{Atlantic Ocean – June 1945}
Twenty-four hours after reaching the Cape Verde Islands, Hitler ordered the vessels back to sea. Addressing the captains of the four U-boats, he commanded, “It’s now time to leave. Together, we will head southwest along the Atlantic North Equatorial Current toward the Caribbean Sea. From there, we’ll travel along the eastern coast of South America directly to our final destination in Argentina.”
Interestingly, Hitler demanded that the vessels remain on the surface during this leg of the journey. At first, the captains welcomed the flow of fresh air and fully complied with their leaders’ orders. But this changed when the sea became increasingly turbulent, and the bright blue skies turned menacing.
Captain Yeager was at the helm of the last U-boat in the convoy. With a concerned look, he turned to his lieutenant. “Schmidt, the weather is getting worse, and it is no longer safe to travel on the surface.”
Franz Schmidt responded with a look of protest. “But, Captain, our Führer has ordered us to travel on the surface since the newly installed underwater radio transmitters are malfunctioning. If we submerge, we may lose contact and get separated. By remaining on the surface, at least we can still communicate with our backup VHF radios.”
“May I remind you that I am the captain of this vessel, lieutenant commander! If we remain on the surface, this vessel will be in danger from not only the pending storm but also Allied airplanes and ships. Remember, the world believes that Germany has surrendered, and I’m certain that the Allied forces won’t be happy to see four large U-boats heading toward the Americas!”
In an effort to avoid any further argument with the young officer, Captain Yeager headed to the radio room and transmitted his recommendations to the other three U-boats.
“My Führer, because of deteriorating weather conditions, I recommend that all U-boats submerge to a depth of twenty meters. Once leveled, we can continue to communicate with our backup two-way VHF radios by fully deploying our emergency antennas. By doing so, our convoy will not be impacted by the storm, and most respectfully, we can safely proceed in stealth mode, unobserved by any ships or planes.” Yeager hoped that the Führer would be receptive to his suggestion, understanding that his U-boat captain was concerned for the safety of the German convoy.
Yeager soon realized that his message did not have the desired effect. In fact, Hitler was furious when he received the radio transmission. He shouted in an uncontrollable rage, “How dare you question my orders! This is treasonous!”
Unknown to Yeager or any of the other officers, Hitler was suffering from extreme motion sickness caused by the rough seas. As a result, he had become increasingly irrational. Hitler commanded, “All U-boats will remain on the surface with hatches open! This is an order. If any captain disobeys, he will be immediately executed, and his vessel will be sunk!”
Upon hearing Hitler’s directive over the radio, Lieutenant Commander Schmidt snapped at Yeager. “I warned you not to do anything to upset the Führer.”
“I will not risk my life or the lives of my crew all because of his absurd order. Germany has lost the war. We must now save ourselves.” Then, pointing up with alarm, Yeager cried out, “Look! Water is already coming through the hatch. This is madness!”
With that, Yeager turned to his highly skilled crew in the control room and ordered the hatch closed and the U-boat submerged.
Almost immediately, the other three U-boats began firing upon Yeager’s submarine. Not surprisingly, Lieutenant Commander Schmidt was angry beyond control. He lunged at the captain in a frustrated attempt to gain control of the vessel. But Yeager was quick to react. He sidestepped the young officer’s frontal attack and countered with a precisely thrown right-handed punch that struck Schmidt in the side of his head, just above his ear. The powerful blow knocked Franz to the floor of the control room, where he fell unconscious.
The next ten minutes were truly frightening for Yeager and his crew. While the three topside U-boats continued firing at Yeager’s submerged craft, the strengthening storm had created large waves. As a result, they were unable to maintain stability, and their sophisticated weapons lost much of their accuracy.
After his vessel was jarred by a sudden impact that caused a frightening explosive sound, Yeager ordered his crew to return fire against the other U-boats. Holding his periscope with both hands, Yeager shouted, “Fire away!” At that moment, his XXI-A class submarine launched three torpedoes in defense.
Yeager alone witnessed direct hits to the thee targets. While he did not see the U-boats sink, he knew that, at a minimum, each U-boat was impaired.
Over the next few minutes, the attack from the other U-boats subsided. Feeling relieved by the sudden calm, Yeager confirmed that his submarine was not significantly damaged. He then set a westward course and began to navigate his vessel away from the other U-boats. While holding the periscope in the control room, Yeager also began formulating a plan to surrender his U-boat to the Allies.
As Yeager wondered whether the other three XXI-A submarines would ever reach the new Fatherland, the unexpected happened. One of Hitler’s damaged vessels successfully launched a long-range torpedo that struck the twin propellers at the rear of Yeager’s U-boat.
A quick inspection by the crew confirmed that the sub’s structure was not fatally compromised. Even so, Yeager’s U-boat was suddenly adrift with no propulsion or navigation. Only the strong sea current and the increasingly powerful storm controlled their ultimate fate.