The United States was a month shy of officially entering World War 2. Still, a showdown was brewing in the churning, unforgiving waters of the Atlantic.

The daring U-boat commander, Erich Topp, had locked his gaze on the American destroyer, USS Reuben James. She was positioning herself like a shield between the prowling pack of German submarines and a British convoy, relentlessly launching depth charges into the depths.

For Topp, that meant the American destroyer was fair game, neutral or not.

The destroyer had gone dark, trying to vanish into the night. But it was a futile action against the relentless hunter, U-552. With cold precision, Topp aligned his torpedo tubes and unleashed his strike. The torpedo impacted her port side with ruthless accuracy, ripping open a colossal wound. Instantly, her ammunition magazines ignited, setting off a cataclysmic chain reaction.

The explosion was monstrous, splitting the warship into flaming fragments, her bow rearing towards the heavens. Desperate sailors leaped into the frigid, oil-slicked embrace of the Atlantic.

Rescue ships from the convoy plunged into a race against time as sailors fought for their lives in the sea.

The sinking of the Reuben James was a brutal awakening for America. The New York Times proclaimed it the undeniable harbinger of open war with Germany in the Atlantic.

Yet, this was merely the opening act for Erich Topp as one of the most lethal U-boat commanders in World War 2.

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