Recent content by Hugh Spencer

The Avro Lancaster. BofB fighters have featured considerably in the messages but we must remember that the valiant fighters prevented the Luftwaffe from helping the enemy to prepare for an invasion. They could have regrouped and built up their numbers for another attempt later on. Bomber Command...

16 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: U.S.-built destroyer escorts transferred under Lend-Lease to Great Britain (HMS 'Byard', HMS 'Bentinck', HMS 'Berry', HMS 'Drury', and HMS 'Bazely') entered combat for the first time as escorts for convoy O, Nova Scotia. 20. The British classify the ships as...

13 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine 'U-402' was sunk by a Mark 24 Acoustic Torpedo (FIDO) from TBF Avenger and F4F Wildcat aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in the escort aircraft carrier USS 'Card' (CVE-11). All hands in the submarine, 50 men, are lost. Avenger aircraft...

8 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: An escort of Convoy SC-143 (Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, to U.K.) and three German Type VIIC submarines tracking the convoy are sunk by aircraft in the North Atlantic. The escort Polish destroyer ORP 'Orkan' (ex HMS 'Myrmidon') sunk by 'U-378'. The destroyer is...

4 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: North of the Azores, aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC 9) in the escort carrier USS 'Card' (CVE-11) attacked three German submarines, 'U-264', 'U-422', and 'U-455', rendezvousing with a Milch cow, 'U-460'. 'U-460' and 'U-422' were sunk respectively by F4F...

2 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-168' sank SS 'Haiching'. 'U-223' damaged SS 'Stanmore' beyond repair in Convoy MKS-27. EASTERN FRONT: Oblt. Erich Hartmann, Staffelkapitaen of 9./JG 52 claimed 4 victims - 2 LaGG-5s, a Pe-2 bomber and a Russian Lend-lease P-39 to bring his score to 121 kills...

1 October 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-703' sank SS 'Sergej Kirov' in Convoy VA-18. 'U-532' sank SS 'Tahsinia'. 'U-410 'sank SS 'Fort Howe' and damaged SS 'Empire Commerce' in Convoy MKS-26. 'U-402' was attacked by a Ventura aircraft (VB-128, US Navy) but suffered no damage. EASTERN FRONT: Under...

30 SEPTEMBER 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-960' fired one FAT torpedo at the convoy VA-18 40 miles west of Russkij Island and heard a detonation after 5 minutes 50 seconds. The 'Arkhangel´sk' (Master G.G. Ermilov) was hit in hold #2 and settled on even keel, but after a minute broke in two before the...

29 September 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-532' sank SS 'Banffshire'. EASTERN FRONT: Kremenchug and Rudnya fell to the Soviets. The Red Army took control of the Smolensk to Vitebsk railway, in the north-west, and occupied Kremenchug in the south, the last German strong point on the eastern bank of...

28 September 1943 EASTERN FRONT: A Bf 109F-4 from 9./JG 5 was shot down and Uffz. Hans Link was made a POW. GERMANY: A prototype high-speed U-boat, 'U-792', was launched; this was the first of four experimental submarines of this type. These boats were powered by a Walter gas turbine using...

27 September 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two German submarines were sunk. 'U-161' was sunk in the South Atlantic near Bahia, Brazil, by depth charges from a USN PBM-3 Mariner of Patrol Squadron Seventy Four (VP-74) based at Natal, Brazil. All 53 hands on the U-boat were lost; 2 crewmen in the PBM were...

26 September 1943 EASTERN FRONT: Soviet troops penetrated the suburbs of Kiev. A decision was made to withdraw the Spanish Blue Division from the Eastern front. Ofw. Josef Kociok, a 33 victory night-fighter, collided with the Russian DB-3 he had just shot down over Kertsch. When he and his...

25 September 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: At the end of the Battle of Convoys ONS-18 and ON-202, 20 U-boats have sunk 36,422 tons of merchant shipping and three escorts; British ships sank three U-boats and damaged a further three. EASTERN FRONT: Smolensk and Roslavl fell to the Soviets of General...

24 September 1943 EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting was in progress in the vicinity of Smolensk and Roslavl. The Soviet Army captured Borispol, east of Kiev while Army Group Center prepared to abandon Smolensk and Roslavl. 'U-711' used its deck gun to attack the Soviet radio station Blagopolucya...

23 September 1943 ATLANTIC OCEAN: German minesweeper M-343 collided with 'U-962' in Danish waters causing some damage to the U-boat. Several ships were lost during Convoy ON-202. 'U-238' sank SS 'Fort Jemseg', 'Oregon Express' and 'Skjelbred' in the convoy and 'U-952' damaged SS 'James Gordon...