WW2 Era Postcard Written by German Sailor who would later be killed when his U-Boat was sunk.

This postcard was written by an Eberhard Hertzsch. He served onboard the U-772 as a torpedo Man. The postcard was written on December 21st 1943 while he was at the navel base Wilhelmshaven. A rough translation reads:

“My dear Babette! Now Christmas is coming up again. This time you also have to spend it away from home. I received your dear letter as well as your dear package. It made me really happy. We bought a little Christmas tree . I received candles from home and now it looks like Christmas at our place. Now I'm sitting here in candle light and write the dear one's at home. Maybe it is the last Saturday here. Lets hope that the new year will bring the peace we're longing for.
The best greetings sends your way”

The U-772 was laid down on September 21st 1942, launched on October 31st 1943 and would be commissioned on December 23rd 1943.

The postcard would have been written a few days before the commission, which is likely why he states it may be the last Saturday there, as they would deploy to sea.

“After the usual six-month shakedown and training period in the Baltic, U-772 sailed from Trondheim on 13 August 1944 for her first war patrol, which lasted for 55 days out in the North Atlantic, however she had no success.

She sailed from Trondheim on 19 November 1944 on her second patrol, circling the British Isles. On 17 December 1944 U-772 was sunk by depth charges from the British Colony class frigateHMS Nyasaland in the North Atlantic, south of Cork, with the loss of all 48 hands.”

Details about the event:

Able Seaman Alfred William Speake, from Harlesden, London, was the ASDIC (Sonar) operator in R.N. Destroyer HMS Nyasaland when at 11:15 pm he successfully located the German submarine U-772 which was, when off the port bow, just about prefectly positioned to attack SS RIMUTAKA. It was in this vessel that HRH Prince Henry & HRH Princess Alice the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester were travelling en-route to Australia to take up the Governor Generalship. Their ship had left Liverpool on 16th December and was travelling in the company of several capital ships which also included the cruiser HMS EURYALUS. The long transit journey of the two members of the Royal Family was arranged in some secrecy and was known as "Operation Aintree". The loss of this most important target ship and its Royal passengers would have been a tremendous morale blow to the United Kingdom.

The U-Boat captain, Ewald Rademacher aged 27 was Born 1st December 1917 , Died 17th December 1944. He was from Rheine, Steinfurt, Germany. He had a very short and unremarkable career with not a single sinking to his credit.
As soon as Speake located the submarine, the ship's captain Lt Cdr John Scott ordered the watertight doors closed and then called for Robert Frith the Captain of the Gun Crew to fire the Hedgehog anti-submarine devise. The depth charge cluster type of bombs were set to explode at different depths all around the Frigate, which was restricted to 2 knots while in action.

It was fired successfully and the U-Boat was sunk with all hands.”

the captain of the U-772 ^

a similar class of U-boat as the U-772

 

When he wrote that card he had to know that he was a doomed man.