The Dogger Sandbar is a huge shoal in the middle of the North Sea that was formed by the deposition of glacial gravel and silt on the seafloor in the southern part of the glacial period, during the late Melancholy Ice Age. It is located about 100 km due east of Newcastle in England and about 300 km west-northwest of Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The name Dogger comes from the ancient Dutch word for dogge.

As the name Dogle comes from, it is a famous fishing ground in the North Sea, where cold and warm currents meet, and where flounder, cod, turbot, flounder and herring gather, it has become a fishing mecca for fishermen.

In this large fishing ground, which was supposed to be home to a large number of British, German, Dutch, and Belgian fishing boats, there were only a few British trawlers at this time. Although the area was no longer safe with the British involved in the war, the proximity to the British coastline and the Royal Navy ships patrolling the vicinity emboldened the fishermen who worked here. And the risks they take are also more rewarding, and without a large number of peers competing with them, the fishermen's fishing efficiency has increased a lot.

But what these fishermen didn't know was that in the waters not far from them, a few uninvited guests were staring at the surface of the sea under the water, and every time they swept over the fishing boat they were on, these eyes would stop for a while.

"Maintaining depth, right hand rudder 20, 1/4 speed, advancing to a distance of 1000 meters, filling the front torpedo compartment with water, fixing depth 1 meter, firing from the No. 1 torpedo tube. Rumble! "Underwater south of the Dogle sandbank, in front of the periscope of the Ub-59 submarine, Captain Toovedigan put his eyes on the periscope and muttered something in his mouth.

Through the periscope, Veddigan looked ill-willed at the defenseless prey in front of him, and these lambs to the slaughter didn't even need to waste torpedoes, and went straight to the surface. With a few high-explosive shells from the 105mm rapid-fire guns on the foredeck, they will turn into splinters of wood floating on the sea.

However, Veddigan still resisted this tempting thought, including his own command of the Ub-59, four Type IV submarines belonging to the Second Submarine Group secretly set off from Wilhelmshaven late last night, first sailing on the water for 9 hours under the cover of night, and then sailing underwater for 3 hours after dawn before reaching the current position, and the 12-hour raid was not to take a few fishing boats as a result.

And if you get close to these fishing boats, you have to enter the Dogger sandbar. The depth of water in the sandbar is only 15 to 36 meters, if you encounter an emergency dive of the enemy, you will sit directly at the bottom, and it is not so easy to get out of the sandbar in the diving state, so the muttering just now is not so much a simulated attack, but rather a mouthful of addiction, to pass the time of boredom.

"Captain, it's a shift change." Behind Vedigan, the voice of Lieutenant Wolfland, the deputy captain of the boat, sounded.

Turning around, Verdigan saw Wolfland holding an iron kettle in his hand, and the heat wafting from the spout brought a strong fragrance.

Seeing the captain's gaze on his own hand. Wolfland raised the iron kettle in his hand slightly: "Maas just brewed coffee, do you want some?" ”

"It's wasting precious electricity again." "Our diesel engines don't work underwater, so don't just cook with an electric stove." ”

Despite saying this, Vidigan still took the iron kettle from Wolfland's hand and gave up the periscope position.

"Ah, it's so fragrant, just smelling this fragrance makes people feel refreshed." Widigan leaned over to the spout and took a deep breath, then said with some exaggeration: "It's amazing to be able to smell the aroma of coffee in this murky air." ”

The UB-59 has only been out of port for half a day. The cramped cabins of the boat were not yet filled with the disgusting smell of sweat and engine oil as they had been after an ocean voyage, and there were no unkempt and sour sailors who looked like dogs. As a result, the air inside Ub-59 is far from cloudy. But after all, after sailing underwater for a while, the air in the boat really can't be described as fresh.

"I'll leave it to you, I'll go get some coffee." Veddigan patted Wolfland on the shoulder, then shouted, "Now under the command of the co-captain!" ”

"Now under the command of the co-captain!" Wolfland repeated high and deep, and the command was passed in the cramped cabin.

Dig into the chart room with an iron kettle and pour yourself a refreshing cup of coffee. Facing the chart, Veddigan mentally estimated where the enemy might be and how he should attack. Widigan knew that the submarines Ub-63, Ub-64, and Ub-72 were not far from him at this time, and the four submarines were waiting for their prey to come to the door like lurking wolves.

The reason why the ambush was chosen as the ambush site near the Dogger sandbar rather than the area off the coast of Germany near the Dutch where the HMS sank was because it was closer to the British coast and the British would think they were safer. Especially if there are still British fishing boats operating safely, the British fleet will let their guard down. Moreover, most of the ships in the First Destroyer Fleet patrolling this route are Class I destroyers with a tonnage of less than 800 tons and a speed of about 27 knots, compared with those in the Third Destroyer Fleet of more than 1,000 tons, the L-class destroyers with a speed of nearly 30 knots are a soft persimmon that is easier to start

After reimagining everything he could think of, Veddigan relaxed, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair to recuperate, but his nap didn't last long.

"Captain, there's a situation!" Wolfland's shouts could be heard from the microphone in the chart room.

Widedigan's eyes snapped open, and a few arrows scurried into the command room, Wolfland had already moved out of the way, and Weavegan reached out and grabbed the grips on either side of the periscope and pressed his eyes to it.

"Captain takes over!" Wolfland shouted.

"Captain takes over!"

"Captain takes over!"

Turning the periscope slightly, Verdigan soon saw several plumes of smoke rising from the northwest side. There are a lot of smoke columns, it can't be one or two ships, and judging from the color of the smoke columns, it is not like the smoke that comes out of the inferior coal-fired coal used by ordinary civilian ships after it is not fully burned, it is definitely a warship that uses high-quality coal!

"The fleet of the British! Level 1 Combat Readiness! Wadigan shouted.

"Level 1 combat readiness! Level 1 Combat Readiness! Wolfland repeated Wiedigan's orders.

The already dim lights inside the submarine began to flicker, and as orders were conveyed layer by layer, the watertight doors of the cabins were closed one by one, and the sound of steel clashing through the hull spread through every corner of the submarine. With other superfluous sounds disappearing. All the sailors could hear the sound of the engine working from the engine room, and the inside of the Ub-59, which was still somewhat loose and leisurely, instantly became a solemnity.

"The direction of the coming is in line with the intelligence." Wadigan stared through the periscope in the direction where the smoke column was rising, and whispered, "I wonder if the ship is still exactly the same as the intelligence." ”

"Hold the depth, 15 on the left side, go forward at half speed!" Vidigan immediately gave the order to occupy the attack position according to his own deduction.

"Hold the depth, 15 on the left side, go forward at half speed!" Wolfland repeated aloud

As the two sides get closer. The shadow of the British's ship slowly became clear.

"British Class I destroyers, 4 ships, and the intelligence is completely consistent. The azimuth is 35, the distance is 15 chains, and the enemy's speed is about 20 knots, well......" Veddigan groaned.

1.5 nautical miles, that is, a little more than 2.7 kilometers, is still a little far, and although the 450 mm C08 wet thermodynamic torpedo on its submarine can reach a range of 5 kilometers at a speed of 27 knots, it is a maneuverable destroyer on the opposite side, so the reaction window left is still too large.

"Torpedo compartment! No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes. Maximum speed! Set depth of 1 meter! Start filling the water! Eventually, he decided to get a little closer, to make sure it was safer.

"Torpedo compartment! No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes, maximum speed! Set depth of 1 meter! Start filling the water! "Wolfland conveyed the order to the torpedo compartment through a microphone, and the torpedo compartment repeated the order through the microphone.

After the depth and speed of the torpedoes to be fired in the No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes were completed, and the water injection valve in the torpedo tubes was opened, the red lights representing the No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes were lit up, and the torpedo chief stared at the red light with his ears raised high. Waiting for follow-up orders from inside the microphone.

The confined space of the submarine was as silent as before, and all the sailors could not help but feel nervous. This is not training, this is actual combat, the first actual combat of these young submariners, and the first battle against the undisputed most powerful military power at sea - the Royal Navy of the British Empire!

"The course of the British has changed! They're starting to accelerate! "In the periscope, billowing smoke came from the chimney of the British destroyer, which was a sign that the coal was not fully burned. It shows that in the boiler room of the British destroyer, the Royal Navy boiler crew covered in soot is frantically adding coal to the boiler.

"The British fired! That position, Ub-63? "In the periscope, the British destroyer turned and fired elsewhere. That should be where Ub-63 is located.

"We haven't been found yet! Full! Lean in! The panicked British destroyer kept firing his guns, not noticing that in the other direction, a small track on the sea was gradually approaching.

"Good location! 1/4 speed! The front cover of the torpedo tube is open! "In the periscope, the side of a British destroyer is completely horizontal in front of Verdigan, at a distance of 1300 meters, a torpedo of 37 knots, the British cannot escape!

The front cover of the No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes slowly opened, and the sound of the front cover opening was a little clicking, and the hearts of the German submariners in the entire submarine rose to their throats, and they knew that this sound meant that they were about to attack.

The torpedo captain saw the green light on, and put his rough big hand on the launch button, the torpedo was ready to launch, as long as he pressed down, the torpedo would fly out!

"1, 3, launch!" The captain's orders came from inside the microphone.

The torpedo chief transferred the strength of his whole body to his thumb and pressed it hard, and through the back cover of the torpedo tube, the torpedo chief could hear the sound of high-pressure gas spraying into the water, and under the impetus of high-pressure gas, the two torpedoes rushed out one after another, running diagonally upward.

"Torpedo tubes 2 and 4 maximum speed! Set depth of 1 meter! Start filling the water! No. 1 and No. 3 torpedo tubes are reloaded! Widigan shouted, but now his full attention was on the destroyer in the periscope, which had not noticed the danger in the slightest!

After the torpedo commander repeated Veddigan's order, the submarine became silent again, and all the officers and men of the submarine pricked up their ears and silently waited for something to sound.

In just a few tens of seconds, it seemed like a century for the officers and men of the Ub-59, including Verdigan. The sound that had not been heard for a long time made the officers and men more and more nervous and worried.

Finally, in the periscope, he saw a column of water burst into the rear of the side of the British destroyer, and the multipty-ton destroyer was pushed out sideways like a leaf in a wave. Then a dull thud was heard on the entire Ub-59!

After a brief silence, everyone cheered loudly!

The water column dispersed, and Weavegan saw that the British destroyer had become dilapidated. Instead of a large hole in the rear of the hull that was torpedoed, there was a terrible notch as if it had been bitten by a sea monster. The ship was not saved, and the moment Verdigan saw the wound, he already knew the outcome.

The turbulent sea water poured into the destroyer, which was only a few hundred tons, and the hull of the ship tilted rapidly, and the sailors on board jumped into the sea to escape. In just a few minutes, the destroyer disappeared from the sea, and the sea was scattered with the soldiers of the Royal Navy, and it was thought that more people were either killed in the explosion or trapped in the ship. Sinking with the ship.

"Damn it, the Brits are coming at us!" Before Verdigan could appreciate his results, he was startled by a scene in the periscope.

The other three destroyers did not take advantage of their speed to break away, one destroyer continued to fire at the position of the Ub-63, and the other rushed straight towards the Ub-59. The last ship slowed down and approached the drowning man in an attempt to rescue them.

"Urgent dive! Maximum depth! Put away the periscope! All hands are ready to resist impacts! The British ****** crashed over! "The Brit that Vidigan saw in the periscope was straight towards him, the sharp bow. The splash of water cut at high speed is still very scary when it rushes straight towards you.

And if the British really crashed directly into the periscope, the periscope damage would be small. The damage to the whole ship was great, and Weavegan couldn't be sure how much damage his Ub-59 would have to suffer in this way.

The submarine's pumping machine began to rumble, and the bow sank so that the whole submarine began to lean forward, and all the officers and men firmly grasped what could hold their bodies in place. The rising depth figures in the Navigator's mouth are even more restless. But the impact they feared did not come, and everyone let out a long sigh of relief when they heard the sound of the Englishman's engine passing overhead.

"Keep it deep. Half-speed ahead! We've got to change places! "The destroyer that had just passed overhead didn't drop anything, but who knows if the British had any anti-submarine weapons, and Veddigan didn't dare to sit still and wait for the British to turn around and come back.

However, the tactics of the British were successful, and 2 destroyers harassed and covered the other destroyer to rescue their comrades. The Royal Navy will not abandon its comrades!

It's a good decision, but there are more than just 2 submarines in the area.

The hunt isn't over yet! Reducing the speed in this case is simply looking for death!

Just as Verdigan was still hurriedly changing his position, there were two more muffled noises in the water!

When the periscope was raised again, the British ships were no longer visible on the sea, and the two British destroyers that reacted fled the sea at full speed, leaving only the surviving officers and men of the two sunken destroyers still struggling on the sea.

The British fishing boats not far away watched in amazement as the Royal Navy destroyer exploded and sank, and before they could react, four black whales showed their backs on the surface of the sea, and the Ub-59 was the first to surface, followed by three other submarines who also showed their figures. The German soldiers, who quickly climbed to the deck, skillfully removed the waterproof plug from the muzzle of the 105-mm rapid-fire gun on the foredeck, and then the gunner turned the gun and aimed it at the British fishing boat not far away.

Under the threat of the black hole, these British fishing boats did not dare to act rashly, and watched as the German submarine fished up some officers and men of the Royal Navy, and then raised the flag to let themselves go over to save people, and then disappeared into the sea again.

Fishermen suddenly felt that the Dogger sandbar was no longer a safe fishing ground. (To be continued.) )