To Be a Nazi Family by Dick Parsons

Author:Dick Parsons
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
Published: 2022-08-29T16:30:48+00:00

Chapter 22

Like almost everyone else onboard the Deutschland, Midshipman Heinrich Boddenburg had no idea where the ship was going. The previous day she’d fuelled and had embarked stores and ammunition, then early in the morning of 29th August she’d sailed for exercises. But there’d been no exercises and later that day they’d left the northern-most exercise area astern, and the ship’s powerful diesel engines were driving her on a northerly course at twenty knots. Only the Captain and the Navigating officer seemed to know where they were bound. But the tension with Poland over Danzig and the corridor now at breaking point had made Heinrich and his mates think the ship could be heading for her war station. Later they were proved to be right, for at suppertime the Captain spoke to the ship’s company over the broadcast system, telling them the ship was bound for the North Atlantic, so that “should France and Britain declare war on Germany, the Deutschland will be on station ready for hostilities.”

Now in November, the Deutschland was once again in Wilhelmshaven secured in her familiar berth, ready for docking. Since the outbreak of war in September, she’d been on patrol in the Atlantic intercepting trade bound for enemy ports. Ordered to obey international prize rules, she had stopped and searched all the merchant ships she’d found, looking for contraband of war*. Ships found to be carrying contraband were sunk, even if the vessel was from a neutral country, though the crews of such neutral ships were given time to abandon ship. But they’d had only limited success for despite stopping many ships only two had been carrying contraband. Heinrich had been on watch on the bridge, when the first was sighted in early October. As they got closer, all could see she flew the Red Ensign identifying her as British. As an enemy ship there was no need to stop and search her, so with her six-inch guns ready to fire, the Captain had ordered the British to abandon ship. Through his binoculars Heinrich had seen men running towards the lifeboats and the boats being lowered. Then when the lifeboats were clear and with the target barely half a mile away, the Captain gave the order to open fire. Within seconds the British ship had been hit, and only two salvos were needed before the ship was in flames and beginning to settle by the stern. For many like Heinrich, it was the first time they’d seen a seaworthy ship capable of weathering many a storm, slide stern first into the deep. It was a reckoning for the Fatherland, he’d felt thrilled, as if he’d scored the winning goal!

He was thankful the British had been allowed to abandon ship safely, though surprised that no effort had been made to rescue them! Instead, the Captain had ordered full speed and steered westwards. Later he was to learn that the British ship had been heard giving her position and reporting the presence of a German battleship.

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