by Nick Mariano
DAY 12-THE ATTACK
Captain Walkerling of the U-532 had picked up considerable time en route to the East Coast because of assisting currents. He estimated that he would start approaching the North Carolina coast as early as that afternoon although he would still have a lot of maneuvering to do to get the landing party close to shore. It was a blustery day and the seas were high as he made his approach toward Cape Hatteras, at which point he would change course and head on a zigzag line to the coast. The sub was currently running surfaced and white-capped waves rolled over the hull while the deck crew secured things and took their final navigational readings before the sub blew its ballast and continued its run submerged.
As the U-532 made it way towards to US soil, a small convoy also was steering in the same direction as Captain Walkerling. The armed merchant ship Unicol had joined the USS Roper and USCCG Icarus and the convoy was making about 15 knots toward a point that would put them on a direct course to intercept the incoming U-boat. Earlier in the day a patrol aircraft making a routine run along the US shipping lanes had spotted the U-boat’s periscope above the water and plotted a course they thought the sub was steering. The American commanders believed, that with some luck, they would find and destroy the incoming enemy. They also knew that two other U-boats were still approaching the North Carolina coast from the information they had received from the Enigma intercept.
Running submerged the Captain addressed his crew and gave them some last minute instructions on what lay ahead for the next day or two. He told them to be ever vigilant so that they could make their approach undetected by any US military ships in the area and that they should be prepared to man their battle stations should they be spotted and have to fight their way out of the area. He said the eyes of Germany and the Fuhrer were on them and that their mission could turn the course of the war. The Waffen-SS men began their final preparations and checked all their equipment to ensure that they had everything ready for when they launched their craft. The special container would be loaded into their boat once the sub surfaced and they were ready. Their counterpart on shore should already be in place and they would send a final signal once they were underway.
The US Navy was providing some additional aircraft to keep watch over the area and report any sightings directly to the three-ship attack convoy. Everything was in place, now all they needed was to find the sub in this vast ocean, although the sub lanes become more limited as the sub got closer to shore. The patrol planes would circle the convoy while searching for the telltale sign of an enemy U-boat, the distinctive periscope wake.
U-532 was now approaching Cape Hatteras and Captain Walkerling began a southerly turn, to be followed by a northerly turn that would take them to their final objective, Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington. Suddenly the sonar operator alerted the Captain that he was picking up what appeared to be three vessels heading on a course that would intercept their boat in about 10 minutes. The Captain ordered silent running and dove to the maximum allowable depth for this part of his journey. The ocean’s depth began to drop dramatically as they neared the shoreline. He ordered the crew to their battle stations and told them to make ready for possible depth charges. He continued on course for the time being and waited to see if they were detected.
The US convoy steered on a new course given them by the overhead patrol planes and the Captains ordered their crews to battle stations. The gunnery crews assumed their positions on the deck cannons and guns while other crewmembers prepared the depth charge racks for immediate deployment when needed. The crew of the Icarus also prepared their Mousetrap ASW Marks 20 and 22 antisubmarine rockets. All battle teams were at ready and awaited the final order from their Captains to begin their attacks.
Slowly the convoy converged on the path of the approaching sub and it would be just a matter of minutes before it began to engage the enemy U-boat. The sonar operator on board the Roper confirmed a contact off the port side of the ship and the Captain ordered his men to begin dropping depth charges. The Icarus maneuvered into position and began an attack off its stern side using the Mousetrap rockets. Explosions began to rock the ocean as charge after charge blew up.
Captain Walkerling soon realized that the surface ships were on his trail and he let his boat slowly sink until it hit bottom. He told the navigator to cut the motors and the ship laid silently on the bottom hoping that the surface ships would believe they had lost their contact and steam away. Explosion after explosion rocked the U-boat and the crew held on so as not to be thrown off their feet. The sonar operators on the surface listened intently but had temporarily lost their contacts. The surface convoy broke from its current heading and began steaming in large circles away from the immediate area trying to relocate their target.
Sonar on the U-532 saw that the three ships were slowly extending their range in a search for them and Captain Walkerling decided that he had no other alternative but to engage the ships if he was going to be able to offload his men and their cargo. The Captain ordered the sub to periscope depth and he began to scan the surface and appraise the situation. He saw what appeared to be two military class ships and a third ship, a merchant vessel. He decided to engage the merchant ship first in hopes that if he could sink it, that might distract the other two ships long enough for him to make his escape. He ordered torpedo tubes 1-2-3-4 loaded and made ready. Maneuvering into position he fired the first two torpedoes toward the Unicol. Ten-seconds passed, then fifteen and finally at twenty-seconds he heard the sound of his torpedo making contact as an explosion rocked the merchant ship. Fire quickly consumed the vessel and the Unicol’s Captain ordered his men to abandon ship. He sent out an SOS although he was sure that the two accompanying naval ships could see what was happening. Roper and Icarus turned course and headed for the crippled ship. Roper began rescue operations while the Patrol Boat Icarus began another round of attacks on the would-be target using its depth charges and deck rockets.
Captain Walkerling realized that the waters were too shallow to make an undetected run from the area and so after attempting to fire four more torpedoes on the crippled ship and the fast approaching Roper he ordered his men to blow the ballasts and take up battle stations on deck. He hoped that his crew could hit one or both naval ships, giving him enough time to escape on the surface, as dusk was quickly approaching. The Captain was unaware that Naval patrol planes were still in the area providing overhead support.
The afternoon had turned overcast and the seas were now swelling to over six feet making it difficult to maneuver and keeping his men from rapidly manning the deck canons. Captain Walkerling climbed the conning towel and directed his attack from there. He saw that the one naval ship was assisting the stricken merchant ship and so he turned his attention to the smaller patrol boat rapidly approaching him. Two more torpedoes were launched at the boat but both missed by the narrowest of distances. The men finally had managed to man the deck cannons and fired at the approaching ship but the rolling seas kept them from hitting their target. Suddenly the radar operator advised the Captain that there were three aircraft above them and approaching rapidly. Icarus began to fire its deck cannons on the struggling sub and almost simultaneously one of the patrol planes dive-bombed the submarine and before the Captain could take evasive action, the U-532 was going down with all hands on board. Multiple explosions ripped the sub in two and as it rapidly descended into about 120’ of water the ship’s hull erupted from munitions on board blowing up. Bodies poured from the ship and began to sink. No one managed to escape or make it to the surface. The bombs of the dive-bomber killed even the sailors on deck instantly. The sub’s special cargo was sucked from the sinking boat and slowly sunk to the ocean’s bottom, partially covered by debris but still intact and sealed. The seas of North Carolina became a grave for the 48 officers and men aboard the ill-fated U-532. Most never knew what happened before they died.
After the Roper and Icarus rescued any surviving members from the merchant ship Unicol, they began a search for survivors of the sunk
en U-boat. Scattered debris, oil slicks and a few bodies marked the spot where the U-boat had gone down but they failed to find anyone left alive after the attack. The Roper steamed for Norfolk to discharge the wounded from the Unicol while the Icarus headed to the next suspected U-boat location. Captain Jester knew the next target was reportedly coming from a more southerly direction. The Roper would steam toward the northern point of North Carolina after making a quick port call at Norfolk.
Captain Salman and the U-751 were just approaching the coast of Florida and expected to reach their destination of Sea Breeze sometime in the next day and a half. The Captain decided to remain 50-60 miles off the coastline so that he could have some maneuvering room if he was forced to dive in an emergency. Ocean depths there approached 200’-300’ feet. He could also run surfaced more freely as the Allied patrols usually stayed closer to land.
Day 12 on board the U-756 did not begin well for Captain Falke. Over three-quarters of his men from suffering from some unknown illness and many had been forced to stay in bed. Some were beginning to display dark spots over their bodies and it appeared that some of the sores were beginning to ooze dark fluids and blood. He worried that soon he would not have enough able sailors to safely operate the boat, plus they might soon be encountering enemy surface vessels and he needed sailors who could man their battle stations and fight if necessary. It also seemed like many of the infected men were starting to become irritable and some fighting had already broken out in sections of the ship. Falke hoped that he could complete his mission and get his men home before something terrible happened. U-756 was making it way past Massachusetts and Connecticut and should reach their final destination of New Bern, NC, on schedule.
Meanwhile back in Berlin Reichsfuhrer Himmler sat in his office and wondered what was happening with the three U-boats and their special cargoes. It was almost two weeks since they departed for American shores and they should soon be reaching their destinations. He knew that when the cargoes made it to shore, the German operatives would signal Berlin with a status update. Soon the Americans would suffer a fate never before experienced by humanity. Himmler couldn’t wait to meet with Hitler and inform him of their great success.
DAY 13-AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
And then there were two. U-532 had been lost the previous day with all hands. Berlin was still unaware of the status of the three U-boats since the ships had maintained radio silence for the greatest part of their trips. The German operative at Wrightsville Beach assumed that he would be hearing something that day from the U-532 landing party, or at the very latest, tomorrow. Until then he waited patiently on the beach, radio in his backpack, and enjoyed the sun and fresh smells of the salty ocean breeze. He would like to get this mission completed and out of the way, but until he met his contacts, he would just enjoy his time at the beach. Living in the United States was much better than living back in Germany right now and enduring the hardships that the war brought with it. If his mission was successful, perhaps he could return home to his house and family sooner than he had hoped.
Captain Salman of the U-751 was now passing the shores of Georgia and with luck would reach his destination tomorrow, discharge the landing party and hopefully by the end of the day be on his way back to safer waters, to resume hunting for Allied ship traffic and perhaps sink a few vessels before setting a course back to the sub pens in France. If he could add a few more kills to his already impressive record he might even be awarded the coveted German Cross with Diamonds to add to his Gold German Cross. If this mission was successful he could reap even more benefits and rewards when he returned home. Until then he steered a course toward his final destination of Sea Breeze, keeping a close eye on the sonar and radar reports from his deck crew. He was now in very dangerous waters and he didn’t want anything to jeopardize the mission after getting this far. He knew, however, that the Americans were having more successes lately along the East Coast and that several of his fellow Captains had met their demise along these shores.
Captain Falke on the U-756 awoke hoping that things would be better today for him and his crew. By the time he had retired last night more than eighty percent of the crew appeared to be suffering with the mysterious illness that had infected his boat. He hoped that the doctor’s antibiotics would start to work and that his crew would be getting back to normal and be able to finish this mission. His worst fears were realized, however, when he got to the bridge and talked with his XO. Fights had broken out in the aft sections of the boat and many men were now almost completely incapacitated and several of them had developed unsightly tumors that appeared to be oozing blood. Fights and acts of violence had been reported in the torpedo room and finally the XO had been forced to seal off the area by locking the watertight hatches separating the various sections of the sub. Many of the men on the bridge were beginning to feel flu like symptoms and the XO himself reported that he too was not feeling totally himself.
The Captain didn’t know what to do. They had already passed the Virginia coastline and would be nearing New Bern, North Carolina, by day’s end, hopefully to discharge the landing party and complete this important mission. Even the Captain was beginning to feel poorly but he hoped the medications the doctor had given out would start turning the crews health around.
DAY 13-LATER THAT DAY
Captain Salman was making good time along his route and so far the number of sonar contacts had been minimal. Most contacts appeared to be merchant ships and not the larger military ships that patrolled the area. He had taken the sub up to periscope depth a few times to surveil the seas and ensure that the sonar readings were correct. He continued to run submerged up the coastline and believed that he should be approaching South Carolina by day’s end and be at his destination by the following morning. He planned to start steering toward shore later that night and by early morning should be in position to surface and discharge the landing party before submerging and lying on the shallow bottom to await their return. So far things were going as planned. Just one more day and he would be on his way back home.
Things had gone from bad to worst on the U-756. The XO had finally been forced to lock down several other sections of the sub and even the men on the bridge appeared to be acting a bit strange. Strange thoughts also began to run through the Captain’s mind and he wasn’t sure just what was happening. The XO had ventured into the fore and aft sections of the sub on the Captain’s orders and reported back that things appeared to have deteriorated even more. Several men appeared to be dead or near dead. Almost all the men he came across were displaying unsightly sores that oozed a nauseous smelling fluid that appeared to be mixed with their blood. No one was capable of standing duty and fighting had broken out on a large scale among the men who were still standing. The last thing that he had witnessed sickened him the most. He wasn’t sure that he could believe his eyes. Some of the still living crew had begun to eat the remains of those who had died. The XO told the Captain that he had to fight his way out of the aft section to avoid being attacked himself. He had ordered all sections connecting with the bridge locked and sealed.
Captain Falke couldn’t believe what the XO was telling him. How could something like this even be possible? A flu outbreak was possible on the sub given its closed quarters, but men eating other men. Had this something to do with their mysterious cargo? Could his country be thinking of launching something this deadly and outrageous on the Americans? It was one thing to sink ships and blow up cities using Germany’s new V-2 rockets but to unleash what appeared to be a virus of this nature on people was going beyond what the Captain felt war was all about.
The Captain stood in the bridges control area and contemplated what to do next. He could hear screams coming now from both the fore and aft sections and even some banging on the doors sealing the bridge. Someone appeared to be screaming for help. He asked the Captain to open the hatch and let him in. The Captain stood paralyzed not knowing what to do. Even the landing party was locked out and would be unable to
depart the boat at the designated time, if they were even still alive.
The virus that had escaped just a few days earlier from its container was now in its final stages. It was working just as Mengele had predicted. The flu and plague segments of the virus had now infected the entire boat. The more deadly airborne rabies portion of it was now beginning to take hold of the few sailors who were still alive. Fights erupted among the few surviving crewmembers and sailor sat slouched over bodies eating the human remains that lay before them. Even those on the bridge only had a few hours before total chaos would take over.
The Captain surveyed the surviving crew on the bridge and several men at the controls just sat with a lost look in their eyes. The XO and he appeared to be the only ones who could still made any real decisions about what to do. Even the XO agreed with the Captain that if this is the result of their secret cargo, he wanted nothing to do with inflecting this kind of horror on even their enemies, the Americans. Both knew that shortly they too would be unable to think rationally and that they had to make a decision on what to do, Now!
The screams continued from outside the locked hatches. Some of the men on the bridge began talking loudly and even shouting at the men sitting next to them. A minor fight was beginning in another part of the bridge. The Captain finally knew what he had to do. He could not let this horror see the light of day, not even in America. He told the XO of his plan. The two men shook hands and hugged. They had known each other for several years and had completed several attack runs together. They knew the end was near and the XO saluted his Captain before sitting down near the control panels. The Captain removed a small key from beneath his tunic top and casually moved to a locked panel near the sonar screen. He inserted his key and unlocked the small panel. Suddenly the sonar operator appeared to realize what was happening and lunged for the Captain but was unable to reach him fast enough to stop his actions. The Captain thought of his home and family back in Germany as he pressed a small red button which activated a scuttling devise built into the U-boat to prevent its capture by the Allies. The explosive charge erupted instantly and ripped the Type IX sub in two, instantly decompressing the interior. The sub had been about 140’ deep when the explosion occurred. Men and equipment were sucked from the super structure and the hull decompressed ripping parts of the boat into little pieces. No one still alive on the sub survived. The mysterious cargo that the Captain thought had caused this disaster remained intact and the steel box slowly sank to the ocean’s bottom.