Can't wait to show this sim to my Grandfather!

Kpt. Franz-Josef Lemmle · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 32

He was on PT-556 serving in the Med. during the war. He has some CRAZY stories!!

Polak · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Posts: 443 Location: Poland/Sweden

I hope he will live long enough to see this game, I've been waiting for ages for this game. If it will continue like this, then I'm afraid that I wont live long enough to see this game. Joking

Deamon · Joined: 30 Apr 2002 Posts: 2302 Location: Germany

Kpt. Franz-Josef Lemmle · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 32

Well, one he just retold me was when the first got into the Med. and were going on a quick "shakedown" patrol to get used to the area and the waters in the Med. They weren't expecting to see any action, only a quick patrol. Well, they came across some German merchant barges along the coast. The capitan decided to attack them! They opened up the throttles for the attack run (about 44 knots!) and launched 3 of their 4 torpedoes. They were a late war boat so they had torpedo roll off racks, not the tubes you see on early boats. The tubes were very heavy even when empty so they were replaced with roll off racks to make the boats faster. Anyway, one of the torpedoes got hung up in the rack and they couldn't launch it. They tried and tried to get it out of the rack...all the while they are still going full speed at the barge! The torpedo was already running full speed but still stuck in the rack! Finally they got the torpedo free...but were now VERY close to the barge! My grandfather said he could see the sailors running around on the deck of the barge and clearly see the German flag flying. They made a hard turn and bolted! Unfortunately, all of the torpedoes ran too deep and went under the barge. This was very common of our American torpedoes during the war...notorious for running too deep. They didn't get the barge on their first patrol, but did manage to sink a ship on their second!

Deamon · Joined: 30 Apr 2002 Posts: 2302 Location: Germany

Thanks that's very interesting stuff. Any more ?

Gaz's S-72 · Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Australia

Yeah man, for sure - Share the love!.

These kinds of stories are priceless. Most such stories you will never read or hear about again.

If you have any more, please share Smile

. Fascinating.

Cheers.

Kpt. Franz-Josef Lemmle · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 32

He has another story that could have ended poorly! They were sent in at night to drop off a spy on the coast of France. Their orders had been changed and were to abort the mission, but their radio wasn't picking up the transmission. So, a British plane was sent out to signal them and have them return. The British pilot thought he would play a prank on my grandfather's boat and decided to get ahead of them and come straight at them from France...which was German controlled! Well, they were cruising along in the pitch dark when they picked up a contact on radar coming from enemy territory! They thought it was a German plane so they all manned the guns. The contact got closer and closer until it suddenly shot right over the top of them at about 100 feet! They opened up with their guns, but luckily didn't hit it! The British plane then dropped a recognition flare and they acknowledged with a flare of their own. Their commanding officer was waiting at the pier for them and demanded to know why they shot at the plane. When he heard the story though, he changed his attention to the pilot who was reprimanded!