Type VII by Krzysztalowicz Marek

Author:Krzysztalowicz, Marek
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
Published: 2012-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

Endrass and U 46 welcomed back to Kiel on 26 August 1941 after his eighth 32-day patrol. (CAW)

The next major engagement took place in September. On the 28th the ‘Markgraf group commenced operations on the convoy routes south-east of Iceland. It consisted of four Type IXs – U 38, U 43, U 105 and U 501 – and eleven Type VIIs: U 81 (Kptlt. Friedrich Guggenberger, a Bavarian who would become famous after sinking HMS Ark Royal), U 82 (Kptlt. Siegfrid Rollmann), U 84 (Kptlt. Horst Uphoff), U 85 (Oblt.z.S. Eberhard Greger), U 202 (Kptlt. Hans Linder), U 207 (Oblt.z.S. Fritz Meyer), U 432 (Kptlt. Heinz-Otto Schultze), U 433 (Oblt.z.S. Hans Ey), U 569 (Kptlt. Hans-Peter Hinsch) and U 652 (Oblt.z.S. Georg-Werner Fraatz). Later on the group was joined by more Type VIIs: U 372 (Kptlt. Heinz-Joachim Neumann), U 373 (Oblt.z.S. Paul-Karl Loeser), U 552 (Kptlt. Erich Topp), U 572 (Kptlt. Heinz Hirsacker) and U 575 (Kptlt. Günther Heydemann). The British, who thanks to wireless intercepts knew about the prepared ambush, ordered Convoys ON 10, ON 11, SC 41, HX 146 and HX 147 to alter their routes in order to avoid the area patrolled by the enemy submarines. The German command in turn soon realised that no enemy vessels were appearing where ‘Markgraf was concentrated, so it ordered the boats to disperse over a wider area. This was the right decision. Convoy SC 42 fell into the enlarged trap – it could not alter course any further due to stormy weather as well as the edge of the pack ice. It was a large convoy, with sixty-four merchant ships protected by the Canadian escort group EG 24, which consisted of the destroyer HMCS Skeena and three corvettes. On 9 September U 85 spotted and immediately attacked the convoy, but its torpedoes missed. More U-boats closed on the convoy during the night. U 81, U 82 and U 432 sank one ship each – U 81 while it was still 9 September. U 652 damaged the British ships Baron Pentland (which would be finished off by the Type VII U 372 nine days later) and Tahchee (6508 GRT) which was subsequently towed to port by one of the escorts. On 10 September U 432 took over shadowing the convoy and sank three ships. U 85 attacked twice and sank one ship in daylight, but then it was depth-charged by the escorts and suffered extensive damage. U 501 was sunk by the corvettes HMCS Moosejaw and HMCS Chambly, which arrived to reinforce the escorting force. On 11 September further Allied reinforcements arrived – these were warships previously escorting convoys which had reached their destinations: three corvettes and a minesweeper from HX 147 and British Group EG 2 of five destroyers from ON 13. Also British aircraft appeared providing aerial cover to the embattled convoy. As a result U 207 was lost during the attack. During the night the skilful escorts managed to keep the Germans away from their charges. Only two boats – U 43 and U 84 – managed to penetrate the screen, but their attacks proved ineffective.

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