http://c39.co.uk/images/kriegsmarine.gif

*Grainy Propaganda Film starts*
CITIZENS OF GROSSDEUTSCHLAND
Our valiant U-boat fleet needs you!
With our elite submarining wolves, we shall starve any and all enemy into submission, to ensure the swift and absolute victory of the Fatherland!
None shall stand in our way, any imbecilic enough shall soon find themselves as submerged as us, but without or ability to resurface!
Join the Kriegsmarine U-boat Army Today!
*Exits with "Deutschland Uber Alles*

Yes folks, it's time for a new SHIII AAR. Laugh as our torpedos hammer into the British fleet! Sweat as they depth charge us for hours on end! Cry as we torpedo our own fleet!

I will probably (probably be using Grey Wolves if I can actually make it stable enough, but no promises.
I fully encourage you guys to write in-character stories, there may be awards in it for you :)
Hopefully, this should take us from some period early in the war (not determined when yet, that's for you guys to decide), to the surrender of Germany.

You are all very, very welcome to design our very own insignia for our very own U-boat :)

All are welcome aboard our U-boat, so volunteers, at the ready!

Crew
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3715/u86420crew.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/i/u86420crew.jpg/)

Officers
Kapitanleutnant von Noncon
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8849/eric20topp2l.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/eric20topp2l.jpg/)
Lietender Ingenieur von Sharuminar
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3079/ites20u14620u94.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/i/ites20u14620u94.jpg/)
1 Wachsoffizier Pugwaschen
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1828/u3763.jpg (http://img15.imageshack.us/i/u3763.jpg/)
Navigationsoffizier Kapitanzwei
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/5063/eric20topp1.jpg (http://img14.imageshack.us/i/eric20topp1.jpg/)

Petty Officers
Funkmeister Eiskommando
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/6358/radio4n.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/radio4n.jpg/)
Artillerieoffizier Prinz von und zu Scamphausen
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2886/u72.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/u72.jpg/)
Koch Eisernmann
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/3158/dwkoch.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/dwkoch.jpg/)
Sanitater Tykoonst
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2964/u564.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/i/u564.jpg/)

Reserved 2

Reserved 3

Reserved 4 (just in case...posting is now open etc)

1WO Pugwaschen reporting!

Artillerieoffizier Prinz von und zu Scamphausen III reporting in for duty sah!

That's quite the name. :lol:

"Herr Kaleun, I've had to gut out and replace half the components, but she's seaworthy. Well, mostly. That diving plane problem is sorted - just had to get a new connection cable - so she'll go under properly. I'll be damned if I know what's been done to the engines though, I wouldn't recommend going above 14 knots for now unless you can live with loud rattling noises.

I don't know who the crew were before us, but if I ever meet them we'll see just how deep a periscope can be shoved up their-"

*notices the latest crewmembers*

"Well that's all we need. If either of you so much as dent any part of this ship and I'll see you're thrown into the sea and used for gunnery practice."

Listen to the chief, boys. It's his boat, we're just borrowing it.

Does that "half of the components" include my new stove Herr Sharuminar?

It won't be a week until the men will be up in mutiny otherwise.

sanitater tycoonist reporting for duty...

i have to say that funkmeister sounds like the coolest job in the world ever.

I don't know who the crew were before us, but if I ever meet them we'll see just how deep a periscope can be shoved up their-"

"I must advise against that Herr Kan, It is very bad for the alignment of the periscope"

*pulls out his shiny compass*

"reporting for duty, sir"

Kapitanzwei, I have heard of your exploits, and I must tell you that your last U-boat's sinking by an Orca in the Berlin aquarium was most unfortunate.

That's quite the name. :lol:

And if anyone shortens it I use them for target practice.

Well in my defense, I have no clue what the Orca was doing in the octopus exibition

September 1939, Kiel
Rudi's Bierkeller
22:00 Hours

The Kaleun and the chief entered the bierkeller, at best, nothing more than a cheaply disguised brothel, at worst....nothing but an undisguised brothel.
The two walked over to the bar, looking conspicuously old compared to the majority of the uniformed drunks surrounding them.
"Scotch, ice, a little water", the Kaleun, quietly, but firmly.
"The same" asserted Chief Kan.

The Kaleun took a sip, while the chief lit up his trusty pipe, handing his lighter over to the Kaleun, who had inperceivably whipped out a cigarette and had it fixed between his lips.

"Look at them, Chief, so ready to fight in their iron boxes"
"And die for them too", answered the Chief, with a hint of tragicomedy. "They'll find out soon enough, Kaleun".

The Kaleun and the Chief went back a few years; this was not their first sialign together.
They has previosuly sailed as one of the few U-boat crews during the Spanish Civil War, not racking up many kills, but none the less, seeing and experiencing the death of war.
Of course, back then, the Kaleun was but an ensign, while the Chief was the head Mechanic, and the two had formed a close bond, not in the least because the Chief had a prodigious ability of procuring a bottle of spirits from anywhere, even, seemingly, from the bottom of the sea itself.

As the two "old men" drank, they surveyed their crew, having been drinking since the early evening.
Their ecstasy came partly from the invasion of Poland, part of their natural Heimat. The Kaleun knew for a fact that a couple of the crew were born in Poland, back when it was part of Germany.
It also came partly because they could now prove themselves, and become Men, in the tradition of the Kaiser, that long-forgotten figurehead.

Sipping his second scotch, the Kaleun noticed a slurring Pugwaschen leading a number of U-boat men from various crews in a stunningly tone-deaf rendition of Lili Marleen, switching between English and German alternatively, putting a small smile on his and the chief's faces.

In the corner, Kapitanzwei was currently engaged in some game he'd invented, where officers would stand toe to toe, and give the Hitler salute in such a way that the arm would crack the other officer in the face as hard as possible.
Kapitanzwei said it proved who was the "most patriotic", and judging from the number of black-eyed and bloody nosed officers wandering around the room, it would seem noone could impugn Kapitanzwei's belief in the Reich. Or his ex-boxing credentials.

Eisernmann, the trusty, but deadly, cook, at this point, crashed through the door to the kitchen, running off with a huge string of sausages, and a leg of ham, and as one of the waiters tried to tackle him, he swung the ham into his stomach, bending him over in pain, and shouting "I'm a sub-mariner verdammt, you cowardly dog!" and taking huge bites out of the sausages, which he then passed to the crew.

Tykoonst and Eiskommando were sat together telling lewd jokes.
"Hey, Eiskommando, did you hear the oned about the nun and the rottweiler?"
before roaring with laughter, and screaming obscenities.
Scamphausen, as he walked past, overheard one of their blue jokes, and replied, roaring, "YOU WANT TO SEE MY ARTILLERY PIECE, YOU DIRTY DOGS?" and collapsing into laughter with the two, before all three pulled out their sidearms, and fired a salvo into the picture of Chamberlain adorning the bar's dartboard.

At this, the Kapitan climbed onto a table, and the chief bellowed "Achtung, you sickening sub-nautical scumbags", and the room quietened.

"You disgust me" started the Kaleun, "behaving like this, in front of your superior officers, the night before we set sail to smash the foe. Shame on you. Not even buying a drink for your officers?" he called, throwing his now empty glass against a wall, and it shattering into a thousand shards.
The whole room exploded with laughter, and began to sing "O Du Shoener Westerwald" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjlpXTKBsak), while the chief and Kaleun joined in, as Pugwaschen brought the two a hefty glass of unnamed spirits each".

He had won over the men, but would that be enough?

Rudi turned to his wife "I tell you, I hope the war is won soon. I can't keep doing with the mess these sailors leave my bar in!"

Don't worry boys, I'll be sure to sneak in some proper drinks with the food. ;)

That is Artillerieoffizier Prinz von und zu Scamphausen III to you buddy!

*Touches his split lip*

"I appear to be bleeding a little, I'll go get some alcohol to put on it"

*grabs bottle of rum*

Would Artillerieoffizier Prinz von und zu Scamphausen III be interested in helping old cookie get some proper alcohol onto ole' Wilhelm*?

*I've spontaneously decided to call the U-Boat Wilhelm. =P


Edit: and here's my attempt at something to represent our dear U-Boat.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w124/Ironman2055/SilentHunterIII.jpg

http://forums.civfanatics.com/images/avatars/Civ2_Submarine.gif

Perhaps we could work something out.

That was a superb opening update, Noncon :D

Apologies for double posting. I did a little doodling on creating an emblem, and since I rather liked IronMan's idea of using a cannon, focused on that. I also prefer the simplicity of some of the emblems in the game already, so simply took the cannon, gave it a fish-like appearance and represented it as underwater with as few details as possible.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3164/emblem01.png

It needs a bit of work, particularly for colours, but wanted to see if posters felt it was worth continuing or scrapping.

I approve of this update, and await the next one.

*hic*

edit for Kanny kan kan kan: I like it! The simplicity is nice, and I also like the cannon/fish idea.

Nice, I wish I had a cannon fish

Kan, your emblem is nice, please do continue.

Ironman, it is indeed a nice emblem, but too complicated to paint onto a U-boat ;) (the boats usually had black and white, or quite simple insignias on the side)
Also the presence of the Swastika flag is somewhat disconcerting to the crew :lol:

Let it be said you inspired the Chief, Kan, in his designs (which I am sure he'd agree with!)

Patrol 1: War, Children, it's just a shot away

The morning after. von Noncon and the Chief had been briefed by the flotilla chief, von Genschler, they entered their U-boat holding pen, where the entire crew had been lined up for roll-call, by Pugwaschen, at this point quite red-eyed, and looking the worst for the night before.

"All present, Number One?"
"Aye Sir"
"All ready to go to war?"
"JAWOHL HERR KALEUN" came the reply from each man, as one.

"Essential crew to their stations, everyone else, ACHTUNG"

As five mechanics scurried off, and leapd down the hatches, all the men, in their ranks saluted, and the officers made their way to the conning towers, straightened their caps, and saluted as well.
The submarine began to vibrate, then tremble, then shake, as the engine revolutions build up, and the Boat began to slowly, majestically unsheath itself from its pen.

As the U-48 escaped its dock, it passed a group of fellow submariners, who had turned out to bid a fond farewell and a bon voyage to their fellow sailors, albeit with a bit of jealousy, the U-48 being one of the few presitigous subs to be reelased on the first day of the war.
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/8293/sh32009082216205290s.png (http://img354.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082216205290s.png/)
Amongst them was Kapitanleutnant Jurgen Darmstadt, who had also been aboard the same sub as the chief and kaleun in the Spanish war.
"Give them one for me!" he cried as the boat waltzed off into the morning sun.

"Herr Kapitanzwei, plot a course to grid point BF17. We're going to war."

For three days nothing happened. Boredom crept in. The officers were kept alert only by Eisernmann, the cook's, constant barrage of coffee, and Tykoonst's masterly use of the gramopohne, matching the song to the mood expertly.
However, on the third day of the patrol, no song marked the dawn.
Instead, Eisernmann was sent to the officer's table, where Pugwaschen had just finished attempting to open his soft-boiled egg, covering his face in yolk, and reported "Herr Kaleun, we have a signal from Headquarters. Triple Encoded."
The officers looked at the kaleun, since a message of this importance hadnever been seen before.

"Out. All of you. OUT. You too Chief", and he set to work decoding it.
As he finished it, a hint of a grin appeared on his face, and he picked up the tannoy mike.
"Men" he said "news for you. We are now at war with Britain and France. Full hostilities. That is all".
A wave of excitement and rumours spread across the ship.

However, the excitement was short lived. Despite the declaration, the most excitement was noncon, Sharuminar and Kapitanzwei discussing possible routes to the grid square.
"Herr Kaleun, I reccommend going through the English Channel. Shortest route. Not likely to be guarded".
"He's right you know" said Sharuminar. "About the distance, I mean. God knows if it's actually going to be easy to get past. Probably a gauntlet."
Noncon pulled his cap off, and stroked his hair. "We'll take the risk chief. Full ahead."


On the fifth a storm broke out, and lashed the Watch Crew something rotten. Pugwaschen was on his seventh cup of coffee in half an hour. Not that he had drunk much more than half a cup, mind you, but the waves and wind had already carried away the first six cups. He resigned himself to a sip of Schnapps, but as soon as he had this idea, he spotted something looming in the storm, a dark shadow, large and foreboding.
He wiped his binoculars, slammed them to his face, and spotted an English Ensign. Attached to the Ensign, there happened to be a ship, and not attached to this ship, in any way, shape, or for, was weapons.
"Merchant ship spotted, Sir, ahead, about one Klick!", Pugwaschen called down the conningtower hatch, as a wave hit the man relaying the orders in the control room.
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9653/sh32009082216344509.png (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082216344509.png/)
The Kalen made his way up, and dragged Scamphausen from his bed and mumblings of someone called "Winston" and stared out at the ship.

"Any chance of getting a deck gun crew on that?"
"No sir, not unless you want to trade four men, me included, for a small merchant."

"Prepare for surface attack. UZO to the deck. All non-essential personnel below.
Pugwaschen give me the details. "
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9321/sh32009082216362760.png (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082216362760.png/)
"Range, seven hundred. Angle on Bow, 62. About seven knots. Fire, sir. "
"TORPEDO, LOS!"
The torpedo leapt from the boat, and sped towards the target.
"There's no chance they'll avoid it, number one!"

BOOM!
Pugwaschen's face erupted into a smile, as a fountain of sea exploded into the air.
However, this was premature, as apparently was the torpedo's detonation. It had exploded between the ship and the sub.
"Scheisse. How could this happen? Fire tube two, same settings, on fastest speed possible. That's alerted them, we have about thirty seconds before they change course.
The next torpedo was fired within seconds, and this one, thank goodness, was a direct hit.
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/8493/sh32009082216401923.png (http://img103.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082216401923.png/)
The ship's rear leapt out of the water, and resettled, as a huge plume of water filled the sky, and the U-boat rocked.

"She's going down, Herr Kaleun!"
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/9831/sh32009082216403725.png (http://img161.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082216403725.png/)
From the tower hatch, a huge cheer could be heard as the whole crew feted their first victory.

As the ship went down, the survivors scrambled to their lifeboats, and began to row furiously towards the U-boat.
"Halt!" cried noncon, in passable English "advance no further!"

He tossed a package into the lead boat "food, and water. England is to your north, and France to your south. Sorry 'old boys'. Good luck".
The U-boat then began to reverse slowly, and carried on its pre-planned route.
The watch crew waved sheepishly to the survivors, who mustered a return wave, as the boat slipped into the dark.

...

"ALAAAAAAAAAAARM" cried Pugwaschen.
"Armed trawler on the port bow!"
"Dive, dive, they'll have radioed in reinforcements, and we can't waste a torpedo on her".

The boat dived, jsut as the smoke of a warship, probably a destroyer appeared on the horizon.
The boat settled at periscope depth, and noncon clambered into the conning tower compartment, and raised the persicope.
"Scheisse; Emnglish destroyer....heading straight for us! What's the sea floor depth?"
The messaged was relayed to Kapitanzwei
"About theirty metres, herr kaleun"
"Verdammt, they can spot and sink us no problem...any depth charged will blow us out of the water, and force us to surface....Chief, this is your hour. Take her to twenty seven metres"
"Herr kaleun, we're cutting it fine...any sudden sea floor rises, amnd we're done for"
"Do it chief...rig for silent running."
"silent running, three knots. I hope you're right, herr Kaleun, or we'll be eating Schnitzel with Churchill!"

The boat crept forwards, agonisingly, and the whole command room sweated as one, hoping that the Destroyer would simply miss their presence

"Depth charges in the water!" hissed the sound man
BOOM....BOOM

two explosions, shook the boat, but apart from that did very little
"They don't know where we are, Herr Kaleun, they're trying to make us so angry that we may make a mistake"
the Kaleun looked towards the soundman
"you should go to the movies less, Fritz" the kaleun whispered to his soundman.

The progress was agnonising and slow. The fear could be smelled. Some of the younger crewmembers sat in their bunks, sobbing quietly into their pillows. If they thought this was their baptism of fire, they were wrong.
More charges, no closer.
The Destroyer's screws were clearly audible above, and it seemed as if the boat would sink, filled with the sweat of the crewmembers.
After fifteen minutes, Eisernmann came around, and gave bacon sandwiches and coffee to everyone.

"Excellent Coffee, cookie" whispered Pugwaschen, inthe control room
"Yes, indeed, a rather distinct taste" answered the Cheif, as he and the Kaleun exchanged a furtive look.
This was enough to get the crew back into shape.

The boat kept creeping, away, away.

After a full half hour, the boat had traveleed far enough, and the English were grasping at so many straws that the depth charges had faded to a mere pin-dropping.

"Secure from silent running, and bring her to seven knots Chief. It's a risk, but we'll take it".
"Aye sir"

The ship began to rumble, and started moving further away from the sounds.

"We'll not take too many risks. We'll surface only at dusk"

After four hours of submerged speeding, the ship finally broke into the cool night air.
The tower hatch sprung open from the large amount of compressed carbon doxide ocntained whithin the ship, and the whole command room gasped at the hatch to fill their lungs with fresh air, as the first watch clambered up.

...

For three hours the ship sped through, at flank speed, trying to clear the channel before day break, until, at 11pm,
"Herr Kaleun, destroyer spotted, starboard, a kilometre", sung Pugwaschen down the hatch"
"Damnit.....it's a dark night, no moon. Rudder full to port, we'll avoid her. We can't repeeat today's routine again. We must clear the channel before day!"

The destroyer's lights faded into the night, and no more was seen of her again.

At 1am, the officers took supper, and the 2nd WO took over from Pugwaschen. The Cook came and served his speciality, sauerkraut.
As the officers ate, the Chief looked up at the Cook.

Interesting coffee, Eisernmann. Quite intoxicating too".
Eisernmann looked at Kan somewhat sheepishly
"Ja, you might have noticed, I added schnapps".
"And where, pray tell would this have come from?" chimed in noncon.
"My mother sent me three full bottles of it before we left port, as a present. I figured the crew were under a lot of stress, so I put all three bottles into the coffee, and served it to the entire crew"

The officers looked at Eisernmann in bemusement.
"What a sacrifice!" cried the Chief "We have ourselves a German hero here! He will win the Knights Cross before us all!"
The officer's mess exploded into laughter
"And as for his mother" cried Pugwaschen "she will make Admiral!"
The officers and Cookie wept with laughter.
It was good to be alive.

PART 2 COMING UP IN 5 MINUTES

Scamphausen was shaken from his sleep in the early morning light. He saw a horrible form looming above him, ugly, vicious, and deadly, and his had had just wrapped around the screwdriver he always kept by his bed, ready to stab, and stab, and stab, and stab and stab and stab and stab and stab, but then he realised it was just Tykoonst.
"Psst, Artillerieoffizier, you're asked for on deck"
"Again?....Mein Gott, I should have joined the Army!"

Scamphausen wearily pulled on his waterproof jacket (couldn't be too sure), and clambered up the ladder, nodding a silent salute to Kapitanzwei as he pased him in the control room.

"Get your men on deck, we're sinking her"
Scamphausen was still adjusting to the early mornign light, and he strained his eyes, eventually spotting a merchant, which he dispached to the bottom within two minutes.
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4834/sh32009082218200025.png (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082218200025.png/)
"A new record!" awed Eiskommando as Scamphaused wearily trudged back to his bunk.

On the 9th, permission was given to return to base.

"Kapitanzwei, I trust we have all agreed *not* to take the English Channel?"
At this, the navigator looked somewhat disenhearted, his legendary streak of wanting to die at all costs as long as pretty explosions were involved, hurt. "Ja Herr Kaleun"
"We sill have qutie afew torpedos to expend. Double the watches, and put our best men up top.
At this, Pugwaschen knew he'd get ver little sleep, so called down "Cookie, coffee. Your usual "deadly" strength, please".

...
They did not have to wait long.
Within two hours, one of the watch crew had tapped Pugwaschen on the shoulder, binocs screwed to his face, and pointed out two forms, a long low one and a higher, shorter one.
Pugwaschen flicked through his recognition manual, and ID'd them as a merchantman and a tanker.
He smiled. The English would pay for Munich!

The Kalen was brought up, and the UZO was fixed on deck, and the engines put to All Stop.
The calculations were made, Pugwaschen scrawling furiously on a little notpad, taking readings of speed, distance and bearing, before feeding them down to Tykoonst in the control room, who was inputting the figures into the Torpedo Computer.
"Fire, 1WO!"
"FIRE!" called Pugwaschen, and the boat shook a lottle as the Eel left ist nest and shot off to find its target.
Hit! The merchantman rocked and shook, as the water surrounded it, and it slowed down, its engine room having taken the brunt of the force.
But she wasn't goping doiwn, and the oil tanker was escaping.
Hurriedly, two torpedos were fired at the Tanker, Pugwaschen chiming out the fire order twice in succession.
Nothing. Pugwaschen stared at his wacth, and said "Herr Kaleun, the time has passed!"

"Fire two more. We must sink her, she is taking vital oil!"
Two more torpedos were fired. Again nothing

"Verdammt! What is this trickery? WE can't have missed! The target was slow, and long. Sabotage! It must be!"
"If you permit me, Sir" Pugwashen broke in, uneasily "when I was in training school, we had this issue. Well, to be honest, a lot of issues. We're far north, and they reckon that the North Pole interferes with the magnetic compass in the torpedos, and makes them go astray. Also, the detonator mechanism hasn't been perfected yet".

noncon looked at him in apoplectic rage
"They send us to war, and they can't even give us equipment that works? What is this? The Ringling Circus?
What do they expect me to do? Sink the British fleet with Eisernmann's dumplings?"
From the hatch, all the way from the galley, a the back of the boat, came a shout "I heard that!"
Pugwaschen and noncon looked at each other, each mouthing "How the hell?"

In any case, this brought them both back to lucidity. Scamphausen was brought up to the conn as fast as possible with his crew, fixed onto his gun, and rodered to sink the wounded merchantmen as fast as possible. It took three rounds.
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/4971/sh32009082218343823.png (http://img48.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082218343823.png/)
The ship was then launched into flank speed, and the Tanker was caught up with rapidly.
The officer stood on deck, and watched, as the gun crew fired round after round into the tanker, and her deck became an inferno of flame and burning petrol.
Suddenyl she exploded, lifting clean out of the water, her back breaking in two, and thern settling back on it, the two halves drifting apart, spewing hellfire and brimstone.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2766/sh32009082218414120.png (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082218414120.png/)
"Poor bastards" said the chief, as the boat set sail for home.
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/3766/sh32009082218413956v.png (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/sh32009082218413956v.png/)


The ship slid into Kiel docks, slowly and majestically, to the sound of the same brass band as before, but the onlookers were shocked. Gone were they youthful, tanned young boys, and in their stead were pale, hairy, dirty and unshaved men, with the cumulative beard strength of a Glasgow bar.

The Kalen wrote up his report, to be handed to the flotilla Chief.

U-48 Report
Start Patrol: 1st September 1939
End Patrol: 15th September, 1939
Damage Sustained: Minor, resulting from being too close to exploding tanker.

5 merchant ships sunk, for 17,035 Tonnes.

Have been permitted to isse the following medals:

U-boat War Badge:
Prinz von und zu Scamphausen III, for excellency in sinking ships on the surface.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/U-boat_War_Badge_small.jpg

U-boat Front Clasp:
Pugwaschen for dutiful observation on the watch, and finding targets
von Sharuminar for his duty towards his fellow submariners, and in successfully evading a dxestroyer in the English Channel under Silent Running.
Eisernmann, for his quick thinking, and utmost sacrifice, in keeping the morale of the ship at a maximum
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/U-boat_Front_Clasp.jpg



(All critiques and criticisms graciosuly accepted; is it too long? Too many words? Not enough pictures? Too short?)

Pugwaschen raised his fingers and pinged the front of his new Combat Clasp with pride. A war badge on his first patrol! And only weeks into the fighting, as well. Not many men had won anything from this war just yet, and from that Pugwaschen took extra satisfaction. Attention from impressed females was just an added bonus, of course.

Better than the first update, imho. Wordcount is fine, pefect ratio of pictures, tho maybe could use a pic to break up the text in the second half of the first post. Good stuff, herr Kaleun! :D

Lastly, and this isn't really a criticism, I googled the u-boat front clasp and apparently they weren't awarded until 1944 (http://www.uboataces.com/front-clasp.shtml). Apparently our boat can time travel. :mischief:

Yer, the game does that.

Don't mention that the U-boat War Badge was issued upon completion of 3 missions :mischief:

*Twirls his protractor on his finger and then sticks it in a holster on his side*

I'm the best there is :p

The chief worked his way through the bowels of the boat, doing a quick check of the machinery and making a mental note of what replacements were needed - remarkably few considering the Channel dash - before noticing the Kaleun at the officers table still filing his report. Deciding that the boat was empty bar the two of them, he sneaked to his bunk, grabbed the bottle of scotch he had kept hidden and thumped it in front of the commander.

"Mein gott chief, was there more alcohol bottles on board than torpedoes?" Nevertheless Noncon opened the bottle and took a swig as the chief sat down opposite him.
"Aah, I had intended to pass it round the crew when we we began the home journey," Sharuminar looked sheepish and reached for the bottle."Congratulations on their first patrol."
The Kaleun laughed. "Don't worry chief, I won't tell anyone you have a soft side."
"Bah, doesn't matter now after Eisernmann taking on the role of schnapps-distribution officer. Don't want the new-ones thinking drink is common-place on board."
"If it means more for us at the end, I won't complain. Good lad though, that cook."
"Anyone who makes my wife's cooking taste good is a saint. Make sure you don't transfer that one out."

They laughed again, and worked their way through the scotch whilst finishing the reports. The chief would be granted leave soon - back to Bremen to visit his family for a while, and then back to the gruelling job of keeping one little boat running.


OOC: Brilliant update Nonny Noncon, well worth the wait. I agree with what Pugwash has said critique wise. Love reading the interactions between the crewmembers and the little events between them. If you want to increase the immersion a bit, I would try to crop the pictures so as little of the interface/event camera is shown. It's a little thing, but I find it makes it look less like a game, and more part of the story you're writing.

Next update now! :goodjob:

My dumplings also happened to have won the Annual Essen Cooking Contest. Thank. You. Very. Much.
*pins clasp forcefully*