by Erich Topp

  MY EXPERIENCES

During the pre-war years and the first two years of the war, U-boats conducted two-week tactical training excercises in the Baltic Sea. These exhausting exercises consisted of simulated attacks on convoys, formed of eight or more ships protected by escorts and airplanes. I engaged in these both as a commander of a U-boat, and later in the war as a Flotilla commander.

When attacking convoys early in the war, I always tried to pass the escorts and, if possible, attack from between the lines of the merchant ships. I had to keep in mind that I could not launch an attack from a distance less than 300 meters. Otherwise, we risked blowing ourselves up with our own torpedos.

Between the lines of the convoy I had some freedom to maneuver, because the merchant ships were bound to a certain order that did not allow them--even if they saw my U-boat--to change their course considerably, even to ram me.

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The advances in Allied technology were evident when I attacked a convoy in 1942 on its way from Gibraltar to England. This convoy was under the command of the famous convoy-leader John Walker. The Wolf Pack system failed.

Of the several U-boats that tried to attack this convoy, only my boat was able to attack during the night at a distance of 3,000 meters. The other boats were prevented from approaching close enough or were sunk. Huff-Duff, radar, and advanced tactics defeated our best efforts.

For more on Uboats see Type VII to VIIC. See also Naval Combat Previews.

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