In the waters of the North Atlantic, due to the blockade of the surface fleets of Germany, Austria and Italy, British merchant ships have become extinct, and the German submarine forces are mainly confronting American and British submarines. In fact, this kind of confrontation is quite dangerous, and in terms of radar and sonar technology, Germany and Austria are on par with the United States and Britain and other countries, and no one is more advanced than the other, and the submarines of both sides can sink the opponent mainly by luck. Under normal circumstances, German submarines operating in the waters of the North Atlantic will not take the initiative to attack after discovering a British transport submarine formation, but will call for support from their own surface ships or anti-submarine aircraft in the air.

At present, the only places where the German submarine force can make contributions are the coastal areas of the Americas and the vast Pacific Ocean, and being able to carry out duties on the coast of North America is tantamount to an adventurous gold rush trip. At present, the merchant ships of the United States and Britain in the Atlantic are concentrated on the coast of the Americas, and as long as they sink a few 10,000-ton ships or cruise ships, then the honors, awards, and promotions of submarine commanders and divers are just around the corner.

At present, about one-third of the strength of the German submarine force has entered the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and in addition to the more than 150 old submarines built during the First World War or before the war that still remain near the German coast to carry out patrol duties, most of the submarines engaged in ocean-going operations are currently mainly based in the ports along the Bay of Biscay and Gibraltar in France, and only about 50 submarines are based in the ports along the Norwegian coast.

With the new UX.XI./41D large ocean-going attack submarines began to be integrated into combat units, the strength of the German submarine force has reached a higher level, and it is a world leader in both numbers and performance.

After Wilhelmshaven had been replenished with fuel, ammunition and fresh food, on the evening of 18 November, Reinhardt? Major Haldegen commanded his squadron of submarines with great ambition and set sail from Wilhelmshaven on a new journey.

Immediately after the submarine left Wilhelmshaven, Haldegen summoned the entire crew and announced a radio silence. They were informed that the purpose of the 101st Submarine Squadron's trip was to conduct operations in the eastern waters of the United States.

Hearing this news, every crew member had a look of surprise and excitement on their faces, and no one thought that their first voyage to sea after joining the new submarine force would be to go to the coast of the Americas, and the excitement was that it was an excellent "hunting" ground, although the journey was long, but a combat voyage down. If nothing else, every ordinary crew member will receive a handsome bonus.

The average range from Germany to the east coast of the United States is about 4,500 nautical miles, and with the cruising time, the combat range will reach about 13,000 nautical miles, and when they return to Germany, there will not be much fuel left in the boat.

It will be a long and arduous and dangerous voyage!

The 26th Submarine Group left Wilhelmshaven in gloomy light snow, refueled at the Stavanger Naval Base on the Norwegian coast, and then entered the Norwegian Sea. It was snowing on the sea for several days. The weather is getting worse and worse. Now that British warships are confined to the defensive circle of the native air force, this area is already under the control of the German navy, and only occasionally British reconnaissance planes or bombers appear in this area, and the entire submarine formation can swagger across the Norwegian Sea, from between the Faroe Islands and the Shetland Islands, and safely enter the North Atlantic.

However, due to the rough sea conditions, the submarine has been very bumpy on the sea. In this cold sea area covered with wind and snow. Life on board is nothing short of a crime: bumps and falls are commonplace, and if you don't pay attention in the boat, you will be unsteady on your feet. The kitchen is full of half-baked, unpalatable food that you can't afford to play a game of chess or poker at the table.

On such a boring day, you have to brave the severe cold to go to the bridge to endure the wind, snow and cold sea water, and carry out combat readiness duty. Every time the frozen surveillance posts and officers on duty came down from the bridge, a thick layer of ice formed on their clothes. In this piece of wind and waves treacherous. The sea is dark and vast, and it has long been less busy than in peacetime, and it is rare to see ship activity. British surface ships rarely come out to operate, and the surface ship forces of Germany and Austria are unlikely to patrol this area in normal times unless they receive information about the presence of British transport fleets.

The 26th Submarine Group formed battle formations in squadrons. It is about 15 nautical miles apart, and it sails in the North Atlantic at a cruising speed of 10 knots per hour. In the past submarine combat experience, it was believed that a submarine was nothing more than a ship that could dive underwater, and most of the time it was still active on the surface. But with the growing threat of the enemy's anti-submarine patrol aircraft equipped with new detection radars, and the addition of surface snorkels, the UX.XI./41D has evolved into a true "submarine" that almost never surfaces during the day, and has eliminated all deck guns used in surface engagements.

Since the entire submarine formation sailed in dense fog, rain and snow most of the time, this was a severe test for the long-term navigation on the boat to guess the dead position and the ability to locate at sea. Twelve days into the North Atlantic, the wind turned, the fog thinned, and the white, rolling coast of Newfoundland covered in snow and ice appeared on the gray horizon ahead.

"Newfoundland! Well done, Mr. Navigator. Major Haldegen stood on the bridge and gazed through his binoculars at the distant coast of Canada, half-jokingly to Lieutenant Dorman, the navigator beside him. U-400 was jolting through the rolling waves, and the cold wind was blowing from behind it towards the enclosed elliptical conning tower. "Did the Canadians deploy alert aircraft on the island of Newfoundland?"

"There should be two military airfields, we need to dive down at once, sir, we're close to the Canadian coast." Dorman was reminding Haldegen that it was now getting light and that the submarine needed to dive immediately.

"What a beautiful coast!" Haldegen exclaimed, "Well, get ready to withdraw from the bridge and dive in ten minutes!" ”

The submarine was changed to periscope depth, and the sailors began to make an early change of guard. After the submarine dived underwater, it became stable, and the sailors got up and washed up a little, and then sat at the dining table eating bread with red sausage slices, drinking milk tea, and chatting about leisure. Haldegen sits in front of a periscope, searching the surface of the sea through the guò lens. The sight is a mesmerizing spectacle, the rising red sun casts a layer of glow on the snow-capped shores, and the pink mist forms a circular halo on the top of the mountain, much like the beauty of a fairy tale.

If it weren't for the war, Major Haldegen thought to himself that he might have liked it. Unfortunately, the purpose of their trip was to bring death and destruction to this beautiful land.

"Sir, are we heading straight to the East Coast of the United States?" Deputy Captain Kahn said.

"No, let's go to the entrance to St. Lauren's Bay first, and cause some trouble for the Canadians in the Cabot Strait!" When it came to the battle plan, Haldegen immediately became very calm and a little ruthless. (To be continued......)