by Nick Mariano
Earlier that day the USCCG Icarus had begun a wide spread patrol of the area but had detected nothing on its sonar. A patrol aircraft had reported a periscope sighting earlier in the day but a sub contact had never been confirmed. The sonar operator on the Icarus reported to the Captain what appeared to be a large explosion about 3 nautical miles from their current heading. Word was relayed to a patrol plane in the area, which later reported that there appeared to be ship debris at that location. No American planes or naval vessels had reported any patrol activity or engagement of enemy boats in that area. It appeared to be a mystery what the source of the explosion or debris was. The Icarus changed course and began steaming toward Myrtle Beach where it was to rendezvous with the USS Roper. They would resume their hunt there.
DAY 14-AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
And then there was One! Captain Salman maneuvered the U-751 skillfully up the South Carolina coast and in a few hours would be able to discharge his landing party towards the shores of Sea Breeze. He was currently about 30 miles off shore and the ocean depths averaged about 100’ plus. This gave him enough room to steer his course and significant depth if he had to avoid any Allied naval traffic. He estimated that he would be at his destination just before dawn and that there would still be sufficient darkness when the commandos made their way to shore. Sonar had only picked up occasional blips on the screen and most of the contacts were heading out to sea. He had studied the geography of the coast and was confident that his plan would result in a successful mission and delivery of the special cargo that Germany had in store for the Americans. He wondered how his fellow two comrades were faring in getting their cargoes delivered. He would be glad when the men were back on board and he was headed out to sea and could again begin the hunt for Allied targets.
Waffen-SS Officer Erick Colepaaugh had already reached the tiny town of Sea Breeze and had taken up a position off the beach where he could observe the rolling Atlantic Ocean but still remain partially out of sight to passersby. It was still night but he hoped that the sub would be able to arrive and discharge the landing party before the sun started to rise. The ocean appeared to be relatively calm and the waves were only a rolling 1-2 feet. The landing party should have no problem getting to shore with the current conditions and as the tide would also be starting to change, they would have some additional aid in getting in. He sat patiently and waited for the signal they would send as they departed the sub.
On board the U-751, Unterscharfuhrer Ernst Zierte and Sturmann Henrich Barbi completed their final preparations for a beach landing. Although they had both taken part in other operations such as this, they had never had to contend with possible Allied naval vessels that could be patrolling the area. The Waffen-SS had provided a new and experimental inflatable boat for the mission. The boat was designed to move over the ocean’s surface quickly using a new type of electric motor that could run for several hours before having to replace its battery and was not as loud sounding as the old type gas motors. The boat was sturdy enough to carry two men and their cargo and was particularly sea worthy when the waters became shallow as they approached the shore. The boat was light enough so that the two men could carry or drag it ashore after the rear motor was detached. Extra batteries were taken along for the return trip to the sub. It was estimated that once the boat was dispatched from the sub the commandos would reach their objective within one to one and a half hours depending on sea conditions. The Captain had previously briefed them on expected conditions. Seas were expected to be relatively flat with only 1’-2’ swells. They would also be traveling with the current as they moved toward shore. Additionally, each man carried an MP28 9-mm machine gun and a Mauser C-96 semiautomatic 9-mm pistol, nicknamed the “Red 9.” Some explosives and Eihandgranate 39 grenades were carried in case the mission had to be aborted and their cargo destroyed. They also carried a small short-range radio that they would use once underway to contact their operative on shore. After they final checked all their equipment they moved through the ship to the room where their cargo was stored. A sentry guarded the room and after showing them their identifications they were allowed to enter the room. The steel box lay on the floor and the top of the box was attached to its bottom by four large hasps. The SS emblem was affixed to the lid. They had strict instructions not to tamper with or open the box. Only the operatives who were to receive the cargo were authorized to open it and only they knew the proper method of unlocking the cargo and dispersing it. After a quick check of their cargo the men returned to their staging area to await orders to make ready.
The USS Roper had dropped off the survivors from the Unicol in Norfolk and had begun steaming toward North Carolina. After having recontacted the Roper, Icarus steered a course that would take her to the southern tip of North Carolina. Commander Jester had decided that the Icarus would then turn and head north while the Roper steered south from Virginia. They planned to meet somewhere in the middle unless one-first met with the suspected U-boat that was reported in the area by their Command. Four Naval aircraft also provided coverage from above and were on the lookout for any possible sub activity. It was still night, however, a crescent moon helped light the water’s surface.
ALMOST THERE
At 0430 hrs Captain Salman announced to his crew that he had reached his objective and notified the landing party to make ready for launching their craft. Sailors scurried through the cramped U-boat and four men helped the Waffen-SS landing party move their boat and equipment to the launch area. Another group assisted in moving the special cargo to the launch area. Once the Captain blew the ballasts the crew had perhaps ten minutes to get all the equipment on deck, inflate the boat and get the landing party on its way. Time was of the essence so that they were not discovered by any Allied patrols, although sonar currently showed no surface contacts in the area. The Captain would then dive and lie on the bottom until they received a signal from the commandos that they had returned to the rendezvous point. The Captain would then surface, get the men back on board and head east, out to the open sea. Whether he ran surfaced or submerged depended on when they finally were back on board.
0500 hrs-Captain Salman took over control of the bridge from the XO, announced that they were surfacing and ordered all his men into place to get equipment on deck and launched. The surface signal was sounded and the men on the bridge sprang into action, blowing the ballasts, working control levers and moving the sub rapidly to the surface. Before the sub had even cracked the water’s surface, the Captain was opening the deck hatch and mounting the conning tower for a quick look around as sailors scrambled to the deck and started moving the landing party’s equipment into place. The raft was quickly inflated, the electric motor attached and all the weapons, supplies and the special cargo loaded. As the crew held the mooring lines close to the boat, the two commandos, dressed all in black with no military insignias, boarded the craft, started the engine and quickly moved away from the boat in a westerly direction. The seas were calm and a low hanging waxing gibbous moon provided some illumination to the surface. In an hour’s time they would be close to or on shore to meet their operative. They broadcast a short signal to him so he knew they were in route.
Before they were no more that 40 meters from the surfaced sub, the Captain ordered everyone below deck and the sub to dive as he moved rapidly through the deck hatch and secured it. He ordered the sub to level at periscope depth and took a quick 360 degree scan of the surface to ensure that things were still clear for him and the men making their way to shore. He lowered the periscope and ordered the sub to dive and lie on the bottom. He and the crew settled in and waited for the landing party’s return.
On shore Erick Colepaaugh’s radio broke its silence and a short signal was received indicating that the landing party had disembarked the sub and was on its way to shore. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and scanned the ocean in front of him to make sure that the area was still clear of any surface activity. He estimated that he would see his men in about an hour�
�s time. The ocean’s surface remained claim and the moon provided just enough illumination to see their approach.
In the meantime the USCCG Icarus was moving in a northerly direction along the coast of North Carolina, while the USS Roper made its way from the North. The two ships would eventually meet up and begin a search pattern to try to find the suspected German U-boat. Three naval patrol planes took off from their base in Charleston and headed toward the Atlantic to assist in the search for the U-boats.
After about 45 minutes of motoring their craft along the smooth ocean surface, Zierte and Barbi began to see the faint outline of the shore just above the horizon. They estimated they would land in about another twenty minutes. Another signal was sent to their operative on shore.
Colepaaugh scanned the horizon again with his binoculars but still could not see the boat approaching. He decided to signal with a light he was carrying in the remote chance that they might see him and return a signal back to him.
The three naval patrol planes made the trip from their base in Charleston to the coast in less than twenty-five minutes and as they changed their course from an easterly heading to a northerly one, a gunner in the last plane spotted what he thought was a light signaling something out to sea. Although he couldn’t decipher the signal he thought it was something more than a person just shining a flashlight and promptly reported the sighting to the Captain of the aircraft. After a brief talk with the gunner the Captain decided to report the sighting to both the surface ships heading for the area and to the central command in Richmond.
Captain Kaplan at the Mid-Atlantic Command immediately radioed his land forces in the area upon receiving the report from the plane. The Mid-Atlantic Command had coastal patrols positioned along the entire coastline at strategic locations. One was only a short distance from the town of Sea Breeze and proceeded immediately to the reported location of the light source.
CATCHING A SPY
The patrol planes continued to circle the area of the light source and to direct the land forces to its location. A small squad of US Army infantrymen moved toward the North Carolina shore while the patrol plane provided additional coordinates to them.
Waffen-SS Officer Erick Colepaaugh could hear the sound of planes flying overhead and although he hoped he had not been detected while sending his signals, he began to worry that he might have been discovered. He decided to lie low and wait to see what happened.
Meanwhile the boat landing party from the U-751 was steadily making its way toward shore and they too began to hear the sound of aircraft flying overhead, and possibly close by. They began to feel uncomfortable that they might soon be discovered as the sun was just starting to make its way over the horizon. It was decided to send another radio signal so that they could be sure that they were heading on the most direct course to their contact. Colepaaugh immediately heard his radio come to life. He knew that the landing party must now be in sight of the shore and that they needed a course heading so that they would land in close proximity to his current location. He worried, however, that using his light might further reveal his location to what he was now sure was overhead military aircraft circling around. He knew that time was of the essence and so, contrary to his better judgment, he flashed his signal light toward the ocean and hopefully the approaching landing party.
The circling Navy plane immediately spotted the light and took a quick bearing to ensure that they could direct the army troops to that location. The plane’s Captain radioed the army troops with the new bearings and they quickly began to move on a course to intercept the mysterious light. They were now sure that the light was much more than just a casual light from someone walking along the beach. The plane had confirmed that the light definitely appeared to be signaling something out to sea. The Army troops picked up their pace.
Colepaaugh could now hear what he thought were footsteps at a double time pace and he knew that he had been discovered. He debated the course of action that he should take. He could hide his equipment and try to talk his way out of the situation or make a run for it. Either way, he needed to radio the landing party and tell them to change their course so that they didn’t land anywhere near him. He grabbed his radio and sent a quick May Day signal, which the landing party would know meant that he had been discovered and that they were on their own. They would have to change course immediately so that they too were not discovered. Just as he completed his transmission he heard the troops moving toward him. He decided that he didn’t want to spend the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp and withdrew his Walter PPK automatic pistol from his backpack so he could make a run for it. Just as he got up and began his run the Army troops come over a nearby ridge and ordered him to stop. He turned and raised his pistol just as a soldier fired his rifle and stopped him in his tracks. Colepaaugh froze for a moment and slowly fell to the sand.
The troops would soon find his backpack and confirmed to their headquarters at the Mid-Atlantic Command and to the circling patrol planes that they had indeed shot and killed a Nazi spy. The hunt continued.
ON THEIR OWN
The landing party knew that they were now on their own and had to make land and try to complete their mission as best they could. Upon receiving the May Day signal they decided to change their course from westerly to southerly so that they would land away from where their contact had apparently encountered trouble. If they could land and bury their cargo, perhaps Berlin could contact another operative to retrieve it. They would then try to make it back to their ship, have the Captain contact Himmler and then head back home.
The sun was starting to clear the horizon and the patrol planes overhead began to scan the ocean near shore to see if there was any activity. They also began scanning the horizon for any telltale signs of U-boat activity. They had been contacted by the shore patrol and told about the suspected Nazi spy that had been shot and killed by them. The patrol thought he was there to meet up with someone, perhaps arriving by sea. They asked the planes to keep them apprised of any unusual activity they might come across as they continued to patrol the area where the spy had been discovered.
Zierte and Barbi were now within sight of the shore and steered their landing craft toward an area that appeared to offer some cover. As they neared the beach Barbi jumped out of the boat and grabbed the mooring line and pulled the small raft onto land. Zierte quickly jumped from the raft and the two men pulled the raft further ashore and began to unload their weapons and the special cargo. They saw a cleaning in the dunes not far from where they were that would make a good hiding place for their cargo until it could be retrieved later. They grabbed the steel box and carried it away from the beach. When they were well out of sight from the water they began to dig a deep hole to place the box into, along a series of hilly dunes. While Zierte dug, Barbi took his compass out and began to take readings and land sightings so that they could later direct someone to the spot where their cargo was buried. Although he didn’t write anything down he firmly committed the location to memory. The hole was quickly finished and the men lowered their cargo into it. They then covered it and smoothed the surface sand so that there were no signs of their activity. They began to make their way back to the beach.
While the men were busy burying their cargo, an overhead patrol plane sighted their raft on the beach and alerted the shore patrol that was close to the beach location. The shore party double-timed up the beach. Zierte and Barbi were already on their way back to their raft when they caught a glimpse of what they thought was a small group of Army soldiers quickly moving toward their location. They decided to separate and head in different directions with the plan to meet back later by the raft.
The naval patrol plane also saw them moving in different directions and quickly radioed the shore patrol. The patrol broke into two groups and pursued the suspects up through the dunes. A second shore patrol had already been dispatched to the area after the shooting of the spy and was rapidly moving toward their location from their offshore base.
Meanwhile Barbi moved from the shore and across the dunes while four soldiers pursued him. He could hear them approaching behind him but hoped that he could find a place to hide until it got dark. He would then try to make his way into a near by town, find some clothes to steal and change into and blend in until he figured his next steps.
The patrol planes caught glimpses of what appeared to be a firefight and then an explosive that sent smoke into the air. They radioed their observations to the land patrols although one patrol failed to acknowledge their transmissions. The land-based patrol was quickly approaching the last reported location of Zierte. As they came up over a series of dunes they caught a glimpse of a person, dressed all in black, running from the area. They quickly advanced and yelled for the person to stop. Zierte knew that he had been discovered and began to turn with his MP28 machine gun already rising. The patrol leader spotted the gun and without a bit of hesitation opened fire with his Thompson sub machine. Zierte was almost cut in two as he let out his last breathe of life.