Orzeł's crew overpowered two Estonian guards during the night of 17-18 September and escaped from Tallinn. The guards remained aboard for several days before being landed on Gotland on 22 September with clothing, money and food. The small guard party and its treatment afterward prompt a suspicion that the guards sympathised with the Poles or had permissive orders, although their cooperation remains unproven. Without charts, the escape plan depended on stopping a German merchant ship and taking its navigation material. Only warships appeared, leaving the submarine without a suitable vessel to board. Its small remaining torpedo supply constrained its options, and sinking a target would defeat the purpose of acquiring the charts.
Notable Point · 36:10-38:15
Orzeł escapes its guards and tries to replace its charts
The breakout succeeds, but the plan to obtain charts from a German merchantman fails; possible sympathy among the guards remains speculation.