Oberleutnant Michael Hoffmann
Patrol # 5

Duration:	10.04.1940 - 18.05.1940, 49 days on sea
Patrol Area:	DH34
Ship:	U-302, U-Flachs
Type:	VII B
Flotilla:	9. Flotille, Brest

10.04.1940 12.02
The escorts are returning and we are waving "good bye". This is our first patrol with the new boat. The three months traning in Pillau were a hard time, but we have the boat under control. I managed to get my old crew with me and some new men are well integrated. The mess with the torpedoes is not only our problem. More or less all boats report problems with their torpedoes, but we were the top scorer!
We are sent to DH34 in the near of the african coast. Mainly all other boats are in the sea around Norway to support the invasion. Dönitz told me that he has not lost trust in us, but we shall practice a little bit more with our new boat. So he did not send us were the hell is in the moment.
I do not know if he was really honest to me, but we will show him, that we can fight!

15.04./12.00
On the way to our patrol area we heard alot of messages regarding the Norway operation. Many boats reported problem with their torpedoes. I order my crew to maintain all torpedoes every 6 hours.

20.04./10.00 CF2944
I WO reports british tanker with 1.000 BRT. I order my crew to the gun to save the torpedoes for better targets. The tanker is exploding after 8 rounds! They must have carried aviation fuel in regard of that spectaculair reaction.  No survivors.

/23.25 CF5679
Third shift reports a contact far out. We are advancing to identify contact.

/23.53
Contact is identified as british freighter "Bell Island" counting for 6.000 BRT. We fire a G7e magnetic ingniter out of 450m distance with an angle of 0 degree. The torpedo explodes after 200m! We fire the next G7e with a kontakt ingniter out of 350m distance. The torpedo does not run!

21.04./00.02
We have turned our boat and fired a G7a kontakt ingniter out of the aft tube. The torpedo hits and the ship is sinking. We retreat from the place to reload the deck torpedoes.

22.04./21.54 DH3493
We have reached our patrol area. The deck torpedoes are in and every torpedo was checked. We found nothing unusual and feel very helpless regarding these damned torpedoes.

29.04./05.04. DH3458
In heavy fog we have nearly rammed a tanker. We identify the ship out of 500m distance as a canadian. Firing a G7a with kontakt ingniter out of 450m distance, angle 10 degree. The soundman reports torpedo as dud.

/05.15
We have turned our ship and try our luck with the aft tube. The torpedo hits and the ship is sinking. Due to the bad visibility we are not able to locate any surviors.

/06.59 DH3491 
We were surprised by an enemy airplane due to verly low visibility. He passed us and throwed two bombs which were not well aimed and did not any damage to us. Before we could react the airplane is out of sight. For saftey reasons I order a crash dive and we stay submerged for three hours.

08.05./13.31
After 9 days were nothing happend we receive a radio message from U-39. "Convoy in CG9585, East-course." Without waiting for orders from BdU we are running with full flank ahead in the direction.

09.05./10.29 CG8574
We got them! It is a little convoy with general course of  100 degree and 9 knots speed. We will shadow the convoy until night, sending contactreports.

/14.00 CG8443
A destroyer is attacking us. They noticed us out of a distance of over 10.000m! With a speed of over 35 knots he is driving in our direction. I decide for a periscope attack.

/14.10
With the destroyer only 2.000m away I order sneak-drive. Out of a distance of 600m I fire a double shot with two G7e's magnetic ingniters. One torpedo is dud, the other misses. Out of 300m I fire a G7a but miss again. In crash diving we reiceive some depth charges. LI reports stern low rudder as heavily damaged.

/14.45
With no hs-contact we are back on periscope depth. We are behind the convoy and I can identify a battleship in 10.000m distance within the convoy.

/15.05
The destroyer is back and pooring depth charges on us. He has no good contact, but every moment we are forced to stay submerged our chances to get the batlleship are sinking.

/15.50
We are back on periscope depth. 4 escorts in sight. The convoy is far out but I can identify 8 merchants plus the battleship. We can surface and try to shadow the convoy until the night.

/18.37
Due to surprising fast falling heavy fog we have lost visible contact to the convoy. But we have hydrophonic contact in 280 degree.

/19.15
We control the hydrophonic contact and find them in 262 degree.

/19.59
We have dived for hydrophonic search and found the convoy in 256 degree. We emerge and run full flank ahead in the direction.

/21.05
Again on periscope depth. Convoy is in 320 degree.

/22.15
We have visible contact to the convoy. Visibility is down to 2.000m. To get the batlleship I decide to dive before the convoy and let them run over us.

/22.20
Machines are stopped. The convoy is coming towars us. On the right side an escort is comping up. ASDIC is all around us.

/22.25
The escort has passed us in 3.400m distance. The batlleship is coming up.

/22.36
The batlleship is 820m away, but the escort is coming towards us. Hell, did they see the periscope in that darkness? I release all four torpedoes (two G7a, two G7e, all amgnetic ingniters) towards the battleship and order a crash dive. Soundman reports immediately one torpedo as dud. One other hits and we hear the explosion. What has become of the other two?

/23.05
Sometimes we had three hs contacts, but they have no contact with us. On periscope depth I see the battleship with  only 6 knots steaming in the dark away from us. With only two torpedoes left, I will try my best to sink the ship.

10.05./00.24
It took us over a hour to get in firing position. Always when we tried to get before the battleship (we could identify it as one of the Malya-Class) an escort appeard. Meanwhile the stern low rudder is repaired and  the battleship is only 300m away and we are on periscope depth in an excellent position. I release the G7a out of the stern tube. It explodes after the half of the distance. We turn our boat and fire the last G7a kontakt ingniter. Soundman reports torpedo as dud. It is for crying out loud! Escorts are approaching and we have to retreat.

/03.54
After more than three hours cat and mouse with the escorts the sea is empty and we can come back to surface. I set course back to base. We can not beleave which opportunity was lost due to that damned torpedoes.

17.05./10.59 BF3324
7 days on returning course with lowest speed to spare every drop of fuel. LI is fearing that we have to sail the last miles to port. II WO reports a durch tanker with 3.000 BRT. We sunk him after 16 rounds. No survival boats.

18.05./15.28
We are back in the base. What a welcome! Dönitz is on the pier and I receive the Knights Cross out of his hands! I don't think that Logonna will survive this evening.

PATROL RESULTS

DECORATIONS

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

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