Von Weizsacker’s Diary

Von Weizsacker's Diary

by

Jacques Evans

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2008 Jacques Evans

All rights reserved.

Also by Jacques Evans

Scammed

Fraser's Run

Mizrahi's Prison

South of Cayenne

Kuchma's Dictum

Flight to Dungavel

The Betty G's Gold

The Mannerheim Line

The Czar's Last Soldier

Von Weizsacker's Diary

Last Bridge to Baghdad

Last Flight of the Blue Goose

This book is for personal use only. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a newspaper, magazine or journal article.

This is a work of fiction. All similarities between characters and persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 ~ Florida, 1973

Chapter 2 ~ Florida, 1974 - 1978

Chapter 3 ~ Florida, 1978 - 1982

Chapter 4 ~ Florida, Trinidad, Tobago, 1983 - 1984

Chapter 5 ~ Florida, 1984

Chapter 6 ~ Florida, Tintimar, 1984

Chapter 7 ~ England, Bahamas, 1984

Chapter 8 ~ Bahamas, Florida, 1986

Chapter 9 ~ Puerto Rico, Tintimar, 1986

Chapter 10 ~ Puerto Rico, France, Florida, 1986 - 1987

Chapter 11 ~ Florida, 1987

Epilogue

Prologue

On a moonless night in April 1943 an eighteen ship British convoy, accompanied by two destroyers, was steaming east 600 miles from Ireland. When ASDIC detected the presence of a submarine north of the convoy, both destroyers changed course and headed north. ASDIC, later known as sonar, was a secret device for locating submerged submarines by using sound waves. It consisted of an electronic sound transmitter and receiver housed in a metal dome beneath the ship's hull. High-frequency beams in the form of audible 'pings' were sent out and bounced back when they hit a submarine. The time that passed before an echo was received established the range of the submarine. The pitch of the echo revealed if it was approaching or moving away.

Unbeknown to the British the submerged submarine was a decoy. Three other submarines, running on the surface, made their way to the middle of the convoy undetected. Shells from the submarines 88mm deck guns found their mark on the hapless merchant ships. Submarines presented an insignificant profile to radar and the convoy's listening devices could not tell the difference between a ship or a submarine on the surface. Another problem for the convoy was their top secret submarine detection gear, ASDIC, was only effective when a submarine was submerged.

Five ships were either ablaze or sinking by the time the destroyers reversed course. The captain of a cargo ship managed to ram a submarine before he was forced to abandon ship. Aboard the U-629 Oberleutnant Gustav von Weizsacker, commanding the decoy, managed to torpedo a destroyer and sink two cargo ships. By the time the wolf pack withdrew they destroyed nine cargo vessels with the loss of one submarine.

Days later, the U-629 pulled alongside a submarine tender and, after four months at sea, finally received orders to return to their base in Norway. Von Weizsacker and his crew spent a pleasant three weeks in Trondheim before they received orders to proceed to Tintimar, an uninhabited French island, in the Caribbean 340 kilometers east of Puerto Rico.

The U-629 loitered off the coast of Tintimar for twenty-three days before they received orders to rendezvous with a seaplane. At 1430 hours, the U-629 surfaced in a cove. Von Weizsacker and his crew watched as a large, four-engine seaplane landed nearby. The Blohm and Voss Ha139 was a long range commercial seaplane used mainly for trans-oceanic service. It was a low wing monoplane. The wing center section sloped downward to the inboard engines. From the inboard engines the wing jutted upward slightly to the tip. The airplane had twin vertical stabilizers and a fuselage with a circular cross section that rested on two large pontoons under the inboard engines. Ha139s could carry a 5,000 kilometer petrol supply and were powered by Junkers engines. Before the war, Ha139s were used on the South American mail run to Brazil.

Von Weizsacker dispatched a life raft and two men to transfer the personnel and their gear to the U-629. As soon as the life raft was clear of the Ha139, the pilot started his take-off run and was airborne in short order. When the crew of the U-629 helped the passengers board, they were surprised to find both passengers were women. The oberleutnant heard numerous rumors that Himmler used prostitutes as secret agents. As a career kriegsmarine officer he found the rumors hard to believe. After von Weizsacker noticed the women were attractive and shapely he changed his mind and decided there was reason to believe the rumors. His orders were to transfer the agents to a fishing vessel east of Puerto Rico.

The oberleutnant escorted the women to his cabin and instructed them not to leave the cabin or talk to the crew unless it was absolutely necessary. Both women smiled at the kapitan and informed him they took orders from Reichsfuehrer Himmler and not from underlings. Furious, von Weizsacker decided to get rid of Himmler's spies as soon as possible. Along with his second in command, he charted a course for Puerto Rico. With a top speed of 32 kilometers per hour on the surface and only twenty-two submerged, the oberleutnant decided to run on the surface as long as possible. He estimated it would take fifteen hours to reach the rendezvous area.

Von Weizsacker encoded a message requesting permission to rendezvous eight hours earlier than ordered then gave it to his radio operator. One hour later, he received an affirmative reply. Contrary to the oberleutnant's orders, the women roamed the ship and flirted with the crew members. Knowing that a word from Himmler would end his kriegsmarine career, and short of placing the women in irons, there was little von Weizsacker could do. His second in command suggested they toss the women overboard. While the oberleutnant warmed to the idea, he reluctantly disregarded the advice.

Fifteen hours later, the U-629 extended its periscope and received a coded light signal from a fishing vessel flying an American flag. Von Weizsacker made a 360 degree sweep of the area with his periscope then gave the order to surface. After the U-629 surfaced, the fishing vessel sent a dinghy alongside and von Weizsacker escorted the women topside. One of the women threw her arms around the kapitan, pressed her large breasts against him, then gave him a farewell kiss on the lips. Shocked by the woman's action, and its effect on his crew, von Weizsacker unsuccessfully tried to push the woman away. After the woman released the oberleutnant, he helped her board the dinghy. As the dinghy pulled away, the women blew farewell kisses to the U-629's crew. Von Weizsacker gave them a farewell salute while he muttered curses under his breath. A few minutes later, he gave the order to submerge.

The U-629 landed German agents on North and South American shores. They rendezvoused with ships and seaplanes and landed agents as far north as New York and as far south as Montevideo. Only occasionally were they permitted to engage enemy shipping. While they landed well over a hundred agents they only retrieved two off the coast of Mexico. For rest and recreation, von Weizsacker obtained permission to use the uninhabited island of Tintimar. While his men were starved for female companionship they enjoyed their days ashore.

After a week ashore, von Weizsacker received orders to rendezvous with a seaplane 400 kilometers east of Puerto Rico. The U-629 ran submerged for a day before it surfaced to recharge its batteries. While running on the surface, the radio operator handed von Weizsacker a message. The oberleutnant entered his cabin and decoded the message. After he locked his code book away, von Weizsacker read the message again. He showed the message to his second in command then burned it. The oberleutnant consulted a map then ordered a course change.

Oberleutnant von Weizsacker picked up a hand-held microphone. He turned the panel mounted switch to loud speaker then addressed his crew, This is the kapitan speaking. I have received bad news from the fatherland—the Fuehrer is dead. Russian troops have entered Berlin and Grand Admiral Doenitz has been appointed to replace the Fuehrer. Also, I have been informed that the end of the war is in sight and a document of surrender will be signed shortly. We have been ordered to perform one last task then proceed to Argentina and await further orders. No matter what the future holds, let me say it has been a privilege to serve as your kapitan and to thank each one of you for your service to the Third Reich.

The next day, the U-629 rendezvoused with a Blohm and Voss Ha139 and received two boxes and an entrenching tool. The largest box was constructed of metal and the small one of wood. After passing the submarines outgoing mailbag to the crew of the Ha139, von Weizsacker set course for Tintimar.

After the U-629 surfaced off the island of Tintimar, Oberleutnant von Weizsacker and his second in command boarded a life raft. They paddled toward shore then beached