Oberleutnant Manfred Buchmann
Patrol # 7

Duration:	02.08.1940 - 01.09.1940, 30 days on sea
Patrol Area:	AM44
Ship:	U-87, Crossed Swords
Type:	VII B
Flotilla:	9. Flotille, Brest

2 Aug. 1940, 20.55
We depart from our base as night falls. The air is crisp and the wind is fresh.

5 Aug, 18.07, AM4466
We reach our patrol area with slight fog rolling in. Looks like it might be getting worse. A short message is sent to BdU.

6 Aug, 05.57, AM4468
A plane bursts out in the fog right for us! No time to dive; the crew man the machine guns. The plane has all its guns blazing, and it drops four bombs. They all miss, and as soon as it has passed I order the command to crash dive. We're all relatively shaken up. The chief reports nothing is damaged, and we surface at 07.00.

11 Aug, 04.35, AM4415
Lookouts report a freighter of some kind at 333 degrees (relative). We submerge and approach. A turbine tanker loaded with diesel fuel is heading east. One stern torpedo, shot from a range of 610 meters, explodes prematurely. Before the tanker has time to get away, I swing around and fire two bow torpedoes. One hits, the other is a dud. The tanker is only damaged, so I fire another torpedo. This hits slightly abaft the mainmast. It sinks, and we add another 11.000 BRT to our score.

11 Aug, 12.06, AM4482
Air alarm. No bombs dropped. No damage.

12 Aug, 07.29, AM4468
A light merchant is sighted at 51 degrees. We close the distance submerged and identify the motor trawler as the "S.S. Maureen" of 3.142 BRT. One eel is fired at 710 meters. She is hit, breaks in half, and sinks within 10 seconds! Quite amazing. I can't help but feel rather uneasy thinking about the poor devils trapped in the ship that hadn't any time to get their wits about them, let alone have any chance of escaping. I get the feeling others are thinking the same. Without mentioning anything about how we feel, we resume patrol shortly thereafter.

"Sonnenschiessen" The Obersteuermann uses a hole in the clouds to define the curenntly position.

14 Aug, 09.47, AM4484
Air alarm. No bombs, no damage.

22 Aug, 13.33, AM4412
A light merchant is sighted at 29 degrees. We identify her to be the "S.S. Lucille" of only 1.000 BRT. We surface and proceed to sink her with our deck gun. The crew performs amazingly well! This is our first sinking with our deck gun.

16.30, AM4416
Only three hours have passed after the destruction of the "S.S. Lucille" when we spot another merchant at 16 degrees. We close the distance on the surface, and do you know what happens? The impertinent fellow opens fire at 7.000 meters. Very inconsiderate. We submerge, and as we get nearer the merchant abruptly changes course. I read off the new settings, and we're forced to launch a torpedo from 1.500 meters away. It hits, however, and sinks! After surfacing, we approach a lifeboat and inquire as to the name of the ship. The "S.S. Dover", a tramp steamer of 2.874 BRT, was carring a good portion of salt. We give the survivors some food and directions, and then we resume patrol.

18.50, AM4429
We have only gone another 2 hours 20 minutes before an escort is spotted racing for us at close to 25 knots, bearing 336 degrees! We crash dive. It must have spotted the smoke from "S.S. Dover". It hunts for us, but eventually gives up. After surfacing at 19.57, we search the area for a possible convoy, but we find nothing. Too bad. Let's hope the escort picked up the "S.S. Dover" survivors.

23 Aug, 06.04, AM4474
Air alarm. No bombs, no damage.

27 Aug, 18.00, AM4465
Lookouts report a ship at 34 degrees. The sky is getting dark fast, so I proceed at flank speed towards our target. We slice through heavy seas and reach the light motor tanker within a short amount of time. One eel is enough to set it ablaze. Transmissions from the ship reveal her to be a light tanker, 4.000 BRT, carrying High Octane Fuel named the "S.S. Aria". It sinks quickly, but a flaming patch of oil remains for long afterwards.

28 Aug, 15.20, AM4456
The radio operator comes to me with a signal. A convoy is reported at AL3767. Not too far away at all. However, it's out of the patrol area, so I radio Brest Headquarters to ask permission to leave my assigned grid square to persue and attack the convoy. KvtKpt. Thomsen authorizes me to do so, so I proceed at flank speed on an intercept course.

20.00, AL0321
We smell the stench of a convoy. We must be right in its rear. Escorts are spotted darting nervously about, but they cannot see us. We probe and try to sight any merchants. An hour later, we run smack dab into the convoy's rear, like we thought. We are a wolf in a flock of sheep! Torpedoes are fired right and left! Two tankers are hit, one 5.000 BRT, another 10.000 BRT! Another two merchants are sunk, one 6.000 BRT, another one sending signals identifying her as the "S.S. Glendale" of 6.944 BRT. Our torpedoes have run out finally, so after sending more reports regarding the convoy's particulars, we leave just as quickly and set a course for home.

31 Aug, 11.00, BF4342
Air alarm. No bombs, no damage.

1 Sept, 1940, 15.41

	We return to base. To my delight, I am awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross!
Returning home in dense fog but with flying pennants

PATROL RESULTS

DECORATIONS

U-boat badge	1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class	1939 Iron Cross 1st Class	Knights Cross	Knights Cross with Oak Leaves

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