STORY BILL STYLES N LATE 1944 THE GERMAN ARMIES WERE BEING PUSHED BACK TOWARDS THE FATHERLAND. THE U-BOAT PACKS, PRIDE OF HITLER’S NAVY, HAD BEEN DECIMATED AND THE REICH WAS BEING SLOWLY STRANGLED. A NEW, REVOLUTIONARY HIGH-SPEED SUBMARINE PROMISED TO WREST THE BALANCE OF SEA POWER BACK TO THE KRIEGSMARINE BUT, ON ITS TEST VOYAGE, ONE VESSEL WOULD STAND BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE OPEN SEA — A SINGLE M.T.B.
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ART VILA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK
4 EARLIER THAT YEAR, AT A ROYAL NAVY BASE ON THE EAST COAST OF BRITAIN, THE CREW OF MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT 777 LOOKED AT THEIR WRECKED CRAFT. WHILE ON PATROL THEY HAD BEEN ATTACKED AND BADLY CHEWED-UP BY GERMAN FIGHTERS. WE WERE LUCKY TO GET OUT OF THAT ONE, SKIPPER.
OUR NEAREST MISS TO DATE. WE WON’T BE GOING BACK NEAR THE NORMANDY BEACHES IN HER.
THE SKIPPER, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BERNIE CORTON, GRINNED. RESPECTED BY THE TEAM HE HAD BUILT UP, HE WAS HIGHLY EXPERIENCED WITH COASTAL FORCES M.T.B.s.
WHAT NOW, SKIPPER? WE’LL NEED ANOTHER BOAT, AT LEAST. MAYBE WITH SOME TOYS FOR YOU TO PLAY WITH, SUB. SUB-LIEUTENANT BRIAN REDWING HAD LEFT UNIVERSITY TO JOIN THE NAVY. HE WAS FASCINATED BY THE NEW ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT BEING FITTED TO THE TORPEDO BOATS.
5 ABLE-SEAMAN PETER MARSH CAME FROM A FISHING FAMILY ON THE EAST COAST OF BRITAIN. THE SEA HAD ALWAYS BEEN HIS LIFE AND HE WAS NEVER HAPPIER THAN WHEN HE WAS AT THE HELM OF A SAILING BOAT.
I’VE SAVED OUR FLAG, SIR. WE’LL BE ABLE TO USE IT AGAIN. IT’S BROUGHT US LUCK SO FAR.
DIDN’T DO OLD SEVEN-SEVENSEVEN MUCH GOOD, THOUGH.
THE PIRATE FLAG WAS THEIR MASCOT AND THE CREW HAD LONG REFERRED TO THEMSELVES AS “BERNIE’S BUCCANEERS.” IF THE SKIPPER KNEW, HE HAD NEVER LET ON.
WE’VE FINISHED ANOTHER MISSION — ALL IN ONE PIECE MORE OR LESS. JERRY DIDN’T STOP US GETTING BACK TO BASE. WELL DONE, LADS!
ANY CHANCE OF A RUM RATION, SIR?
6 PETER HAD SERVED WITH BERNIE CORTON AND BRIAN REDWING FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. HE HAD GAINED A LOT OF BATTLE EXPERIENCE. HIS FRIEND, ABLE SEAMAN ALBERT BAKER, HAD JOINED THE BOAT MORE RECENTLY. WELL, THE OLD MAN’S DONE IT AGAIN, BACK IN HARBOUR, EVEN IF THE BOAT’S WRECKED.
AND WE SHOT DOWN A ONE-NINETY! BUT YOU’D BETTER GET OFF TO THE SICK BAY WITH THAT ARM, ALBERT.
BY THE NEXT DAY ALBERT HAD BEEN PATCHED UP AND WAS ONE OF THE TIRED CREW ADDRESSED BY THE BASE COMMANDER. MEN, YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT YOUR DUTIES VERY WELL. YOU ARE GOING TO GET SOME WELL-DESERVED LEAVE.
WE’LL BE GETTING A NEW POSTING ON OUR RETURN BUT THE COMMANDER HAS ARRANGED FOR US TO STAY TOGETHER AS A CREW. YOU’LL GET ALL THE DETAILS AFTER YOUR LEAVE.
SOUNDS LIKE WE’RE ON THE MOVE. WONDER WHERE OUR NEXT BASE WILL BE?
7 RETURNING FROM LEAVE, THE CREW WERE DETAILED TO SOME RE-TRAINING FOR THEIR NEW POSTING. THEN, IN OCTOBER 1944, THEY TRAVELLED TO THE MEDITERRANEAN WHERE THEIR NEW BOAT AWAITED. COR, GIBRALTAR’S MUCH HOTTER THAN FELIXSTOWE!
A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IN MY BOOK. YOU CAN WORK ON YOUR SUNTAN NOW THE BANDAGE IS OFF YOUR ARM, ALBERT.
AT THE END OF THE JETTY, THE CREW WERE GREETED BY BERNIE, STANDING ABOARD THEIR BRAND NEW MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT. WELCOME ABOARD NINEEIGHT-NINE, LADS.
IT’S ONE OF THE NEW SEVENTYTHREE FOOT VOSPERS. FOUR TUBES — AND LOOK AT THOSE GUNS! WE CAN DO SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE WITH THIS OLD GIRL.
8 BRIAN WAS THE LAST TO JOIN 989. HE HAD BEEN ON A SPECIAL COURSE IN OPERATING AND TESTING SOME NEW RADAR GEAR AND ASDIC EQUIPMENT TO DETECT SUBMARINES. HE FILLED BERNIE IN ON THE DETAILS IN THE WARDROOM.
THE BOAT’S GOT ALL THE LIGHTWEIGHT GEAR YOU’VE BEEN TRAINED ON. IT WORKS IN THEORY BUT WE’RE TO TEST EVERYTHING OUT UNDER VARIOUS OPERATING CONDITIONS.
TESTING THE NEW DETECTION SYSTEMS WAS CONSIDERED SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN THE LATEST MODEL OF M.T.B. AND HUGE HUNTING GROUND. MY ORDERS LET US RANGE WHEREVER WE WANT TO GO, WITHIN REASON. THAT SHOULD MAKE YOUR NAVIGATION INTERESTING, EH, SUB?
IF THIS EQUIPMENT DOES THE BUSINESS THERE WON’T BE ANYWHERE THAT JERRY SUBS CAN HIDE.
TWO DAYS LATER THEY HAD LOADED SUPPLIES AND CARRIED OUT SOME INITIAL SEA TRIALS. M.T.B. 989, HEAVILY ARMED AND WITH FULL LONG-RANGE FUEL TANKS, SET OFF.
HERE WE GO. I WONDER WHAT WE’LL FIND OUT THERE?
9 WHILE M.T.B. 989 WAS SETTING OFF ON ITS MISSION, MANY MILES AWAY, ADMIRAL HEINRICH VON KRETSCH STOOD IN HIS OFFICE IN THE GERMAN ADMIRALTY H.Q. IN BERLIN. HE WAS IN CHARGE OF A NEW GERMAN SUBMARINE’S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME AND WAS SERIOUSLY WORRIED.
THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN ARMIES APPROACH FROM THE WEST, THE RUSSIAN FORCES ARE COMING FROM THE EAST. AND EVERY NIGHT, THE AIR RAIDS DO MORE DAMAGE. WE ARE CAUGHT IN A VICE.
VON KRETSCH WAS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE ATTACKS ON HIS WORK, THOUGH, HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS FUTURE. THE NAZI HIGH COMMAND DISTRUSTED HIM, OTHER SENIOR GERMAN NAVAL OFFICERS, TRADITIONAL NAVY MEN AND LESS FANATICAL, HATED HIM.
THE BOMBERS ARE POUNDING THIS CITY TO RUBBLE, GERMANY MUST LOSE THE WAR. IF THE ALLIES GET THEIR HANDS ON ME THEY WILL HANG ME AS A WAR CRIMINAL FOR THOSE ORDERS TO EXTERMINATE SURVIVORS OF OUR U-BOAT ATTACKS.
10 TURNING FROM THE WINDOW, THE ADMIRAL ADDRESSED HIS TWO CHIEF HENCHMEN. OBERBOOTSMANN HELMUT KRAUSS AND OBERBOOTSMANNSMAT JOACHIM BRANDT HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM MILITARY PRISON BY VON KRETSCH. THEY HELPED IN HIS VARIOUS CRIMES, MOST RECENTLY ARRANGING FOR BANKS TO BE LOOTED AFTER AIR RAIDS. KRAUSS AND BRANDT, I HAVE A NEW TASK FOR YOU.
WITH OTHER EX-PRISONERS DISGUISED AS MARINES THESE THUGS FORMED A BODYGUARD FOR VON KRETSCH — HIS OWN PRIVATE ARMY. WE ARE GOING TO LOSE THIS WAR. THE GESTAPO IS CLOSING IN ON US, AND I DON’T INTEND TO WAIT FOR THEM. IT’S TIME FOR US TO MOVE.
THE ADMIRAL HAD TRANSPORT ARRANGED TO MAKE GOOD THEIR ESCAPE BEFORE GERMANY FELL. BUT HE WANTED TO FEATHER HIS NEST A LITTLE MORE BEFORE HE SKIPPED. SOUTH AMERICA WILL BE A GOOD PLACE FOR US AND THE WEALTH WE HAVE GATHERED. BUT PERHAPS WE CAN GET SOME MORE FIRST.
AND YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND…