This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

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September 13 Saturday
ASIA: The Japanese Combined Fleet completes the 4-day training exercise in the North Pacific.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British Submarine HMS "Tigris" sank Norwegian coastal steamer "Richard With" off Breisund, northern Norway.

EASTERN FRONT: The German OKW determined that Soviet prisoners of war would receive fewer rations than prisoners of other nationalities.
Armeegruppe Nord: German Army Group North continues to press toward Leningrad. General Georgy Zhukov, hero of the 1938 Soviet victory over Japan at Khalkhin Gol, flies from Moscow and arrives in Leningrad with trusted lieutenants Major-Generals I.I. Fediuninsky and M.S. Khozin to replace Marshal Kliment Voroshilov as the commanding officer of the city's garrison who is unable to control the numerous military and civilian groups defending the city. He orders the harshest of punishments for dereliction of duty and orders immediate counter-attacks. His actions, in large part, save the city from the Germans. Zhukov dismisses General Ivanov for incompetence and appoints General Fedyuninsky to command 42nd Army.

German forces land on Muhu (Moon) Island and Saaremaa (Osel) Island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Estonia.

Armeegruppe Mitte: Model's 3.Panzer-Divisionen and Hube's 16.Panzer-Divisionen capture Lubna and Lokhvista and the 9.Panzer Divisionen (Lieutenant General Dr. A. Ritter von Hubicki) captures Mirgorod.

Armeegruppe Sud: Spearheads of German 1.Panzergruppe and 2.Panzergruppe have nearly isolated Soviet Southwestern Theater. XXIV.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops Geyr von Schweppenburg) took Lokhvytsia. Manstein takes command of 11.Armee in German Army Group South.

Walther Dahl of II./JG 3 shoots down three Russian aircraft.

Stavka appoints Timoshenko to replace Budenny as commander of the Southwestern Direction High Command.

Suspicious that the Allies may be decoding its radio messages, Berlin orders German commanders in the Soviet Union to send future reports of Nazi executions of Jews and other Soviet civilians by courier instead of radio.

Eleven members of the Jewish Council of Piotrkow, Poland, who had cooperated with the city's Jewish underground, are executed following two months of Gestapo torture.

GERMANY: Werner Mölders married Luise Baldauf (née Thurner), widow of a friend who had been killed in combat. They would have one daughter, Verena, born after Mölders' death.

The food shortage is beginning to bite in the Third Reich. In a report soon to be issued by the ministry for food and nutrition, Germans will be urged to be more economical in the way that they eat potatoes. "In every household in Germany, potatoes should now only be served in their skins," it says. "It is most important that in canteens and restaurants, potato peelers are not used."

MEDITERANNEAN: The British cruiser HMS "Coventry" is sunk by aircraft off Tobruk. Three Italian vessels from a convoy bound from Naples to Tripoli are sunk by RAF aircraft from Malta.

RN aircraft carriers "Ark Royal" and "Furious" launch 45 Hurricane fighters, 22 to reinforce Malta and 23 onward to Egypt.

Operation Propeller: A Convoy departs Gibraltar for Malta. Such was the desperate condition of Malta that it was decided to explore the possibility of supplying the island by means of clandestine passage by unescorted merchant ships. An attempt was made under the title Operation PROPELLER by the freighter "Empire Guillemot". She had been repainted in peace time colors and left the convoy early in its passage and proceeded as a single ship. Patrols had explicit orders neither to approach nor challenge the ship. This time the ship was loaded with fodder. In explanation it must be appreciated that civilian transport in Malta now relied solely upon horse or donkey, as did work on the land, and that these animals also provided a food reserve. Even in normal times, much fodder was imported, in siege conditions little could be grown as cultivable land was devoted to food production for the population.

NORTH AFRICA: Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down a British Hurricane fighter over Sofafi, Libya, his 17th kill. The Hurricane fighter was flown by Sergeant Nourse.

NORTHERN FRONT: The Finnish 'armored ship' "Ilmarinen" hits a mine and sinks while on a deception maneuver to draw Russian attention from the invasions of the islands of Hiidenmaa and Saarenmaa (two large islands off the western coast of Estonia). They were to sail with other ships as conspicuously as possible for a while and then turn back. 'Ilmarinen' sank just when they were about to turn. 132 men are saved but 271 die, making it Finland's worse maritime disaster.

Norwegian passenger ship "Barøy" was sunk in the Vestfjord by a Fairey Albacore of No. 817 Squadron, Royal Australian Navy.

PACIFIC OCEAN: First Naval Member Vice Admiral Sir Guy C.C. Roy/e KCB, CMG, made a very brief inspection of A.C.H., Townsville, when on route to Rabaul by air.

UNITED KINGDOM: Yugoslavian government-in-exile in London begins radio communications with Mihailovic.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 147 aircraft to attack Brest overnight.

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September 14 Sunday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The U.S. Navy provided escorts for British convoy Hx-150, the first time that the Americans took a direct part in the North Atlantic campaign.

A Hurricane from catapult ship "Maplin" drove off a German Fw.200 bomber one hundred miles south of Ireland. Sub Lt C. W. Walker bailed out and was picked up by sloop "Rochester".

As the USN's Task Force 15 (TF 15) proceeds toward Iceland, destroyer USS "Truxtun" (DD-229) reports a submarine emerging from the fog 300 yards (274 meters) away, but low visibility and uncertainty as to the position of USS "MacLeish" (DD-220), also in the screen of TF 15, prevents USS "Truxtun" from opening fire. After the submarine submerges, USS "Truxtun", USS "MacLeish" and "Sampson" (DD-394) make depth charge attacks with no verifiable result.

EASTERN FRONT: British forces are operating from Russian soil for the first time since Lord Ironside's expedition to help the White Russians in 1919. In a changed world, the "Reds" are now Britain's allies against Germans, so RAF pilots are flying Hurricanes from Vaenga. Two squadrons - 81 and 134 - began operations three days ago after arriving at Archangel on 7 September on the carrier HMS "Argus". Their chief target is a force of Stuka dive-bombers, the main German tool against Soviet defenses, whether tanks or cities. The RAF will not stay here for the rest of the war. It will teach Soviet pilots to fly Hurricanes and hand them over.
Armeegruppe Nord: German XLI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops G-H Reinhardt) attempts to pinch off a Soviet salient 50 miles along the South shore of Gulf of Finland from Leningrad. Soviet General Zhukov who took command yesterday launches counterattacks into the flanks of XLI.Armeekorps (mot.) to hold the salient, desperate to obey Stalin's orders to attack immediately no matter the cost. When Soviet 8th Army fails to carry out orders to attack, Zhukov replaces its commander, Shcherbakov, with General Shevaldin. Shaposhnikov tells Zhukov that Stavka has no reinforcements for Leningrad, and Zhukov must make do with local resources. The unfinished Soviet cruiser "Petropavlovsk" (formerly the German cruiser "Lützow") was sunk at Leningrad by German artillery.

German 61.Infanterie-Divisionen (Lieutenant General Siegfried Hanicke) conducts additional amphibious landing on Muhu (Moon) Island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Estonia.

Armeegruppe Mitte: The German Armeegruppe Mitte begins an encirclement of two full Soviet Armies near Kiev, Ukraine. Spearheads of German 1.Panzergruppe and 2.Panzergruppe are nearing Lokhvista.

GERMANY: Hitler's order of 1 September, that all Jews under German rule must wear a yellow star of David, comes into effect.

NORTH AFRICA: Unternehmen Sommernachtstraum [Midsummer Night's Dream]. This was a German small-scale reconnaissance operation by elements of the 3rd Aufklärungsabteilung of Generalleutnant Johann von Ravenstein's 21.Panzerdivision to exercise new tactical doctrine, to test the state of British preparations for an attack on Tobruk and to capture a large British supply depot believed to be at Bir Khirreigat in Egypt. It was intended to deliver a surprise attack against British logistics forces south of the Sollum Front. Unternehmen Sommernachtstraum was not blessed with success. The Afrika Korps was divided into three battle groups for the operation: Kampfgruppe Stephan, Kampfgruppe Schuette with elements of 15. Panzer-Divisionen forming the last of the groups. Under the command of Obstlt. Stephan, Kampfgruppe "Stephan" consisted of Panzer-Regiment 5, 11./155.Artillerie-Rgt., 2./8.Machinengewehr-Btl. and 1./200.Pionier-Btl.. The operation was unsuccessful as there were neither large-scale British combat forces in the vicinity nor the expected logistical forces and depots. The DAK ran short of fuel and became engaged by a British support group that was backed by air support. The RAF commenced bombing the exposed German units and Rommel withdrew his German units out of fire and ordered the Italians to guard the flanks. The German reconnaissance group did not find signs of a British build-up for a counteroffensive and no depots were found.

Eleven Italian Ju87R aircraft run out of fuel, force land in enemy territory near Fort Maddalena, and are captured with their crews.

Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down the Australian Hurricane fighter flown by Lieutenant Pat Byers over Bardia, Libya, his 18th kill.

NORTH AMERICA: Army General Headquarters (GHQ) maneuvers commence in Louisiana. The Army's neglect of aviation support for its ground troops during the interwar period compels it to ask the Navy to provide planes to take part. Five Navy squadrons [Bombing Squadron Two (VB-2), Fighting Squadrons Forty One and Seventy Two (VF-41 and -72) and Scouting Squadrons Five and Forty Two (VS-5 and -42)] and four Marine Corps squadrons [Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Eleven (VMF-111), Marine Observation Squadron One Hundred Fifty One (VMO-151), and Marine Scout Bombing Squadrons One Hundred Thirty One and One Hundred Thirty Two (VMSB-131 and -132)] take part in the large-scale war games.

NORTHERN FRONT: Three Kriegsmarine minesweepers are destroyed and two damaged by sabotage while in a Helsinki dockyard.

Finland Government publicly announces their limited war aims of recovering lost territories. Finnish Foreign Minister Vaino Tanner in a speech at Vaasa:
"Although we happen to be brothers-in-arms of Germany, there is no difference of opinion among us that our war concerns Finland alone. We have no part in the World War, and we do not want to become involved in its battles."
Norwegian vessel "Mittnattsol" sunk by Soviet warships off northern Norway.

UNITED KINGDOM: A very small number of German aircraft operated off Scarborough apparently looking for a convoy. One flew over Scarborough and dropped two bombs there. Two houses were demolished, water and gas mains damaged, and the main Scarborough - Whitby railway line was damaged and temporarily blocked. One person was killed and a few injured in the town. This was the only bombing incident of the night.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on coastal sweeps off the Dutch coast.

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12 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Axis
None

Neutral
Fulton Class Submarine Tender USS FULTON (AS-11)


Allied
Fairmile B MLs 293, 336,
[NO IMAGES FOUND]

MMS I Class Coastal MSW MMS59
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Tug TAI KOO (UK 688grt)
was sunk by a mine at 16-45N, 40-05E, between Aden and Massawa. Twenty six crew were lost. Thirty seven crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Convoy SC-42
DDs ST CROIX from convoy SC.41 and COLUMBIA from convoy HX.147 joined the convoy on the 12th. On the 12th, U.84 attacked and reported damaging a steamer in the convoy. Allied records don't support this.

With the arrival of these reinforcements as well as those that arrived in the afternoon of the 11thfurther attacks by Markgraf were stifled. Though the group continued to shadow, it was unable to mount any further assaults.

The arrival on 12 September of these reinforcements permitted the remaining original escorts (SKEENA, ALBERNI, KENOGAMI) to leave for refuelling.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Kiel: U-143
Kirkenes: U-451
St. Nazaire: U-96, U-567

At Sea 12 September 1941
U-38, U-43, U-66, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-202, U-372, U-373, U-432, U-433, U-552, U-553, U-557, U-558, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652, U-752

39 Boats

OPERATIONS
Northern Patrol

CA DEVONSHIRE (Force M), CV VICTORIOUS, CA SUFFOLK, and DDs SOMALI, MATABELE, and PUNJABI carried out operation EGV.2 when VICTORIOUS launched aircraft against northern Norway. The planes reported torpedoing a 2000 ton ship and attacked several small ships at Bodo and damaged the power station in Glomfjord.

An Albacore aircraft of 832 Squadron with a crew of Lt P. F. King, Lt T. L. Seccombe, and Leading Airman W. F. Lovell was damaged by flak. The airman was slightly wounded.

Northern Waters
Monitor EREBUS and ML.188 departed Lerwick at 0500 on completion of trials. The monitor arrived at Scapa Flow on the evening of the 12th.

CA BERWICK departed Scapa Flow to complete machinery repairs at Rosyth. The cruiser arrived later that day.

DD BADSWORTH, returning to Scapa Flow from escorting damaged CL NIGERIA, was ordered at 0850 to search for a downed British aircraft off Kinnaird. The search was unsuccessful and the DD later arrived at Scapa Flow.

DD PUCKERIDGE departed Scapa Flow for Portsmouth following work up. The DD arrived at Portsmouth on the 14th to join the DesFlot 1.

West Coast
CL SHEFFIELD, carrying 300 service personnel, departed Greenock at 2230 for Gibraltar, arriving on the 17th at 1500.

Convoy OS.6 departed Liverpool, escorted by DD CAMPBELTOWN, which was detached on the 15th. On the 13th, destroyers WESTCOTT and ST ALBANS and sloops STORK and WELLINGTON joined the convoy. The DDs were detached on the 17th and the sloops on the 29th. Indian sloop JUMNA joined on the 17th and was detached on the 29th. On 1 October, corvettes CLOVER and CYCLAMEN joined and escorted the convoy into Freetown arriving on 3 October. DD BRILLIANT joined on 3 October outside Freetown.

SW Approaches
Convoy OG.74 departed Liverpool and the Clyde escorted by CVE AUDACITY, sloop DEPTFORD, and corvettes PENTSTEMON, MARIGOLD, and VETCH. Ocean boarding vessel CORINTHIAN and DD ROCKINGHAM joined on the 13th and corvettes ARBUTUS and RHODODENDRON joined on the 14th. The ocean boarding vessel was detached on the 18th. A Martlet aircraft, piloted by Sub Lt (A) N. H. Patterson and Sub Lt (A) G. R. P. Fletcher RNVR, of 802 Squadron from aircraft carrier AUDACITY shot down the carrier's first Fw.200 on the 21st. Sloop DEPTFORD arrived at Gibraltar on the 25th. Corvette COWSLIP which had proceeded independently from the UK after failing to meet the convoy also arrived on the 25th. CVE AUDACITY and corvettes ARBUTUS and MARIGOLD arrived on the 26th with survivors from the sunken ships. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar later on the 26th with DD ROCKINGHAM, corvettes PENTSTEMON, VETCH, and RHODODENDRON and ASW trawler LAUREL.

Med/Biscay
An Italian convoy of steamers TEMBIEN, CAFFARO, NIRVO, BAINSIZZA, NICOLO ODERO, and GIULA departed Naples on the 10th, escorted by DDDs ORIANI and FULMINE and TBs PROCIONE, PEGASO, ORSA, and CIRCE from Trapani, and OERSEO which joined on the 13th.

Steamer CAFFARO (FI 6476 grt) was sunk by FAA land based Swordfish of 830 Sqn from Malta NW of Tripoli.


Italian steamer TEMBIEN was damaged by the 830 Sqn attack.

Steamer NICOLO ODERO (FI 6003 grt) was damaged in the attack. She was sunk on the 14th by RAF bombing in 32-51N, 12-18E after the convoy arrived at Tripoli on the 13th.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Submarine UTMOST departed Malta to search for a crew of a downed Blenheim. The crew was rescued and UTMOST returned to Malta on the 14th.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
Australian troop convoy US.12A departed Fremantle with liners QUEEN ELIZABETH and QUEEN MARY.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 12 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 13 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Fine and warm.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Operation Status Phase II postponed. HM Submarine Utmost departed to search for the crew of a downed Blenheim.

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Sunderland, 5 Wellington. Departures 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington. 38 Squadron 7 Wellingtons attacked a convoy approaching Tripoli. 69 Squadron Photo reconnaissance Taranto, Messina, Palermo. 105 Squadron 1 Blenheim special patrol. 8 Blenheims attacked a convoy. S/Ldr Charney's Blenheim was shot down in flames, S/Ldr Sgt Brandwood and Sgt Mortimer failed to return. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 7 Swordfish attacked a convoy setting a tanker and a merchant vessel on fire.One Fulmar on offensive patrol over Catania and Gerbini aerodromes dropped high explosives and incendiaries on Gerbini and machine-gunned both aerodromes.
 
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13 SEPTEMBER 1941
Axis
S-Boat DKM S-110
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Neutral
Aloe Class Net Tender USS ROSEWOOD (AN-31)


Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS DRUMHELLER (K-167)


Losses

Steamer BLOOMFIELD (UK 1417 grt) was sunk by the LW in the western Approaches. The entire crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Convoy SC-42
US DDs SIMS, CHARLES F. HUGHES, and RUSSELL reinforced the convoy escort to allow the DD of the 2nd Escort Group low on fuel to refuel on the 13th

UBOATS
Departures
St. Nazaire: U-431

At Sea 13 September 1941
U-38, U-43, U-66, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-202, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-552, U-553, U-557, U-558, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652, U-752

40 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front

Baltic
Aux PV VP 308 (DKM:314 grt) (ex trawler OSKAR NEYNABER) was sunk by a VMF MTB off Porkkala in Finnish waters.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal defense ship ILMARINEN (FN 3900 GRT) was mined and sunk in the Gulf of Finland. 13 officers and 258 men were lost on the ship. 132 survivors were picked up by patrol boats.




North Sea
CLA EURYALUS departed Rosyth for Scapa Flow, arriving later that day.

Submarine TIGRIS sank steamer RICHARD WITH (Nor 905 grt) whilst in German service off Breisund (between Bergen and Trondheim)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Northern Waters
CV VICTORIOUS, CAs SUFFOLK and DEVONSHIRE, and DDs SOMALI, MATABELE, and PUNJABI arrived at Scapa Flow on the 13th.

DD ANTHONY arrived at Scapa Flow from Rosyth following boiler cleaning.

West Coast
Convoy ON.16 departed Liverpool, escorted by DDs MALCOLM, SARDONYX, and WATCHMAN. The convoy was joined on the 14th by ASW trawlers NORTHERN GEM, NORTHERN PRIDE, and NORTHERN SPRAY. Corvettes ARABIS and PETUNIA joined on the 15th. DDs BADSWORTH and LAMERTON were with the convoy on 17 and 18 September when they were detached. DDs MALCOLM, SARDONYX, and WATCHMAN were detached on the 19th. DD COLUMBIA joined on the 19th. DD SKEENA and corvettes ORILLIA, RIMOUSKI, and WETASKIWIN joined on the 20th and the corvettes ARABIS and PETUNIA and the trawlers were detached. DD COLUMBIA was detached on the 24th. The convoy was dispersed on the 27th.

P/T/A/Sub Lt (A) J. A. Dowling RNVR, and Naval Airman W. Sands were killed when their Proctor of 755/756 Squadron crashed near Stratford on Avon.

Med/Biscay
Corvette PEONY arrived at Alexandria from Beirut.

British steamer EMPIRE GUILLEMOT, which had arrived at Gibraltar in convoy OG.73, departed Gibraltar for Malta escorted through the day by corvettes GENTIAN and JASMINE in Operation PROPELLER. The steamer safely arrived on the 19th.

Submarine THUNDERBOLT unsuccessfully attacked Italian minesweeper ZIRONA off Benghazi.

Submarine THRASHER unsuccessfully attacked a steamer in the Gulf of Sirte.

Corvettes JONQUIL and SPIRAEA departed Gibraltar ecorting tanker NOREG.

CL MANCHESTER and DD FIREDRAKE departed Gibraltar for repair of damage received during the SUBSTANCE operation. The ships proceeded for Philadelphia and Boston, respectively. They were given local escort by DD HEYTHROP to 25W.

Submarine TRUSTY arrived at Gibraltar from Holy Loch, where she had departed on the 6th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 13 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 14 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Fine and warm.

1117-1130 hrs Air raid alert for three enemy aircraft approaching the Island. Ten Hurricanes 249 Squadron and nine 195 Squadron are scrambled. The raiders turn away before reaching Malta and there are no interceptions.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 1941

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Sunderland. Departures 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington. 38 Squadron 7 Wellingtons attacked TripoliHarbour. 69 Squadron 1 Blenheim special patrol; photo-reconnaissance east Sicilian coast. 105 Squadron 3 Blenheims searched for missing Blenheim crews. 3 Blenheims search and sweep for shipping, central Ionian Sea.

Fleet Air Arm One Fulmar offensive patrol over Gerbini and Catania dropped high explosive bombs south east of Gerbini and incendiaries near Moto.

TA QALI 8 officers and 6 sergeant pilots arrived by Hurricane from HMS Ark Royal. 6 officers and 5 sergeant pilots arrived by Hurricane from HMS Furious. 8 officers and 7 sergeant pilots left by air for the Middle East.
 
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14 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Axis
S-Boat DKM S-109
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied

MMS I Class Coastal MSW HMS MMS 28
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
Unknown: U-38

At Sea 14 September 1941
U-43, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-79, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-201, U-202, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-552, U-553, U-557, U-558, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652, U-752

42 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front

Arctic
The soviet motor torpedo boats TK-13, TK-14 and TK-15 of D-3 class had the first clash with the enemy. They met the larger German patrol ships V-6109 NORDWIND and V-6111 Franke. During the short engagement, the V-6109 suffered one hit.

Photo of TK-15

Northern Patrol
CA LONDON departed Hvalfjord for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 16th. CL PENELOPE departed Scapa Flow for Akureyri, arriving on the 16th.

Northern Waters
ML cruiser WELSHMAN departed Scapa Flow on completion of gunnery and ASW training in her work up. The cruiser proceeded to Loch Alsh.

SW Approaches
Convoy SL.87 departed Freetown escorted by DD BRILLIANT, corvettes AMARANTHUS and ASPHODEL, and ASW trawler SARABANDE to 16 September.

FFL sloop COMMANDANT DUBOC joined on the 15th and escorted to 22 September. Sloop BIDEFORD, corvette GARDENIA, and escort vessels GORLESTON and LULWORTH joined on the 16th and escorted to 6 October. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 6 October.

Med/Biscay
DDs JACKAL and HOTSPUR departed Haifa for an ASW sweep. The DDs returned to Haifa on the 16th.

RAN DD VENDETTA and Corvette SALVIA arrived at Famagusta with British steamer SALAMAUA. The DD remained with the steamer to escort it to Haifa. The corvette proceeded to Beirut.

Submarine THUNDERBOLT unsuccessfully attacked German steamer TINOS, escorted by TB POLLUCE thirty miles northwest of Benghazi.

Submarine PROTEUS departed Gibraltar with stores for Malta.

When she did not send a message after her test dive, destroyer VIDETTE was dispatched to search for her. However, the submarine arrived back at Gibraltar on the 15th with radio problems. The submarine was able to proceed later on the 15th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 14 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 15 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Fine and warm.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Utmost returned, having rescued the crew of a Blenheim.

AIR HQ Arrivals 4 Blenheim, 1 Maryland. Departures 10 Hurricane, 1 Wellington. 69 SquadronPhotoreconnaissance Lampedusa, Zuara and Tripoli. 1 Blenheim, 1 Beaufort special patrol, 1 Blenheim special search.

TA QALI 6 sergeant pilots left by air for the Middle East.
 
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September 15 Monday
ASIA: Lieutenant Commander Hirota Tachibana was named the commanding officer of destroyer "Yuzuki". Captain Jisaku Okada was named the commanding officer of "Kaga".

Japan begins preparations for war to the south, to secure oil supplies. The 12th and 14th Kokutais was disbanded as a result of reorganization. Most pilots of the 12th Kokutai were transferred to the Tainan Kokutai or to the 3rd Kokutai.

Soviet spy Richard Sorge in Tokyo, Japan, informs the Soviet Union Government that; "The Soviet Far East can be considered safe from Japanese attack."

The Foreign Office in Tokyo, Japan, requests the Japanese consul in Honolulu to report on the deployment of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-94 sank British ship "Newbury" at 0816 hours (all 45 aboard survived but were never seen again), Greek ship "Pegasus" at 2038 hours (16 killed after lifeboat capsized, 13 survived), and British ship "Empire Eland" at 2348 hours (all 38 survived but were never seen again) 800 miles west of Ireland. All three ships were members of Allied convoy ON-14.

Norwegian vessel "Renoy" was sunk by Soviet warship off northern Norway.

EASTERN FRONT: Stalin asks for 25 to 30 British divisions to be sent either through Iran or the northern port at Archangel to aid the Soviet struggle against invasion.
Armeegruppe Nord: Hoepner's 4.Panzergruppe begins shifting to Army Group Centre. Soviet 8th and 42nd Armies clashed with the German XLI.Armeekorps (mot.) southwest of Leningrad on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Neither side gains the upper hand. Soviet Generals Shcherbakov and Ivanov, commanding 8th and 42nd Army, respectively, are on the verge of giving up and are replaced by Zhukov. Schlusselberg on the south side of Lake Ladoga falls to the Germans. Leningrad is completely isolated from land routes to the rest of the Soviet Union. This siege will last for 3 years.

Armeegruppe Mitte: Lead elements of the 16.Infanterie-Divisionen (mot.) (Major General S. Heinrici) (Panzergruppe 1 [Colonel General Ewald von Kleist]), meet 3.Panzer-Divisionen (Lieutenant General W. Model) (2.Panzergruppe [Colonel General Heinz Guderian]) at Lokhvista, 125 miles east of Kiev. The jaws of the trap have slammed shut. Four Soviet Armies (5, 21, 26 and 37), over 600,000 soldiers, are surrounded in the Kiev area. The cordon is weak, but it is there.

Armeegruppe Sud: Soviet troops outside of Odessa, Ukraine withdrew southeast toward the city.

Stavka orders Trans-Baikal Military District redesignated Trans-Baikal Front, commanded by General Kovalyov with 17th Army and 36th Army.

GERMANY: Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was awarded the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe goblet.

169 British bombers attacked the rail station at Hamburg, Germany.

Hitler re-activated the rocket program at Peenemünde Army Research Center. The Wehrmacht considered in a report that manufacturing rockets at Peenemünde is a "particularly urgent objective of development." V-weapons production granted the same top level of priority as research and development.

MEDITERANNEAN: After sundown, British destroyers HMS "Napier", HMS "Nizam", and HMS "Havock" set sail from Alexandria, Egypt to the besieged city of Tobruk, Libya with supplies. They would all return to Alexandria in the morning of the next day.

Axis Convoy departs Taranto for Tripoli with troop transports "Neptunia", "Oceania", and "Vulcania" escorted by Italian destroyers "Da Recco", "Da Noli", "Pessagno", "Usodimare", and "Gioberti".

NORTH AFRICA: East African 25th Infantry Brigade arrives by sea at Massawa and begins moving to Wolchefit, north of Gondar in Ethiopia.

NORTH AMERICA: The United States Attorney General rules that the Neutrality Act is not violated when US ships carry war material to British territories in the Near and Far East or the Western Hemisphere.

The 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaska National Guard is inducted at Juneau.

UNITED KINGDOM: The 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment was established.

WESTERN FRONT: German soldiers were attacked by resistance fighters in Paris, France.

Werner Heisenberg visits Niels Bohr in Copenhagen and discusses potential of atomic weapons.

RAF Fighter Command flew Rhubarb operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 45 aircraft to attack Le Havre overnight.
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September 16 Tuesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Ordeal of Convoy SC-42: Convoy SC-42 has almost reached safety when German submarine U-98 sank British ship "Jedmoor" 100 miles northwest of Isle of Lewis, Scotland at 2316 hours; 31 were killed, 5 survived.

5 PBM Mariner aircraft and 1 PBY Catalina aircraft received radar to help these American aircraft conduct their neutrality patrols. Located with the Western Approaches HQ, and under its operational control, is No. 15 Group RAF Coastal Command. Its aircraft range far and wide over the north-east Atlantic from their bases in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Iceland. The north-west Atlantic is covered by the Royal Canadian Air Force. Both forces still suffer from a lack of very long-range aircraft, which means that the mid-Atlantic, south of Greenland, does not have air cover. Known as the "Black Pit" or "Black Gap", it presents the most dangerous area for convoys. Despite this, improved methods of detecting U-boats, with more and better-trained escort vessels, are helping to reduce losses.

Convoy HX 150 set sail from Nova Scotia, escorted for the first time by U.S. Naval vessels. Royal Navy vessels were freed from escort duties between North America and Iceland. Leaving Halifax the convoy will be escorted by the Canadian Navy up to a point south of Newfoundland, where US navy destroyers will take over, giving formal protection. They will take the convoy to a mid-ocean meeting point where the escort will be handed over to the British Western Approaches Command. This is intended to be the pattern for all fast convoys of the HX type in future. The Canadians will continue to escort the slower SC convoys all the way to the mid-ocean meeting point.

Second echelon of US 5th Infantry Division arrives in Iceland, including 10th Infantry Regiment.

EASTERN FRONT: Heinrich Hoffmann of 12./JG 51 has a very successful day against the Soviets when he destroys five Russian aircraft to bring his score to sixty kills.
Armeegruppe Nord: The XLI.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops G-H Reinhardt) and XXXVIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry Fr-Wm von Chappuis) foils a planned counterattack by the Russian 8th Army by attacking and defeating the army before they could complete their attack preparation. The XLI.Armeekorps (mot.) successfully cut off the 8th Army in the Oranienbaum Pocket southwest of Leningrad, Russia after two days of fighting. 8th Army is separated from the main garrison in Leningrad but still protects the causeway to the island fortress and naval base at Kronstadt. German forces capture the town of Pushkin, a suburb of Leningrad. Soviet battleships "Marat" and "Petropavlovsk" were damaged by German artillery fire. The Germans captured several trams filled with workers returning home from factories in Leningrad before the service was shut down. This would mark the "high water" mark for German advances toward Leningrad. They would get no closer.

German forces land on Hiiumaa (Dago) Island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Estonia.

Armeegruppe Mitte: The forces of German Panzergruppe Guderian and 1.Panzergruppe (Kleist) link up near the town of Lokhvista, encircling 600,000 Soviet troops in a pocket which stretches west for a 100 miles to Kiev, a total of 5 Soviet Armies. The Kiev pocket begins to collapse as Soviet forces begin to withdraw. General Timoshenko, commander of the Soviet High Command (STAVKA), authorizes the withdrawal. However, Stalin would not confirm the orders for 48 critical hours. Meanwhile, German 2.Armee begins to withdraw from the line and redeploy northward for renewed offensive toward Moscow

Armeegruppe Süd: Timoshenko takes command of Soviet Southwestern Theater. Romanian troops captured the heights northwest of Gross-Liebenthal district of Odessa, Ukraine. Heavily escorted transports begin transferring Soviet 157th Rifle Division from Novorossisk to reinforce Odessa.

Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, in response to the growing threat of partisan bands attacking his lines of communications establishes standing orders that for every German soldier killed by "bandits", 100 Russians are to be executed.

Bock issues his directive for the capture of Moscow codenamed Unternehmen TYPHOON.

GERMANY: Hamburg suffered a heavy RAF attack. RAF Bomber Command sends 55 aircraft to attack Karlsruhe overnight.

MEDITERANNEAN: Italian submarine "Smeraldo" sank in the Mediterranean Sea to unknown cause, killing all 45 aboard.

MIDDLE EAST: In Iran the Allies decide to occupy Teheran. This comes after the current Shah of Iran, Reza Khan Pahlevi, has not done enough to expel Axis nationals from the country. The Shah abdicates in favor of the Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his pliable 22 year old son, who will flee his country in 1979. With Soviet and British armies threatening Tehran, he has little choice. For two weeks since the armistice following the Anglo-Russian invasion, the shah had refused Allied demands to expel Germany's legation, to hand over Iran's German community for internment, and to facilitate Allied rail links from the Persian Gulf to the USSR.

Free French forces, with British backing, terminate the French mandate and agree to guarantee Syria's independence. THE NEW YORK TIMES states that "Free France acting in agreement with her ally, Great Britain, has undertaken to terminate the mandate and grant Syria the status of an independent sovereign State and to guarantee the new State by treaty."

NORTH AFRICA: Without authorization, Hans-Joachim Marseille flew over an Australian airfield in Libya, amidst anti-aircraft fire, to deliver a message that pilot Lieutenant Pat Byers, whom he shot down two days prior, was being treated at a German hospital in Libya.

Luftwaffe bombers attack Cairo and other targets overnight, killing 39 civilians.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) is formed, effective October 1, 1941. The Bombers remained within the 4th Composite Group.

WESTERN FRONT: In Paris, Hauptmann Scheben is shot dead on the boulevard de Strasbourg, 12 French citizens are shot in consequence. Attacks on German military property result in another ten French citizens being executed.

RAF Fighter Command flew sweeps and Rhubarb operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft on coastal sweeps.

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15 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Axis
Coastal MSWs R75, R-76, R-77
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Type IXC DKM U-157
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Type IXC DKM U-506
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Neutral
Elco 77' class PT 48
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS BUTE (T-168)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile B ML 234
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-94 sank Steamer EMPIRE ELAND (UK 5613 grt) in the mid Nth Atlantic. The vessel was a straggler from Convoy ON-14, on passage empty from Liverpool to Tampa. A crew of 37 were aboard, all oif whom would be lost in the attack. At 2348 hours on 15 September 1941 the unescorted EMPIRE ELAND, a straggler from convoy ON-14, was hit on starboard side aft by one G7e torpedo from U-94 while steaming on a zigzag course in bad weather about 570 miles ESE of Cape Farewell. The ship had been first spotted at 1400 hours, but the lookouts shortly afterwards spotted another straggler from the same convoy and sank the PEGASUS first. The U-boat then chased and torpedoed EMPIRE ELAND. At 2357 hrs, a further torpedo was fired, but missed. It was unnecessary as the ship sank anyway by the stern about 40 minutes later at at 0030 hours on 16 September. The Germans had observed how the crew abandoned ship after the first hit. However, the master, 31 crew members and five gunners were never found..
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U-94 sank MV NEWBURY (UK 5102 grt) in the mid Nth Atlantic. The vessel was a straggler from Convoy ON-14, on passage from Cardiff to Buenos Aires with a load of coal. She had a crew of 45, all of whom were lost in the attack

U-94 sank Steamer PEGASUS (GK 5762 grt) in the mid Nth Atlantic. The vessel was a straggler from Convoy ON-14. The ship was on passage from Leith to Alexandria via Trinidad and the Cape, carrying military stores. She had a crew of 29, 16 of whom would perish. At 2038 hrs the PEGASUS, a straggler from convoy ON-14, was hit by one stern torpedo from U-94 and stopped. The crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats, but one overturned and several men drowned. A Swedish ship stopped near the torpedoed vessel and rescued the survivors, when the U-boat fired a coup de grace at 2128 hours which broke the ship in two. Parts of the wreck remained afloat until they were shelled and sunk by an Allied warship.


Steamer BIRTLEY (UK 2873 grt) was badly damaged on a mine in the nth Sea. Three crew were lost on the steamer. The steamer sank on the 16th..


Steamer DARU (UK 3854 grt) was sunk by the LW at the southern entrance to the Irish sea. She was was on passage from Duala to Liverpool with a cargo cocoa, palm kernels and 50 boxes of coins (possibly silver), when she was sunk There were no casualties on the steamer.


Tug FLYING KITE (UK 260 grt) was sunk by a mine off the Dalmuir Basin, Clyde.
Five crew of a crew of eight were lost.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Tug ATLANTIC COCK was damaged on a mine in near the Dalmuir Basin. The tug was beached and refloated on 11 October for docking.

UBOATS
At Sea 15 September 1941
U-43, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-79, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-201, U-202, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-552, U-553, U-557, U-558, U-561, U-562, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652, U-752

42 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic

German motor ship HANSEAT was lost in a stranding near Rugen (East of Rostock).

East Front
Arctic
VMF patrol ship SKR-25 BRIZ lightly damaged with depth charges the German submarine U-752



North Sea
CA NORFOLK departed the Tyne to return to Scapa Flow after refitting. The cruiser was escorted part of the way by DDs WINDSOR and WINCHESTER. The cruiser arrived later on the 15th.

Belgian tanker PONTFIELD was mined in the Nth Sea. The tanker broke in two and the forepart sank. The aft part was towed to Salt End and later the Tyne where a new forepart was fitted.

Northern Patrol
Submarine TIGRIS unsuccessfully attacked German steamer BESSHEIM at Lopphavet.
(Far north of Norway)

DD ESCAPADE with tanker ALDERSDALE arrived at Hvalfjord from the eastwards

Northern Waters
BB PRINCE OF WALES, CLA EURYALUS, and DDs CASTLETON and ESKIMO departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde at 0800 for convoy WS.11X. DD LAFOREY relieved DD CASTLETON at the start. CASTLETON returned to Scapa Flow. She departed again at 1000 and proceeded to Loch Alsh, that evening. DD LIGHTNING also departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde for convoy WS.11X. The DD arrived on the 16th. PRINCE OF WALES, cruiser EURYALUS, and DDs LAFOREY, ESKIMO, and LIGHTNING arrived at the Clyde on the morning of the 16th. ESKIMO returning to Scapa Flow was diverted on the 16th to join DesFlot 6 in an ASW sweep.

West Coast
DD BROCKLESBY and RNeN DD ISAAC SWEERS collided in the Irish Sea. There was minor damage to both ships but both remained operational.

Western Approaches
Norwegian tanker VINGA was damaged by the LW in the Western Approaches. The tanker was towed to Rothesay Bay and later repaired at Glasgow.

Channel
Lt J. D. M. Briscoe and P/T/Sub Lt (A) J. D. Pomfret RNVR, were killed when their Hurricanes of 801 Squadron collided at Kingsmill (near Plymouth).

Med/Biscay
ORP submarine SOKOL arrived at Gibraltar from Dartmouth.

DDs NAPIER, NIZAM, and HAVOCK departed Alexandria to carry supplies to Tobruk.

CLs AJAX, NEPTUNE, and HOBART and DDs KINGSTON and KIMBERLEY departed Alexandria to provide cover for the operation. All ships returned to Alexandria on the 16th.

CL GALATEA departed Alexandria to operate in the Red Sea. The cruiser arrived at Suez on the 16th.

Corvette PRIMULA arrived at Suez from the United Kingdom to join the 10th Corvette Group.

P/T/Sub Lt (A) L. K. Harper RNVR, in a Martlett of 805 Squadron from GREBE, was killed when taking off at night, the aircraft went into a spin at the southwest side of Sidi Barrani North.

Nth Atlantic
BB RODNEY, after refitting in the United States, departed Bermuda to rendezvous with convoy WS.11 X during the morning of 21 September.

Pacific/Australia
NZ manned CL ACHILLES departed Wellington as the ocean escort for liner AQUITANIA for convoy US.12B. On the 18th, the CL turned the liner over to RAN CL s ADELAIDE and SYDNEY and returned to Auckland.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 15 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 16 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Overcast with light rain.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 1941

AIR HQ Departures 12 Hurricane, 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington. 38 Squadron 10 Wellingtons attacked Tripoli. 69 Squadron 1 Maryland special patrol.

HAL FAR Pilot Officer R A Innes became Commanding Officer of 185 Squadron.
 
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16 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Neutral
Aloe Class Net layer USS BUCKTHORN (AN 14)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Aloe Class Net layer USS EBONY (AN 15)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Aloe Class Net layer USS GUM TREE (AN 15)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Flower Class Corvette FFL COMMANDANT DETROYAT (K 183)


HDML 1085
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Convoy SC-42
On the 16th, U.98 sank steamer JEDMOOR (UK 4392 grt) in the Western Approaches and reported damaging another steamer. Thirty one crew, including five gunners, were lost on the steamer JEDMOOR. Between 2311 and 2316 hrs, U-98 fired four single torpedoes at the convoy NW of St. Kilda and heard two detonations. The uboat commander reported one ship sunk and another damaged. In fact, only the JEDMOOR was hit and sunk. The master, 25 crew members and five gunners were lost. Three crew members were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant KNOLL and two other crew members by the SS CAMPUS.


DDs ASHANTI, BEDOUIN, MATABELE, PUNJABI, IMPULSIVE, ANTHONY, VIVACIOUS, LAMERTON, and BADSWORTH departed Scapa Flow at 1630 to assist in escorting convoy SC.42 in its final inbound leg. DD ESKIMO, en route from the Clyde to Scapa Flow, joined this force off the Butt of Lewis.

Convoy SC.42 was not joined as its position was uncertain, but the force was ordered to join convoy ON.16 in the same area.

On the 17th, destroyers LAMERTON and BADSWORTH were ordered to join the escort of convoy ON.16 for twenty four hours.

Rest of the DDs were detached on the 17th and arrived at Scapa Flow in the early morning hours of the 18th, less DD VIVACIOUS, which had been detached to sink a floating mine en route and arrived just before dawn..

DDs LAMERTON and BADSWORTH arrived at Scapa Flow on the 19th

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-558
St Nazaire: U-553

Departures
Brest: U-371, U-564
Kirkenes: U-451
Lorient: U-124

At Sea 16 September 1941
U-43, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-79, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-124, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-201, U-202, U-371, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-451, U-552, U-557, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652, U-752

43 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Steamer YARRAWONGA (SD 4900grt)
was sunk by BC at Hamburg whilst in German service. The steamer was eventually salved and taken to Gothenburg for repairs, but she appears to have not returned to service until after the war.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

East Front
Baltic
DKM CLs EMDEN and LEIPZIG and TBs T.7, T.8, and T.11 bombarded the Sorve (or Sworbe) Peninsula (a peninsula which forms the southernmost section of the Estonian island Saaremaa) on 16 and 17 September as part of the wehrmachts campaign to occupy these Baltic islands.

Northern Patrol
DD ESCAPADE departed Vestmannaeyjar (a small island that lies to the south of the Icelandic mainland) escorting the ML-Flot 4 to Stornoway. The MLs were detached at the North Minch whilst ESCAPADE arrived at Scapa Flow on the 19th. The ML Flotilla arrived at Stornoway mid morning on the 19th.

ML PORT QUEBEC, escorted by DD NEWARK, laid minefield SN.23B.

Northern Waters
CA SUFFOLK departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde to boiler clean, and arrived on the 17th.

An Albacore of 827 Squadron from CV VICTORIOUS crashed landed in the sea thirteen miles off Brough Head, Orkneys. P/T/A/Sub Lt (A) M. A. Lambert RNVR, and P/T/A/Sub Lt (A) J. H. C. Ashworth RNVR, were drowned. The pilot Midshipman W. G. R. Beer was saved by CA SHROPSHIRE's WALRUS and transferred to Dutch ship AMARAPOORA.

Med/Biscay
CLA NAIAD departed Alexandria to reinforce the Red Sea Escort Force, in response to the Axis air forces campaign of air attacks at the entrances and within the Suez Canal. The cruiser arrived at Suez on the 17th.

DDs HERO and GRIFFIN departed Haifa to conduct an anti-submarine sweep on the Port Said - Haifa shipping route. The DDs returned to Haifa on the 17th.

Sirena Class SMERALDO (RM 842 grt) was lost to an unknown cause in the Central Mediterranean. The patrol of the SMERALDO began on September 15th, 1941 when, along with other boats, it was positioned in the Strait of Sicily to form a naval screen against British naval forces. These forces had left Gibraltar between the 8th and the 14th, on passage to Malta. RM naval and air forces needed contact information to assist in early intercdeption of these forces. SMERALDO was assigned a patrol area off the Tunisian coast in the mine free channels of the Sicilian narrows.. The boat's return was scheduled for the 26th, but after the departure from Augusta all contact were lost. There is no record of a British attack on the sub. There are however mine from both sides situated near to the patrol area. It is believed the submarine was lost following contact with a mine between the 16th and 26th of September, 1941.


Lt (A) CB Lamb and T/A/Sub Lt (A) J. E. Robertson RNVR, were interned after they crashed landed their Swordfish of 830 Squadron near Sousse. Despite the crash, they had successfully delivered an agent to the area.

Dutch submarine O.24 arrived at Gibraltar from patrol in the Mediterranean.

Submarines URSULA, UNBEATEN, UPHOLDER, and UPRIGHT departed Malta to intercept a fast Italian convoy east of Tripoli.

Submarine TRIUMPH departed Malta for special service and patrol in the Adriatic

Nth Atlantic
Convoy HX.150 departed Halifax, escorted by DD ANNAPOLIS and corvettes ALGOMA and BRANDON. The DD was detached on the 17th. On the 17th in 46N, 55W, this convoy became the first trans-Atlantic convoy to be assisted by USN.escort forces when USN DDs ERICSSON, EBERLE, UPSHUR, ELLIS, and DALLAS. Corvettes ALGOMA and BRANDON were detached on the 18th. On the 20th, DD EBERLE rescued the crew of British steamer NIGARISTAN which has an engine room fire. The USN group was relieved on the 25th by DDs BLANKNEY, CHURCHILL, and WITCH and corvettes ARROWHEAD, CAMELLIA, CELANDINE, and HONEYSUCKLE. DD BADSWORTH joined on the 26th for the day only. DD BLANKNEY was detached on the 27th. The DDs and corvettes CAMELLIA and CELANDINE were detached on the 28th. Corvette ARROWHEAD was detached on the 29th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 30th with corvette HONEYSUCKLE.

Central Atlantic
DD HIGHLANDER arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown, departing on the 11th and coming via Bathurst.

Ocean boarding vessel MARON arrived at Gibraltar from patrol. ASW trawlers LADY HOGARTH and ARCTIC RANGER departed Gibraltar escorting tanker INVERLEE westwards. They returned with tanker BENEDICK, arriving on the 28th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 16 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 17 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Cool and overcast.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Ursula, Unbeaten, Upholder and Upright proceeded for interception of a fast convoy to east of Tripoli. Triumph sailed for special service and patrol in the Adriatic.

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Sunderland. 38 Squadron 7 Wellingtons attacked Tripoli. 69 SquadronPhotoreconnaissance Crotone, Augusta, Catania and Syracuse. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 7 Swordfish laid 6 mines in the entrance to Tripoli harbour.
 
Last edited:
September 17 Wednesday
ASIA: Second Battle of Changsha: The Japanese 11th Army, some 125,000 strong, launches attacks at Changsha in the Hunnan Providence, 350 miles east of Chungking. The 11th Army crosses Hsinchiang River in four columns at Hsinchiangshih, Tunghsichieh, Hsilufang, and Kangkou against minimal opposition.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US Navy increases its role in escorting Atlantic convoys. It assumes responsibility for some of the Halifax to Britain convoys and the security of traffic to Iceland. It will augment the Canadian Naval escorts which travel to 22 degrees west until British ships take over.

EASTERN FRONT: Lt. Ostermann of 7./JG 54 shoots down a Russian fighter.
Armeegruppe Nord: German 18.Armee attacks Kopino and Pulkovo outside Leningrad. German 4.Panzergruppe captures Pushkin outside Leningrad.

Soviet defenders withdraw from Muhu (Moon) Island to Saaremaa (Osel) Island in the Baltic Sea off coast of Estonia.

Armeegruppe Mitte: Heavy fighting in the outlying areas of the city of Kiev between Soviet and German forces. The withdrawal from the Kiev pocket is finally approved by Stalin, but it is far too late. General Kirponos, commander of the forces in Kiev, would share the fate of many of his soldiers when his column, attempting to withdraw was ambushed and he was cut down. In the end, only 15,000 would escape the encirclement. This was a grave blow to the Red Army.

Armeegruppe Süd: Erich von Manstein took command of the German 11.Armee following the death of Eugen Ritter von Schobert. German 11.Armee then began attacks across the Dniepr River at Berislav and advances toward the Crimea. Soviet destroyer "Dzerzhinski" bombards Rumanian positions outside Odessa.

On this date, the Jager Report (issued on 1 Dec 1941) noted that 337 adult male, 687 adult female, and 247 children, all Jews, were killed in Vilnius, Lithuania for a total of 1,271 people. 4 Communists were also executed in Vilnius by Jager's Einsatzgruppen on this date.

In Belgrade, following attacks on German soldiers in the city, indefinite martial law has been proclaimed by the Serbia puppet regime set up by the Nazis. The regime is planning a punitive expedition into the mountains to round up rebels.

GERMANY: At Adolf Hitler's Wolfsschanze headquarters in East Prussia, Germany, Erich Raeder once again asked Hitler for permission to attack American shipping; Hitler again rejected him.

The general deportation of German Jews began.

Listening to foreign radio in the German Reich became punishable by death.

Hitler confirms orders for first six U-boats to be transferred to the Mediterranean.

RAF Bomber Command sends 38 aircraft to attack Karlsruhe overnight.

MEDITERANNEAN: At dawn today, a Royal Navy submarine landed a British agent, Colonel D T Hudson, on the Dalmatian coast for a rendezvous with Tito and the other resistance leader, Mihailovich. Hudson's orders are to find out which of the two is putting up the tougher fight against the Nazi occupation. Direct, coordinated action between Britain and the partisans had begun.

MIDDLE EAST: The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran concluded. Great Britain and the Soviet Union set up a joint occupation of the country. Allied forces occupy the capital Tehran to ensure that Axis influence is halted.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Supercharge. Australian 9th Division continued to be withdrawn from Tobruk, Libya, following Australian Government's request that all Australian forces in the Middle East fight under one command. Relieving them was the British 70th Infantry Division, currently in Beirut in the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon awaiting transportation by British cruisers HMS "Ajax", HMS "Neptune", and HMS "Hobart" which had just departed from Alexandria, Egypt. After sundown, British minelaying cruiser HMS "Abdiel" and destroyers HMS "Jervis", HMS "Jaguar", and HMS "Hasty" made a roundtrip from Alexandria to Tobruk with supplies for the besieged city.

NORTH AMERICA: The United States Government allocates US$100,000,000 (US$1.176 billion in year 2000 dollars) to the Soviet Union for the purchase of war materials.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Admiral Thomas Hart proposed to move his naval forces in the Philippine Islands south to combine with the British allies to better counter the more powerful Japanese Navy should it attack. He would change his mind on this plan before the start of the Pacific War.

UNITED KINGDOM: The British government ordered potatoes to be sold at 1d so people would eat more of them. The British are being cajoled into eating more potatoes, one of the few staple food of which there is no shortage. The ministry of food has fixed their retail price at a penny a pound throughout the year. Ministry advertisements featuring a cartoon character called "Potato Pete" suggest serving a pound per person per day. "Use potatoes in pastry," he recommends, even going so far as to recommend mashed potato sandwiches. The ministry also sings the praises of carrots and swedes in all guises. Plans are now being made to apply "points" rationing to tinned foods, beginning in November. Each person will get 16 points to spend on what he or she chooses every four weeks.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 24 aircraft to attack Marzingarbe power station and chemical works. RAF Fighter Command flew Circus operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 15 aircraft on anti-shipping and minelaying operations overnight.

The 'Kanalfront' Geschwader, JG 26 'Schlageter' loses Hans-KarlWitzel in combat against the Allies. He had fourteen victories flying with JG 27 and JG 26.

German Nobel prize-winning physicist Werner Heisenberg attends a conference in German-occupied Copenhagen, Denmark. He warns his mentor Niels Bohr (a Danish Jew who is also a Nobel laureate) that Germany has an atomic weapons program. As proof, he gives Bohr a drawing of a reactor, which will end up in Allied hands and spur their development of atomic weapons.

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September 18 Thursday
ASIA: Second Battle of Changsha: The Japanese 11th Army pushes south from Hsinchiang River.

Admiral Soemu Toyoda was named the commanding officer of Kure Naval District, Japan.

Japanese Army is ordered to prepare for offensive operations in Asia and the Pacific.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Ordeal of Convoy SC-42: The remnant of convoy SC-42 arrived in Liverpool. The cargo lost from SC-42 amounted to 15,050 tons of wheat, 14,400 tons of iron ore, 11,200 tons of steel, 9,300 tons of gas oil, 7,000 tons of other grains, 5,500 tons of sulphur, 4,275 tons of phosphates, 2,400 tons of pig iron, 2,100 general cargo, 525 tons of oats, and a large but unspecified tonnage of lumber. Two hundred and thirty-seven merchant sailors lost their lives in this battle. The battle for convoy SC-42 is considered to be one of the greatest convoy battles of the Second World War.

EASTERN FRONT: Hptm. Gordon Gollob, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3 is awarded the Ritterkreuz for achieving forty-two victories.
Armeegruppe Nord: Change of German strategy against Leningrad, Russia, switching from assault to besieging. 4.Panzergruppe (Colonel General Erich Hoepner) begins redeploying South, in compliance with Führer Directive 35 of September 6 to send "essential units of the motorized forces" to support the drive on Moscow (Operation Typhoon). Fieldmarshall Ritter von Leeb, in command of Army Group North, is forced to order his remaining forces to establish siege lines around Leningrad. The tanks of 4. Panzergruppe were soon loaded onto trains for Moscow. This shift in strategy partially resulted from Adolf Hitler's order earlier that Leningrad was to be razed to the ground. 1.Panzer-Divisionen and SS-Polizeiabteilungen capture Pushkin and the XXVIII.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry Mauritz von Wiktorin) capture Slutsk. Soviet battleship "Petropavlovsk" in Kronstadt harbor is again heavily damaged by German artillery fire while Soviet cruiser "Maksim Gorki" is lightly damaged.

Finnish Army of Karelia begins attacking around Petrozavodsk on western shore of Lake Onega.

Armeegruppe Mitte: The encircled forces at Kiev continue to withdrawal. 37th Army is ordered to hold Kiev to the last. 5th Army heads for the junction between the two Panzer Groups at Lookhvitsa, while 26th Army would attempt to infiltrate the German cordon at Lubny. 21st Army was to attack Romny from the west while, outside the pocket, 2nd Cavalry Corp attacked from the east. 21st Army forces counterattack German 2. Panzergruppe at Romny but all efforts would fail over the course of the next week.

Armeegruppe Süd: Units of Heeresgruppe Süd capture Poltava in the Ukraine.

The Soviet Union announced conscription for all men aged 16-50.

MEDITERANNEAN: British aircraft located a convoy of three Italian troopships escorted by four destroyers from Taranto, Italy, sailing for Tripoli, Libya. Submarines HMS "Upholder", HMS "Upright", HMS "Ursula", and HMS "Unbeaten" were dispatched to attack. HMS "Upholder" sank troopships "Neptunia" and "Oceania" over a four hour period about 70 miles east of Tripoli (384 killed, 6,500 survived), while HMS "Ursula" attacked troopship "Vulcania" unsuccessfully.

NORTH AFRICA: Operation Supercharge: After dark, British minelaying cruiser HMS "Latona" and destroyers HMS "Napier", HMS "Havock", and HMS "Nizam" sailed from Alexandria, Egypt and delivered supplies to the besieged garrison at Tobruk, Libya. They would return to Alexandria in the morning of the next day. HMS "Nizam" was damaged on the return trip when she hit the wreck of Italian ship "Serenitas" at Tobruk.

NORTH AMERICA: US President Franklin Roosevelt requested US Congress to allocate US$1,500,000,000 for the Lend-Lease program.

NORTHERN FRONT: The Finnish Moscow embassy staff arrives home. They left Moscow on July 26 and spent from July 8th to August 31st stranded in railway carriages in the rail yard of Leninakan near the Turkish border. Denmark's ambassador visited them at the end of July and observed that 'the situation must be both physically and psychically very painful to Hynninen and his staff'. (In a meeting with Paasikivi shortly after returning Finland, Hynninen referred to 54 days spent 'in difficult circumstances' in Leninakan.) When they were finally able to leave, the journey continued through Ankara, Beograd, Vienna and Berlin to Lybeck, where they took a ship to Turku.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US Navy Department approves Hart's proposal to confine Asiatic Fleet to Philippine waters.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command flew Roadstead operation over Ostend and encounters the new Focke Wulf Fw190 fighter for the first time. Eight Fw 190As of II./JG 26 led by Hptm. Walter Adolf, take off to escort a German tanker off Ostend. They encounter a force of RAF Blenheims from RAF No. 88 Squadron escorted by Spitfires and Hurricanes. Two Blenheims are destroyed but Hptm. Adolph does not return from the mission and is listed as missing in action until his body washes up on a Belgium beach three weeks later. Hptm. Adolph had twenty-five victories at the time of his death and becomes the first Luftwaffe combat casualty in the new Fw 190.

RAF 11 Group Circus 97: RAF Bomber Command sends 16 aircraft to attack Rouen and Abbeville. Six Hampdens of RAF 5 (Bomber) Group were detailed to Abbeville. Escort Wing: RAF Nos.402, 607, 411, 129 and 616 Squadrons. Escort-Cover Wing: Northolt 306, 308 and 315 Squadrons. Target-Support Wing A: North Weald 111, 71 and 222 Squadrons. Target-Support Wing B: Hornchurch 54, 603 and 611 Squadrons. Forward-Support: 12 Group Wings, 266, 56 and 601 Squadrons. Weather was 10/10th cloud, with fog/mist over southern coast of England. Ground-haze over France, clear skies above. The bombers attended the Rendezvous precisely on-time, circled for 25 minutes, then returned to base leaving the escort behind. 607 Squadron (Debden), 402 (Hornchurch) make rendezvous at West Malling, proceeded with Tangmere Wing (41, 129 & 616) to the vicinity of Beachy Head where 11 Blenheim IVs, in one box of six followed by one box of 5, were observed to be without escort. The remnants of Circus 97 then joined these bombers and supported them to the target at Rouen on Circus 99.
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17 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Axis
Type VIIc DKM U-405


Type VIIc DKM U-656
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Fairmile B ML 273
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

K (Katjusa) Class Sub VMF K-51


Losses
DKM S-Boats S.50, S.51, and S.52 of 4th S-Boat Flotilla attacked a Convoy off Cromer.
Steamer TEDDINGTON (UK 4762 grt) was badly damaged by the DKM S Boats. The steamer was taken in tow, but went ashore on the 18th 2 ¾ miles ESE of Cromer Pier. The entire crew were rescued, but the vessel became a total loss. .
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

British steamer TETELA was damaged in this attack. The steamer was taken in tow and beached at Haile Sand Flat. The steamer was refloated on the 18th and berthed at Hull.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-202
Kirkenes: U-752

At Sea 17 September 1941
U-43, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-79, U-81, U-82, U-84, U-85, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-124, U-125, U-132, U-141, U-201, U-371, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-451, U-552, U-557, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575, U-652,

41 Boats

At 1114hrs U-451 was attacked by an aircraft about 45 miles north of the North Cape while returning from Kirkenes to Germany for an overhaul and escaped damage by crash diving, reporting one bomb being dropped. In fact U-451 was attacked in error by a German He111 aircraft (1H+ML of 3./KG 26, pilot Oblt Fischbach), which subsequently claimed the sinking of a Soviet K class submarine with a stick of four bombs.

OPERATIONS
Baltic

In Stockholm Harbour, Swedish DDs KLAS UGGLA, KLAS HORN, and GOTEBORG were seriously damaged in an explosion. DD KLAS HORN was repaired from components of KLAS UGGLA and GOTEBORG. DD GOTEBORG was not repaired until after the war.

Steamer JOHANN WESSELS (Ger 4601 grt) was lost on a mine on the Norwegian coast.
[NO IMAGE FOUN D]

North Sea
DD LANCASTER departed the Humber on completion of refitting for Scapa Flow. The DD arrived at Scapa Flow on the 18th to carry out work up exercises.

DD MENDIP was escorting convoy FS 605 when it was attacked by the LW.

Northern Patrol
Submarine TIGRIS unsuccessfully attacked German convoy R.152 one mile SW of Loppa (off the Norwegian far north coast.

Northern Waters
CVE ARGUS and DD ECLIPSE departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde. Off Shianti Island, ECLIPSE was detached and returned to Scapa Flow, arriving at daybreak on the 18th.

The CVE continued unescorted to the Clyde, arriving on the 18th.

West Coast
Convoy ON.17 departed Liverpool, escorted by DD BOREAS. On the 18th, DDs BELMONT andBULLDOG. corvettes ACONIT andHEARTSEASE, and ASW trawlers ANGLE, CAPEWARWICK, DANEMAN, NOTTS COUNTY, and ST APOLLO joined. DDs AMAZON, GEORGETOWN, and ST CROIX joined. These escorts were detached on the 21st when relieved by DD RICHMOND and corvettes FENNEL, GLADIOLUS, HEPATICA, and MMIMIOSA. DD RICHMOND was detached on the 24th. The corvettes escorted the convoy until its dispersal on the 29th.

SW Approaches
Convoy WS.11X, which departed Liverpool on the 16th and the Clyde on the 17th, rendezvoused off Oversay on the 17th. The convoy consisted by supply ship BRECONSHIRE and steamers ULSTER MONARCH, QUEEN EMMA, PRINCESS BEATRIX, ROYAL SCOTSMAN, LEINSTER, STRATHEDEN, CLAN MACDONALD, CLAN FERGUSON, AJAX, IMPERIAL STAR, CITY OF LINCOLN, ROWALLAN CASTLE, DUNEDIN STAR, and CITY OF CALCUTTA. The convoy was escorted by BB PRINCE OF WALES, CLA EURYALUS, CL KENYA, and DDs LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, and ORIBI, which departed the Clyde on the 16th, WHITEHALL, WITCH, BLANKNEY, PIORUN, GARLAND, and RNeN ISAAC SWEERS from 17 September to Gibraltar. DDs HAVELOCK and HARVESTER escorted the convoy from 17 to 19 September when they were detached escorting liner STRATHEDEN to Halifax. DDs FORESIGHT, FORESTER, FURY, and LEGION, escorting CVL FURIOUS, and ZULU, GURKHA, and LANCE departed Gibraltar on the 18th to join the convoy on the 19th in 42N, 22-30W. CL SHEFFIELD departed Gibraltar on the 20th to join the convoy. DD LIVELY departed Gibraltar on the 20th to join, as did DDs COSSACK, HEYTHROP, and FARNDALE on the 23rd. Troopships ULSTER MONARCH, QUEEN EMMA, PRINCESS BEATRIX, and ROYAL SCOTSMAN, and LEINSTER proceeded only to Gibraltar. The remainder of the convoy was the HALBERD convoy for Malta. During the night of 20/21 September, troopship PRINCESS BEATRIX and storeship AJAX were in a minor collision.

Convoy HG.73 departed Gibraltar with DDs DUNCAN, FARNDALE, and VIMY, sloop FOWEY, corvettes BEGONIA, GENTIAN, HIBISCUS, JASMINE, LARKSPUR, MYOSOTIS, PERIWINKLE, and STONECROP, and CAM ship SPRINGBANK.

DD WILD SWAN departed Gibraltar on the 19th to join the escort. DDs DUNCAN and FARNDALE were detached on the 20th. DDs VIMY and WILD SWAN on the 22nd. The CAM ship was sunk on the 27th. DD HIGHLANDER departed Gibraltar on the 20th and joined the convoy escort on the 22nd. She remained until 26 September. DD WOLVERINE joined the convoy on the 28th. The corvettes were detached on the 30th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 1 October with destroyer WOLVERINE.

Med/Biscay
From 17 to 27 September, 6300 British Commonwealth and fighting allied troops and 2100 tons of supplies were moved to Tobruk in Operation SUPERCHARGE.

CLs AJAX, NEPTUNE, and RAN HOBART departed Alexandria for Beirut to embark troops. CLs AJAX and HOBART arrived at Beirut on the 18th. CL NEPTUNE was detached to spend the night of 18/19 September at Haifa, rejoining at Beirut on the 19th.

ML cruiser ABDIEL and DDs JERVIS, JAGUAR, and HASTY departed Alexandria carrying supplies to Tobruk in Serial 1 of the Operation. ABDIEL and DDs arrived back at Alexandria on the 18th.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
CL GALATEA arrived at Port Said.

Pacific/Australia
Dutch steamer WESTERNLAND departed Bombay for Singapore with 2061 personnel. From Ceylon, the steamer was escorted by CL DAUNTLESS. Steamer WESTERNLAND arrived at Singapore on the 25th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 17 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 18 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Fine and warm.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 1941

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Blenheim, 1 Wellington. Departures 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington. 38 Squadron 5 Wellingtons attacked Tripoli. 69 Squadron Marylands special patrol, photoreconnaissance Catania, Gerbini, Comiso; Blenheim special search. 105 Squadron 1 Blenheim searched for Swordfish aircraft. 4 Blenheims attacked a convoy. P/O Robinson and Sgt Bendall failed to return. 107 Squadron 5 Blenheims attacked Licata. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 6 Swordfish attacked a southbound convoy off Marittimo hitting one merchant vessel and slowing the convoy
 
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18 SEPTEMBER 1941
Known Reinforcements

Axis
Type VIIc DKM U-456


Tpe VIIc DKM U-588
[NO IMAGE FOUND]


Neutral
Accentor Class MSW USS DETECTOR (AMc-75)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Aloe Class Netlayer USS MANGO (AN-24)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Fairmile B MLs 285, 290
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
Kiel: U-141
Lorient: U-79, U-82, U-652
St Nazaire: U-85

At Sea 18 September 1941
U-43, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-69, U-74, U-81, U-84, U-94, U-95, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-107, U-108, U-111, U-124, U-125, U-132, U-201, U-371, U-372, U-373, U-431, U-432, U-433, U-451, U-552, U-557, U-561, U-562, U-564, U-565, U-566, U-569, U-572, U-575,

36 Boats

OPERATIONS
Northern Waters
DD ANTELOPE arrived at Scapa Flow on completion of boiler cleaning at Rosyth, having departed on the 17th, whilst DD ECLIPSE departed Scapa Flow to carry out boiler cleaning at Rosyth.. DD INGLEFIELD departed Scapa Flow for the Humber to refit at Hull, where she arrived on the 19th. DD BEDOUIN departed Scapa Flow for Thorshavn with the Governor of the Faroes Islands. The DD arrived on the 19th with the Governor. That evening at sunset, the DD departed Thorshavn to return to Scapa Flow, arriving on the 20th.

DDs MATABELE and PUNJABI departed Scapa Flow to intercept a possible enemy ML off Saxavord. They proceeded to intercept to the westward of the North Rona - Faroes minefield. DDs MATABELE and PUNJABI returned to Scapa Flow that morning after an unsuccessful search.

DDs ASHANTI, IMPULSIVE, and VIVACIOUS departed Scapa Flow to carry out a patrol between the Orkneys and Sule Skerry in support. ASHANTI, IMPULSIVE, and VIVACIOUS returned to Scapa Flow on the 19th after the patrol.

Med/Biscay
ML cruiser MANXMAN departed Plymouth laid minefield HF off Les Heaux.

British Malta based a/c sighted Italian convoy of troopships NEPTUNIA, OCEANIA, and VULCANIA, escorted by DDs DA RECCO, DA NOLI, PESSAGNO, USODIMARE, and GIOBERTI which departed Taranto on the 16th for Tripoli.

Submarines UPHOLDER, UPRIGHT, and UNBEATEN stationed NE of Tripoli and URSULA stationed off Tripoli harbour were guided to the convoy. Submarine UPHOLDER attacked this convoy off Misurata and sank troopship NEPTUNIA (FI 19,475 grt) and damaged troopship OCEANIA in the same attack..


Submarine UPHOLDER returned four hours later and sank the damaged troopship OCEANIA (FI 19,507grt).


There was heavy loss of life. Hocking reports that over 5000 soldiers were lost, whilst the Italian navy claims that loses amounted to 518 men for all three ships

Troopship VULCANIA escaped and continued on to Tripoli escorted by destroyer USODIMARE.

Off Tripoli, troopship VULCANIA was attacked by submarine URSULA, but was not damaged.

The Submarines arrived back at Malta on the 20th.

Submarine TRIUMPH damaged Italian steamer ARDOR, shown in reports as tanker LIRI off Cape Cimiti in the Adriatic. The tanker was able to proceed into Crotone Harbour.

ML cruiser LATONA and DDs NAPIER and NIZAM departed Alexandria with supplies and some troops. DD HAVOCK sailed later to load at Mersa Matruh and joined the ships en route in Serial 2 of the SUPERCHARGE operation.

While berthing alongside the wreck of Italian steamer SERENITAS at Tobruk, NIZAM was damaged forward when a cross wind blew the DD into the wreck.

The ships arrived back on the 19th. DD NIZAM was out of action for 14 days to repair.

In Serial 3 on the same date, A lighters A.2, A.9, and A.11 proceeded to Tobruk.

Serial 4 was also conducted on this date with schooners KHEYR EL DINE and HILMI. However, these ships returned to Mersa Matruh and completed the operation on the 21st.

RAN DD VENDETTA and British steamer FOUADIEH departed Port Said for Famagusta.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy SC.45 departed Sydney, CB, escorted by AMC RANPURA and corvettes CHICOUTIMI, MATAPEDIA, and SHERBROOKE. Corvette SPIKENARD joined on the 19th. The escort group departing Sydney with the convoy was detached on the 21st when the convoy was joined by corvettes BITTERSWEET, CHILLIWACK, COLLINGWOOD, DIANTHUS, PICTOU, and SNOWBERRY. Destroyer ST LAURENT joined on the 22nd and was detached on the 29th. The corvettes joining on the 21st were detached on the 30th when relieved by destroyers BROADWATER, LEAMINGTON, SKATE, and VETERAN and corvettes ABELIA, ANEMONE, TRAIL, and VERONICA. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 4 October.

Central Atlantic
CVL FURIOUS departed Gibraltar for Bermuda, escorted by DDs FORESIGHT, FORESTER, FURY, and LEGION. FURY returned to Gibraltar on the 22nd and sailed again on the 23rd to join convoy WS.11X.


Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 18 SEPTEMBER TO DAWN 19 SEPTEMBER 1941
Weather Fine and warm.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Upholder sank the 19,500-ton transports Neptunia and Oceania. Triumph damaged Italian steamer Ardor (8960grt off Cape Cimiti in the Adriatic. The tanker was able to proceed into Crotone Harbour.

AIR HQ Arrivals 5 Blenheim, 1 Sunderland, 1 Wellington. Departures 2 Beaufort. 38 Squadron 8 Wellingtons attacked Tripoli. 69 Squadron Marylands special patrol and reconnaissance Tripoli. 1 Blenheim reconnaissance Crotone, Augusta and Syracuse. 107 Squadron 3 Blenheims attacked shipping at Tripoli. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 8 Swordfish attacked a northbound convoy with torpedoes and bombs, stopping one merchant vessel.
 
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