Kapitänleutnant Manfred Buchmann
Patrol # 10

Duration:	20.02.1941 - 14.03.1941, 23 days on sea
Patrol Area:	AK01
Ship:	U-122, Crossed Swords
Type:	IX B
Flotilla:	9. Flotille, Brest

20 Feb. 1941, 17:00, Brest
We leave the base. The first patrol in U-122 begins. I'm anxious to see how this boat will perform in combat. I leave with U-85. Two waypoints have been designated for me to go to first.

23 Feb, 15:09, BE2775
The first waypoint is reached without incident.

17:16, BE1999
A little over two hours later, a lone merchant is spotted at 303 degrees (relative). I opt for a submerged attack, so I get to a good firing position. At 18:00 the first torpedo is launched. It's a dud, but a second torpedo sends the "S.S. Temple Moat", a cargo merchant of 3.146 BRT, in ballast, to the bottom.

The end of  S.S. Temple Moat

24 Feb, 23:47, BE4446
The second waypoint is reached.

25 Feb, 23:05, BD6322
En route to the patrol area, a tanker is spotted. It appears to be in ballast. It's headed right towards me, so I maneuver for a little stern-torpedo practice. One torpedo from tube five sinks the 5.000 BRT tanker.

26 Feb, 13:04, AK0199
The Patrol Area is reached.

27 Feb, 20:29, AK0221
A steam trawler approaches from nearly head-on, 355 degrees. One bow shot is fired at 22:16. The 9.000 BRT merchant goes down.

4 Mar, 07:50, AK2889
Hurrah! A convoy! The dawn sun reveals it to be a fairly good-sized convoy with a number of escorts. It's headed WSW at 7 knots. I radio my findings and also that I will be shadowing the convoy until dusk. I then swing the boat around and put the boat in a position ahead of the convoy.

15:00, AK0214
I'm submerged, in position. The convoy has approached faster than I thought, so I do not wait until dusk after all. I empty my tubes, reload, then fire again to sink 11.000, 7.000, 7.000, 10.000, 5.000, and 10.000 BRT merchants and tankers! All by 15:40! I go to 170 meters and wait for destroyer's reponse. I'm depth-charged only slightly, and no damage has occurred.

20:36, AK2953
I surface, reload tubes, radio the convoy's current position, and also radio that I intend on attacking again. Once the torpedoes are loaded, I rush at full speed to meet up with the convoy again.

5 Mar, 04:32, AK2915
The convoy is spotted again! I radio it's position, then I slash in to attack. An escort spots me, so I attempt a bold maneuver. I submerge to periscope depth and let the escort approach. At 680 meters I fire one torpedo. It hit, and the sloop sinks! Everyone cheers, and I surface at high speed to get to the flank of the convoy. As I approach, a 10.000 BRT tanker looms in front of me. Two torpedoes blast it apart, and it sinks in two pieces. Two escorts are racing towards me, with little room for a deep dive. Quick, let's try the manuever again! Periscope depth, and one torpedo is launched again from 680 meters. Hit! The corvette sinks! The destroyer now approaches, so I fire my last two torpedoes at the same distance of 680 meters. One misses, but the other hits and sinks the destroyer! We can't believe it! All of us in the boat cheer. Our morale is at a new limit! I surface and now take on the role of shadowing the convoy. Meanwhile my results are radioed in with the convoy's current status.

10:05, AK0164
I receive a message from Oblt. Reiss in U-90 that he is going to attempt to find the convoy. I radio the convoy's most current position, speed, and heading. I'll stay with the convoy until I get more word from U-90.

6 Mar, 03:00, AK4362
An amazing feat just occurred; I've never seen anything like it. A large battleship, along with five destroyers, has merged with the convoy! The escort power is now overwhelming, and I begin to have mixed feelings about how U-90 will fare with this new firepower. They seem to have come from the north and slipped in with a minimal amount of trouble. Could they have been expected a long time ago?

6 Mar, 11:05
I again get a message from U-90 that they are coming with haste.

6 Mar, 15:26, AK4115
U-90 signals that they are now in contact with the convoy and are preparing for a night attack. They are aware of the battle group. Some amount of time passes, and U-90 signals directly to me that they have sunk a Norwegian ship in AK4382, and the crew of the ship might require assistance. Since it is possible for me, I look for the survivors. Finding them, I see why Oblt. Reiss was so concerned; many of the crew are wounded. Some with broken limbs, many with burns. We treat them as best we can before churning ahead after the convoy.

Crewmembers of U 122 during the rescue operation

7 Mar, 03:26, AJ6363
U-90 reports to BdU that they have sunk a King George V Class battleship with ten torpedoes! I cannot believe it! They were also able to transmit that they were about to come under heavy punishment for it. All of us in U-122 are cheering for our friends in the other boat. The other part of the message stated that a 4.000 BRT tanker was damaged, so I went searching around to see if I could do anything about it with gunfire.

04:00
The tanker is sighted. She is listing terribly, and looks like she's going to sink eventually. However, I pump some rounds into her, and the hulk slides beneath the surface in due time. I signal my results, then I resume shadowing the convoy from a distance.

10:26, AJ6311
I get an urgent message from U-90 that the boat is badly damaged and they require immediate assistance. I blast through the waves at flank speed to U-90's transmitted position. At 11:40 I spot her. Within a short amount of time I am alongside. At this point I signal BdU that I am breaking off contact with the convoy. I am out of torpedoes, and U-90 is in no condition to pursue. One last contact message is sent, then I concentrate on U-90. We're able to swap stories, share some food, and work on the boat with combined efforts from both the crews. It was great to see Oblt. Reiss again. I told him how jealous I was that he had sunk the battleship! There must be a band waiting for HIM when he returns!

12:00
I send a message to Brest requesting orders. KvtKpt. Thomsen replies that I should stay with U-90 until we get to Brest. In case of an emergency I'm supposed to look after myself and worry about U-90 afterwards. He orders strict radio silence, except when we get to within escort range, and the codeword "Homesick" is to be transmitted. We immediately set sail for Brest.

Final preparations for the return to Brest

14 Mar, 13:00, Port of Brest
Without incident, we reach Brest. "Homesick" is sent, and we are escorted into base. At the pier I am awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds!

PATROL RESULTS

DECORATIONS

U-boat badge	1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class	1939 Iron Cross 1st Class	Knights Cross	Knights Cross with Oak Leaves	Knights Cross with Oak Leves and Swords	Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

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