False Attack
I saw in the TV program the announcement of the film about military submarines, and I remembered my father's old acquaintance Sergey Vasilyevich, a captain of the first rank, who commanded the Great Patriotic submarine type "C" on the
The Black Sea. Once upon a time, under the Soviet power, he even had a book about it, but it did not include an episode, told by the captain at the table on the next Victory Day. In general, there were many ambiguous cases in the war, which the superior command could evaluate with a high combat award, and could - by the tribunal, sometimes simply depending on their mood. This episode is just like that.
In the first months of the war, the Esca was engaged in its usual business – rising at sea in search of enemy transports and trying to melt them. Occasionally attacked enemy ships directly in ports. However, when the Germans managed to block Sevastopol after a land offensive, the main task for the Black Sea submarines was to bring ammunition and food to the besieged city. The displacement of the submarines was small, and in order to carry more cargo and ease their weight, all the weapons were removed from the boats and the crew was reduced to a minimum. From Sevastopol were transported wounded and civilians.
The Germans, of course, smelled these raids, and soon their mines, accompanied by guard ships, began to actively mine the entrance to the city.
Sevastopol Bay, which was very annoying to our submarines. Since then, mines have been their main enemies.
And here again the submarine of Sergey Vasilyevich with great adventures broke through the mine traps and unloaded on the Sevastopol shore. However, on the way back it was not loaded by people - ordered to quickly return to the base and bring another batch of ammunition. Returning, the "esca" again with excessive difficulty jumped through the mine barriers, and immediately the crew discovered the enemy ship, which quietly, without the guard's protection, placed mines at the entrance to the bay. And the Germans were especially afraid and there was nothing to fear - no one attacked them for a long time: neither from the air nor from the sea.
This picture literally angered Sergey Vasilyevich, but he could not do anything - all weapons were removed from the boat. “To frighten these shitters,” he thought. What he planned, the chief could not forgive the captain - the besieged city was waiting for ammunition, and there is nothing, but a loss of time, in addition, the submarine was discovered and could be attacked after the German ship called for help aircraft or a rapid cruiser with deep bombs. But hatred not only to the enemy in general, namely to the mine barriers obscured the arguments of reason, in addition, there were no passengers on board, and in which case the sailors risked only their own lives...
The captain ordered to rise to the surface, and so that not only the periscope, but also the scratch was visible. After that, the submarine carried out a false-attack – a manoeuvre simulating a torpedo attack.
Journalists love such a newspaper stamp – “the effect of the exploded bomb.” But here he very accurately reflects the impression that this false attack caused on the Germans. They had already forgotten when they were attacked by the submarine (or this never happened to them at all), and a real panic began on the fence - only this can explain the subsequent actions of the German crew. The Frits just dropped another mine on the water and as a result of their extremely nervous manoeuvre, they also hit it. After a few minutes, everything was over – the enemy ship went to the bottom, not even having time to bring the rescue boats to the water.
"Eska" returned safely to the base, and Sergey Vasilyevich, as appropriate, the death of the German barrier on his own mine. But about what happened before that, he remained silent. away from sin.