This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

12 OCTOBER 1941
Losses
U-75 sank LCT 2 (RN 372 grt) whilst she was on passage from Tobruk to Mersa Matruh, killing the entire crew of 16. At 0005 hrs, U-75 surfaced and began shelling HMS LCT 2 and HMS LCT 7. The U-boat had followed the ships since they left Tobruk and attacked from astern, scoring several hits on both vessesl, but was forced to dive by return fire and due to malfunctions at the 20mm AA gun and MG34 machine gun. At 0124 hours, LCT 2 was hit by a torpedo and lost her bow, but did not sink. The other LCT had been disabled by gunfire and missed by a torpedo that passed underneath at 0149 hours. Uboat commander Ringelmann then decided to finish off both vessels by gunfire, surfaced and shelled the first landing craft that sank in flames at 0234 hrs. They then shelled LCT7 which sank at 0700 hrs.
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U-75 sank LCT 7 (RN 372 grt). 22 officers and men were lost. These were the commander, one officer, eleven ratings and eight passengers (two officers of the British Army, four Australian soldiers and two Italian prisoners of war). The only survivor (A/PO W.A. Henley, DSM, RN) was picked up the next night by the U-boat and taken prisoner. He was landed at Salamis on 2 November and later brought to Germany.
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U-83 sank Steamer CORTE REAL (Pt 2044 grt) off the coast of Portugal. The entire crew of 42 survived the attack. The ship was on passage from Lisbon to New York carrying cork, dyes wine and food. At 1400 hrs the unescorted and neutral CORTE REAL was stopped for inspection by U-83 about 80 miles west of Lisbon. It was established that they were carrying contraband because most of the cargo was bound for Canada and Australia, so Kraus ordered the crew and passengers (among them women and children) to abandon ship in the three lifeboats. The U-boat then opened fire with the deck gun, setting the ship on fire and finally sank her with two torpedoes at 1654 hrs. When it was noticed that one of the lifeboats was taking on water, the Germans transferred the occupants to the other two boats and took them in tow towards the coast for 3 hours. The lifeboats later landed near Lisbon.

UBOATS
Arrivals
St. Nazaire: U-431

Departures
St. Nazaire: U-569

At Sea 12 October 1941
U-66, U-67, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-83, U-85, U-94, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-372, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-559, U-558, U-562, U-563, U-564, U-565, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

38 Boats

OPERATIONS
North Seal
DKM DD ECKHOLDT was damaged at Tromso in a collision with a Norwegian steamer. The DD was drydocked at Trondheim on the 22nd for twelve days of emergency repairs. The ship then proceeded to Germaniawerft, arriving on 9 November for refit and repair.

German 2nd S-Boat Flotilla with S 41, S 47, S 53, S 62, S 104, and S 105 attacked convoy FN 531 north of Cromer.

Steamer CHEVINGTON (UK 1537 grt) was sunk in attacks by the flotilla off Cromer . Seven crew and two gunners were lost on the British steamer.
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S-53 sank steamer ROY (Nor 1768 grt) (ex-DANAE) was sunk off Cromer. Three crew were lost on the Norwegian steamer.

Convoy escorts DDs WESTMINSTER, WOLSEY, and COTSWOLD were unable to damage to the German ships.

Steamer GLYNN (UK 1134 grt) was badly damaged by the LW 1½ miles 223° from No. 5 Buoy, in the Nth Sea. Two crew were lost on the steamer. The steamer was scuttled by a Royal Navy unit.
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Northern Waters
CV VICTORIOUS and DDs BEDOUIN and ANTHONY departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde. En route, carrying out night landings, one Albacore was lost with T/Lt (A) J. G. R. Flowers and Leading Airman W. M. James killed. The ships arrived in the Clyde at 1530/13th. NZ Sub Lt L. E. Mitchell RNZN, was killed when his Albacore of 778 Sqn from Arbroath crashed on take off.

CLs AURORA and PENELOPE departed Scapa Flow for Gibraltar, arriving late on the 18th.

DD ECLIPSE departed Scapa Flow to assist Soviet steamer SUKHONA, which been in convoy QP.1 and made a distress signal seven miles north of the Orkneys. ASW trawler VASCAMA escorted the steamer to Kirkwall and the DD returned to Scapa Flow. There was no apparent reason for the distress signal.

T/A/Sub Lt (A) E. H. Archer RNVR, and Leading Airman W. M. James were killed when their Albacore of 817 crashed during night practice near Dunino on a dummy attack on VICTORIOUS.


Med/Biscay
Operation CULTIVATE, the relief of the Tobruk garrison, began. Ml cruiser ABDIEL and DDs HERO, KIPLING, and NIZAM departed Alexandria for the first serial of the CULTIVATE operation. ML cruiser ABDIEL and DDs HERO, KIPLING, and NIZAM approaching Tobruk on the 12th saw oil and heard cries from the recently sunk LCT 2 and 7, but were unable to search due to being already behind schedule.

BBs QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, CLs AJAX, HOBART, and GALATEA, and DDs JERVIS, JAGUAR, GRIFFIN, JUPITER, KANDAHAR, HASTY, HOTSPUR, DECOY, AVONVALE, and ERIDGE departed Alexandria and proceeded westward.

At 1800, the CLs and DDs JERVIS, JAGUAR, and JUPITER were detached to pass through position 33-00N, 24-30E at midnight and rejoin the Fleet at daylight. At daylight on 13th, the Fleet set course for Alexandria. When a report was received at 1315 of three Italian cruisers and six DDs, the Battle Fleet reversed course westward. No further contact was made with these ships. At 1800, the cruisers and three destroyers were again detached and rejoined at daylight on the 14th. The Fleet returned to Alexandria on the 14th.

RM CLs DUCA D'AOSTA, EUGENIO DI SAVOIA, and MONTECUCCOLI and DDs VIVALDI, MALOCELLO, PIGAFETTA, DE VERAZZANO, AVIERE, and CAMICIA NERA were to lay mines off Benghazi during the night of 12/13 October. However, the operation was cancelled when it was found that the Med Flt was at sea intending to intercept them.

An Italian convoy of steamers BAINSIZZA and NIRVO and German tug MAX BARENDT departed Trapani escorted by DDs DA RECCO and SEBENICO and TB CASCINO. On the 14th, steamer BAINSIZZA (FI 7933 grt) was damaged by British 830 Sqn Swordfish torpedo attacks. The steamer was taken in tow by the German tug and later by tug CICLOPE, escorted by TB POLLUCE which had come out from Tripoli. However the Italians were unable to save the ship and she sank the next day.

Submarine RORQUAL arrived at Malta after minelaying operations in the Aegean.

Polish submarine SOKOL arrived at Malta after patrol off Lampedusa

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 12 OCTOBER TO DAWN 13 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Fine and cool.

Noon Two enemy aircraft approach the Island form the north. Two Hurricane fighters are scrambled but the raiders turn back and there is no interception. The air raid alert is not sounded.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Rorqual arrived from Alexandria after minelaying in the Aegean en route. The submarine is expected to depart later this month for UK via Gibraltar. Sokol returned from patrol off Lampedusa, having seen an aircraft attack on a convoy at long range.

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Wellington. Departures 1 Beaufighter. 38 Squadron 7 Wellingtons attacked shipping in Tripoli Harbour. 69 Squadron 1 Maryland on shipping search of Ionian Sea; 1 Maryland on special search; 1 Maryland special patrol; photoreconnaissance Trapani harbour and aerodrome. 221 Squadron 1 Wellington on shipping search east Tunisian coast. 1 Wellington on shipping search north west of Tripoli.

 

[parsifal]

13 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Bar Class Boom Defence Vessel HMS BARCLOSE (Z-174)+

Sister ship HMS BARBICAN.

HDML 1072

Sister ship HDML 1234

Fairmile C MGB 328

MMS I Class Coastal MSW MMS 48
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UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-372
Lorient: U-85

At Sea 13 October 1941
U-66, U-67, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-83, U-94, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-562, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

37 Boats

Whilst outbound, U-101 was repeatedly subjected to DC attack from an unidentified twin engine a/c in the Bay of Biscay. The attack caused an oil leak, exposing her to further attacks that afternoon

OPERATIONS
North Sea
ML PORT QUEBEC, escorted by DD LANCASTER, laid minefield SN.24 B.

Northern Patrol
CA NORFOLK was at Scapa Flow, after having suffered damage in a training exercise.

During live fire exercises on the hulk INVERLANE, an explosion killed Lt W. J. Van De Kasteele, the cruiser's gunnery officer, and four ratings. The ship's executive officer Cdr A. C. Luce died of injuries on the 20th.

West Coast
The Liverpool section of convoy PQ.2, escorted by MSWs SPEEDY and SEAGULL departed Liverpool for Scapa Flow, arriving on the 16th.

Convoy OS.9 departed Liverpool escorted by FFL sloop COMMANDANT DOMINE which was detached on the 24th. On the 14th, sloops EGRET, FOWEY, and LEITH joined the convoy. The sloops were detached on 2 November for EGRET and on 1 November for the other two. Also joining on the 14th were escort vessels BANFF and FISHGUARD which were detached on 1 and 2 November, respectively, and corvettes HOLLYHOCK and STONECROP. Corvette HOLLYHOCK arrived with the convoy on 5 November and STONECROP was detached on 1 November. Corvettes BURCOK, CLOVER, and NIGELLA joined on the 31st and arrived with the convoy at Freetown on 5 November.

SW Approaches
ASW trawler LOCH OSKAIG was attacked by a German Focke Wulf aircraft in the SW Approaches. Seven crew were wounded and considerable damage was done to the superstructure by cannon fire.

Channel
DD SOUTHWOLD departed Portsmouth for Scapa Flow to work up, arriving on the afternoon of the 15th.

Med/Biscay
Submarine P.31 departed Gibraltar for Malta, arriving on the 20th.

DDs NAPIER and JACKAL passed the Suez Canal northbound to return to the Med Flt after being relieved in the Suez Escort Force by sloops FALMOUTH and SHOREHAM.

MTBs 68 and MTB.215 were ordered to patrol off Bardia to intercept a reported submarine.

Submarine THORN departed Malta on patrol and then to proceed to Alexandria.


Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 13 OCTOBER TO DAWN 14 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Heavy rainstorm early evening.

1122-1140 hrs Air raid alert for nine enemy fighters approaching the Island from the north east escorting a reconnaissance aircraft. When the raiders are still 12 miles from Malta, they split into two; six raiders recede and the remaining three cross the coast over Kalafrana to carry out reconnaissance. Ten Hurricanes are scrambled and the reconnaissance aircraft turns away rapidly. The Hurricanes chase the raiders back to the Sicilian coast but are unable to catch them.

1444-1500 hrs Air raid alert for three Macchi 200 fighters which approach from the north east at great altitude and cross the coast over Grand Harbour. Seven Hurricanes are scrambled but unable to gain sufficient height to intercept.

0535-0640 hrs Air raid alert for 24 enemy Macchi 200 fighters approaching the Island. Nine cross the coast, split into two formations and dive down to an average height of 400 feet to launch a machine-gun attack on an area from the Cisk factory right across Luqa and the Safi dispersal area. One bullet hits a Wellington bomber causing slight damage.

The raiders are engaged at 11000 feet by a heavy anti-aircraft barrage and also by Bofors as well as searchlight and infantry light machine-guns. A Bofors position at Safi hits and damages one Macchi, a Bofors at Luqa hits and damages another two. A third Bofors at Imsierah hits and damages a fourth. A light machine-gun manned by 1st Bn Hampshire Regiment at Safi fires a long burst into another Macchi.

Five Hurricane fighters are scrambled and engage the raiders as they leave their attack. P/O Barnwell of Malta Night Fighter Unit shoots one Macchi fighter down into the sea but then does not return to base. It is thought his engine may have cut out over the sea. A search is launched.

OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 13 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Thorn left on patrol.

AIR HQ 69 Squadron 1 Maryland patrol north Ionian Sea; 1 Maryland search for convoy; 1 Maryland special patrol. Photoreconnaissance Tripoli. 107 Squadron 4 Blenheims attacked motor transport on the Benghazi Road. 221 Squadron 1 Wellington shipping sweep. Fleet Air Arm 1 Fulmar bombed and machine-gunned eastern perimeter of Castel Vetrano aerodrome causing three explosions. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 7 Swordfish sent to attack convoy of 2 merchant ships and 2 destroyers south of Lampedusa dropped 5 torpedoes leaving one merchant vessel low in the water and on fire.

KALAFRANA 0025 hrs Sunderland T9050 landed safely at Kalafrana having lost an airscrew, the controls being also damaged. Captain of the aircraft was F/Lt Milligan of 230 Squadron, with 8 passengers on board.
RNeN submarine O.24 made an unsuccessful attack on a steamer in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea.

 

[Njaco]

October 13 Monday
ASIA: The Japanese Foreign Ministry sends a message to the embassy in Washington. Part of the message states that;

"The situation at home is fast approaching a crisis and it is becoming absolutely essential that the two leaders meet if any adjustment of Japanese-U. S. relations are to be accomplished. I cannot go into details now, but please bear this fact in mind."

The Russian Government incorporated Tangnu-Wulianghai into a self-governing district.

Japanese fighters dropped poison bombs on Yichang.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet army is forced to retreat from Vyazma and resistance in the area is faltering. In the Vyazma pocket, General Rokossovsky and his HQ group fight their way out. General Eremenko was wounded, evacuated, and relieved of command of Bryansk Front. Kaluga, 100 miles south-west of Moscow, fell. German troops captured Kalinin (now Tver) and Rzhev northwest of Moscow. The Soviet 30th Army was encircled and wiped out at Rzhev. The Moscow Raion were ordered to raise another volunteer regiment each but the total was only 10,000 men and they had few arms. Another 30,000 men were added from specialist units of the regular army, conscripts, and members of the 'Destroyer Battalions'. These were used to form five full strength Moscow Rifle Divisions. 600 women joined these divisions. Reserve divisions were also arriving from the east. West of the Soviet capital, Soviet 18th and 19th Tank Brigades fell back from Gzhatsk (now Gagarin) in the face of heavy German tank and Stuka attacks. Hoepner set up his HQ at Gzhatsk, on the main Smolensk-Moscow road west of Borodino, to direct operations in the forthcoming battle. The Soviets retreat along the Smolensk-Moscow road towards the main defensive line at Mozhaysk, which is still under hasty construction by 250,000 civilians (mostly women). The Mozhaisk Defensive Line was still incomplete but Zhukov rushed troops into the line to block the gaps including six rifle divisions, six armoured brigades, ten artillery regiments and machine-gun battalions. The Soviet 5th Army under General Leliushenko was in the centre of the Mozhaisk Defensive Line. The 32nd Siberian Rifle Division under Colonel Polosukhin, three tanks brigades, and the cadets from a Moscow military college took up positions at Borodino. The Borodino battlefield was 16 km west of Mozhaisk. At noon, German Junkers and Messerschmitt aircraft appeared over the Borodino Field, site of the climactic 1812 French-Russian clash.

German Army Group South is mostly immobilized due to poor weather conditions but German 1.Panzerarmee, advancing along the north coast of the Sea of Azoz, reaches the Mius River opposite Taganrog.

General Fedyuninsky was ordered to plan a breakout from Leningrad by attacking the area south of Lake Ladoga, which was to take place by 20 Oct 1941. However, there are 54,000 German troops well dug in on the swampy terrain.

Stavka orders evacuation of forces from Hiiumaa (Dago) Island to Hango.

The heavy air battles against the Russians takes their toll when Lt. Joachim Hacker, of JG 51, is shot down and killed. The rising pilot of Oberst Mölders Geschwader had thirty-two kills against the Allies.

Odilo Globocnik meets with Himmler to discuss how he was to complete the clearing of the Lublin area for German settlement. As a result of this meeting, Globocnik made the decision to begin construction of an extermination camp at Belzec.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 60 aircraft to attack Dusseldorf and 39 aircraft to attack Cologne overnight.


Hitler comments on the US economy:

"America can be paid only in gold. A commerce based on the exchange of products is not possible with America, for America suffers from a surplus of raw materials and a plethora of manufactured goods. This gold which the Americans receive in exchange for the labor they supply, they hide it away in their strong-rooms - and they imagine the world will yield to this policy born in the smoky brain of a Jewish thinker! The result is their 13 million unemployed."

MEDITERRANEAN: While being salvaged near Tripoli, the Italian Spica-class destroyer escort 'Pleiadi' is sunk by RAF bombers.

The Grand Mufti offers cooperation with the Axis against the Allies in return for independence of Arab states.

NORTH AMERICA: A production order was placed for the improved Republic P-47D Thunderbolt fighter.

Joseph Rochefort was promoted to the rank of commander, retroactively effective 1 Apr 1941.

NORTHERN FRONT: Divisions of Finnish II Corps, which was transferred from Carelian Isthmus to Eastern Carelia, start attacking towards Medve'zhegorsk.

UNITED KINGDOM: Allied convoy PQ-2 departed Liverpool, England.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command flew Circus operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft to attack Arques and Mazingarbe during the day. RAF Bomber Command sends 13 aircraft on minelaying operations overnight. The gun camera of a RAF No. 129 Squadron Spitfire captures for the first time the image of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 on film during the flight to Arques. It confirms for the British Fighter Command that the Luftwaffe is introducing a new fighter to combat.

Major Hans 'Assi' Hahn of III./JG 2 shoots down his fiftieth airplane.

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[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

October 14 Tuesday
ASIA: "Tatsuta Maru" was acquired by the Japanese Navy and was assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, Japan. Her civilian crew was replaced by that from the military.

Konoe's final cabinet meeting, at which it is acknowledged that from the Japanese perspective efforts to negotiate with the US have failed to achieve the desired goals.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-553 encounters convoy SC 48 and summons help. Convoy SC-48 had left Sydney, Australia, on October 5, then traveled up the East coast of USA and entered the North Atlantic through the Labrador Straits.

EASTERN FRONT: Temperatures in the Moscow area fall and hover around freezing. Rain and the subsequent mud slow the German advance toward Moscow. The Soviet troops in the Bryansk pocket in Russia were eliminated (50,000 captured), while the Vyazma pocket was within days of the same fate. Germans announce that Soviet resistance West of Vyasma has ended; in reality the Red Army will hold out in small pockets for another 10 days, tying down German infantry. The Soviet defenses between Kalinin and Tula are very stubborn. The German 3.Panzerarmee's attacks in the Kalinin sector threaten the rear of Soviet 22nd Army, 29th Army, and 31st Army. Kramatorsk falls to the German forces. German 4.Panzergruppe is involved in heavy fighting in the Mozhaisk sector. Guderian's 2.Panzerarmee is involved in heavy fighting in the Mzensk sector. Rzhev is also captured. The German spearheads are now sixty miles from Moscow as Adolf Hitler ordered that the Soviet capital was to be enveloped, not attacked directly. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Joseph Stalin briefed 23 senior Soviet military and civilian officials between 1530 and 1815 hours on a plan to evacuate the city in an orderly fashion; he ordered four theater groups (Lenin State Theater, Maxim Gorkiy Artistic Academic Theater, Little Academic Theater, and Vakhtangov Theater) to be evacuated first. In a bold move, 1.Panzer-Divisionen raids deeply between Soviet Northwestern and Western Fronts, scattering Soviet infantry formations. They advance 75 miles Northeast from Rzhev to capture the medieval Russian city of Kalinin, 93 miles north-west of Moscow, cut the Leningrad—Moscow railway, and captured the only Volga bridge that was to fall into German hands intact during the Second World War. A small bridgehead on the eastern bank, held by 1.Panzer-Divisionen and Lehr-Auflkärungs-Abt. (mot.) 900, covered the bridge. Thus the cornerstones of the 190-mile-long first line of defenses covering Moscow had been brought down. The centerpiece of this line, however, the barrier across the motor highway some 60 miles outside Moscow, was between Borodino and Mozhaysk. Stalin intended to bring Hitler to a halt. To do this he had hurriedly brought up the best forces he had—a crack unit from Siberia, the 32nd Siberian Rifle Division from Vladivostok, with three infantry regiments and two armored brigades newly equipped with T-34s and KV-2s. There, at Borodino, 62 miles from Moscow, the SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) Reich (SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser) was in position. At Borodino the regiments of Paul Hausser's SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' and the "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10.Panzer Division had their first encounter with the Siberians. They were tall, burly fellows in long great-coats, with fur caps on their heads and high fur boots. They were most generously equipped with anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, but even more so with the dangerous (and hated) 7.62-cm. multi-purpose gun nicknamed by the German troopers the "Crash Boom." The Siberians fought impassively. The Russians employed their multiple mortars, the "Katyushas," known to the German forces as "Stalin's organ-pipes," which invariably caused havoc by their high-fragmentation effect. The heavy T-34 tanks were used for the first time in massed formations. Since 8.8-cm. anti-aircraft guns were not always available, the infantry often had to tackle the T-34s with high-explosive charges. More than once the outcome of the battle hung in the balance. The casualties suffered by the SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' were so alarmingly high that its 3rd Infantry Regiment had to be disbanded and the survivors divided up between the "Deutschland " and "Der Fuehrer " Regiments. SS-Obergruppenführer Hausser was wounded and lost the sight in his right eye. He would subsequently wear a black eyepatch that would become his trademark. At last a breach was torn through a strong-point held by the Siberians. The two infantry regiments of the "Reich" SS Division, the "Deutschland" and "Der Fuehrer" Regiments, charged through. The infantry regiments of the "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10.Panzer Division were engaged in the same bloody battle. They fought on the battlefields where Napoleon had stood 130 years before them; they stormed the stubbornly defended historic scarp of Semenovskoye. The Siberians resisted in vain. The 32nd Siberian Rifle Division died on the hills of Borodino along with countless young Germans. The great bolt of Moscow's first line of defense on the Moscow highway had been blasted open.

The first substantial snow of the season falls at Leningrad.

Operation Karlsbad begins in the area between Smolensk and Minsk. This was a German operation against partisans in the Orsha and Vitebsk area near the Berezina river in the Belorussian region of the German-occupied western USSR. This would be the first of many operations by the Germans against partisans in Russia. Such operations were particularly important in the Berezina sector as this cut the Moscow Highway between Minsk and Smolensk, and it was along this highway that there moved much of the equipment and supplies needed by the formations of Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock's Heeresgruppe 'Mitte', which was at this time approaching the gates of Moscow.

Soviet transports and warships move to Odessa to begin final evacuation of 51st Army. Soviet transport "Gruziya" is damaged by Luftwaffe aircraft off Odessa

GERMANY: RAF bombers make their first large-scale night raid on Nürnberg. 80 RAF aircraft attacked Nürnberg but again encountered very bad weather and only 14 aircraft claimed to have hit the intended target. The weather continued to interfere with Bomber Command's activities.

The German Kriegsmarine placed orders for 49 more submarines to be constructed.

Germany announced that all Jews within the 1933 border would be deported; these Jews were beginning to be deported to ghettos in Poland, Byelorussia, and Ukraine.

MEDITERRANEAN: German submarine U-206 sank British corvette HMS "Fleur de Lys" (Lieutenant A. Collins; escorting Allied convoy OG-75) 60 miles west of Gibraltar at 0336 hours; 71 were killed, 3 survived and were rescued by a Spanish ship.

Italian Defence Chief Ugo Cavallero ordered that plans be completed for the occupation of Malta and that special units be trained to participate in the operation.

Italian vessel "Bainsizza" from Axis convoy heading for Tripoli, is attacked by RAF bombers from Malta, heavily damaged and subsequently sinks.

RN Force H departs Gibraltar toward Malta.

NORTH AFRICA: British commandos landed by RN submarines "Talisman" and "Torbay" unsuccessfully raid Rommel's headquarters.

NORTH AMERICA: The United States and Argentina signed a trade agreement lowering duties on many imports to Argentina from the United States. The Americans were eager to get the deal signed in order to keep Argentina out of the economic sphere of the Axis.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Arnold writes MacArthur that the heavy bombers assigned to USAFFE were to be used to control not only the sea lanes but to bomb Japan itself. Date of receipt in the Philippines unknown.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command flew a Roadstead operation.

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[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

October 15 Wednesday
ASIA: Japanese Navy Captain Shutoku Miyazato, Chief Equipping Officer of Battleship No. 1, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. Raizo Tanaka was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. Rear Admiral Senkichi Ozawa was made the commanding officer of Maizuru Naval Arsenal in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

"Tatsuta Maru" departed Yokohama, Japan for the United States. She carried American nationals who wished to return to the US due to the rapidly deteriorating US-Japan relations. She would maintain radio silence throughout the entire journey.

Hozomi Ozaki, a Japanese author, journalist and spy for the Soviet Union under Richard Sorge, was arrested for treason. He was a member of a high-level, policy-planning brain trust that advised the Japanese Prime Minister and was in a position to pass on high-level secrets to Soviet spy Sorge. Ozaki was executed along with Sorge in 1944, his letters to his wife and daughter were published after the war and became a best seller, with a Japanese people struggling to come to terms with the defeat and looking for new heroes from their past, untainted by the crimes of the militarists.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Attack of Convoy SC 48: At 0705 hrs U-553 sights convoy SC 48 and attacks an hour later, torpedoing and sinking British motorship MS "Silvercedar" and Norwegian freighter SS "Ila" at 1024 hours. Merchant ship "Silverelm" attempted to ram the submarine. U-432, U-502, U-558 and U-568, followed by U-73, U-77, U-101 and U-751 converge on the convoy, and one of these boats, U-568, torpedoes and sinks British steamer SS "Empire Heron" before being driven off by British corvette HMS "Gladiolus". During this next attempt at 1624 hours the escort HMCS "Columbia" [ex-USS "Haraden" (DD-183)] attacks U-553 with six depth charges, but none damaged U-553. Two hours later the Canadian escort attacked with a torpedo. More depth charges followed. In the night the boat lost the convoy when it changed course. Consequently, the USN's Task Unit 4.1.4 (Captain Hewlett Thebaud), comprising 4 U.S. destroyers, is directed to proceed to SC 48's aid as the west-bound convoy it had been escorting, ON 24, is dispersed. German submarine U-558, en route to attack Allied convoy SC-48, came across and sank Canadian Merchantman SS "Vancouver Island" 9,472 GRT, ex-"Weser" (German) in the Atlantic Ocean at 2317 hours. There were no survivors from her crew of 65, which included 32 passengers and 8 DEMS gunners. 3 RCN DEMS gunners killed. "Weser" was captured 25 Sep 40 off the coast of Mexico by HMCS "Prince Robert". She had been sailing independently when she was sunk. Her relatively high speed of over 15kts, made her a valuable blockade runner for the Germans, and was considered sufficient to render her invulnerable to submarine attack. USN escort group of four destroyers is ordered to proceed to the aid of convoy SC 48. Convoy SC-48 - Convoy Battles - German U-boat Operations - uboat.net

EASTERN FRONT: Ten inches of snow falls in the Moscow area. Dirt roads turned to mud. The Germans struggled to advance as few supplies managed to reach the forward troops. The Soviets also suffered, particularly the encircled troops. The Russians in the Bryansk pocket had to abandon their vehicles due to the mud. Both sides found that carts and wagons were much more effective in the mud than motor vehicles. Any breakout attempts were now on foot. The Vyazma pocket was finally liquidated with over 650,000 Soviet prisoners. German losses during the battle of the Vyazma Pocket were not excessive. Colonel General Ruoff's V. Armeekorps for example, suffered 743 killed, 2,720 wounded and 88 missing during the period 2-14 October (a loss rate of about 7 percent). During the same period, V. Armeekorps captured 19,882 prisoners, 133 tanks, 322 artillery pieces and six Katyusha multiple rocket launchers. At the conclusion of the Vyazma fighting, V. Armeekorps still had almost 80 percent of its personnel. Furthermore, German equipment losses during the Vyazma fighting were negligible. The Germans attacked the Soviet 5th Army at Borodino and took the Shevardino Redoubt in front of the Russian line. Hoepner threw his tanks forward in a giant wedge. The Russians fought back doggedly under their catch phrase: "Moscow is behind us!" The focus of both 3.Panzerarmee and 9.Armee was a little town called Torzhok 160 km north of Kalinin. Extremely heavy fighting was reported in the Kalinn area as Soviet forces launched massive and desperate attacks. Soviet 29th Army counterattacked German 3.Panzerarmee and succeeded in stopping the advance of the Panzer army. Hitler simultaneously committed forces to operations around Leningrad in the north and in the south around Mariopol and the Black Sea in the Ukraine. And the High Command pulled some units and aircraft from Army Group Centre to do this. German 1.Panzer-Divisionen turned northwest, thus away from Moscow, to attack Soviet Northwestern Front from the rear. They were intended to straighten out the Leningrad Front. The Soviet GKO ordered the NKVD, various agencies, and various foreign legations to evacuate from Moscow to Kuibyshev (now Samara). The Lubyanka Prison staff began the evacuation from Moscow, transferring the first group of prisoners to Kuibyshev and Saratov. All diplomatic missions were ordered to prepare to evacuate Moscow. German 6.Armee captures Krasnoploye. Soviet 37th Army is formed under General Lopatin near Voroshilovgrad.

In southern Ukraine, the Soviet evacuate Odessa on the Black Sea, a pocket which has held out behind the German lines for several weeks. Soviet troops set off explosive charges to destroy port facilities and defensive structures at Odessa in preparation of the evacuation of 35,000 Soviet troops from Odessa to Sevastopol in Russia, which would commence after sundown. Two cruisers, four destroyers and many smaller craft are used for the removal. Soviet 51st Army begins withdrawing from defensive positions and boarding ships for evacuation from Odessa. Most units of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet are now based at Sevastopol.

German SS-Brigadeführer Franz Stahlecker of Einsatzgruppe A sent a 130-page report to Berlin, Germany on this date. He reported that, among other things, 71,105 Jews had been liquidated in Lithuania and 30,000 Jews in Latvia, and 3,387 Communists in Russia.

German SS General Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor-General of occupied Poland, issued a general order proclaiming that any Jews leaving the Warsaw ghetto would be liable for the death penalty as would any person who knowingly gave shelter to such Jews. It confines all Jews to the ghettos. The penalty is automatic execution.

GERMANY: Hans-Joachim Marseille arrived at Munich-Riem Airfield in Germany to be introduced to the new Bf 109E-7 and Bf 109F4 variant designs.

RAF Bomber Command sends 34 aircraft to attack Cologne overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British submarine HMS "Torbay" bombards the Libyan port of Apollonia.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US Marine Corps Major James P. S. Devereux relieved Major Lewis A. Hohn as the commanding officer of the Wake Island Marine Detachment. Devereux also took on the responsibility of the island's overall commander.

The new Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, announced that the Australian garrison in Tobruk, Libya would be withdrawn immediately. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in fit of rage, bitterly complained to Beaverbrook:

"We are at war with almost every country, including Australia!"

The US War Department releases a large number of jeeps, ambulances, trucks and sedans for shipment to the Philippine Army, "subject to the availability of shipping."

Marshall and Arnold brief Brereton on plans for increased forces and more aggressive action in the Philippines, and dispatch him to take command of growing air assets there.

US Army selected Garbutt aerodrome, Townsville, as a base for supply of the US garrison in the Philippines.

UNITED KINGDOM: British authorities reported that, in the week ending at 0600 hours on 15 Oct 1941, an estimated 61 people were killed and 69 seriously injured by German bombing.

General McCreery takes command of British Armored Group.

WESTERN FRONT: At the Riom Trial, Petain declares that Daladier, Reynaud, Blum, Mandel, and Gamelin are guilty and will stand trial for the collapse of France.

RAF Fighter Command flew Rhubarb and Ramrod operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft to attack Le Havre during the day. RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on coastal sweeps.


.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[parsifal]

14 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Fiji Class CL HMS TRINIDAD

HMS TRINIDAD under way on Arctic convoy station. On April 14, 1942, TRINIDAD suffered severe damage at the hands of the LW. Despite her crews efforts to save her the fires raging on the ship could not be controlled. Remaining crew then transferred to other ships and HMS MATCHLESS fired 3 torpedoes at the TRINIDAD sinking her

Bangor Class MSW/Corvette HMCS THUNDER (J-156)

Fairmile B ML303
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal MSW HMS MMS 27 (J-527)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-204 sank sailing vessel AINGERU GUARDAKOA (SP 97 grt) near Gibraltar, killing 2 of the 7 man crew. At 0045 hours on 14 October 1941 the unescorted and neutral AINGERU GUARDAKOA was torpedoed and sunk by U-204 off Cape Roche south of the Bay of Cadiz. As the U-boat was later lost during the patrol the circumstances of this attack are not clear, but it seems the Germans mistook her for a British submarine chaser. At least two torpedoes were fired of which one was seen passing astern by a survivor, who heard a buzz and saw bubbles but thought that it was a shoal of sardines. The ship sank immediately after being hit and the master and four crew members clung to debris until they were picked up the next morning by a fishing boat and taken to its home port Santa Uxía de Ribeira, Spain..
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U-206 sank Flower Class Corvette HMS FLEUR DE LYS (RN 925 grt) just westy of Gibraltar as the vessel was providing escort to Convoy OG-75. At 0336 hrs,U-206 fired a spread of three torpedoes at HMS FLEUR DE LYSabout 55 miles west of Gibraltar. The corvette had escorted the convoy OG-75 to port the day before and was ordered to patrol in the Straits of Gibraltar to search for U-boats that had chased the convoy. One of the torpedoes struck her on port side under the bridge after a running time of 92 seconds, causing the magazine to explode. The ship broke in two and both parts disappeared within a few minutes. The commander, four officers and 65 ratings were lost. Only three ratings, two of them injured, survived the sinking and were picked up after a few hours by the Spanish steamer CASTILLO VILLAFRANCA

Corvettes DELPHINIUM, SALVIA, PEONY, and ERICA and ASW whaler PROTEA rendezvoused off Capa Gata at 0800 and carried out an anti-submarine search of the area.

UBOATS
Departures
Lorient: U-123

At Sea 14 October 1941
U-66, U-67, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-83, U-94, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-562, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

38 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Aux PV UJ 1709 (DKM 600 grt) (ex-fishing vessel CARL KAMPF) was sunk west of Lister by RAF bombing.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

East Front
Arctic
MSWs HARRIER, HALCYON, SALAMANDER, and BRITOMART departed Archangel for Seidisfjord.

Submarine TIGRIS unsuccessfully attacked German steamers MINONA and TUGELA and Norwegian steamer HAVBRIS in the far north

Baltic
DKM CL KOLN bombarded Russian positions on Cape Ristna.

North Sea
DD LIGHTNING departed Rosyth for Scapa Flow on completion of boiler cleaning, arriving later that day.

DD ICARUS departed the Humber for Scapa Flow after refitting, arriving on the 15th .

Drifter FORERUNNER (UK 92 grt) was sunk in a collision in the Thames Estuary.

Northern Waters
DD ACTIVE departed Scapa Flow for Hull for refitting, arriving on the 15th

West Coast
Convoy ON.26 departed Liverpool, escorted by DDs BEAGLE and SALISBURY, corvettes HEATHER and NARCISSUS, and ASW trawlers ARAB and LADY MADELEINE. The escorts were detached on the 20th when relieved by USN DDs BABBITT, BADGER, BROOME, LEARY, MAYO, and SCHENCK. The USN DDs were detached when the convoy dispersed on the 29th.

SW Approaches
Ex-US Coast Guard cutters/escorts SENNEN and TOTLAND departed Gibraltar to rendezvous with AMCs WOLFE, MALOJA, and RANPURA in 42N, 28W and escort them to the UK. On the 15th, DD CROOME departed Gibraltar to join the escort.

Med/Biscay
ASW whaler SOIKA and tug C 307 departed Alexandria on serial 1 A of the CULTIVATE operation. The tug returned to Mersa Matruh.

Spica Class TB PLEIADI (RM 620 grt) was lost at Tripoli after suffering heavy damage from the RAF on the 13th.+

Sister ship ANTARES

Submarines UNBEATEN, URGE, and UPRIGHT departed Malta on short notice for an operation off Cape Passero. The submarines returned to Malta on the 16th, having sighted nothing but a hospital ship during the operation.

Submarine UNIQUE unsuccessfully attacked a steamer in 40-26N, 14-20E.

Pacific/Australia
RNZN CL ACHILLES relieved RAN CL ADELAIDE which was escorting a liner. ADELAIDE proceeded to Sydney. ACHILLES and the liner arrived at Auckland on the 16th

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 14 OCTOBER TO DAWN 15 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Fine and cool.

1518-1527 hrs Three enemy aircraft are reported approaching the Island. Ten Hurricane fighters are scrambled and the raiders turn back while still 15 miles from Grand Harbour.

0312-0422 hrs Air raid alert for nine enemy aircraft approaching the Island as the same time as Swordfish are heading back to base. Only four raiders – believed to be JU 87 Stukas – cross the coast, one dropping 500kg bombs on land between Rabat and Imtarfa. The remaining aircraft drop high explosive bombs in the sea three miles north of St Paul's Bay and east of Delimara. Four Hurricanes of Malta Night Fighter Unit are airborne, two at a time, but there are no searchlight illuminations or interceptions.

OPERATIONS REPORTS TUESDAY 14 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Unbeaten, Urge, Upright sailed at short notice for operation off Cape Passero.

 

[parsifal]

15 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc DKM U-88

Neutral
Accentor Class Coastal MSW USS BRAMBLING (AMc-39)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS SUDBURY (K-162)

Losses
Convoy SC-48
SC 48 was an east-bound convoy of 52 ships, carrying war materials and sailed from Sydney CB on 5 October 1941 bound for Liverpool It was under the command of Commodore HM Sanders in the MV CASTALIA.

It was escorted by an RCN escort group consisting of RCN DD COLUMBIA, and seven corvettes RCN WESTASKIWIN, ROSTHAM, BADDECK, CAMROSE, SHEDIA, and RN Corvette GLADIOLUS and FFL Corvette MIMOSA. Opposing this force was the wolfpack Mordbrenner, which was to have comprised eight U-boats and was in the process of forming south of Iceland in the MOMP. This was the point at which North Atlantic convoys were handed over between the Ocean and the Western Approaches escorts at this stage of the Atlantic campaign.

Allied intelligence became aware of the presence of Mordbrenner, and started to divert the convoys then at sea, but a loss of ULTRA on 12/13 October left SC 48 in the dark; and on the night of 14/15 October it was sighted by U-553. At this point in time SC 48 was in some disarray; 11 of its ships, including CASTALIA, were straggling following heavy weather on the night of 9/10 October. COLUMBIA and two of the corvettes, CAMROSE and ROSTHERN, were detached looking for them. A third corvette, SHEDIAC was also separated by the storm and out of radio contact. On 14 October SC 48's escort comprised just four corvettes; WESTASKIAN, BADDECK, GLADIOLUYS AND MIMOSA.

In the early hours of 15 October Thurmann of U-553 reported his contact to BdU and was ordered to shadow, whilst other U-boats were gathered for the attack. However Thurmann chose to attack that night, and succeeded in sinking two ships, SILVERCEDAR, which lost 21 crew, and ILA, most of whose crew were saved. U-553 was sighted by SILVERHELM, the next ship in the column, which attempted to ram, but failed; U-553 was also sighted by TEAGLE, but she was unable to bring her gun to bear before U-553 escaped.

On 15 October ULTRA was re-acquired and western Approaches Cmd quickly realized a major attack was building; a number of escorts from nearby convoys were diverted to reinforce SC 48. First a force of USN DESRON 13, detached from ON 24; two RN DDs (HIGHLANDER and BROADWATER from TC 14; two RN Corvettes (ABELIA and VERONICA) from ON 25; and a RCN corvette PICTOU, (from Iceland), were sent to reinforce the convoy.

Later on 15 October COLUMBIA rejoined, while U-553 was joined by U-558 and U-568. As U-553 continued to shadow, she was sighted by COLUMBIA, who attacked her, driving her away, but with no damage; U-553 fired a torpedo at COLUMBIA, which missed. During the day U-558 joined, having encountered the ship VANCOUVER ISLAND sailing independently ; she was sunk with the loss of all 73 crew and 32 passengers. Before nightfall U-568 also arrived, and the three boats prepared to attack.

U-553 sank Steamer SILVERCEDAR (UK 4354 grt) in the Western Approaches whilst the cargo vessel was travelling with Convoy SC-48. The ship was carrying general cargo, including tanks and a/c. At 0800 hrs entered SC-48 on the surface from ahead between column 7 and 8 and at 0815 hours sank the SILVERCEDARwith the first torpedo, while the second torpedo fired two minutes later missed the intended target but was observed to hit a ship behind it, a claim that is not confirmed by Allied reports. Due to a misunderstanding, the torpedo data computer was no longer set correctly and the remaining three torpedoes were fired with wrong settings. However, the third torpedo missed its target and hit the ILA in station #74 at 0823 hrs. The U-boat then passed ahead of the British motor merchant SILVERHELM in station #83, which unsuccessfully tried to ram her and missed this ship with the stern torpedo. Eventually Thurmann fired the last bow torpedo at Tkt WC TEAGLE in station #103, missing her due to the wrong settings and passed behind her stern to outrun the convoy on its starboard bow. The U-boat had been observed by at least three ships in the convoy but they could not open fire due to the danger of hitting other ships and the two corvettes on the starboard side did not spot the enemy.

The SILVERCEDAR had originally been in station#73 but changed to #72 after the ship ahead of her straggled from the convoy. She was hit by one torpedo on the starboard side, just forward of the engine room and sank after about 7 minutes on an even keel. Both starboard lifeboats had been destroyed by the explosion that had blown off the #3 hatch and much debris into the air, but the crew managed to launch one of the port boats and a raft. The seven men on the raft were soon rescued by the lifeboat, along with three survivors from ILA swimming in the water. Later the lifeboat capsized but all 29 occupants were picked up by FFL Corvette MIMOSA at 0930 hrs. 19 crew members and seven gunners (the ship was armed with one 4in, one Bofors AA gun and four machine guns) were landed at Reykjavik on 20 October. The master, 17 crew members, two gunners and one passenger (DBS) were lost.

U-553 sank the steamer ILA (Nor 1583 grt) (ex german WESER) in the Western Approaches on the first days attacks on Convoy SC-48. The vessel was on passage from Boston to Glasgow via Sydney CB, with a load of steel and some general cargo. A crew of 21 was embarked, 14 were to perish in the attack. The ILA, armed with one 4in and four machine guns, had just evaded wreckage and people in the water from SILVERCEDAR when she was struck on the starboard side amidships by a torpedo and apparently immediately broke in two after a boiler explosion, causing her to sink in less than one minute. There was no time to launch any of the lifeboats and one of the rafts had been destroyed and the other jammed under a davit. Ten survivors kept themselves afloat on wreckage and a capsized lifeboat, but the first engineer soon died of exhaustion. Three of the survivors were rescued by the lifeboat from SILVERCEDAR and were picked up by FFL MIMOSAat 09.30 hrs, which then picked up five more survivors from ILA but one of them shortly thereafter died on board and was buried at sea. RCN Corvette BADDECK then searched the area for 90 minutes and located another survivor on a lifebuoy, unfortunately he died after being rescued and was buried at sea later that day. The master and six crew members were landed in Reykjavik on 20 October.

U-558 sank MV VANCOUVER ISLAND (Cdn 9472 grt) whilst she was sailing independently near SC-48. The ship was on passage from Montreal to Cardiff via Sydney CB and Belfast. She was transporting various metals when lost with a crew of 105, all of whom would be lost in the attack.

At 2154 hrs the unescorted VANCOUVER ISLAND was spotted by U-558, which was searching the convoy SC-48 west of Ireland. Due to her high speed of about 15 knots the U-boat immediately went on full speed to get into a favorable attack position and fired a spread of three torpedoes from about 2000 meters at 2249 hrs, hitting the ship with two of them after 144 seconds. The vessel was hit in the fore part and amidships and stopped but did not sink. Because the U-boat skipper wanted to continue the search for the convoy he fired two coups de grace from more than 1000 meters at 2308 and 2317 hours, hitting the ship fore and aft and causing her to sink fast by the stern. The Germans then observed how the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats after the first hits, but Corvette DIANTHUS sent to her assistance from the dispersed convoy ON-24 did not find any survivors. On 31 October, a lifeboat with the bodies of two officers from the ship was found by a British warship in 56°08N/20°45W. The master, 64 crew members, eight gunners and 32 passengers were lost.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Brest: U-562
Kiel: U-94

Departures
Lorient: U-38, U-82

At Sea 15 October 1941
U-38, U-66, U-67, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-82, U-83, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

38 Boats

At 1624 hrs, U-553 dived after being sighted by HMCS COLUMBIA while shadowing SC-48 off its port beam. The DD obtained no Asdic contact but dropped six DCs at the diving spot and then remained in the area to keep U-553 down. At 1815 hrs, the U-boat fired a stern torpedo at the DD, but she managed to evade the attack after a lookout saw the torpedo track. COLUMBIA picked up a good contact and delivered an accurate DC pattern, but U-553 had already dived to 55m (180ft) and suffered only minor damage. In the meantime Corvette GLADIOLUS joined the hunt, but carried out no attacks as the U-boat had already crept away

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
CA SUFFOLK and DDs IMPULSIVE, ESCAPADE, and NORMAN departed Archangel late on the 15th to sweep off the north of Finland then proceed to Scapa Flow. The sweep was cancelled and ships were ordered to return to Archangel. DD NORMAN was detached for the United Kingdom, via Seidisfjod. However, at 2056 on the 17th, NORMAN was also recalled to Archangel, where she arrived on the 19th.

Black Sea/Caspian
In southern Ukraine, Soviet troops lay explosive demolition charges to destroy port facilities and defensive structures at Odessa in preparation of the evacuation of the last 35,000 Soviet troops from the port to Sevastopol. Demolitions are to render the port unusable for nearly 2 years and are very thorough. Demolitions commenced after sundown and last for most of the night.

West Coast
BB ROYAL SOVEREIGN and DDs BEDOUIN and ANTHONY departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow. The BB arrived on the 16th, escorted by DDs ORIBI and ANTHONY.

Channel
Submarine L.27 made an unsuccessful attack on a steamer off Cherbourg.

Med/Biscay
CLA CARLISLE passed through the Suez Canal northbound to rejoin the Med Flt. DD ENCOUNTER arrived in the Canal area to rejoin the Med Flt.

Submarine THUNDERBOLT made an unsuccessful attack on a tanker in the Aegean.

Polish submarine SOKOL made two unsuccessful attacks on steamers in the Gulf of Athens.

Central Atlantic
Corvettes JONQUIL and COREOPSIS departed Gibraltar escorting Norwegian tanker SANDAR westwards and then joined arriving tanker VELMA.

Submarine SEVERN departed Gibraltar for Freetown.

Convoy SL.90 departed Freetown esorted by DDs BRILLIANT to 18 October, GURKHA and ISAAC SWEERS to 17 October, and VANSITTART to 20 October, and corvettes ARMERIA to 20 October, ASTER to 18 October, CLOVER to 18 October, CROCUS to 18 October, and CYCLAMEN to 18 October. On the 18th, sloops FOLKESTONE to 6 November, LONDONDERRY to 29 October, and WESTON to 6 November joined.

The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 6 November


Malta
X

 

[parsifal]

16 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXc DKM U-160

Type VIIc DKM U-592

Type VIIc DKM U-703

Allied
Type II Hunt Class DD HMS CHIDDINGFOLD (L-31)

Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS SLUNA (T 177)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile C MGB 333
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile B ML 339
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Convoy SC-48
As darkness fell on the night of 15/16 October the U-boats attacked again. U-568 attacked and sank EMPIRE HERON, GLADIOLUS counter-attacked, and U-568 was driven off after being attacked again by a CC Catalina of 240 sqn. GLADIOLUS then detached to pick up survivors, but never rejoined the convoy; she was lost with all hands, reportedly by U-568 on the 17th, but more probably on the 16th by U-432.

After midnight on 15/16th, SC 48 made an emergency turn to port, followed before dawn by a turn to starboard, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; this was initially successful, but the pack regained contact in the afternoon of 16th and again closed in.

Also that afternoon of 16 October the first reinforcements arrived, in the form of DesRon 13; this comprised the USN DDs USS DECATUR, KEARNY, LIVERMORE, AND PLUNKETT. These were joined later by A fifth DD USS GREER, Also in company was corvette HMCS PICTOU. As senior officer present Thebaud assumed command of the escorts; however although he had seniority Thebaud had little experience in escort work, and a number of mistakes were made allowing the U-boats to mount a successful attack that night.

By nightfall on 16th BdU had gathered ten U boats for a concerted attack; the three Mordbrenner boats plus seven newcomers, U-101, U-109, U-208, U-374, U-432, U-502 and U-573. During the night of 16/17th the pack attacked, closing in with little interference from the escorts. U-553, sank BOLD VENTURE at about 8pm. U-558 sank TEAGLE an hour later; ERVIKEN was attacked and sunk as she stopped to pick up survivors and RYMwas also sunk as she slowed to do the same. U-432 sank EVROSAND BARFONN just before midnight.

U568 hit and sank steamer EMPIRE HERON (UK 6023 grt) (ex-US MOSELLA) in the western Approaches whilst the ship was being escorted in Convoy SC-48. The vessel was on passage from Freeport texas to Manchester, via Sydney CB. She was carrying a cargo of sulphur. Of the 43 crew aboard, all but 1 were to perish in the attack. At 0114 hrs, U-568 fired a spread of three torpedoes at SC-48 SE and hit EMPIRE HERON in station #92 on the starboard side with two torpedoes after 88 seconds, causing the ship to sink fast by the stern. A sole survivor was rescued by Corvette GLADIOLUS astern of the convoy, but he died when the corvette was herself torpedoed and sunk the next night. The master, 33 crew members and nine gunners were lost.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Flower Class Corvette HMS GLADIOLUS (RN 940 grt) was sunk to an unknown cause either the 16th or 17th October in the battle of SC-48. One source suggests she was sunk on the night of 16/17 October by a stray torpedo from U-553, or U-432. However Bernard Edwards (Donitz and the Wolf Packs(1996)) records GLADIOLUS had detached from SC 48 the previous night. At 2130 the night of 15/16 after EMPIRE HERON was hit, GLADIOLUS was detached to search for survivors. At 2200 she signalled she had picked up one man, and was continuing to search. This was her last contact; nothing more is known of her, and there were no survivors from either vessel. Another source speculates she was unstable due to her refit, and overturned during a violent manoeuvre, but the actual cause of her loss is more likely from enemy action. The difficulty here though is that no U-Boat makes an outright claim for her loss.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Lorient: U-67

Departures
Brest: U-202
Lorient: U-84, U-85

At Sea 16 October 1941
U-38, U-66, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-82, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-202, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

40 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Black Sea/Caspian
The final Soviet evacuation ships departed Odessa, was completed at 0510 hours. In the past two weeks, 121,000 troops and civilians were evacuated from the city, along with 1,000 trucks and 20,000 tons of ammunition. Romanian troops entered the city later on this date, capturing the city. 38000 Soviet defenders are to receive the special military award Soviet Medal of Valour for the Defence of Odessa. The Romanians are severely rattled by the tenacious defence of the port, and have taken such severe losses that one of the two active Romanian armies is immediately placed in reserve and will not return to frontline operations until well into 1942. By the end of the year, both Romanian 3rd and 4th armies are out of front line service, in reserve and under rebuild instruction

In the battle for Odessa, the Romanians suffered 17,729 killed, 63,345 wounded, and 11,471 missing. The Soviets suffered 16,578 killed and missing and 24,690 wounded.

Odessa was to be occupied by German and Romanian forces until Apr 1944. During the occupation, approximately 280,000 citizens, mostly Jews, were massacred or deported. After liberation (a death rte of over 50%), Odessa was among the first four Russian cities to receive the honor Hero City in 1945.

Nort
British steamer EDENVALE was damaged by the LW off Old Head of Kinsale. h Sea

Northern Waters
DDs LAFOREY and LIGHTNING departed Scapa Flow at 1230 to embark passengers and stores in the Clyde prior to transfer to Force H. The DDs arrived at the Clyde on the 17th.

West Coast
CL EDINBURGH departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow, where she arrived on the 17th.

Convoy ON.27 departed Liverpool. On the 17th, the convoy was joined by DDs VANOC and VOLUNTEER and corvettes CAMPANULA, GENTIAN, HIBISCUS, HONEYSUCKLE, MYOSOTIS, PERIWINKLE, and SWEETBRIAR. The DDs were detached on the 23rd. On the 23rd, DDs COLUMBIA and SKEENA and corvettes BRANDON, CAMROSE, MIMOSA, SHEDIAC, and WETASKIWIN joined. The original group of corvettes were detached on the 24th. Corvette BRANDON was detached on 1 November and the rest on 2 November when the convoy dispersed

Med/Biscay
BB RODNEY, CV ARK ROYAL, CLA HERMIONE, and DDs COSSACK, FORESTER, FORESIGHT, FURY, LEGION, SIKH, and ZULU departed Gibraltar for Operation CALLBOY. On the 18th, 11 Albacore and two Swordfish of 828 Sqn under Lt Cdr D. E. Langmore were flown off the aircraft carrier to Malta. One Swordfish was lost en route and pilot T/Sub Lt (A) D. M. Muller RNVR, and Observer T/Sub Lt (A) A. S. Denby RNVR were lost. Pilots T/Sub Lt (A) T. G. Davison RNVR, and T/Sub Lt (A) D. J. Dunyan RNVR, and observer A/Sub Lt (A) W. N. Jones RNVR, of 828 Sqn did not depart ARK ROYAL in CALLBOY, but joined the Squadron at Hal Far later.

Force H returned to Gibraltar on the 19th. Also, in this operation, CLs AURORA and PENELOPE and DDs LANCE and LIVELY proceeded to Malta. The cruisers departed Gibraltar at 0515 on the 19th and met the DDs forty miles off Europa Point. They arrived at Malta on the 21st as Force K.

British steamers CLAN MACDONALD and EMPIRE GUILLEMOT departed Malta, independently, for Gibraltar at 1000. Steamer EMPIRE GUILLEMOT returned with engine problems.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy HX.155 departed Halifax escorted by corvettes DRUMHELLER and SUMMERSIDE. The corvettes were relieved on the 18th by USN DDs BAINBRIDGE, OVERTON, ROE, STURTEVANT, and TRUXTON. The American group was relieved on the 25th by DD VOLUNTEER and corvettes CAMPANULA, GENTIAN, HONEYSUCKLE, MYOSOTIS, PERIWINKLE, and SWEETBRIAR. All but corvettes GENTIAN and PERIWINKLE were detached on the 30th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 31st.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 16 OCTOBER TO DAWN 17 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Storms.

0407-0428 hrs Air raid alert for enemy Cant 1007 bombers which approach the Island as Wellington bombers arrive from the UK. At least one bomber crosses the coast before the alert sounds, dropping 500kg and 250kg bombs near Mgarr. Other raiders drop high explosive bombs in the sea off Ghain Tuffieha.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 16 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Truant arrived from the USA via Gibraltar. Clan Macdonald and Empire Guillemot sailed independently for Gibraltar at 1000 hrs. Empire Guillemot returned later with engine trouble and remained off Filfla for the night. Unbeaten, Urge, Upright returned from Cape Passero, having sighted nothing but a hospital ship. Three Swordfish on anti-submarine patrol sighted nothing.

AIR HQ Arrivals 9 Wellington. Departures 1 Catalina, 1 Clare. 38 Squadron 16 Wellingtons attacked selected targets in Naples. 69 Squadron 2 Marylands on special patrols. 1 Blenheim patrol east Sicilian coast. 221 Squadron 1 Wellington on shipping sweep.

 

[Njaco]

October 16 Thursday
ASIA: The Japanese Government of Prime Minister Konoye collapses. Prime Minister Konoye resigns, following Roosevelt's refusal to grant him a summit meeting and division in the Japanese cabinet over negotiation with the USA. Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni was recommended by Konoe and Tojo as Konoe's replacement because it was generally felt that he was the only person who could control the Army and the Navy and. Emperor Hirohito rejected this option, arguing that a member of the imperial family should not have to eventually carry the responsibility for a war against the West. Following the advice of his Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, Koichi Kido, Hirohito chose Tojo, who was known for his devotion to the imperial institution. Hirohito Emperor summoned Tojo to the Imperial Palace and instructed him to form a new government. Tojo was given one order from the Emperor: To make a policy review of what had been sanctioned by the Imperial Conferences. Tojo, who was on the side of the war, nevertheless accepted this order, and pledged to obey. Tojo was promoted to General in order to assume the post of Prime Minister. Although the decision to go to war has not been finally taken, these changes show the rise of those wishing to go to war.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Attack on Convoy SC 48: The battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. German submarines U-502 and U-568 re-establish contact before retiring upon arrival of the USN's Task Unit 4.1.4 (Captain Hewlett Thebaud). Destroyer USS "Livermore" (DD-429) sweeps ahead of the convoy, and depth-charges U-553; destroyer USS "Kearny" (DD-432), sweeping astern, drops charges to discourage tracking submarines. Later, U-502 and U-568, augmented by U-432, U-553, and U-558 renew attack upon SC 48. German submarine U-568 sank British ship "Empire Heron" 400 miles west of Ireland at 0114 hours; 42 were killed, 1 survived and picked up by escorting corvette HMS "Gladiolus" (Lieutenant Commander H. M. C. Sanders). Later in the day, however, HMS "Gladiolus" was lost from an unknown cause. Early the following morning a very loud explosion is heard behind the convoy, which may have, been "Gladiolus" following an attack by U-568, but there is no conclusive evidence of this loss, or any survivors.

The destroyer USS "Charles F. Hughes" (DD 428), while escorting Convoy HX-154, rescued the only seven survivors of British freighter "Hatasu" (torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-431 on October 2, 600 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.

EASTERN FRONT: Tanks of Paul Hausser's SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' and the "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10.Panzer-Divisionen continued to attack the Mozhaysk Line at Borodino, the site of the 1812 Napoleonic battle, 125 km West of Moscow (allegedly, Soviet troops are shown 1812 Russian battle standards to motivate them). The Battle of Borodino had become a slugging match with duels between small groups of T-34s and panzers, and multiple barreled rocket launchers on both sides. However, the Panzers lack infantry support and are turned back by Soviet rifle divisions (Feldmarschall von Kluge is resting 4.Armee's 11 infantry divisions after the battles around Vyasma). By the evening German forces had worked their way around the Russian flanks as airstrikes pounded the Russian positions. Hoepner then threw in tanks and infantry. 30 panzers broke through and headed for Leliushenko's HQ. General Leliushenko led his HQ staff into hand to hand combat armed with molotov cocktails. Leliushenko was severely wounded and evacuated but his men fought on. But Colonel Polosukhin's 32nd Division held on for five days before retreating, unbeaten, along the road to Moscow. In Moscow, panic breaks out in the citizenry as they learn that Lenin's tomb has been moved out of the city to prevent its capture by the Germans. While thousands of civilians continued to flee the city, the Soviet government and diplomatic corps moved to Kuibyshev 1,500 miles to the east; Joseph Stalin, however, chose to stay. Shaposhnikov and most of the Soviet General Staff evacuate Moscow, leaving Vasilevsky in the city to assist Stalin. Later that evening Stalin almost boarded a train to be evacuated but instead resolved to stay in Moscow. With that decision Stalin also recall more of the Siberian divisions guarding the border with Japanese held Manchuria. It would take 3-4 weeks for the Siberians to arrive and to fill the gap. Stalin raised more scratch forces (termed 'strike forces') to throw into the front. Workers battalions, armed by Moscow's own factories, are taking their places in the front line. Over half a million men, women and children complete building new defenses around the city - 5,000 miles of trenches, 60 miles of anti-tank ditches and 177 miles of barbed wire. There is panic in the air as rumors spread that German tanks are in the suburbs. There is no transport; the buses and taxis have been commandeered to take troops to the front. Some officials and policemen, fearful of what will happen to them if the Germans arrive, are fleeing the city, and looters are taking advantage of their departure. General Zhukov, recalled from Leningrad, is working feverishly to organize a new line of defence. He has ordered the setting up of artillery and anti-tank strongpoint to ambush the German Panzers on their approach routes.

The final Soviet evacuation ships departed Odessa, Ukraine at 0510 hours. The last man to leave was Captain Makarenko, the commander of the port. But not before Soviet transport "Bolshevik" is sunk by Luftwaffe bombers. In the past two weeks, 121,000 troops and civilians were evacuated from the city, along with 1,000 trucks and 20,000 tons of ammunition. Romanian troops entered the city later on this date, capturing the city. The Romanian and Germans who have been besieging the Black Sea port since August finally marched into the city only to find it empty and burning. All the material that had to be left behind was burnt. The big guns of the 95th Rifle Division were dumped into the harbour. The Romanians, after suffering 98,000 casualties in the siege, are making the most of the Soviet withdrawal:

"Troops of our Fourth Army marched into Odessa this afternoon. The last nests of resistance are being cleared up in street fighting. The population greeted German and Romanian forces with enthusiasm." (Michael F. Yaklich)

Despite being stripped of most of its mechanized formations, Army Group North opens a fresh set of attacks east of the Volkhov River south of Leningrad. German Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb of Army Group North launches his offensive toward Kalinin and Tikhvin. German 16.Armee begins attacking toward Volkhovsroy in heavy snowfall.

A large group of Latvian military leaders was executed by the Soviets. The Soviets also executed the wives of Mikhail Tukhachevsky and his fellow accused (and already executed) conspirators. Antanas Gustaitis (b.1898), Lithuanian aviation engineer, was shot to death in Moscow. He had designed 9 ANBO airplanes.

On this date The Jager Report (issued on 1 Dec 1941) noted that 382 adult male, 507 adult female, and 257 children, all Jews, were killed in Vilnius, Lithuania for a total of 1,146 people. The Jewish population of Lubny and neighboring towns were ordered to report for relocation. The 1,900 Jews who obeyed the order were taken to an antitank trench outside the town and shot.

German Luftwaffe I./KG 4 was relocated to Pskov (German: Pleskau), Russia.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 87 aircraft to attack Duisburg overnight. Returning from a raid on Mannheim, Germany, RAF Pilot Officer AJ Heyworth flies a Wellington bomber of No. 12 Squadron Bomber Command 500 - 600 miles on 1 engine (about 5 hours). He flew most of the way on only one engine while the other was aflame.

NORTH AMERICA: The Chief of Naval Operations sends the following message to the fleet commanders: "The resignation of the Japanese Cabinet has created a grave situation X If a new Cabinet is formed it will probably be strongly nationalistic and anti American X If the Konoye Cabinet remains the effect will be that it will operate under a new mandate which will not include rapprochement with the US X In either case hostilities between Japan and Russia are a strong possibility X Since the US and Britain are held responsible by Japan for her present desperate situation there is also a possibility that Japan may attack these two powers X In view of these possibilities you will take due precautions including such preparatory deployments as will not disclose strategic intention nor constitute provocative actions against Japan X Second and third addressees (in the Pacific) inform appropriate Army and Naval district authorities X Acknowledge XX."

Stimson asks State Department to arrange with Australians for use of airfields in New Guinea, New Britain, and Australia itself.

NORTHERN FRONT: Soviet forces begin evacuating from Hiiumaa (Dago) Island to Hango.

German vessel "Baltenland" sunk by Soviet submarine SC-323 in the Baltic Sea.

PACIFIC OCEAN: German merchant raider "Kormoran" made rendezvous with supply ship "Kulmerland" off Cape Leeuwin, Australia and began to take on fuel and supplies. "Kulmerland" has sailed 5000 miles from Japan in 45 days, carrying 4,000 tons of diesel oil and 6 months supply of provisions which will take 7 days to transfer to "Kormoran".

Singapore Prime Minister Brooke-Popham reports to the Australian Advisory War Council that the aircraft at Singapore are superior to those of Japan, and that Japan is preoccupied with launching an attack on Russia, and hence would not be able to launch a large-scale attack to the south for the next three months.

US Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, sends a message to Pacific commands, warning of "grave situation" created by the fall of the Konoye Cabinet in Japan, that Japan might attack US and British territories.

The destroyers USS "Peary" (DD 225) and USS "Pillsbury" (DD 227) were damaged in a collision during night exercises in Manila Bay, Philippine Islands.

WESTERN FRONT: In Vichy France, Former Prime Ministers, Daladier, Reynaud and Blum are all arrested on Marshal Petain's orders to face charges that they are responsible for the defeat of France. Due to pressure from the Germans, Philippe Pétain announced that he had condemned Blum, Daladier and Gamelin to life imprisonment, long before their trial could even begin. Pétain justified the action under Constitutional Act No. 7 dated January 27, 1941, even though it was illegal to apply it retroactively.

RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on coastal sweep off Cherbourg during the day. RAF Fighter Command flew Rhubarb operations. RAF Bomber Command sends 15 aircraft to attack Ostend overnight. RAF Bomber Command sends 22 aircraft to attack Dunkirk overnight.

.

 

[Njaco]

October 17 Friday
ASIA:Gen'l. Hideki Tojo (1885-1948) became Premier in Japan. He assumes the offices of not only Prime Minister, but also War Minister and Home Affairs Minister. Shigenori Togo is named Foreign Minister and Admiral Shimada, Navy Minister. When the bellicose war minister and most powerful man in Japan, Army General Hideki Tojo, became prime minister, there no longer was a chance of avoiding war with Britain and the United States. The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo sends a telegram to the embassy in Washington, DC, which includes the following: "The resignation was brought about by a split within the Cabinet. It is true that one of the main items on which opinion differed was on the matter of stationing troops or evacuating them from China. However, regardless of the make-up of the new Cabinet, negotiations with the United States shall be continued along the lines already formulated. There shall be no changes in this respect."

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Attack of Convoy SC 48: The battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. SC 48 is the first U.S. Navy-escorted convoy to engage German submarines in battle, but despite the presence of the three modern U.S. destroyers and two flush-deckers—USS "Decatur" (DD-341) and HMCS "Columbia" [ex-USS "Haraden" (DD-183)], and four RCN corvettes, the enemy torpedoes six ships and an escort vessel in a total elapsed time of four hours and forty-seven minutes. U-432 sinks Greek steamer SS "Evros", Panamanian steamer SS "Bold Venture" and Norwegian motor tanker MS "Barfonn." U-558 sinks British tanker SS "W.C. Teagle", and Norwegian steamship SS "Rym." U-553 sinks Norwegian steamer SS "Erviken" and conducts an unsuccessful approach on destroyer USS "Plunkett" (DD-431). The RCN and USN escort vessels immediately began dropping depth charges and continue to barrage throughout the night. America suffers its first war casualties in World War II when American destroyer USS "Kearney" (DD-432), escorting Allied convoy SC-48, was damaged by a torpedo from German submarine U-568 off Iceland, killing 11. The "Kearney" was illuminated by the blazing vessels and suffered a direct hit from U-568 on the starboard side, but damage control limited flooding to the forward fire room enabling the ship to leave the danger area with power from the aft fire room. Escorted by USS "Greer" (DD-145), the damaged "Kearny" proceeds to Hvalfjordur, Iceland at 10 knots, arriving 19 October. There she will undergo temporary repairs alongside repair ship USS "Vulcan" (AR-5) and get underway on 25 December 1941 for Massachusetts for permanent repairs. In the air, PBY-5A Catalinas of the USN's Patrol Squadron Seventy Three (VP-73) based at Reykjavik, Iceland, arrive to provide air coverage for SC 48.

EASTERN FRONT: The Battle of Borodino still raged. Although German and Soviet armor and infantry are evenly matched at Borodino, Soviet 5th Army is worn down by losses of men and tanks. All day and through the night, German Paul Hausser's SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' and the "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10.Panzer-Divisionen advance slowly along the two East-West roads that run parallel only 2 miles apart (Moscow Highway and Minsk Highway). Soviet 5th Army resists doggedly as they fall back towards Mozhaysk. Villages and Russian defensive positions were captured then recaptured. Masses of Russians trapped in the two Bryansk pockets surrendered. The pockets began to dissolve although isolated troops were still trying to break out on 20 Oct. With the threats to Moscow becoming critical, STAKVA decides to abandon the bulk of the eastern Ukraine and concentrate all fresh and newly formed formations in the Moscow area.

General von Mackensen's III.Armeekorps (mot) had mounted its attack against Rostov, the gateway to the Caucasus with 13.Panzer-Division (Lieutenant General F-W Rothkirch) and 14.Panzer-Division (Major General F. Kuehn), 60.Infanterie-Division (mot) (Lieutenant General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt), and the SS-Infanterie-Brigade (mot.) "Liebstandarte der SS Adolf Hitler" (Obergruppenfuhrer Sepp Dietrich). The "Leibstandarte.", reinforced by 4.Panzer-Regiment, 13.Panzer-Division, penetrated the outer fortifications at Sultan-Saly. On its left 14.Panzer-Division struck at Bolshiye-Saly. General Remizov, who was defending Rostov with his 56th Army, replied with a strong attack against the flank of 14.Panzer-Division. Mackensen thereupon employed his 60.Infanterie-Division (mot) in a flanking attack to the east, in order to cover his flank.

German 3.Panzergruppe clears last defenders from Kalinin. Stavka creates Kalinin Front under Konev with 22nd Army, 29th Army and 30th Army.

1.SS-Infanterie-Brigade (mot.) 'Liebstandarte der SS Adolf Hitler' (Obergruppenfuhrer Sepp Dietrich) of German 1.Panzerarmee captured Taganrog in southern Russia, a port city on the Sea of Azov.

The crews of JG 51 again lose a pilot when Heinz John, with eight kills during his combat career, is shot down and killed.

The first transport of deported Czech Jews departed for various locations in Eastern Europe.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Cultivate: British cruiser HMS "Latona" and destroyers HMS "Jackal", HMS "Havock", and HMS "Nizam" departed Alexandria, Egypt for Tobruk, Libya. Sailing with Convoy Cultivate, the British steam tanker "Pass of Balmaha" was torpedoed and sunk by the U-97, commanded by Udo Heilmann, approximately 50 miles west of Alexandria in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. All of the ship's complement of 18 died. The 758 ton "Pass of Balmaha" was carrying aviation fuel and petrol and was bound for Tobruk, Libya. The Greek steam merchant "Samos" was torpedoed and sunk by the U-97 approximately 50 miles west of Alexandria. Of the ship's complement, 31 died and 3 survivors were picked up by the HMS "Cocker". The 1,208 ton "Samos" was carrying government stores and was bound for Tobruk, Libya.

Axis Convoy departs for Tripoli with five vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Folgore", "Fulmine", "Usodimare", "Gioberti", "Da Recco", and "Sebenico" and a torpedo boat.

MIDDLE EAST: Arrangements are completed to transport Moslem pilgrims to Mecca, despite wartime shortages of transportation.

In Syria, the British 2nd Battalion (The Black Watch) were preparing to move to Tobruk and to make way for the 2/2 Australians. G1098 kit (mobilization scale of clothing and equipment) was handed over as the Battalion move was to be with rifles, equipment and small kit only.

NORTHERN FRONT: Norwegian vessel "Vesteraalen" sunk by Soviet submarine SC-402 in Arctic waters. Soviet submarine "Kalev" sunk by mine on this date or shortly thereafter.

PACIFIC OCEAN: Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, sent two submarines to Midway and two to Wake on "simulated war patrols." Harold Stark informed Kimmel that in his personal opinion that while he expected Japan to take action sometime in the near future, an attack on Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii was not likely.

The USN orders all U.S. merchant ships in Asiatic waters to put into friendly ports. The US began evacuating non-essential personnel from Guam, Mariana Islands.

Colonel H. George, A-4 (supply) under Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Commanding General Far East Air Force (USAAC), sends a request to Hugh Casey, MacArthur's engineer, to construct housing and messing for one air group at Del Monte, a natural meadow in the Del Monte pineapple plantation on Mindanao.

UNITED KINGDOM: At a meeting of the British Defence Committee, Prime Minister Winston Churchill instructs Admiral Pound to plan to dispatch one modern battleship and an aircraft carrier to join the "Repulse" in the Indian Ocean.

Anthony Eden informs the British War Cabinet that Britain should expect trouble from Japan in about three weeks.

WESTERN FRONT: The German propaganda ministry declared Luxembourg Judenfrei, "Free of Jews".

RAF Fighter Command flew a Rhubarb operation to Zeebrugge. RAF Bomber Command sends 12 aircraft on coastal sweep off Cherbourg.

.

 

[parsifal]

17 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
U Class submarine HMS P-38

Fairmile B ML 54, 347
[NO IMAGES FOUND]

Losses
Convoy SC-48
In the early hours of 17 October more warships arrived; HMS HIGHLANDER and BROADWATER from TC 14, and HMS ABELIA and VERONICA from ON 25. With this reinforcement further attacks were warded off, but the pack remained in contact, awaiting a further opportunity.

At dawn on 17 October the convoy was joined by Western Approaches escort; This was EG 3, comprising DDs BULLDOG, AMAZON, RICHMOND, and GEORGETOWN and RN corvette HMS HEARTSEASE, with two trawlers and a rescue ship. The RCN group departed at this point, being low on fuel; also DesRon 13 left to follow KEARNY to Iceland.

The pack was still in contact, but all further attacks were frustrated by the escort. VERONICA made a determined attack on a contact and claimed a kill, but no U boat loss was confirmed. A PBY Catalina flying air cover also bombed U-558 which was damaged, but continued to shadow until the attack was called off.

U-432 sank steamer BOLD VENTURE (Panamanian 6595 grt) from convoy SC.48. Seventeen crew were missing. She was carrying a cargo of cotton, iron and steel, copper and a small amount of wood. Between 0342 and 0346 hrs on 17 Oct 1941, U-432 attacked three ships while moving on the surface between the seventh and eight columns, first hitting the BOLD VENTURE in station #91 with one torpedo. At 0343 hrs, a spread of two torpedoes missed a ship in the eight column but one hit was claimed on a ship beyond which is not confirmed by Allied reports (possibly the GLDIOLUS?). The U-boat then fired its stern torpedo and sank EVROS in station #63.

The BOLD VENTURE, armed with one 4in and two machine guns, had originally been in station #94 but changed to #91 after the ships ahead of her were lost or straggled from the convoy. She was hit by the torpedo on port side aft, setting the cargo of cotton on fire, collapsing the mainmast and breaking off the poop which caused the ship to sink by the stern within 10 minutes. The survivors were picked up after two hours by RCN Corvette WETASKIWIN and landed in Reykjavik on 24 October.

As indicated above, U-432 sank MV EVROS (Gk 5283 grt) with the loss of her entire crew of 32. She was carrying iron ore at the time of her loss. The EVROS was hit amidships by the torpedo, broke in two and sank immediately due to her heavy cargo. There were no survivors despite initial reports that two had been rescued, apparently a mistake in name when two men from ERVIKAN were picked up.

U-558 sank tkr W. C. TEAGLE (UK 9552 grt) whilst she was on passage from Aruba to Swansea via Sydney CB carrying a full load of oil. She had a crew of 45, 35 of whom would lose their lives immediately and 9 others a short time later. At 0131 hrs, U-558 fired three torpedoes, one of which was aimed at W. C. TEAGLE in station #103 and sank her about 600 miles west of Rockall. The WC TEAGLE was hit on the starboard side aft, caught fire and sank suddenly by the stern after 5 minutes before most of the crew were able to abandon ship. Nine survivors were picked up by RN DD BROADWATER, but were lost when the DD was sunk the next night. Eventually the only survivor was radio operator Norman D. Houston, who rescued himself on a raft, observed ERVIKEN being torpedoed nearby and was picked up by Corvette VERONICA after about 4 hours and landed at Londonderry.

Steamers RYM and ERVIKEN slowed down to pick up survivors from the WC TEAGLE, but in turn were then lost in successive attacks.

Steamers ERVIKEN (Nor 6595 grt) was sunk in this series of attacks by U-558. The ship was loaded with phosphate and was travelling from Tampa to Liverpool via Sydney CB. She had a crew of 38 aboard, 22 of whom would perish in the attack. ERVIKEN was hit on the starboard side just in front of the bridge in #2 hold, broke in two and sank within 3 minutes. The ship sank so fast that the crew had no time to launch the lifeboats and the survivors rescued themselves on rafts or clung to debris. After about 3 hours, two men on a raft were picked up by Corvette ABELIA which launched a boat and picked up another man from wreckage, but then lost her boat because it became water logged. At the same time Corvette VERONICA picked up 11 survivors from two rafts and after locating the still drifting wreck of RYM (see below) remained in the area until dawn. Two survivors were picked up by DD BROADWATER, but were lost when the DD was sunk the next night. The survivors were landed at Londonderry, those in VERONICA on 19 October and those in ABELIA on 22 October. The master and 23 crew members were lost

U-558 also sank the Steamer RYM (Nor 1369 grt). After seeing the ERVIKEN being sunk, the RYM immediately tried to reach the convoy again at full speed but was chased by two U-boats: U-558 and also U-432. It was the former that torpedoed and sank the RYM at 0214 hrs. She was carrying a load of timber when lost, and a crew of 21, all of whom would survive the attack. The RYM, armed with five machine guns, was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side between #1 and #2 hatches and broke in two. The forward part was torn away to port and the ship only kept together by the deck cargo of timber with a heavy list to starboard. The bridge and the starboard lifeboat had been destroyed, so 16 survivors abandoned ship in the port boat. The master, the first engineer and three crewmen remained aboard and tried to save the ship. Corvette VERONICA arrived about three hours after the ship was torpedoed, picked up the men in the boat and stayed in the area until dawn. At daylight it became clear that the vessel could not be saved so the five men went aboard the corvette, which rejoined the convoy after scuttling the wreck by gunfire. The survivors were landed at Londonderry on 19 October.

U-432 sank tkr BARFONN (Nor 9739 grt) in 56-58N, 25-04W from convoy SC.48. The submarine claimed sinking one more steamer and damaging another. Thirteen crew and one gunner were lost on tanker BARFONN. After sinking two ships in the convoy from within the columns, U-432 spotted BARFONN, and headed towards her and fired the last loaded torpedo at 0400 hrs. The tkr was hit on starboard side in the after part of the engine room, stopped and abandoned by the master and most of the crew in three lifeboats when settling quickly by the stern. The first mate, first engineer and four men remained aboard to attempt to save the ship, but in the meantime the U-boat reloaded one of its torpedo tubes while circling the disabled vessel and fired the coup de grace at 0448 hrs. The torpedo hit on the port side amidships under the bridge and ignited the cargo, illuminating the whole area and causing the tanker to capsize and sink with only the forecastle remaining above water. About 30 minutes later, the master, 22 crew members and one gunner (the ship was armed with one 3in and two machine guns) in the lifeboats were picked up by RCN Corvette WETASKIWIN. Only two of the men who remained behind survived by jumping overboard and swimming to a raft. At 0620 hrs, they were picked up by RCN Corvette BADDECK which continued to search the area until daylight, but no more survivors were found. 13 crew members and one gunner were lost. All survivors were landed at Reykjavik on 24 October.

In the afternoon, the USN DDs LIVERMORE, PLUNKETT and DECATUR passed the area of the night action after they were detached from the convoy and spotted an object that was identified by them as upturned U-boat wreck. More likely this was the capsized bow of BARFONN which was then scuttled by the DDs with 66 rounds of gunfire.

Just after midnight U-568 hit a DD which had stopped to avoid a collision with a corvette; this was USS KEARNY. She was severely damaged, losing 11 killed and 22 wounded, but was saved by effort of the crew. She was detached to Iceland, escorted by DECATUR and GREER.On the 17th. The DD was able to proceed to Hvalfjord under her own power. After temporary repairs at Hvalfjord, the DD sailed on 25 December for Boston where repairs were completed on 5 April 1942.

Corvette GLADIOLUS may have ben lost in these attacks or those of the previous night most likely by by U.558 or U.432.

DDs HIGHLANDER, BULLDOG, AMAZON, GEORGETOWN, and RICHMOND and corvettes PICTOU and VERONICA joined the convoy on 17 September}.

After a successful attack on the convoy, U-558 dived to 90m (295ft) to avoid a DD which approached. Three DCs were dropped at the diving position, detonating high above the U-boat which escaped further attacks by passing under the convoy. The DD was probably USS KEARNY.

At 0530 hrs U-432 was sighted by DD BROADWATER off the port beam of the convoy. The DD's forward gun was inoperable due to weather damage and the starboard 4in gun jammed when firing a star shell, so she tried to ram U-432, which turned inside the DD, and then quickly dived after attempting to escape at full speed on the surface. DD BROADWATER immediately launched a pattern of five DCs. Although two jammed on the rails, the other three temporarily disabled the rudder controls and the electric motors, forcing the boat down from a depth of 45 metres to 70 m (230 ft).

Although BROADWATER then lost Asdic contact, Corvette ABELIA made contact 30 minutes later, and after dropping five DCs reported oil on the surface at 0803 hrs. She then dropped two patterns of five and eight DCs at 0834 and 0843 hrs. It is also possible that some of the attacks carried out by USS DDs LIVERMORE and DECATUR during that morning were against U-432. These attacks kept the U-boat submerged for the whole morning. On surfacing at 1300 hrs, it was noticed that the contents of a fuel ballast tank had been lost, which would have betrayed their position through a trail of oil. Both compressors were also out of order, and the boat could only reach a speed of 12 knots until repairs could be made.

At 05.49 hrs, in the mid Atlantic, south of Iceland: U-568 was sighted by HMCSPICTOU on the port side of the convoy and tried to escape at full speed on the surface into a rain squall. The corvette immediately pursued U-568, and fired six rounds from the 4in gun, all of which missed. At 0602 hrs, the U-boat fired a stern torpedo, which passed 15ft (5m) to port of PICTOU. After this counterattack, U-568 dived shortly thereafter after turning sharply to starboard. U-568 had reached 40m (131ft) when the first pattern of five DCs detonated at the diving point, and the second pattern of five charges detonated too shallow to cause any damage. No further attacks were carried out because PICTOUs Asdic broke down and HIGHLANDER and WETASKIWIN (who were in support) were unable to obtain a contact. U-568 had already surfaced 45 minutes after the attack, sighted two corvettes, and escaped on the surface.

At 17.00 hrs U-751 was sighted by Corvette VERONICA which was en route to rejoin convoy and was forced to crash dived when the corvette approached. The escort then dropped 34 DCs during five attacks between 1718 and 1753 hrs, observed oil on the surface, and then returned to the convoy because she only had twelve DCs remaining. None of the attacks were accurate and U-751 escaped undamaged. Unknown to both, U-502 was nearby after diving to avoid aircraft and heard the DCs. This U-boat had a problem with an untraceable fuel leak, and it is likely this was the source of the oil observed by the VERONICA.

UBOATS
At Sea 17 October 1941
U-38, U-66, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-82, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-202, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-576, U-751

40 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Steamer PAULA FAULBAUM (Ger 1922 grt) was lost in a stranding near Stockholm. She was in ballast when lost, on passage from Oskarshamn to Västeras, Sweden.

In the dark evening of October 17, 1941, she headed towards Landsort, south of Stockholm, Sweden. Conditions were poor. She had no pilot onboard. The vessel overshot the lightship signals and went ashore but managed to slip free from her grounding. The steamer was taken to the lee side of the Landsort island. She was leaking badly, but trying to beach the ship seemed to be no option in the rough sea. So she was anchored, hoping that the ship would float till the morning. All of the crew were rescued to the pilot station. The next morning the ship had sunk.

Sonar imagery of the wreck

East Front
Arctic
Convoy PQ.2 departed Scapa Flow with steamers EMPIRE BAFFIN, HARTLEBURY, QUEEN CITY, HARPALION, ORIENT CITY, and TEMPLE ARCH, escorted DDs ICARUS and ECLIPSE and MSWs BRAMBLE, SEAGULL, and SPEEDY from 18 to 30 October. CA NORFOLK departed Scapa Flow early on the 18th and overtook the convoy, joining for ocean escort. ECLIPSE and ICARUS refuelled at Seidisfjord on the 20th and rejoined the convoy. On the 29th, MSWs GOSSAMER, HUSSAR, and LEDA from Archangel joined the convoy and escorted it to Archangel, arriving on the 30th.

West Coast
ASW trawler OPHELIA, which had been repairing at Akureyri, departed that port for Scapa Flow.

Med/Biscay
ML cruiser LATONA and DDs NIZAM, JACKAL, and HAVOCK, departed Alexandria on the second series of the CULTIVATE operation to Tobruk. The ships returned to Alexandria on the 18th.

U.97 sank steamer SAMOS (Gk 1208 grt) and tkr PASS OF BALMAHA (UK 758 grt), which departed Alexandria, escorted by anti-submarine whaler KOS 19, on the 16th, in 31-14N, 28-50E proceeding to Mersa Matrah for Serial 4 of the CULTIVATE operation. Twenty four crew, three gunners, and four British personnel were lost on the Greek ship. The entire crew of the British tanker were lost. The ships were to have joined gunboat GNAT and landing craft tank A lighters A.13, A.17, and A.18 off Mersa Matruh before proceeding to Tobruk. DDs HASTY, AVONVALE, ERIDGE, and DECOY departed Alexandria, joined later by DDs HERO and HOTSPUR, to search for the submarine. After an unsuccessful search, the DDs (less HASTY and ERIDGE) returned to Alexandria on the 18th.

tkr PASS OF BALMAHA
[NO IMAGE FOR THE SAMOS]

DDs HASTY and ERIDGE were detached during the night of 17/18 October to sweep ahead of gunboat GNAT and the A lighters. MTBs.68 and 215 joined gunboat GNAT. The gunboat and the A lighters arrived at Tobruk on the 19th.

Armed boarding vessel CHANTALA departed Alexandria to carry cargo to Syria.

Submarines URSULA, P.34, and RORQUAL departed Malta for operations off Kuriat.

Submarine RORQUAL was forced to return to Malta with defects.

Nth Atlantic
Convoy SC.50 departed Sydney CB escorted by corvette SOREL. Corvette SOREL was detached on the 19th when relieved by DD ST CROIX and corvettes AGASSIZ, ALBERNI, ALYSSE, BITTERSWEET, COLLINGWOOD, and WINDFLOWER joined the convoy. Corvette WINDFLOWER was detached on the 20th. DD RESTIGOUCHE joined on the 25th. DD ST CROIX on the 26th, and corvettes AGASSIZ, ALBERNI, ALYSSE, BITTERSWEET, COLLINGWOOD on the 31st. DDs KEPPEL, ROCKINGHAM, SABRE, and VENOMOUS, corvettes ALISMA and KINGCUP, and ASW trawler LADY ELSA joined on the 31st. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 4 November.

Central Atlantic
Convoy ST.6 departed Freetown, escorted by sloop BRIDGEWATER and corvettes AMARANTHUS, AURICULA, MARGUERITE, and WOODRUFF. The convoy arrived at Takoradi on the 22nd.

Convoy HG.75 sailing was postponed. Two ASW forces with DDs LAMERTON, VIDETTE, and DUNCAN and of sloop ROCHESTER and the 37th Escort Group of corvettes BLUEBELL, CAMPION, CARNATION, HELIOTROPE, MALLOW, and LA MALOUINE departed Gibraltar to sweep in the western approaches to the Strait.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 17 OCTOBER TO DAWN 18 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Fair.

1047-1103 hrs Air raid alert for three enemy aircraft which approach from the north and carry out reconnaissance. Hurricane fighters are flying into and out of Malta on escort duties so it is not possible for them nor anti-aircraft guns to engage.

1534-1555 hrs Air raid alert for a total of seven enemy aircraft which approach the Island in three formations but circle 30 miles to the north. The first two formations remain at a distance, while two Macchi 200 fighters approach Grand Harbour from the north east and cross the coast. Eleven Hurricanes are scrambled at the first alert but, owing to fuel shortages, they are unable to engage the two raiders. Heavy anti-aircraft guns engage with one barrage; no claims.

0012-0019 hrs Air raid alert triggered by the return of Swordfish aircraft.

0403-0523 hrs Air raid alert for seven enemy bombers which approach the Island singly from several directions. None cross the coast; all bombs are dropped in the sea, including one container of incendiaries eight miles offshore to the north east. Four Hurricane fighters are airborne, two at a time, but there are no searchlight illuminations and no interceptions.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Porpoise arrived from Gibraltar and United Kingdom. Ursula, P34 and Rorqual sailed for operations off Kuriat, but Rorqual returned with defects.

AIR HQ Arrivals 3 Wellington. Departures 3 Wellington. 18 Squadron 6 Blenheims attacked a factory at Syracuse. 38 Squadron 3 Wellingtons attacked Trapani aerodrome. 4 Wellingtons attacked Elmas aerodrome. 69 Squadron Maryland patrols Syracuse, east Sicilian coast and special patrol. Photoreconnaissances Cagliari, Sicilian aerodromes and Messina Harbour. 107 Squadron 6 Blenheims attacked motor transport at Zuara and Sirte. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 7 Swordfish sent to attack a convoy of 4 merchant ships and 4 destroyers. Two merchant vessels were hit and seriously damaged. Despite intense, accurate fire from all ships all aircraft returned safely.

 

[Njaco]

October 18 Saturday
ASIA: The Japanese arrest Richard Sorge, ending the carrier of one of the most successful and productive Soviet spies in history. He would be hanged three years later. The son of a German engineer and a Russian mother, he was brought up in Germany, joined the Communist Party, and became a Soviet agent in 1928, serving in America, China and Japan under journalistic cover. He then got Stalin's permission to go back to Germany and become a member of the Nazi Party. He returned to Tokyo as correspondent for a Frankfurt newspaper. Sorge, a craggy-faced womaniser and drinker, soon charmed his way into the confidence of the German ambassador. He also set up a highly-placed ring of Japanese agents, and soon he was sending a flood of economic, political and military information back to Moscow. One of his major coups was to warn Stalin that Hitler was preparing to attack Russia. He gave the precise date for the invasion - but Stalin ignored him.

General Tojo, known as Kamisori [the Razor] retains his portfolio as war minister. It is the first time that Japan has had a serving general as prime minister. One of General Tojo's first moves has been to extend the deadline for diplomacy to prevent war with the United States until 25 November. This overturns the decision of the last imperial conference, calling for a decision on war or peace with the US no later than 15 October, which divided the Konoye cabinet and precipitated its resignation. General Tojo insisted on being given a "clean slate" on this issue before accepting his appointment from Emperor Hirohito.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Attack of Convoy SC 48: German submarines break off operations against convoy SC 48, but not before German submarine U-101 attacked, damaging destroyer HMS "Broadwater" with one torpedo at 0420 hours; 46 crew and 11 previously rescued survivors were killed, 85 crew survived. HMS "St. Apollo" scuttled HMS "Broadwater" by gunfire at 1541 hours. USN destroyers USS "Plunkett" (DD-431), USS "Livermore" (DD-429) and USS "Decatur" (DD-341), meanwhile, make concerted depth charge attacks on sound contacts with no visible results.

A PBY-5A Catalina of USN Patrol Squadron Seventy Three (VP-73) based at Reykjavik, Iceland, drops a package containing blood plasma and transfusion gear for use in treating the wounded on board the destroyer USS "Kearny" (DD-432) torpedoed yesterday. The destroyer USS "Monssen" (DD-435) retrieves the package but the gear becomes disengaged and sinks. A PBM-1 Mariner of a VP-74 detachment also based at Reykjavik repeats the operation a few hours later. This time the drop is successful and USS "Monssen" retrieves the medical supplies intact.

EASTERN FRONT: German Army Group Center is pushing toward Moscow at Mozhaisk, Dorohov, Maloyaroslavets, Borovsk, Kaluga, Tarusa, Naro-Fominsk, and Podolsk. Despite determined resistance from the main Russian line, Mozhaisk is captured by Paul Hausser's SS-Infanterie-Division (mot.) 'Reich' and the "Hauenschild Brigade" of 10.Panzer-Divisionen of 4.Panzerarmee's XXXX.Panzerkorps (General der Panzertruppen Georg Stumme). Maloyaroslavets and Tarusa on the southern approaches to Moscow are captured by 19.Panzer-Divisionen of the 4.Armee's LVII.Armeekorps (mot.) (General of Panzer Troops A. Kuntzen). Soviet 5th Army has suffered 60% casualties defending Mozhaysk and only 5 weakened rifle divisions and 20 tanks stand before Moscow. The conquered area east of the Dniester is incorporated into Romania and renamed Transdniestria. The 32nd Rifle Brigade finally withdrew from Borodino up the Smolensk-Moscow highway. The Germans pushed them hard but the 32nd blocked the German advance guard. In the evening, a motorcycle battalion of SS 'Reich' Division found the Minsk Highway toward Moscow, Russia, 90 kilometers to the east, undefended.

German Colonel General Erich von Manstein launched his 11.Armee against the Perekop Isthmus in Russia but fierce Soviet resistance on a narrow front caused the German advance to proceed extremely slowly. For his thrusts across the isthmus Manstein had lined up three divisions of LIV.Armeekorps (General of the Kavalry E. Hansen). Indeed, there was no room for more formations in the four-mile-wide corridor. Reading from left to right, they were the 22.Infanterie Division (Lieutenant General H. Graf von Sponek), 73.Infanterie-Division (General der Infanterie Bruno Bieler), and 46.Infanterie-Division (Generalleutnant Kurt Himer) and parts of 170.Infanterie Divisionen (Major General W. Wittke). Behind them stood XXX.Armeekorps (General of the Infantry von Salmuth) with the 72.Infanterie Division (Lieutenant General Mattenklott), the bulk of the 170.Infanterie Divisionen, and the 50.Infanterie Divisionen (Lieutenant General K. Hollidt). Still on the road, but later to follow the attacking Corps of 11.Armee, was the XLII.Armeekorps (General of the Engineers W. Kuntze) with 132.Infanterie-Division (Generalleutnant Rudolf Sintzenich) and 24.Infanterie-Divisionen (Major General H. von Tettau). The Fuehrer's Headquarters had made this Corps available to Manstein on condition that its divisions were moved across into the Kuban area from Kerch as quickly as possible, to advance to the Caucasus. Manstein's six divisions were opposed by eight field divisions of the Soviet 51st Army. To these must be added four cavalry divisions, as well as the fortress troops and naval brigades in Sevastopol. Moving towards the front were General Petrov's units from Odessa. Manstein's 11.Armee drives Soviet forces into Sevastopol.

Hptm. Gordon Gollob, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3, destroys nine Russian fighters in a single day.

Lavrentiy Beria ordered the execution of Nikolai Rychagov, Rychagov's wife, and other conspirators. General Ivan Proskurov was executed without trial for relocating his aircraft to safe airfields shortly before German invasion.

British General Wavell in Tiflis to confer with Soviets regarding defense of the Caucasus.

MEDITERRANEAN: British cruiser HMS "Latona" and destroyers HMS "Jackal", HMS "Havock", and HMS "Nizam" arrived in Alexandria, Egypt from Tobruk, Libya.

Malta's air forces are increased with the addition of a force of strike planes flown in from Gibraltar. Eleven Albacore and two Swordfish aircraft of British No. 828 Squadron took off from HMS "Ark Royal" (escorted by battleship HMS "Rodney", cruiser HMS "Hermione" and 7 destroyers) to reinforce Malta. Their function to continue to harass Axis supply lines through the Mediterranean to North Africa. One Swordfish torpedo bomber was lost en route, however.

MIDDLE EAST: In Syria, at 0630 hours the British 2nd Battalion (The Black Watch) (less "D" Coy) and 3 Companies of the Bedfordshire and Herts. Regiment went by RASC transport to Es Zib transit camp arriving at 1400 hours. "D" Coy was to follow on Monday 20th with the Yorks and Lancs. Regt.

NORTH AFRICA: RAF attacks Tripoli overnight with 17 Wellington bombers flying from Malta.

NORTHERN FRONT: The unescorted Soviet steam merchant "Argun" was torpedoed and sunk by the U-132, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Ernst Vogelsang, five miles off the Gorodetzkij lighthouse in the Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean. The 3,487 ton "Argun" was bound for Iokanga, Soviet Union. At 2017 hours, U-132 struck again. The unescorted 608 ton Soviet fishing steam trawler RT-8 'Seld´ was torpedoed and sunk by the U-132 in the Barents Sea. Soviet vessel SKR-11 lost this day was possibly sunk by U-132, or perhaps by mine.

British vessels "Mahseer" and "Empire Ghyll" were sunk by mines in the North Sea.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US 17th Pursuit Squadron transferred from Iba to Nichols, and the 3rd Pursuit Squadron was transferred from Clark AAF to Iba AAF for gunnery training. Forward elements left on October 3, 1941.

UNITED KINGDOM: Picture Post, the magazine founded in 1938 by Edward Hulton, which has reached a circulation of a million in the last two months, is now a national institution under its editor Tom Hopkinson. It has made its name by its brilliant picture treatment and its hardhitting captions attacking Hitler at the time of appeasement. At home it criticizes military commanders, ineffective weapons and bureaucratic delays in helping air-raid victims. It founded a Home Guard training school at Osterley Park and gave tips on resistance fighting to its readers. Now it is running articles on post-war reforms such as full employment, minimum wages and a national health service. The response has been huge.

.

 

[parsifal]

18 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
S-Boat DKM S-111
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Allied
Type II Hunt Class DD HMS EXMOOR (II) (L-08)

Shakespeare Class ASW Trawler HMS ROSALIND (T-135)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Steamer EMPIRE GHYLL (UK 2011grt) and Steamer MAHSEER (UK 7911 grt) were sunk on mines in Barrow Deep (one of the approaches to the Thames estuary), four to five cables from B 7 Buoy. Five crew and two gunners were lost on the steamer EMPIRE GHYLL. The entire crew of steamer MAHSEER were rescued.

[NO IMAGE FOR THE GHYLL]

Tug ASSURANCE (UK 350 grt (est))was grounded and declared a total loss at Lough Foyle.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Convoy SC-48
On the night of 17/18 October the pack tried again; all attacks were repelled but U-101 fired on DD BROADWATER, causing her mortal damage; she remained afloat for another 12 hours, but had to be abandoned and sunk.

On 18 October BdU ordered the attack discontinued. Mordbrenner, which had never completely formed, was dissolved, the remaining boats being sent west to form a new patrol line off the coast of Canada. The remaining boats were moved east to form a new patrol line, Reiswolf, SE of Greenland.

U-101 managed to sink Town Class DD HMS BROADWATER (RN 1190 grt). 85 survived the attack, but there were 56 of the crew that perished. During the night of 17/18 Oct 1941, U-101 had tried to overtake the convoy but were frustrated after several attempts by the escorts. In the course of this activity, the U-Boat fired a spread of four torpedoes at DD BROADWATER and at 04.22 hrs the DD was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side forward of the bridge and lost its complete bow. The three ASW trawlers of EG 3 were sent to her assistance with ASW Trawler ANGLE going alongside to rescue the survivors and ASW Trawlers CAPE WARWICK and ST APOLLO screening the area but they did not notice U-77 also in the vicinity.

The rescue work proved to be difficult due to increasing sea and wind and the lifeboats and whalers became more and more waterlogged. Some of the men DD BROADWATER remained behind because they thought that the ship could be saved. However, at daylight a crack became visible on the deck abaft the fourth funnel confirming that the back had been broken and the ship was beyond salvage. ASW TRAWLER ANGLE rescued 60 survivors with some being transferred to other ships. ASW TRAWLER CAPE WARWICK took aboard some of these transfers, and also rescued a further 28 men before leaving the area. at 1420 hrs. En route to the safety of port, one officer and two ratings died of wounds. The ST APOLLO stood by the abandoned wreck until she sank by the bow at 1541 hrs, hastened by 4in gunfire from the attending trawlers. Five officers, 40 ratings and eleven survivors rescued from WC TEAGLR and ERVIKEN were also lost.

UBOATS
Departures
Trondheim: U-752
Brest; U-203
Kiel: U-571
St. Nazaire: U-93

At Sea 18 October 1941
U-38, U-66, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-82, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-202, U-203, U-204, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-575, U-576, U-751

42 Boats

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Swedish steamer INGEREN was damaged by British bombing west of Borkum.

East Front
Arctic
U-132 sank MV ARGUN (Sov 3487 grt) east of Murmansk. The ship was empty at the time of her loss travelling from Archangel to a Russian harbour called Iokanga. At 1320 hrs the unescorted ARGUN was hit on the starboard side at the bow by one torpedo from U-132 five miles off the Gorodetzkij lighthouse. At 1340 hours, a first coup de grace detonated prematurely, but a second fired 20 minutes later hit amidships and caused the ship to sink. The crew and passengers abandoned ship in two lifeboats and were later picked up by the Soviet hydrographic vessel MGLA, which was probably the icebreaker attacked by the U-boat at 1505 hrs, but the G7a torpedo hit the ground.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U-132 also sank ASW Trawler SKR 11 (VMF 557 grt) in the same area. At 2017 hrs, U-132 fired one G7a torpedo at a steamer of about 1500 grt north of Mys Kachkovskij and reported a hit after 16 seconds and the subsequent sinking of the vessel within 30 seconds. The target must have been the SKR 11 (Nr 70), which was reported missing after the vessel failed to return from patrol at the entrance to the White Sea and was presumed mined between 20 and 24 October 1941.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Northern Waters
DDs ANTELOPE and ANTHONY departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde to escort destroyer depot ship FORTH from the Clyde to Rosyth. The DDs arrived on the 19th. On the evening of the 19th, the DDs and depot ship FORTH departed the Clyde for Rosyth.

The ships arrived off May Island on the 21st. The depot ship arrived at Rosyth that afternoon. DD ANTHONY proceeded to Immingham for refitting, arriving on the 22nd. DD ANTELOPE returned to Scapa Flow.

MSWs FITZROY, ELGIN, ROSS, and LYDD arrived at Scapa Flow on passage to the Faroes for a clearance sweep.


Med/Biscay
U.559 attacked at destroyer escorting three lighters in 32-40N, 24-34E.

ML cruiser ABDIEL and DDs KANDAHAR, GRIFFIN, and JAGUAR departed Alexandria on serial 3 of the CULTIVATE operation. Returning from Tobruk, DD KANDAHAR attacked a submarine off Bardia. ABDIEL arrived back at Alexandria at noon on the 19th. The DDs, after searching for the submarine, arrived back that afternoon.

DDs JERVIS and JUPITER departed Alexandria escorting landing ship GLENROY from Port Said to Alexandria. The DDs and landing ship arrived at Alexandria on the 19th.

An Italian convoy of steamers MARIN SANUDO, PROBITAS, BEPPE, PAOLINA, and CATERINA departed Naples on the 16th for Tripoli, escorted by DDs FOLGORE, FULMINE, USODIMARE, GIOBERTI, DA RECCO, and SEBENICO. TB CIGNO escorted the convoy until Trapani. TB CALLIOPE also escorted the convoy. Steamer AMBA ARADAM joined the convoy from Trapani. TB CASCINO joined the convoy from Tripoli.

On the 18th, submarine URSULA damaged Italian steamer BEPPE near Lampedusa. The steamer was taken in tow by tug MAX BARENDT and arrived at Tripoli on the 21st with DD DA RECCO and TB CALLIOPE.

Steamer CATERINA (FI 4786 grt) was badly damaged by British bombing on the 18th and sank 62 miles 350° from Tripoli on the 19th.

The remainder of the convoy arrived at Tripoli on the 19th.

Submarine TRUANT departed Malta for patrol in the Adriatic. Submarine RORQUAL departed Malta on a minelaying operation off the south of Sardinia. After the operation on 21 and 22 October, the submarine arrived at Gibraltar on the 26th

Submarine THUNDERBOLT made an unsuccessful attack on a steamer in the Aegean.

Corvettes AZALEA and SPIRAEA were directed that upon departing Bathurst to meet RFA oiler DINGLEDALE and escort her to Gibraltar. Corvette SPIRAEA arrived at Gibraltar on the 26th to refuel, then departed to rejoin the escort. The three ships arrived at Gibraltar on the 29th.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
CA EXETER arrived at Bombay. She departed on the 22nd for Colombo

Malta
828 SQUADRON ARRIVES IN MALTA
A new Sqn arrived to joined the Fleet Air Arm force at Hal Far. 828 Sqn, with 11 Albacores and one Swordfish strengthened the torpedo bomber force at Malta, which had been carrying out successful operations against Axis convoys in the Med.

The reinforcements left the UK under 'Operation Call Boy' on 1 October for Gibraltar, where they were transferred to CV ARK ROYAL for transport to Malta. The Carrier sailed under escort for two days through the western Mediterranean and reached a point early this morning from where the aircraft could take off for Malta. A second Swordfish destined for Hal Far which took off from the carrier did not arrive and is presumed lost. The pilot Sub Lt D Muller RNVR, and observer Sub Lt A Denby RNVR were missing, never found

AIR RAIDS DAWN 18 OCTOBER TO DAWN 19 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Fine.

1125-1137 hrs Air raid alert for three Macchi 200 fighters which cross the Island on reconnaissance. Six Hurricanes are scrambled but unable to intercept due to height of raiders. No engagement by Ack Ack guns.

1522-1553 hrs Air raid alert for two Macchi 200s which cross the coast to the west of Delimara at great altitude, on reconnaissance. They fly northwards over Ta Qali, turn about over Gozo and fly down the east coast of Malta, then turn over Luqa to Delimara, eventually receding northwards. Anti-aircraft guns fire pointer rounds. Nine Hurricanes are airborne but unable to intercept.

Night Seven air raid alerts sound through the night. Two Hurricanes at a time are airborne but there are no searchlight illuminations and no interceptions.

2046-2120 hrs Air raid alert for two enemy bombers which approach the Island separately from the west and north. Large high explosive bombs are dropped in the sea near Filfla and in the St Paul's Bay area. A house is demolished at Bur Marrad. Five civilians are killed and one seriously wounded. One soldier of 1st Bn Kings Own Malta Regiment is seriously injured in the ankle and another slightly. According to military authorities, villagers refused help from the Army, saying they preferred to wait for the arrival of the demolition squad.

2219-2244 hrs Air raid alert for a single enemy aircraft which drops high explosive bombs in the sea east of Zonqor Point.

2321-2351 hrs Air raid alert for two enemy bombers approaching separately from the north west and north east. The first drops 12kg bombs on land near Mgarr, severing telephone lines, and in the sea off Ghain Tuffieha. The second drops bombs in the sea six miles east of St Thomas' Bay.

0117-0137 hrs Air raid alert for an enemy aircraft which approaches from the north west and drops 25 x 2kg bombs near Bajda Ridge searchlight positions; no damage or casualties.

0215-0225 hrs; 0338-0348 hrs Air raid alert; raids do not materialise.

0455-0510 hrs Air raid alert for a single enemy aircraft which approaches from the west to within eight miles of Dingli and drops high explosive bombs in the sea before receding westward.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Truant proceeded on patrol in Adriatic. Rorqual left for minelaying, and thence to Gibraltar. 828 Squadron of eleven Albacores arrived, ex operation Call Boy.

AIR HQ Arrivals 1 Sunderland, 2 Wellington. Departures 1 Wellington. 18 Squadron 6 Blenheims attacked a factory north of Crotone. 69 Squadron Maryland patrols south eastern Tunisian coast and special patrol. Photoreconnaissances Palermo, Trapani, Taranto and Naples. 221 Squadron 1 Wellington on convoy search. 830 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 6 Swordfish were sent to attack a convoy of 4 merchant ships and 4 destroyers. At least one merchant ship was hit, with fires visible for 10 miles.

HAL FAR Eleven Albacore aircraft No 828 Squadron arrived at Hal Far under the command of Lt/Cdr Langmore.

TA QALI New airmen's barrack block taken over.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Njaco]

October 19 Sunday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-126 torpedoed and sank American freighter "Lehigh" 100 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa at 1051 hours; all 38 aboard survived. U-126 had misidentified the American ship as a Greek vessel.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet resistance in the Vyazma pocket collapses as the last remnants of the outer defenses to Moscow are destroyed. Evacuation of Moscow picks up pace with Germans taking Mozhaysk yesterday and the Mozhaysk line crumbling elsewhere. At Volokolamsk, the northwest end of the Mozhaysk defensive line, newly arrived Soviet 316th Rifle Division halted the attack by German 4.Panzerarmee. In Moscow, Lavrentiy Beria advised the Soviet GKO to evacuate the capital "or they will strangle us like chickens", but it was rejected by Joseph Stalin. However, Stalin did order the Politburo (less Stalin, Beria, and Georgy Malenkov) to evacuate. Soviet forces from the Far East command (facing the Japanese in China), begin to arrive in the Moscow area. Stalin announces his intention to remain in Moscow despite the threat from advancing German forces. Martial law is declared in the city and work ordered on three fixed defensive lines around it.

Army Group South advances into the Crimea and is met with heavy Russian resistance. German 11.Armee is attacking through the Perekop isthmus. German 1.Panzerarmee is fighting into Stalino. Taganrog completely falls to the advancing German 11.Armee. With the fighters of JG 3 still involved in Operation 'TAIFUN' in the north, only JG 77 is available to support the movement. The Geschwader is soon outnumbered by Russian aircraft in the skies over the battle and for a short time lose air superiority for the first time during the war.

German troops began rounding up men over the age of 16 in the Serbian town of Kragujevac in Yugoslavia. Of the 2,324 gathered, about 300 of them were students from the First Boys High School.

One of the Soviet 'strike forces' raised in mid-October were the 3,000 men of the 35th Rifle Brigade. It included cadets from the Alma Ata machine-gun school and the Tashkent school and veterans from the wars with Japan and Finland. They had ample heavy machine guns, mortars, automatic rifles and grenades. On 19 Oct they began three weeks of intensive training before being sent to the front.

MEDITERRANEAN: The unescorted British motor merchant "Inverlee" was torpedoed and sunk by the U-204, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Walter Kell, 30 miles from Cape Spartel, Morocco in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Of the ship's complement, 22 died and 21 survivors were picked up by the destroyer HMS "Duncan" (D 99) and the British armed trawlers HMS "Lady Hogarth" (4.89) and HMS "Haarlem" (FY 306). The 9,158 ton "Inverlee" was carrying Admiralty fuel oil and was bound for Gibraltar. In the same region, the unescorted British steam merchant "Baron Kelvin" was torpedoed and sunk by the U-206, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Herbert Opitz, in the Strait of Gibraltar. Of the ship's complement, 26 died and 16 survivors were picked up by the Spanish merchant "Urola" and the destroyer HMS "Duncan" (D 99). The 3,081 ton "Baron Kelvin" was carrying ballast and was bound for Melilla, Spain. British corvettes from Gibraltar were dispatched to hunt for this submarine. The U-204 was sunk off Cape Spartel, Marocco by depth charges from the corvette HMS "Mallow" (K 81) and the sloop HMS "Rochester" (L 50). All of the ship's complement of 46 died. During its career the U-204 sank 1 warship and 4 merchant ships for a total of 17,360 tons.

MIDDLE EAST: At the request of the joint occupation forces of the Soviet Union and Britain, the Afghan government ejects all Axis nationals from their country.

NORTH AFRICA: British gunboat HMS "Gnat" bombarded a German artillery battery near Tobruk, Libya after sundown.

NORTH AMERICA: US President Roosevelt decided to go forward with the development of the atomic bomb.

NORTHERN FRONT: Elements of Finnish Army of Karelia reach Suna River north of Lake Onega.

WESTERN FRONT: Lt. Josef 'Pips' Priller of 1./JG 26 is awarded the Eichenlaub for achieving forty-one victories over the Allies.

.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[parsifal]

19 OCTOBER 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
MMS I Coastal MSW MMS 74
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-126 sank SS LEHIGH (US 4983 grt) off the coast of Sierre Leone. The vessel was on passage from Bilbao to Takoradi with a crew of 44, all of whom would survive the attack. At 1051 hrs the unescorted and unarmed LEHIGH was hit on the starboard side at the #5 hold by one torpedo from U-126 about 82 miles west of Freetown. The ship was stopped and 35 minutes after the hit abandoned by the ten officers, 30 crewmen and four Spanish stowaways in four lifeboats. The radio operator and two other men reboarded the vessel and unsuccessfully tried to send a message before she sank by the stern at 1310 hrs. The survivors in two lifeboats were picked up by two British motor launches of the 17th ML Flotilla. The remaining survivors, five of them injured, were picked up two days after the sinking from the two other boats by DD VIMY.

The LEHIGH was sunk 49 days before war was officially declared against the USA by the Axis, despite the American markings on the ship, which were clearly visible at the time of the attack. The vessel was zigzagging and according to the U-Boats log, the ship was assumed to be Greek. The log states it as only realized the ship was under a neutral US flag after torpedoes had been fired from a distance of about 2500 meters.

U-204 sank tkr INVERLEE (UK 9158 grt) in the approaches to Gibraltar, on the Atlantic side of the harbour. She was engaged in transporting Admiralty fuel at the time of her loss. A crew of 43 were embarked of which 22 were to survive the attack. At 0300 hrs the INVERLEE was hit on the starboard side amidships in #16 tank abaft the bridge by a torpedo fired by U-204, while steaming on a zigzag course at 6 knots about 30 miles west of Cape Spartel, Morocco. The tanker was under escort by the RN ASW trawlers LADY HOGARTH, and STELLA CARINA and had been so since the 15 October. The explosion blew oil all over the vessel, set the bridge on fire and damaged the steering gear, so she went out of control and took immediately a list to port. As the flames were increasing, the crew of 38 men and five gunners (the ship was armed) stopped the engines and began to abandon ship in the four lifeboats, but the one on port aft was badly damaged upon launch and became waterlogged. The starboard aft boat was launched successfully on the weather side in choppy seas and broke many oars by pushing it away from the ship's side. At 0313 hours, a second torpedo struck on the starboard side a little forward from the first, probably in #15 tank and ignited the fuel, causing a huge explosion with a terrific flash that was seen by the nearby U-83 and ASW Trawler HAARLEM about 28 miles away. The explosion was so powerful that it blew out the fires and broke the back of the ship, which sagged in the middle with the tops of the mainmast and foremast nearly meeting, the bridge being submerged and the stern about 30 feet out of the water. The fire later broke out again when fuel leaked out of the tanker. Unfortunately the torpedo had hit directly underneath the starboard forward lifeboat that was being lowered and lifted it from the falls, sending the occupants hurling in all directions and killing the men lowering the boat, including the master, the chief officer and the radio operator. Incredibly, the third mate and the helmsman later managed to reboard this boat and rescued several people swimming in the water. The starboard aft boat was washed back on deck and badly damaged when it hit the superstructure, throwing all occupants into the sea except one boy who managed to jump back on deck, walked to the stern and remained there alone until daylight, when he was taken off by an officer from one of the ASW Trawlers now standing to the scene. Naval crews boarded the tanker after rowing to her in a jolly boat. Two other men were later taken off this badly damaged lifeboat by a trawler just before it sank. About 0330 hrs, the last men abandoned ship in the waterlogged port boat and were picked up three hours later by LADY HOGARTH, and STELLA CARINA screened by DD DUNCAN which had also arrived on the scene. In the meantime ASW sweepes for the U-boat had begun during which time 4 more survivors were picked up but the U-Nopat not located. Another survivor was picked up by the HAARLEM. At daylight, the INVERLEE was reboarded when the fire subsided, but she was found so badly damaged that towing operations were impossible and a Catalina flying boat later reported that the wreck was seen to sink at about noon on 19 October. The master 19 crew members and one gunner were lost. The survivors, five of them injured, were landed at Gibraltar the next day and eventually returned to England aboard the CAM ship EMPIRE DARWIN.

Following this sinking, the corvettes of the 37th Escort Group were sent from Gibraltar to carry out an anti-submarine sweep off Cape Spartel and sank Type VIIc U-204 (DKM 860 grt), with all hands. The corvettes of the 37th Escort Group were despatched from Gibraltar to carry out an ASW sweep off Cape Spartel, Morocco after the loss of the INVERLEE. At 2146 hrs, Flower class HMS MALLOW obtained an asdic contact on her starboard quarter and eight minutes later dropped a pattern of seven DCs. After regaining contact, the corvette turned around to carry out a second attack, but the echo became woolly. After passing through a patch of oil approximately 200 yards long and 50 yards broad MALLOW regained contact, but lost it again before another attack could be carried out. At 2221 hrs, Corvette CARNATION obtained a contact after passing through the oil patch which was judged to be a U-boat stationary on the bottom, and dropped five depth charges, but it's doubtful this was U-204 since it was two miles further east. MALLOW then remained near the oil patch until joined by Shoreham class sloop ROCHESTER on 20 October. The sloop eventually dropped five DCs into the patch and observed the amount of oil to increase, which was found to be diesel. Another pattern of five DCs produced a further volume of oil but no other evidence. A day later parts of a G7a torpedo were recovered about eight miles (13km) east of the position of the oil patch. Post war analysis suggests that U-204 was likely very badly damaged or even sunk by the initial attack By the MALLOW and the DCs dropped by ROCHESTER either finished her off or broke up the wreck lying on the bottom.

U-206 sank Steamer BARON KELVIN (UK 3081 grt) just east of Gibraltar. The ship was empty and on passage from Lisbon to Melilla via Gibraltar when lost. A crew of 42 was embarked, 26 of whom would lose their lives in the attack. At 0614 hrs the unescorted BARON KELVIN was hit on port side aft by one of two G7e torpedoes fired by U-206 in the Strait of Gibraltar. The U-boat then fired a stern torpedo and missed the stopped ship, which quickly sank by the stern with a broken back after being struck on port side amidships by yet another G7e torpedo fired at 0627 hrs. 19 crew members and seven gunners were lost. The master, twelve crew members and two gunners were picked up by the Spanish steam merchant UROLA and landed at Gibraltar. One crew member was rescued by DD DUNCAN and also landed at Gibraltar.

Steamer RASK (Nor 632 grt) was sunk by the LW in the western approaches. Seven crew and one gunner were lost on the steamer.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Arendal: U-571

At Sea 19 October 1941
U-38, U-66, U-68, U-71, U-73, U-75, U-77, U-79, U-82, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-93, U-97, U-101, U-103, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-123, U-125, U-126, U-132, U-202, U-203, U-206, U-208, U-371, U-374, U-432, U-502, U-553, U-558, U-559, U-563, U-564, U-568, U-569, U-573, U-575, U-576, U-751

41 Boats

OPERATIONS
East Front
Arctic
CA SUFFOLK and DDs IMPULSIVE and ESCAPADE departed Archangel. En route to the UK, they carried out an operation off the north coast of Finland at Svaerholthavet during the night of 21/22 October. No enemy ships were sighted. On the 25th, the three ships called at Seidisfjord from Spitzbergen to refuel. They departed early on the 26th and arrived at Scapa Flow on the 27th.

Steamer ANDROMEDA (Ger 658 grt) was sunk in Kongsfjord (west of Kirkenes) by "enemy action".
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

North Sea
CA CUMBERLAND departed Chatham for Scapa Flow after refitting of 1 July to 11 October. The CA arrived at Scapa Flow on the 20th.

Northern Patrol
Dutch submarine O.14 and FFL submarine MINERVE departed the Faroes to patrol off the Norwegian coast. Submarine O.14 arrived back at Scapa Flow after the patrol on the 29th.

MSWs HARRIER and BRITOMART arrived at Spitzbergen. A German landing party promptly was evacuated by air from Longyearby.

Northern Waters
Sloop IBIS departed Scapa Flow on completion of work up. She proceeded to Kirkwall for direction finding calibration trials prior to going to Londonderry. The sloop arrived at Kirkwall at 1615. Sloop IBIS departed Kirkwall on the 22nd and arrived at Londonderry on the 23rd.

West Coast
CV VICTORIOUS and DDs LAFOREY and LIGHTNING departed the Clyde for Scapa Flow. All three ships sustained weather damage during a gale. Off Tiumpan Head on the 20th, the DDs hove to and the CV continued unescorted to Scapa Flow, arriving that afternoon. The DDs joined BB MALAYA which departed Scapa Flow on the 20th.

DD CHIDDINGFOLD departed the Clyde to work up at Scapa Flow. The DD arrived at Scapa Flow on the 20th, having been delayed by weather.

Med/Biscay
DDs HOTSPUR, HASTY, HAVOCK, and DECOY departed Alexandria to bombard the military rest camp at Masra Lucch during the night of 19/20 October. Late on the 19th, HAVOCK ran aground with her propellers and shaft damaged. The other DDs escorted her back to Alexandria and the bombardment was cancelled. The DDs arrived back at Alexandria during the night of 20/21 October.

Sloop FLAMINGO departed Alexandria to escort British steamer MANCHESTER PORT from Port Said to Alexandria.

ASW whaler KOS 19, escorting British tanker TONELINE to Tobruk in serial 4 A of the CULTIVATE operation, reported a submarine contact off Alexandria. ML 1023 departed Alexandria with the two ships, but had to return with defects. DD ENCOUNTER and two ASW trawlers joined to search for the submarine, without success. However, the tanker and its escort were unmolested and safely arrived at Tobruk on the 21st.

Submarine TRUSTY departed Malta on patrol off Argostoli.

Submarine URSULA arrived at Malta from patrol

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 19 OCTOBER TO DAWN 20 OCTOBER 1941
Weather Cloudy.

No air raids.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER 1941

ROYAL NAVY Ursula returned to reload, having hit one merchant ship and sunk another in convoy.

AIR HQ Arrivals 3 Beaufort, 1 Sunderland, 7 Wellington. Departures 2 Sunderland, 2 Wellington. 18 Squadron 6 Blenheims attacked a factory and power station at Licata. 38 Squadron 11 Wellingtons attacked targets in Tripoli. 69 Squadron 1 Maryland patrol Kiniat-Kerkennah; 1 Maryland special search for shipping. Photoreconnaissances Sicily, Taranto, Tripoli Harbour. 104 Squadron 6 Wellingtons attacked targets in Tripoli.