Oberleutnant Ralf Thomsen
Patrol # 2

Duration:	26.11.1939 - 02.12.1939 , 7 days on sea
Patrol Area:	AN49
Ship:	U-113, The Laughing Sawfish
Type:	II C
Flotilla:	1. Flotille, Kiel

26.11.1939 04.55
Departure from Kiel harbour
The escorts are turning back to base. Medium weather conditions, visibility up to 10.000m.  But we are facing heavy sea, due to a storm which passed german coast. They are sending us again in the middle of the North-Sea. What shall we do there? There are much better oportunities before the english coast!

We were departing together with an VIIC. This is realy an U-boat compared to our little IIC. How long does it take that the BDU is taking us for worth to command such a ship?

29.11.1939 18.58
Patrol Area reached
Immediat sighting of two ships by our third shift. Bearing 15 degress, distance between them 2.000m, no lights set. They have their british flaggs set, so we can identify them easily as british tankers.
We beginn an OS-attack on the larger target

29.11.1939 19.12
We have reached our firing position. Angle 90 degrees, distance 600m, double shot with T III G7e, both kontakt igniters. The firsttorpedo exploded after 300m, and the second lost course and retourned to our u-boat!
We evaded bearly with full steam ahead and rudder hart left.

29.11.1939 22.50
We retreated from the ships and stayed at widest sight contact to reload our torpedos. I had some hard words with our technicians and the reloaded torpedoes were proofed and calibrated from our LI himself.
We are ready for a new OS-run on the large target. Angle 90 degress, distance 400m, double shot with T III G7e both kontakt igniter.
One explosion midship,the other at the aft. The ship is burning all over, oil is spread on see. What an inferno! There will be no survivors in that hell. Seeing the  ship sinking, we turn to the smaller ship

29.11.1939 23.30
A new OS-attack on the small target. Due to the lights of the burning wreck behind us the ship sees us and is trying to evade on zick zack course with 10 knots.
A deadly cat an mouse game started, but with a double longe rage shot (1.000m) with our  last T I G7a and III G7e magnetic, both magnetic igniters, we got him finally.
The first torpedo misses, but the second hits and with an enourmous explosion the ship is blown in pieces. It seems that they were carrying airplane-fuel in regard of that reaction. Here can be no survivors expected.

30.11.1939 01.25
Radio message: British tankers sunk 9.864 BRT and 2.000 BRT, no identification possible.
With no torpedeos left, we are returning to base.

02.12.1939 12.47
Save return to Kiel harbour

OS-Attack is still best way to get results. Ships still not armed. No destroyers. No defense! We should shear this sheeps!
Again bad weather conditions, as normally for that month. Where is the Luftwaffe?

Strategic issues:
The enemy is still not prepared. No convoys, no aircrafts, if we do not take the chance right now,we will miss it.Our forces (especially the IIC-boats) should be concentrated before the harbours of the enemy, not been settled in the middle of the north sea.

Private commentary:
The 2. patrol with a duration of only one week was good for the moral of the crew, both officers and man.We wanted to stay longer, but the waste of our torpedoes made this journey a short one.

PATROL RESULTS

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