The fate of the Allies rests in the hands of eccentric British Navy Captain George Hardy. Regarded as a madman by some, and viewed as a genius in naval warfare by those who serve with him, Hardy leads his ragtag fleet of warships into a deadly match of wits and wills against the determined Kern and his untested U-boats. Under cover of the ocean, the deadliest of enemies are about to engage their final battle…. Welcome to HuntersAndTheHunted.Com, the Cyberspace Home of author: Steven Wilson. Monday, July 26, 2004

VOYAGE OF THE GRAY WOLVES
by Steven Wilson, 2004

Page 1

Operation Griffin

Oberleutnant Guenter Kern followed Vice Admiral Godt into the office of Grand Admiral Doenitz. A large desk occupied the center of the room. One wall was covered with maps marking U-boat positions and convoy routes. Two orderlies entered, carrying easels.

“What I am about to show you is for your eyes only,” Godt said.

“Show him,” Doenitz ordered.

Godt flipped back the cover of the first easel. Kern stared at the diagram on the board. It showed two missiles positioned horizontally, atop a platform attached to the deck of a U-boat, aft of the conning tower. Kern felt his heart beat rapidly. “Is this--?”

“The other easel, Guenter,” the Grand Admiral said. “Lift the cloth.”

Kern did as he was told. There, in detail, was the new boat. From its squared-off bow to its stern, it was the vessel that he’d commanded only in his dreams.

“The Type XXI Elektro boat,” Doenitz said. “Sixteen knots on the surface, seventeen knots submerged. An overall length of nearly eighty meters, and capable of diving to two hundred-eighty meters. She displaces 2,100 tons with a range of 22,000 miles. She can stay down for two months. Six tubes instead of four. Twenty-three torpedoes. All those eels to send into the hull of a fat American tanker.”

“When will she be ready, Herr Vice Admiral?” Kern asked.

“Yours is ready now, Kern. Vice Admiral Godt has your orders prepared.”

Kern stopped.

“This mission is critical to Germany’s future. Drive your men. Drive yourself, and when your targets are announced, be ready.”

Steven Wilson / HuntersAndTheHunted.Com E-Mail: readermail@HuntersAndTheHunted.Com