ตอน 29: Chapter 29: My Submarine
Before returning to Pola, U21 conducted two more successful attacks in the eastern waters of Italy, sinking a thousand-ton armed merchant ship and an Italian Navy patrol boat. This brought the tally for this voyage to 12,000 tons, pushing Hessen and U21's cumulative total past 100,000 tons, a feat only achieved by three other submarine captains in the German Navy.
In February and March 1917, U21 ventured into the Mediterranean twice more. Once, it circumvented Sicily and sank several French vessels near Sardinia, keeping the French Navy busy for a while. The other time, it sailed along the coast of British Egypt, sinking two British ships and shelling an Egyptian port under cover of darkness, slipping away from pursuit by British warships.
Throughout these operations, Zhang Hainuo accumulated experience in submarine command while feeling the warmth and honor brought by U21 as a combat unit. Hessen's exceptional personal charisma and his almost artistic command of submarines both impressed and inspired Zhang. If given the choice, he would have preferred to stay longer on U21.
However, the worsening war situation left him no choice.
On April 6th, the United States declared war on Germany, exactly as history recorded.
When Zhang and others heard the news, they were preparing U21 for its next mission in Pola Harbor.
With another major belligerent joining the Allies, it was akin to adding a powerful engine to a ship. Military supplies began flowing from the U.S. to Britain and France in large quantities, and the American military rapidly expanded. It wouldn't be long before boatloads of American soldiers were sent to the front lines in France. Though lacking combat experience, they were well-equipped and high-spirited, posing a significant threat to the stalemate that had persisted for three years.
To counter the negative impact of America's entry into the war, Germany intensified its submarine warfare efforts. New submarines were launched weekly from naval shipyards, with increasing numbers of them being deployed to the Atlantic to engage the large numbers of American transport ships and escort vessels. A fierce struggle of hunting and counter-hunting ensued.
In early May, Zhang received orders from the Navy Department appointing him as the captain of U171.
For Zhang, this was a long-awaited opportunity, but he felt a strong reluctance at this moment. On the last night before returning to Germany, he and the crew of U21 drank heavily in Pola Harbor, even Hessen, who usually couldn't handle liquor, got drunk.
They pledged to keep in touch through letters.
Three days later, Zhang returned to the familiar Wilhelmshaven. There were no significant changes since he left, except for the noticeable increase in submarines docked in the harbor, and people's expressions had become more solemn.
U171 was moored at the submarine dock opposite the berth of the Seditz.
When Zhang first saw this submarine, he felt like he was meeting an old friend. There was a reason for that—it happened to be a UBIII-type submarine, just like U21, with a command tower, deck gun, and sleek hull lines that were all so familiar to him.
This submarine had served for 14 months, but just a month ago, it had been attacked by British destroyers in the waters north of Scotland, resulting in the deaths of the captain and 11 crew members. Its return to Wilhelmshaven was nothing short of a miracle.
Now, after extensive repairs, U171 had regained its former glory. But its experience reminded Zhang of the Seditz.
When Zhang took over, the vacancies among the crew had been filled by new sailors. What surprised him, however, was that among these new faces was a familiar one.
"Edwin!"
"What a surprise!" Edwin blinked at him, then said in a formal tone, "Lieutenant-Commander Zhang Hainuo, Acting Captain of U171, reporting for duty! The crew complement is 25, fully manned!"
Zhang was genuinely surprised by this "surprise."
"I can't believe my eyes. Weren't you on the Seditz last Christmas?"
"It only took me two weeks of training to transition from torpedo commander on a battleship to torpedo commander on a submarine. I passed all assessments with flying colors in just one week! How about that?" Edwin said proudly, lifting his chin. "I was the highest-ranking officer on board before you arrived, so I was appointed acting captain!"
Zhang nodded with a smile. "Impressive! Very impressive! I was a bit nervous before coming here, afraid that I wouldn't command this submarine well, but now I feel confident!"
"Haha, of course! I was the best torpedo commander on the Seditz, no doubt about it!"
Next, Edwin introduced Zhang to the crew members who were already lined up on deck. Although he hadn't been here long, he seemed very familiar with these people.
"This is Simon Pratt, our first officer! This is Pete Stengel, our navigator! This is Sergil Shahid, our engineer..."
When Edwin announced the name of the last person, Zhang couldn't help but admire his memory. After all, these new crew members had only arrived in the past few days, and Edwin himself had been on the submarine for just over a week.
After introducing these crew members, Edwin said, "Simon, Pete, Sergil, and another seven sailors are experienced crew members, while the rest are new recruits. Four of them served on other submarines before, and the remaining twelve joined the submarine force not long ago!"
"Edwin!" Zhang looked at his old friend earnestly, then shook his head with regret. "It was a mistake for the Navy Department not to appoint you as an intelligence officer!"
"Joking!" Edwin looked disdainful. "Making the navy's best torpedo commander a spy? That would be a mistake!"
Originally, Zhang had planned to spend more time familiarizing himself with the submarine and its crew, but the war situation was too pressing. On the third day after his return to Wilhelmshaven, the Navy Department ordered U171 to set sail, targeting the Atlantic shipping lanes between the United States and Britain.
There were no flowers, no applause. Apart from a few sailors responsible for cleaning the submarine berth, no one saw them off.
This was U171's first voyage after completing repairs.
Standing on the submarine's command tower as its official captain for the first time, Zhang should have felt excited. But with only a week between receiving the orders and setting sail, the rapid changes left him feeling overwhelmed.
The road ahead was fraught with obstacles, yet filled with opportunities. Would he become another Hessen-style ace captain, or a tragic casualty of war? Zhang was uncertain, but he believed that since the journey had begun, he had to face it with courage. Mediocrity was never the pursuit of a soldier!
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง