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Sandbox 9

Page History

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Title Written Posted Deleted
U- 230 August 2015 August 2015 December 2020
U-557 August 2015 September 2015 December 2020
U- 612 August 2015 September 2015 December 2020
U-415 August 2015 September 2015 December 2020
U-953 August 2015 September 2015 December 2020

Completed

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HX 237

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Introduction== HX 237 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. The convoy battle around HX 237 was one of several that occurred during the crisis month of May 1943.

Background== .HX 237 was an east bound convoy of 47 ships, plus local contingents, which sailed from New York on 1 May 1943 bound for Liverpool and carrying war materials. It was in the care of a Western Local Escort Force,[1] led by the destroyer St. Albans. The Convoy Commodore was Capt. R Gill in the freighter Pacific Enterprise. They were met on 7 May by ocean escort group C 2, led by Lt. Cdr. EH Chavasse in the destroyer Broadway; the other ships of this group were the frigate Lagan and three corvettes, Chambly, Drumheller and Morden (joined later by Primrose). Also at sea, to the south, was convoy SC 129, a slow convoy of 25 ships that had sailed from Halifax on 2 May.

Arrayed against them in the North Atlantic were three U-boat patrol lines: Rhein (12 U-boats), Elbe (17 boats) and Drossel (7 boats, joined later by two/2 more), though in the event only boats from Rhein and Drossel engaged HX 237; the Elbe boats were directed towards SC 129.

The German intelligence service B-Dienst had cracked the Allied merchant codes and were aware of the two convoys; R&D while E

Realizing the two convoys were under threat the Admiralty directed the support group SG 4, comprising the escort carrier Biter and three destroyers (Obdurate, Opportune and Pathfinder) to assist; these accompanied HX 237 from 9 to 13 May, before moving to assist/aid SC 129.

Off the coast of Newfoundland the convoy encountered fog, which persisted for several days,/ 2 days and 3 nights and ten ships lost contact;<warsailors 4 of these returned to Halifax, while the others continued independently.

Action== On 9 May HX 237 was sighted by U 359 of group Rhein but she was detected and forced to submerge by the escort, losing contact. The following day / 10 may contact was regained by U-454, which ws also spotted and attacked by a Swordfish from Biter, which had joined on 9 May. / the 9th./the previous day. However four other U-boats were able to close, and that evening of 10/11 May began their attack. All attempts to reach the convoy were repulsed, though three of the stragglers were found and sunk; Sandanger, by U-221 and Brand, by U-603. Fort Concord was attacked by U-456 and U-403; during this period U-403 was itself attacked by a Swordfish from Biter. U-456 was also found, by a Liberator of 86 Squadron and, on diving, was hit by an acoustic torpedo. Thsi weapon, code-named FIDO, was the newest addition to the Allied arsenal, and this attack was the first operational use of it. U-456 was forced to surface, but held off the aircraft until found by the destroyer Opportune, and sunk.

and one U-boat, U-89, was destroyed by Broadway and Lagan

On 13 May the pack was still in contact, when U-753 was found by a Sunderland of 423 Squadron. The U-boat remained on the surface so . An attack by the aircraft, followed up bu Lagan and Drumheller, destroyed the U-boat, the third to be lost in three days. No more attacks developed and on 16 May most of the U-boats in contact boke off to refuel.

Meanwhile Biter and her destroyer screen left to join SC 129, ||where they assisted in the safe arrival of that convoy

destruction of

HX 237 arrived without further incident in Liverpool on 17 May.

Aftermath==

BdU was dismayed by the events of this episode: three U-boats, all veteran crews, had been lost for the sinking of only/ three merchants, all stragglers. None of the attacks on the convoy itself had been successful, despite having excellent intelligence. BdU attributed the failure to Allied radar, but took no account of the lengthy signals required by his management style, and which made the U-boats involved vulnerable to detection. <Kemp 117

Meanwhile the Commodore’s report (written before he was aawrae of the loss of the three stragglers) paid tribute to the relentless pursuit and destruction of the enemy by the escort and support group, and, exhibiting the growing confidence seen / of those involved in the Atlantic campaign

‘ given an aircraft carrier and three destroyers as a support group in submarine infested waters the U-boat menace would gradually disappear and one would be able tosend a wire to Hitler informing hoim of convoys sailing and telling him if any of his submarines are in the way, they will be sunk.<war sailors

Table==

Allied ships lost

Date Name Nationality Casualties GRT Sunk by...
12 May 1943 Fort Concord British 37 7,138 Straggler
torpedoed by U-456 (04.41)[1]
12 May 1943 Brand Norwegian 3 4,819 Straggler
torpedoed by U-603 ( no time)[2]
12 May 1943 Sandanger Norwegian 20 9, 432 Straggler
torpedoed by U-221 (22.28)[3]

U-boats destroyed

Date Number Type Location Casualties Sunk by...
12 May 1943 U-89 VIIC Atlantic, N of the Azores
46°30′N 25°40′W / 46.500°N 25.667°W / 46.500; -25.667		 48 spotted by Swordfish B/811 Sqdn (HMS Biter)
d/c by Broadway, Lagan
13 May 1943 U-456 VIIC Atlaantic, NW of Cape Ortegal
46°40′N 26°20′W / 46.667°N 26.333°W / 46.667; -26.333		 49 air attack by Lib B/86 Sqdn
follow-up attack by HMS Opportune
13 May 1943 U-753 VIIC Atlantic, W of Biscay
48°37′N 22°39′W / 48.617°N 22.650°W / 48.617; -22.650		 47 Air attack By Sunderland G/423 Sqdn, d/c by Lagan, Drumheller

Notes/References==

  1. ^ Hague 2000, p. 135.

Sources/Bibliography==

  • Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942–1945 (1998) ISBN 0-304-35261-6 (2000 UK paperback ed.)
  • Arnold Hague : The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 (2000) ISBN 1-55125-033-0 (Canada). ISBN 1-86176-147-3 (UK)
  • Paul Kemp  : U-Boats Destroyed ( 1997) ISBN 1-85409-515-3
  • Donald Macintyre: U-Boat Killer (1956) ISBN (none)
  • Axel Neistle  : German U-Boat Losses during World War II (1998) ISBN 1-85367-352-8

External links==


  • [[Category:North Atlantic convoys of World War II|HX237
  • [[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Canada
  • [[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom|C
  • Notes:
Fort Concord: 19 survivors: one boat (14 men), picked up same day by Drumheller
...one raft (5 men) found by U-103 on 18th. 2 Europeans taken on board, 3 others given food & water, and left. Found 25 June by Orkan, after 44 days at sea.
Brand : 39 survivors, picked up same day by Morden
Sandanger: 19 survivors picked up by Kootenay 22 May (10 days)

Borkum

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Wolfpack Borkum

Borkum was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.

Blair II 490-491 ‘Like most U-boat groups operating in the dangerous Middle Atlantic area, Borkum was massacred’ ‘Demise was vivid example of Allied air and naval ASW maturity in the Atlantic in early 1944’

summary (p.493) Borkum = 8 boats 3 Ubts destroyed, 1 lost (unknown cause) 3 damaged and forced to return (all out of action until June or later) only one completed a full patrol Successes; one frigate (Tweed) sunk, one B-17 shot down (doesn’t mention Leary)

but p.453 Borkum = 13 boats, (from Weddigen) deployed to intercept OS/KMS convoys with air s recon. Co-incident with Osorno, Alsterufer mission and action with Card group, sank Leary; also, 415 found OS 62/KMS 36, hit Hurricane (24 Dec)

Blair p.452 mentions Weddigen grp. = complete failure escoorts of 3(out-) and 2 (in-bound) convoys outfought group, sank 8 from Schill and W

U-boat flotillas

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Atlantic
1,9 Brest 2,10 Lorient 3 La Rochelle 6,7 St Nazaire 12 Bordeaux

Mediterranean
23 Salamis 29 La Spezia 30 Constantia

Norway
11 Bergen 13 Trondheim 14 Narvik

Baltic
33 Flensburg

Training
4, 5, 8, 18, 19, 20-27, 31, 32,

Captains/EGs

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  • 1EG [[HMS Affleck (K462) [[Clive Gwinner (ubt has K362
  • (2EG) .X
  • 3EG [[HMS Duckworth (K351) Ronald Mills/RG Mills
  • 4EG [[HMS Bentinck (K314) EH Chavasse
  • 5EG [[HMS Bickerton (K466) [[Donald Macintyre (Royal Navy officer)
  • 15EG [[HMS Louis (K515) Lewis BA Majendie may 44-mar 45 (nov 43-Apr 44 repairs
  • 21EG [[HMS Conn /(K509) R Hart [[Raymond Hart

Swamp

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Swamp was an Allied combined operation ASW tactic used in The Mediterranean during WWII. it involved a hugh degree of co-operation between air and naval forces to sustain a hunt to exhaustion of a detected U-boat in order to ensure destruction.

Blair II (Military operations: Monstrous)

p524 May 14 (GUS 39 hunt for U-616

p525 May 17 hunt for U-960

also, p520-522 U-223 sunk after ‘relentless 20 hour chase/ hunt to exhaustion

Price (Patrols : Swamp)

p193

p 197 between Dfec 43 and May 44 = 5 Uboats sunk U-960 after 40 hr hunt

Roskill III. Pt 1 (Mediterranean campaign )

p326 U-boats sunk

  • U-371 27 hr  ? Gus 38, sank Senegalais
  • (U-616 ? 3 days
  • U-960 17th-19th GUS 39
  • U-453 19th - 21st HA 43

Oct 43-May 44 : 19 swamp operations = 78 u-boats sunk … ‘jealously guarded autonomy’

p208 14 Sept memo by Hugh Lloyd: ‘ we cannot… ‘

p209 Nov 43 first operations unsuccessful

… Dec 43 U-593 sunk 31 hrs U-73

Milner (Swamp )

p218 Operation Cork, a huge swamp operation

also, p207-8 hunts to exhaustion, a Swamp in RAF parlance

p208 U-761 Feb 44 , U-392

Swamp in Med successful where conditions good; where poor, the still ‘tough’

p207 describes Stipple intel assessment, followed by Tubular focussed search

example U-845 found by Otter search (RCAF term for Tubular) leads to 3 day hunt (‘Salmon’; is this a general or a specific operation name) hte by RCAF and RG 9 unsuccessful; 845 escaped, though sunk later in Biscay by EG 9

Kemp

  • U-593 p161
  • U-73 p161
  • U-223 p180
  • U-371 p187
  • U-616 p190
  • U-960 p190-1
  • U-453 p191

from UGS 40 (jan 21) ubt.net S, M, involved in Swamp attack on U-371  2-5 May off Algeria (+ Pride, Campbell, S, Blankney F sunk by U-967 ( with GUS 38) off Morocco Lansdale sunk by aircraft 20 Apr NE Algiers

Sources :

  • Roskill
  • O'Hara (describes, but not named)
  • Morison X p252 Uboats ‘swamped’ july 43-may 44

Morrison: Uboats swamped july 43-may 44

Describes Donitz plan to maintain 12 boats at Toulon, and 6 at Salamis, leaving central Med to the Italians. Between Sept 43 and May 44, 23 U-boats attempte to enter med; 14 succeeded, 7 were lost, the remainder (6) forced to return.

Swamp tactic developed by joint staffs in Med theatre, describes aim to hunt the U-boat to exhaustion, then overwhelm when forced to the surface. Describes dest. U-593 (32 hr hunt), U-73 in Dec 43 (p253) and U-371 in May 44 (p.356), U-616 (desc as Swamp/Monstrous, 3 full days and part of 2 more (p357-9) and U-960 (p.359-60) Also lists U-boats bombed and sunk, or scuttled, at Toulon; 407 sunk off Crete, 2 more bombed at Salamis. All accounted for by Sept 44.

Also describes air attacks on med convoys: UGF 10, KMS 25A, UGS 36, 37, 38, (some losses, no downed aircraft mentioned; and UGS 40 (attacked by 61 planes, 19 shot down. (p269)

Weather War

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German weather stations in the Arctic during WWII (de)

Operation name Region Date Location Organization/Force involved Numbers Notes
Banso [[West Spitzbergen 1941/42 [[Adventdalen Luftwaffe/Air Force 4-18 Etienne/Moll Sept 41-July 42; raided by M/S Oct 41 (evac, return) watched by RAF (Apr) Frithams (May) failed raid (June)
Knospe (de) West Spitzbergen/Albert I Land 1941/42 [[Signehamna Navy 6 Knoespel Oct 41-Aug 42, evacuated
Nussbaum West Spitzbergen 1942/43 Signehamna Navy 6 Oct 42- ?
Holzauge (de) NE [[Greenland 1942/43 [[Sabine Island Navy 17 Aug 42-june 43, attacked by Sirius, evacuated (Sachsen lost Mar 43)
Kreuzritter (de) West Spitzbergen 1943/44 [[Liefdefjorden Navy 12 Oct 43-June 44, evacuated
Schatzgraber (de) [[Franz Joseph Land 1943/44 [[Alexandra Land Navy 10 Sep43-july44 evacuated
Svartisen [[Hope Island 1943/44 - Air Force 4
Bassgeiger (de) E Greenland 1943/44 [[Shannon Island Navy 8 Aug 43- June 44, attacked by Sirius/Coburg wrecked
Edelweiss I (de) NE Greenland 1944 [[Dove Bay Navy 11 Aug 44, captured (Kehdingen sunk)
Edelweiss II (de) NE Greenland 1944 [[Koldewey Islands|Little Koldewey I Navy 12 Oct-Nov 44 (exenstierne captured/sunk)
Zugvogel (de) Greenland Sea 1944/45 Weathership Wuppertal Navy 20 Oct-Dec 44,( Wupp lost)
Helhus Hope Island 1944/45 - Air Force 4
Landvik South Spitzbergen/Sorkapp 1944/45 [[Stormbukta Abwehr 2
Taaget (de) [[Bear island 1944/45 Sorhamna/ - Abwehr 2 Nov 44-Mar 45
Haudegen (de) NE Spitzbergen/[[Nordaustlandet 1944/45 [[Rijpfjorden Navy 11 Sept 44-Aug 45 surrendered

Escort Groups

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Western Approaches Command Jan 1941 Adm. M Dunbar-Nasmith (Plymouth)

Greenock: 3 EG ? Arrow (Cdr. HW Williams SO) 4 EG Achates (Lt Cdr Vis Jocelyn SO) 10 EG Ottawa (Cdr ER Mainguy RCN SO) 11 EG ? Broadwater (Cdr CL Bell)

Liverpool: 5 EG Walker (Cdr D Macintyre SO) 6 EG Wolverine (Cdr JM Rowland SO) 7 EG Westcott m(Cdr Bocket-Pugh) SO from April) 8 EG ? 9 EG (havants)

Londonderry: 1 EG Malcolm (Cdr CD Howard-Johnston SO) 2 EG ? Broke (Cdr BG Scurfield)

Western Approaches Command July 1941 Adm, P Noble (Liverpool)

Greenock: 3 EG Bulldog (Cdr AJ Baker Cresswell SO) 4 EG Beagle (Cdr RT White SO)

Liverpool: 5 EG Walker (Cdr D Macintyre SO) 6 EG Wolverine (Cde JM Rowland SO) 7 EG Westcott m(Cdr Bocket-Pugh SO)

Londonderry: 1 EG Keppel (Cdr AM Sheffield, Cdr JE Broome from Sept SO) 2 EG Douglas (Cdr WE Banks SO) 8 EG Malcolm (Cdr CD Howard-Johnston SO)

Western Approaches Command Jan 1942 Adm, P Noble (Liverpool)

Greenock: 3 EG Bulldog (Cdr AJ Baker Cresswell SO) 4 EG Boadicea (Cdr HP Henderson SO)

Liverpool: 5 EG ? Wanderer (Cdr AF Orphen SO) 6 EG ? Broke (Cdr WT Couchman SO) 7 EG ? 37 EG ? Black Swan (Cdr TAC Pakenham SO)

Londonderry: 1 EG Keppel (JE Broome SO) 2 EG Douglas (Cdr WE Banks SO) 8 EG Malcolm (Cdr CD Howard-Johnston SO)

40, 41, 42, 43, 44 EG

20th Escort Group

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[https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-aContents.htm G Mason, navhist

  • Stork:
August: Selected for duty in Support role. (For details of this new tactical deployment see SEEK and STRIKE by W Hackmann). 
September:  Deployed in support role in Atlantic. Support Role duty suspended to meet additional escort requirements.
  • Deptford:
April to September: Atlantic convoy escort with Group in continuation.  Nominated for convoy defence in support of planned Allied landings in Normandy (correction; Operation TORCH).
  • Rother:
(no article)
  • Spey:
August: Atlantic Convoy defence in continuation

search: Seek and Strike W Hackmann [ snippet view

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/World_War_II_Sea_War_Vol_7_The_Allies_St/6uiwCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Seek+and+Strike+20th+escort+group&pg=PA53&printsec=frontcover Donald Bertke World War II Sea War vol 7 p.53 20 september 20 EG (Cdr Walker) operational with ten destroyers

Rohwer 22.9.1942 North Atlantic Formation of the first support group EG.20 (Cpt. Walker) with ten ships. On 23.9. some of the units go to support the convoy ONS.132 (EG B6). The convoy is accompanied by a tanker equipped with rubber hoses (!) for oiling the security vehicles. In October EG.20 is disbanded again due to the need for vehicles for Operation "Torch".

Hague ON 132  OCEAN ESCORT TU 24.1.4(B6) SOE FAME, SUPPORT GP (Ist KNOWN USE OF A SUPPORT GP) EG 20 SOE STORK STORK  DEPTFORD ROTHER SPEY | ESCORT 22/09 - 24/09 NOTE THAT EG 20, SUPPORT GROUP, RETURNED TO ON 132 FOR PERIOD 26 TO 29.9.42 ALSO . ...

Black May

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Week 1
Date Name Location Fate
2 May U-332 d/c by aircraft ( /461 sqdn) of Scilly Isles
3 May U-439 accident; collision with U-659 off Cape Finisterre
3 May U-659 accident; collision with U-439 off Cape Finisterre
4 May U-109 d/c by aircraft ( /86 sqdn) S of Ireland
4 May U-630 d/c by aircraft ( /5 RCAFsqdn) S of Cape Farewell
5 May U-192 d/c by Pink S of Greenland
6 May U-125 d/c by Vidette SE of Newfoundland
6 May U-438 d/c by Pelican in N Atlantic
6 May U-531 gunfire by Snowflake, rammed by Oribi NE of Newfoundland
6 May U-638 d/c by Loosestrife off Newfoundland
7 May U-447 d/c by aircraft ( /233 sqdn) W of Gibraltar
7 May U-465 d/c by aircraft ( /10 RAAF sqdn) NW of Cape Ortegal
7 May U-663 d/c by aircraft ( /58 sqdn) W of Brest
Week 2
Date Name Location Fate
11 May U-528 d/c by Fleetwood, aircraft ( /58 sqdn) SW of Ireland
12 May U-186 d/c by Hesperus N of Azores
13 May U-456 d/c by Pathfinder, Lagan, Drumheller, and aircraft ( /423 sqdn) N Atlantic
14 May U-657 d/c by aircraft ( / VP84) Sw of Iceland
14 May U-266 d/c by aircraft ( /86 sqdn) SW of Ireland
14 May U-89 d/c by Broadway, Lagan, and aircraft from Biter ( /811 sqdn) N Atlantic
Week 3
Date Name Location Fate
15 May U-176 d/c by Cuban submarine-chaser CS13 and aircraft (VS 62) N of Havana
15 May U-463 d/c by aircraft ( /58 sqdn) SW of Scilly Isles
15 May U-753 unknown N Atlantic
16 May U-182 d/c by MacKenzie NE of Madeira
17 May U-128 d/c by Jouett, Moffett and aircraft ( /VP74) ENE of Bahia
17 May U-640 d/c by Swale SE of Cape Farewell
17 May U-646 d/c by aircraft (/269 sqdn) S of Iceland
19 May U-954 d/c by aircraft ( /120 sqdn) SE of Cape Farewell
19 May U-209 d/c by Jed, Sennen N Atlantic
19 May U-273 d/c by aircraft ( /269 sqdn) S of Iceland
19 May U-381 d/c by Duncan, Snowflake S of Cape Farewell
20 May U-258 d/c by aircraft ( /120 sqdn) N Atlantic
21 May U-303 torpedo by Sickle off Toulon
Week 4
Date Name Location Fate
22 May U-569 d/c by aircraft from Bogue ( /VC 9) N Atlantic
23 May U-752 rocket fire by aircraft from Archer ( /819 sqdn) W of Ireland
25 May U-414 d/c by Vetch NE of Oran
25 May U-467 d/c by aircraft ( /VP84) SE of Iceland
26 May U-436 d/c by Test, Hyderabad W of Cape Ortegal
28 May U-304 d/c by aircraft ( /120 sqdn) S of Cape Farewell
28 May U-755 d/c by aircraft ( /608 sqdn) N of Balearic Is
31 May U-440 d/c by aircraft ( /201 sqdn) W of Cape Ortegal
31 May U-563 d/c by aircraft ( /58, /228, /10 RAAF sqdns) SW of Brest.
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