everything was perfect. Prien’s submarine maintained periscope depth, cruising on the convoy’s necessary path, sharpening its knives, waiting for its prey.

“Target sighted! I see the enemy!” the first officer, his eyes glued to the periscope, suddenly shouted. Prien, who was standing beside him, quickly took the periscope and pressed his own eye to it.

Through the marked periscope, he saw the huge silhouettes of the ships, silhouetted against the last glow of the setting sun. The fleet’s speed had already increased. They were clearly afraid of a German submarine’s night attack, so they had taken some countermeasures in advance.

Unfortunately, these countermeasures, which might have been effective against the old-style German ocean-going U-boats, were somewhat childish against Germany’s latest U-boat type. Prien smiled slightly and gave the combat order: “Allied fleet sighted! Bow tubes, six torpedoes, prepare to fire.”

“Course 48, speed 22! Repeat! Course 48, speed 22. Torpedoes set!” One after another, the commands were passed inside the submarine. Everyone tensed up. The huge submarine moved quietly through the water like a shark. It slowly adjusted its position, trying to keep its course on the flank of the Allied convoy.

The position he had chosen was very particular. At this moment, the U-boat was sailing on the port bow of the Allied fleet. This was the most heavily defended part of the convoy, but the torpedoes needed time to travel. By the time they arrived, they would have passed the escorting warships and would be drilling into the convoy’s weak flank.

The magnetic torpedo was a type of torpedo that Germany had finally begun to use on a large scale after countless experiments. It was not a long-range active homing torpedo, but it could make some course corrections at close range, to more effectively attack Allied ships. Of course, this torpedo was not foolproof, so German submarines basically used it in a mix with contact torpedoes.

With a command, the German U-47, from the most appropriate position, fired a full salvo of all eight of its ready torpedoes—six from the bow, two from the stern. These torpedoes immediately, like wild horses, rushed towards the Allied fleet. As the torpedoes were launched, the U-47 shuddered slightly, and then began a full-speed dive.

Early magnetic torpedoes were prone to targeting the launching submarine, which was closest to them. To avoid this kind of friendly-fire incident, when firing a magnetic torpedo, the submarine had to dive immediately to increase the distance between itself and the torpedo. This was just a precaution, but all U-boat captains very consciously followed this rule.

Because no one wanted to be sunk by their own torpedo. Even if the probability was only one in a thousand, everyone was still unwilling to bet their lives on such a small chance.

“Dive! Dive!” the first officer shouted, holding on to a handrail, ordering the helmsman and the sailors controlling the ballast tanks to act quickly. Prien waited in the swaying submarine for the good news. As long as the torpedoes hit their target, the sonar operator would hear that beautiful noise.

Watching the sun gradually sink behind them, all the sailors of the “Mountain Dog” convoy felt a sense of unease. They had been frightened by the daytime alert, and were very worried that tonight, a dozen or so German submarines would attack the fleet from all directions.

And this time of day, when the sky was about to go dark but it was not yet completely impossible to see, was the ideal time for a German submarine to attack. Everyone strained their eyes, hoping to spot their enemy in advance. Most were destined not to find what they were looking for.

“Something seems to be approaching on the port side. It’s getting dark, I can’t see clearly!” a lookout on the port side reported loudly, holding his binoculars, using the last glimmer of the sunset. Not far behind him, in the destroyer’s cabin, a sonar operator simultaneously raised his arm. “Noise detected! Confirmed German U-boat!”

The captain of the British destroyer was scared out of his wits when he heard this. The thing he feared most had finally happened. Those elusive German U-boats were extremely cunning. It was quite possible that even his anti-submarine destroyer would be taken out by them. But being afraid was one thing; to sit and wait for death was another. So this destroyer captain quickly gave the combat order: “Sound the battle alarm! Take evasive action against torpedoes!”

At almost the same moment he gave the order, the sailor at the lookout post finally got a clear look at the things in the water. He lowered his binoculars and began to shout, “Torpedoes! Torpedoes sighted on the port side!”

At the very front of the fleet, on the command ship of the “Mountain Dog” convoy, the general’s heart stopped for a moment when he heard the warning of torpedoes on the port side. He frowned, and before he could say anything, he heard a massive sound from the flank of the fleet, as a transport ship, fully loaded with steel and cement, was blown in two.

And then, just a moment later, another transport ship was hit and exploded into a brilliant firework. At this near-dark moment, this ball of fire illuminated the entire convoy and plunged everyone into a state of utter despair.

In everyone’s heart, only one lament remained: “It’s all over! We’ve been spotted!”

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