[quote="oldhoweboy"]Was it :-
Paul Büchel joined the German Navy (Reichsmarine) in 1925. He began his U-boat training in May 1937. Upon completing the training in late August he took command of U 32.
During the second patrol of U 32, a mine-laying in Bristol Channel, during Sept 1939 Büchel sank 2 vessels by torpedoes and two large freighters were damaged in the otherwise unproductive minefield.
On completing the third patrol with U 32, a planned mine-laying in the dangerous waters of Firth of Clyde, on 22 Jan 1940 Chief of U-boats Dönitz was unhappy with Korvettenkapitän Paul Büchel's decision to abandon the intended destination just a few miles off and putting his 8 mines in deeper waters (where they did not explode). This mission had been designed to sink a capital ship with the new and powerful TMC mines (Blair, 1996). Dönitz wrote that the explanation from the commander had been "unconvincing" and the mission had been "a difficult one - too difficult for this commanding officer"
Rgds ohb![/quote
And congrats - U got him! Paul Büchel, C/o of U 32 - failed Dönitz ambitions to bag a carrier or a battleship in the densely trafficed waters of the Clyde. Büchel appearently lost his nerve - and did not proceed to the ''leads'' used by the British ships-which costed him his command.
The Firth of Clyde was a tough nut to crack - Dönitz next ''try'' - was with U 33 von Dresky in February - again a commander not up to Dönitz expectations.......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_su ... -33_(1936)
oldhoweboy owes us the next question
Varjag