Chapter 45: The Unofficial Wolf Pack Test

  After hearing the title given to him by the Americans, Zhang Hainuo just smiled and continued playing the game of hunter and anti-hunter with them in the following time.

  After the summer of 1917, the British and American navies increased their convoy escorts on the Atlantic routes, meaning that convoys were larger in scale and more ships participated. In the next two voyages, Zhang Hai No encountered fewer and fewer single American freighters, but when he encountered large enemy convoys, he felt isolated and powerless. By gathering other submarines through the submarine command center, it took time to waste good opportunities again and again.

  In his fifth patrol in the North Atlantic, Zhang Haino had a taste of zero achievement for the first time: until the supplies on the boat were exhausted, he did not fire a single torpedo. After drifting in the Atlantic for six weeks, he could only return to Wilhelmshaven in disappointment. His personal total score was stuck at 41,000 tons, just one step away from being called an ace captain.

  With a very depressed mood, Zhang Haino returned to Wilhelmshaven and found Commander Georg of the 3rd Submarine Squadron again. Georg was also helpless, their report had been submitted in May, but now it's the end of September, and the Navy Department's response was still under discussion.

  Without orders from the Navy Department, Zhang and his men could not formally organize the submarines into tactical units for team operations.

  "Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?" Zhang Haino muttered a sentence in Chinese, which Colonel Georg obviously couldn't understand, but the expression on Zhang's face still revealed some important information.

  The principal walked up to Zhang Hainuo and said in a low voice:

  " Lieutenant, come to the conference room at headquarters tomorrow night at eight o'clock!"

  Zhang Hainuo vaguely felt that something must be happening behind this, but since the captain deliberately spoke very softly to himself, he didn't ask much.

  "Alright, I'll definitely be there on time!"

  After completing the application procedures for the next departure, Zhang Hainuo did not stay here for long and quickly returned to his submarine. Since all 10 torpedoes brought back from the previous voyage were intact, he had the crew remove the torpedoes from the torpedo tubes for technical maintenance and inspection, plus the maintenance of the pipeline on the boat, which took a day and a half.

  After the repair work on the boat was basically completed, Zhang Haino, as usual, invited all the crew members to have a meal at the best restaurant in Wilhelmshaven city. Although this meal usually cost him a month's allowance, he didn't need to send money back to Fink's estate, and with the extra subsidies and rewards for going out to sea, he was always very generous when paying the bill. This also became one of the capital that U171 crew members showed off to their companions - after other submarines returned to port, the crew members were usually active on their own, and sometimes the captains would invite guests, but there were not many as generous as Zhang Haino.

  When Zhang Hainuo returned to the port area, it was already 7:30. He tidied up his clothes and bid farewell to the boatmen before coming to the submarine command alone. At this time, there was no one in the hall except for the officer on duty. Just as Zhang Hainuo suspected that he had mistaken the time, Colonel's voice came from the dim corridor:

  "Ensign, over here! You're the last one now!"

  All I need is you?

  Zhang Hainuo quickened his pace involuntarily, apart from himself, who else would come today?

  After entering the conference room, his doubts were finally resolved - wearing the same dark blue uniform of the German Navy, with the same insignia of the submarine force, these dozen or so people were mostly lieutenants and lieutenant commanders, with at least two medals hanging on their chests.

  These people were not completely strangers to Zhang Hainuo, they all belonged to the same submarine squadron as him, but since he had been in the submarine force for a short time and spent most of his time at sea fighting, many people couldn't even call out their names.

  Zhang Hainuo was just about to count how many officers were here when the colonel pulled him up onto the stage.

  "You must have all heard of him, the young and promising U-171 commander Heinrich von Fickenstein Lieutenant, it was he who first proposed the multi-boat coordinated operation that we are going to talk about today!"

  These dozen or so officers were of different ages and builds, but when Zhang Hainuo's eyes met theirs, they all nodded slightly to him without exception, which was also a kind of respect and recognition between military officers.

  Then, the commander asked Zhang Haino to explain the idea of this tactic again, and then he proposed to form a submarine combat team in a voluntary manner to "test" this new tactic.

  Zhang Haino thought all the boatmen would actively agree, but in the end only 3 of them stood up to respond.

  Later, Zhang Hainuo learned from the upper school that this was not to say that only 3 people among the 12 boat captains agreed with his proposed multi-submarine coordinated combat thinking, but because this test was unofficial, that is, it did not get the approval of the Navy Department. In the strict hierarchical German army, such practices have a certain degree of rationality, but once there is a problem, participants will be lightly damaged in reputation and heavily affected in their future in the naval world!

  "This experiment was originally voluntary, and it's fine if you don't want to participate, but I personally request that you keep this matter confidential for the time being! Now, everyone else can leave first! The three of you who are willing to participate, please stay behind!"

  It's clear that Georg is still highly respected in this submarine fleet. Those captains who were unwilling to participate in the "experiment" did not leave immediately after standing up, but instead came over one by one to shake hands with him and say things like "Wishing you a smooth journey" or "Good luck to everyone".

  Zhang Hainuo also believed that these German officers who valued their reputation more than their lives would not do such a thing that harmed others without benefiting themselves.

  After others left, Colonel Shi motioned for four boat captains including Zhang Hainuo to gather together.

  "Allow me to introduce him, this is Lieutenant Heino von Finkenstein, I suppose you've all heard of him recently, the hope of our submarine fleet!"

  Zhang Hainuo looked at the other three with a friendly and humble gaze, as he was newly transferred to this submarine fleet and didn't know most of the other captains in the formation. Moreover, due to the fact that submarines were always taking turns going out to battle, even veteran captains rarely had the chance to meet up together.

  These three people were not very old and at this time they looked at Zhang Hainuo with friendly eyes.

  "This is Lieutenant Commander Weim Ganier, captain of U-boat 133!" The colonel first introduced the oldest of the three to Zhang Haino.

  This person has a square face and a big head, is not very tall, slightly chubby, and appears to be around thirty years old. He looks somewhat similar to the pig father in cartoons.

  After the two shook hands, Colonel added: "Lieutenant Gannier's total score has exceeded 80,000 tons and is one of the top ten ace captains in our third fleet!"

  Top 10 Ace Ship Captains!

  Zhang Hainuo only felt that people really can't judge by appearance, such a silly and honest person turned out to be a ruthless killer at sea, with just a wave of his hand, he could sink ship after ship of British vessels to the bottom of the ocean.

  "Piggy Daddy" just smiled.

  "This is Oberleutnant zur See Margarete von Oberg, commander of U-93! Including the previous voyage's achievements, the total tonnage of sunk ships has reached 92,000 tons, ranking 7th among German Navy submarine aces!"

  The principal's tone was clearly filled with admiration when introducing him.

  Navy's Seventh Ace!

  Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but take a small breath of cold air, his 92,000-ton record was only slightly lower than Hersen's. This person was also a handsome young man in his late twenties, his figure was about 5 centimeters taller than Hersen's, with a cold expression on his face and an aura of majesty between his eyebrows.

  "Captain von Fenkenstein, I've heard a lot about you before, it's an honor to meet you in person today!"

  This person's voice is not loud, but it has a strong magnetic pull. The content is polite and makes people feel very cultured, without any hint of being aloof or detached from the world due to their extraordinary achievements.

  "Thank you! It's also an honor for me to meet you!"

  It's been almost a year since Zhang Hainuo came to this era and he can now say these clichés with ease.

  Then, the two of them nodded in tacit agreement.

  "Oh, and this one too!"

  Following the principal's gaze, Zhang Hainuo shifted his line of sight to the third boat captain. This one glance was not okay, he almost shouted out loud. The man was nearly 6 feet (1 meter 83) tall, with a rather ordinary build, but those eagle-like sharp eyes and that small yet straight nose...

  "Roland von Seckendorff, Lieutenant in the Navy, all big and small matters on U-167 are under my responsibility!" The man introduced himself.

  This was a completely unfamiliar name, and Zhang Hainuo couldn't believe his ears, but the officer in front of him really looked very similar to Karl D?nitz. Although Zhang Hainuo had never seen D?nitz's young photos, the temperament and appearance of this person were indeed very similar to that famous German submarine commander!

  However, Zhang Hainuo soon remembered that the "demon king" in history who made the British people gnash their teeth seemed to be not so tall. Although his face shape was very similar, this person was already over 30 years old, while D?nitz should still be under 30 years old now.

  "Captain Seckendorff, it's an honor to meet you!"

  "Is there something wrong with my face?" The lieutenant, who looked like Deng Nuo, obviously saw something unusual in Zhang Hainuo's eyes.

  "Oh, sorry! I just think you look exactly like someone else!"

  "Hey? That's great! I'd love to meet her!"

  "Do you know Karl von Dennitz?" Zhang Hainuo asked with full of hope.

  Sekendorff shook his head, Zhang Hainuo looked at the colonel and the other two boat captains again, they also had a bewildered expression.

  "Alright, let's get down to business!" The Colonel interrupted the two men's idle chatter and took a seat.

  "Captain von Finkenstein's U-171 is ready to depart, Captain Gerner, how many more days will your U-133 need to prepare?"

  "Pig Father" replied without hesitation: "One day!"

  "And you, Garrett?" The colonel seemed to know this super ace very well.

  "Two days!"

  "My U-167 still has a generator and some wiring that needs to be replaced, it'll take three days!" said the officer, who looked like a 30-year-old D?nitz, before the captain could even ask.

  In this question and answer session, Zhang Hainuo saw three completely different personalities.

  "They say that four submarines set sail together, or did they depart one by one and then meet up in the Atlantic?" As he spoke, the Colonel's gaze swept across the faces of the four submarine captains.

  "I have no opinion on either!" Seken said, giving up his right of choice.

  "Captain, what do you think?" "Piggy Daddy" cast his gaze towards the cool and super ace.

  "Let's split up and start separately, then find a place to meet up again," said von Ogwien with a stern but not overbearing tone. "What do you think, Lieutenant von Fenkenstein?"

  "I agree!" Zhang Hainuo looked at the three boat captains and then said to the colonel: "We'll set off in batches!"