Kapitänleutnant Michael Hoffmann
Patrol # 10

Duration:	16.12.1940 - 04.01.1941, 20 days on sea
Patrol Area:	CF35
Ship:	U-364, U-Flachs
Type:	IX B
Flotilla:	9. Flotille, Brest

16.12.1940/11.55
The escorts are behind us and we are again a lonely u-boat towards our patrol area. A nice idea, we will be on patrol during christmas and new year. But the faboulus German navy had everything prepared. We are carrying a little christmas tree with us and for the firework at new year we can use our signal rockets. "Mahlzeit!"
The patrol area is CF35, west to the coast of Portugal. I wonder what will see during that period of the year. We are departing with heavy fog and very low visibility.

22.12./11.30
We have reached our patrol area. Still heavy fog all aorund. In the night we can barely see our bow.

24.12.
Christmas evening. It is dark as in the ass of Rudolf the red nosed rendeer. I have scratched the celebration. For us it is Christmas when we return to Brest.

25.12./14.16 CF3537
The visibility has increased a litlle bit. I WO reports a contact. In advancing we identify it as a british mass good freighter, carrying a gun on the bow.

/15.47
Heavy waves allowing us a surface-attack. A G7e shot out of 700m distance finishes the ship off. No chance for any survivors with these waves. What a lousy christmas!

27.12.
A lot of convoy sightings on the main lane between Canada and England. But here, before the coast of Portugal it is dark and foggy. "Der Ofen ist aus!"

28.12./15.16 CF3511
A little hole in the fog and we are stumbling over a canadian tanker with 6.000 BRT. Again, a gun is visible, but now on the bow. What do they think? Will this increase their chances? With a weapon on a deck we are not able to warn them.

/16.15
The tanker sinks in burning hell. We got him with a G7a out of 610m distance. They must be blind, because we were able to attack them surfaced. No survivors.

30.12./06.39
BdU reports a convoy in CF9352. I decide to intercept.

31.12./06.11
After one day of a fruitless search I was just thinking about giving up, as the radio-maat passes to me a new message. U-142 is at the convoy in CG7525, but the convoy has course towards Gibraltar. "Oh, du heilige, genotzüchtigte....", right in the throat of the british bulldog.

/19.28
We have contact to an escort. 5.500m in front of us.

/20.25
Three escorts visible. What the hell is going on there? The visibility is about 8.000m. Where the hell is the convoy? Why does U-142 not report?

/20.55
We see far out a battleship. But it is too far away and it is to foggy for an identification. Where is the convoy?

/21.00
Rumms! We are in front of the convoy. With that fog, we just run right into it. The unknown battleship shall be our prey. I decide for a persicope attack. With that battleship and the numbers of escorts around a surface attack is suicide. Sound-man reports immediately 3 HS-contacs, ASDIC is pinging for away. A destroyer is coming up and throwing Wabos in front of the battlehip.
The destroyer is passing to the right, but turning towards us. I release all four torpedoes of our bow tubes against the battleship out of 1.300m distance and than with "Alle Mann voraus!" down to 155m. 3 solid hits and 1 dud. But instead sinking noises we are in a thunderstorm of Wabos. Sometimes 4 HS-contacts around us. Driving up and down and in circles to avoid the nearest contacts.

/22.02
One hour of hell is behind us, but no damages. We have no more HS contacts and the convoy is in 8 degree. The sea is free and with a visibility around 5.000m we are operating towards the convoy.

/22.14
The battleship is in front of us with stopped engines. I can see no loopside. It is just there as a sitting duck. We go on persicope depth and will release a full salvo when all four tubes are reloaded.

/22.40
We are 600m right to the battleship. It is a really big one. I estimate 33.000 BRT. Looks like one of the new King George V class. But I can't keep the periscope up long enough for a proper ID. The four torpedoes are released and after three hits and one dud, the ship is sinking. No loopside, just going down like a submarine with no speed. We are setting course towards the convoy.

/23.20
A destroyer has surprised us. Coming out of a fog bank we could not dive as fast we should. The first salvo of Wabos destroyed our outer locks of the bow torpedo tubes. Happy new year! Then the destroyer disappears. No more contacts and back to surface towards the convoy. Let us see, whatr we can do with our stern tubes.

01.01.41/12.00
Again, a destroyer is in sight. They are far away from the merchant ships, which we did not see after our first encounter. I try a persicope attack with a doubleshot out of the stern tubes. But both eels misses and we got the destroyer right over us. No damages although they are pooring their wabos in the sea, if they have unlimited reserves.

/16.28
We gained contact to the convoy. Smoke on the horizon.

/17.55
"Verdammter Mist!" Again a destroyer is setting course towards us. Next game, next luck! And again two fine misses with the stern tubes. And again, and again Wabos around us.

/18.32
With no HS-contact and convoy in 166 degree we are back on periscope depth. Very neat, three escorts are leaving the place. I decide to reload the deck torpedoes to the stern tubes.

/22.47 CG8586
Smoke on the horizon!

02.01./04.10
All stern tubes are reloaded. Advaning towards the convoy. We see for the first time merchant-ships. 17 ships surrounded by 6 escorts! What is the load of that convoy?

/04.42
The trick to sink in the convoy from the front has not worked. A korvette is taking course towards us. Hell! Maybe I'll get now one of these sheep-dogs away! And missed again! Two torpedoes wasted and then they are on us! In the first run the korvette destroyes the stern torpedo tubes. Then three HS contacts are around us and it is raining Wabos. Radio damaged, bow bilge pumps damaged. Second attack is destroying the inner bow torpedo locks. And the third attack brings us to our knees. Sound-system damaged and stern batteries are leaking. Chloric gas in the boat! We have to surface and to ventilate! In breaking the surface we see a destroyer shooting at us. Stern and central pressure hull are slightly damaged, but we can go down with the ventilated boat.
The next hour is the definately hell. We are blind and numb. Water is coming in and the LI can hold the boat on depth only with AK. Battery volume is going down and still chloric gas in the boat. "Tauchretter bereithalten!" I'm not sure if the LI can hold the boat. Wabos and ASDIC all around us, but no chance to localise the enemy with a damaged sound system

/05.52
The pressure hull is repaired and the incoming water is stopped. The first good message. Still ASDIC and Wabos, but not near.

/06.24
We are back on periscope and to my surprise we are in the middle of the convoy. At the end of the convoy I can see no escorts, so that will be our way out of that. Back to 100m.

/07.17
LI reports low oxygen. We have to go back to surface again. I can see an escort in 8.200m away. I decide to surface and run with "Dreimal Wahnsinnige". In surfacing the escort is identified as a destroyer which is setting course towards us.

/07.28
11 minutes on the surface gave us the time to get a minimum of oxygen and electricity back in our boat. The destroyer is now 5.000m away and we are going back with a crash dive to 200m. ASDIC and Wabos far away.

/07.50
No sounds. I stop the machines. The boat is on 100m depth. LI and crew is working as mad to repair the boat.

/09.00
LI reports radio and bow bilge pumps clear. Back on periscope depth. The sea is free! We are surfacing and feel like beeing born again. With that wreck we have to go back to our bases as soon as possible. I plot a course which follows the coast of Spain, Portugal and France. If we can hold the boat we will try to reach Brest, but Bordeaux is the nearest base. Let's see how we will go on.

/11.00
Stern batteries are clear! What a relief!

/14.00
Sound system repaired. I hope we have not to use it again on that journey.

03.01./18.40
We have passed the coast of Portugal and are turning our ship in the Biskaya. "Auf Knien und Brustwarzen heimkriechen". But the little plant of hope is growing.

04.01./16.00
We are in the safety area of Bordeaux. Now we will get through to Brest!

/20.00
Passing La Rochelle. Home, sweet home! We are coming!

05.01./01.20
St.Nazaire is behind us. I'm estimating less than 6 hours to Brest.

/04.10
Lorient has been passed. The machines are running. 2 hours and we are back!

/05.50
We are back in Brest! With the boat at the pier and the connection back to earth I would like to sink down and kiss the bottom.
My collegues which have waited for me are looking at our boat and are wondering how me made the mircacle to return. Kvtkpn. Thomsen informed me that I have sunk the King George V itself!

The King George V on his last journey

I have to drink a lot of Bimber to forget this trip to hell!

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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