German guided bombs

S6 only a few months later:

Wiki

Convoy PQ18 departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942 and arrived in Arkhangelsk on 21 September 1942.

The convoy consisted of forty merchant ships (11 British, 20 US, six Soviet and three Panamanian) and four Fleet auxiliaries; two oilers, a rescue ship and a CAM ship.

Close escort was provided by a force led by Cdr.AB Russell, in the destroyer Malcolm. The force comprised two other destroyers Achates and Amazon, two anti-aircraft "gunships", four Flower class corvettes, four A/S trawlers and three minesweepers. The escort was supported by a Carrier group (the escort carrier Avenger and her accompanying destroyers), and a "Fighting Destroyer Escort" of 16 Fleet destroyers commanded by Rear Adm. Robert Burnett in the cruiser Scylla. The escort was augmented by local escort forces from Britain to Iceland (Campbell and six other destroyers, and 5 trawlers) and from Murmansk (four Soviet destroyers and three minesweepers).

PQ 18 was seen as a success by the Allies. Thirteen ships had been lost (4 by a/c), but 28 had arrived safely, and the Arctic convoy route, which had been suspended since the loss of PQ 17, had been re-established. Furthermore, three U-boats had been destroyed, and 40 German aircraft had been shot down.

Whilst the Germans could be pleased with the losses inflicted, they had failed to stop the convoy getting through, and their own losses, particularly in trained pilots, were severe, denting the ability of the Luftwaffe to hinder future convoys. The German surface force had also been powerless to interfere, and it's next venture, against JW 51B would be a debacle.

The Germans lost the equivalent of a Gruppe. Germany didn't have the resources to sustain these kinds of losses.

Convoy data base, Arnold Hague Convoy Database

one of the probs we have discussed gents many times was the working capabilities of the KM and LW together only on a very few operations did this even exist at all between the U-Boot arm and the LW recon/Bomber force where they could work side by side and not just radio one another with foggy co-ordinates of supposed Allied ship lanes. there was just not enough long range LW units to engage over such a wide ocean space.

Milosh said:

The Germans lost the equivalent of a Gruppe. Germany didn't have the resources to sustain these kinds of losses.

Convoy data base, Arnold Hague Convoy Database

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Thank you. The British managed to add 5-6 Attacker class escort carriers by the summer of 1943. I Imagine that had Luftwaffe presence been stronger in the Northern Waters more carriers would have been assigned to escort the convoys. There was no real reason for the convoys in good weather (summer) to venture with range of land based fighters leaving the Luftwaffe bombers on their own.

Bumpelstiltskin....

Shortround6 said:

Thank you. The British managed to add 5-6 Attacker class escort carriers by the summer of 1943. I Imagine that had Luftwaffe presence been stronger in the Northern Waters more carriers would have been assigned to escort the convoys. There was no real reason for the convoys in good weather (summer) to venture with range of land based fighters leaving the Luftwaffe bombers on their own.

Click to expand...

The planned convoy to Russia for Aug 1942 was cancelled due to the need to send the Nelson, Rodney, Victorious and supporting cruisers Manchester, Kenya and Nigeria and destroyers to the Med as escort for Operation Pedestal to run a convoy to Malta. Then after PQ18 in Sept 1942 there was another halt until Dec 1942 due to Operation Torch tying up large parts of the Home Fleet.

In 1943, convoys to Russia ran until mid-March, with only Dasher being involved in JW53, and did not start again until Nov. This was due once again to operations being planned for the Med (Operation Husky to invade Sicily in July and Operation Avalanche to invade Italy in Sept). Again part of the Home Fleet was sent south. Amongst the ships sent to the Med in July/Aug 1943 were the first 4 Bogue class escort carriers for the RN (Attacker, Battler, Hunter & Stalker) to form part of Force V off Salerno.

So other than early half hangar Biter & Archer and initial voyages from the USA to U.K., it was Sept / Oct before more escort carriers were able to become operational on the Atlantic and Arctic convoy routes. Their entry to service was delayed by the need to refit them in the U.K. on arrival to make them more survivable in the light of the loss of Avenger during Operation Torch and Dasher in March 1943 from an internal explosion.

From JW57 in Feb 1944 escort carriers were regularly provided as part of the escort for the Arctic convoys. But they were again suspended between the beginning of May and mid-Aug due to the needs of Operation Overlord, which utilised many Home Fleet destroyers And Western Approaches escort groups to ensure its success.

After PQ18 and the replacement of its losses, Luftwaffe anti-shipping operations, and the units involved therein, were moved from Norway to the Med. It was later in 1944 before they returned in any numbers.