Korvettenkapitän Manfred Buchmann
Patrol # 28

Duration:     18.11.1943 - 13.12.1943, 26 days on sea
Patrol Area:   BB 56
Ship:   U 841, Crossed Swords
Type:   IX C/40
Flotilla:   9. Flotille, Brest


18 Nov 1943, 19:00, Brest
We have received orders to take two guests from the Abwehr to the coast of Newfoundland. An interesting twist to our usual patrol assignments! They are good chaps, although not very talkative. The Abwehr has made sure of that, I see.

19 Nov, 09:10, BF4358
Air alarm. No damage, although it certain shakes up our two guests!

20 Nov, 15:30
U-536 under command of my friend Rolf Schauenburg fails to respond to calls from BdU.

21 Nov, 13:25
U-538, sister boat to U-536, also fails to respond.

23 Nov, 08:00
U-648 reports she is sinking in BD8628.

25 Nov, 13:25
U-849 fails to respond.

26 Nov, 08:33, BC4554
Air alarm. No damage.

27 Nov, 18:10, BB5697
We reach our assigned patrol area - on my birthday, too! I am now 34 years old - quite the "old man"! After a celebration on board the boat, we stow away our decorations and prepare for the more serious matter of sending our guests off on Newfoundland. We surface, with decks awash, and successfully deposted the two men on the beach via rubber boats. As we leave the area, gunfire is thought to be heard coming from the vicinity. I wonder what that was all about.

Part of our patrol assignments indicate that we are allowed, although not suggested (or recommended, for that matter), to patrol inside the Newfoundland gulf. Hoping to find sheltered shipping, we as a crew decide to attempt it.

28 Nov, 08:00
U-542 is sinking from aircraft in CF98.

15:14, BB2786
Air alarm. A torpedo is dropped from the aircraft, but it does nothing.

29 Nov, 17:15, BB2423 (deep inside the gulf!)
A ship is spotted at 9 degrees (relative). One stern shot sinks the merchant for 4000 BRT. We are deep inside the gulf at this point! Quite a feat for U-841!

1 Dez, 23:10, BB4564
We receive a message from U-1160 that a convoy is headed outbound at BB7525, not very far away from us. Very soon after that, we receive a message from BdU ordering us to intercept. The chase is on!

2 Dez, 17:32, BB8422
Contact is made with the convoy, and we send a radio signal. At this point, escorts bear down on us, so we keep just on the other side of a rain squall to avoid our pursuers. I lead them around the back of the convoy, then I shoot ahead straight into the rear of the columns. It's a very small convoy, however, a small 10.000 BRT aircraft carrier is sighted! I keep out of its way and approach from the flank. Submerging, I shoot two torpedoes into its side, and it rolls over. Surfacing, I can now take control of the situation! Back and forth I go, running up and down three columns of ships. 5 merchants and 2 tankers are sunk for 33.546 BRT! As I search around for more ships, I realize that was the entire convoy! Only the escorts are left! I race out of the area. How bewildered the escorts must be at this point - no U-boat detected, and the entire convoy of 7 ships (plus aircraft carrier) sunk!

4 Dez, 14:55, BB6489
Luck can't always be with U-841, and that is evident as a Hudson bomber sweeps down from the clouds and unleashes four depth charges. Our gunners manage to shoot it down, but not before the charges knock out our electric motors, destroy our forward exterior tube doors, and severely damage our fuel tanks. We decide to head home. We are crippled with no electric motor or forward tubes to work with.

7 Dez, 08:02, BC3986
Air alarm. No damage.

9 Dez, 10:45, BD3598
Air alarm. No damage.

13 Dez, 04:41, Brest
We return to base.


Personal analysis:
This was a remarkable patrol, being able to sink those ships right out from under the convoy escorts' noses. We successfully deposited our two fellows from the Abwehr, and successfully penetrated the gulf around Newfoundland, even sinking a ship inside. I am very pleased with this mission; however, I am still curious as to whatever happened to those two Abwehr men.

PATROL RESULTS

Merchants

Escorts

Warships

BRT

Patrol results:

9

0

1

37.546

Total career results:

226

13

2

1.455.768

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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