In 1942, again commanded by Erich Topp (who would later become an admiral in the post-war Bundesmarine), U-552 participated in the "Second Happy Time" (Operation Drumbeat or Paukenschlag), during which German submarines had great success against unescorted American merchantmen sailing alone along the eastern seaboard of the US.
1942, åter under befäl av Erich Topp (som senare skulle bli amiral i efterkrigstidens Bundesmarine) deltog U-552 i "Den andra framgångsrika perioden" (Operation Drumbeat eller Paukensclag), under vilken tyska ubåtar hade stor framgång mot eskorterade amerikanska handelsfartyg som seglade ensamma längs USA:s östkust.