1944
JANUARY
1944
Atlantic
7th -
U-boats concentrated against UK/West and
North African convoys, mainly to the
west and southwest
of Ireland, and eight were lost from all
causes, but
first the Royal Navy suffered a loss. As
the 5th Escort
Group swept to the west of Cape
Finisterre, frigate "TWEED"
was
torpedoed
and sunk by
"U-305". Intense A/S activity further
north saw
"U-305" lost well before the month was
out. 8th
- "U-757"
to frigate
"Bayntun" and Canadian corvette
"Camrose" of the 4th and 5th EGs
escorting
OS64/KM538. 13th - Northeast of
the Azores "U-231" was
lost to a RAF
Leigh light Wellington. 15th
- Off the Azores "U-377"
was
sunk
by one of her own torpedoes. 17th
- Back to the waters west of Ireland,
and "U-305"
was
now
sunk by destroyer
"Wanderer" returning from a search for
blockade
runners. 19th - "U-641"
attacked
OS65
and KMS39 and went down to
corvette "Violet" of the British B3
group. 28th
- Operations against OS66/KMS40 led
to the loss of "U-271" to a US Navy
Liberator and "U-571" to a RAAF
Sunderland flying boat -
one of the famous "flying porcupines".
West of
Ireland "U-972" suffered the same
"own-torpedo" fate as "U-377" two
weeks earlier.
Russian
Convoys - Escorting
Russian convoy JW56B,
destroyer "HARDY (2)"
was torpedoed
by "U-278" to the
south of Bear Island on the 30th
and had to be
scuttled. On the same day
destroyers "Whitehall"
and "Meteor" of the escort sank
"U-314". All
16 of JW56B's ships reached
Kola Inlet. JW56A earlier in
the month had not
been so fortunate - of the 20
merchantmen, five returned
due to the weather, and three were lost
to U-boats.
Capt
Walker's
2nd Escort Group - Capt
Walker with sloops "Starling",
"Kite", "Magpie", "Wild
Goose" and "Woodpecker" accompanied by
escort carriers "Activity" and
"Nairana" arrived in the waters to the
southwest of Ireland. Over the next
three weeks the five
sloops shared in the sinking of six
U-boats operating against the convoys
passing through the area. They started
on the 31st
when "Starling", "Magpie" and
"Wild Goose" depth-charged "U-592" to
destruction.
Battle
of
the Atlantic - Over
the
next five months U-boat losses were so
heavy that by May 1944,
North Atlantic operations had virtually
ceased. In this
period only 25 merchant ships were lost
in the North and
South Atlantic at a cost of 77 U-boats
from all causes. At the same time
the Allies were not so successful
against them as they
passed through the Bay of Biscay from
French bases, the
Northern Transit Area from Norway, and
direct from
Germany. Now equipped with 10cm radar
detectors they only
lost five of their number in the Bay,
but in mid-May were
badly hit by RAF Coastal Command off
Norway. By then the
whole complexion of the U-boat war near
the shores of Europe changed with
the invasion of Normandy.
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 5
British, Allied and neutral ships of
36,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 2 destroyers
including one US
off New York, and 1 frigate
- 14
U-boats including 2 by RAF and RAAF Bay
of Biscay
patrols; 1 by RAF-laid mine in Bay of
Biscay; 1 by US
escort carrier Guadalcanal off the
Azores
FEBRUARY
1944
Atlantic
Capt
Walker's 2nd Escort Group continued
- U-boat
concentrations again suffered
badly to the west and southwest of
Ireland, and 10 boats
were lost, all to the Royal Navy in
exchange for a sloop
and one straggler. Capt Walker's 2nd EG
accounted for
five, which added to the one on 31st
January giave a
record for U-boat
sinkings in one patrol only equalled by
the US destroyer
escort "England" in the South West
Pacific in
May 1944. 8th - In support of
convoys SL147/MKS38,
Capt Walker in "Starling" together with
"Kite", "Magpie", "Wild
Goose" and "Woodpecker" shared in the
sinking of "U-762". 9th -
"Starling",
"Kite", "Magpie", "Wild
Goose" and "Woodpecker" now shared in
the
sinking of "U-734"
and
"U-238". 11th - Back to the
southwest
of Ireland, "Wild Goose" and
"Woodpecker" hunted down "U-424" and
destroyed her with depth
charges. 19th - The 2nd EG, now
supporting ON224
was attacked by "U-264". Brought to
the surface by
"Starling" and "Woodpecker", she was
scuttled, the first of the
schnorkel-equipped boats to be
lost. 19th - As Capt Walker's
Group looked for its
seventh victim "WOODPECKER" lost her
stern to an acoustic torpedo from
"U-764". Towed slowly home, she sank on
the
27th off the Scilly Islands.
Other
supporting Escort
Groups also had their successes in the
month: 10th -
West of Ireland, "U-666" was sunk by
Swordfish of 842 Squadron from
escort carrier "Fencer" in support of
trans-Atlantic convoy ON223. 18th -
Frigate
"Spey" of the 10th EG with ONS29 sank
"U-406". 19th - As the 10th EG
transferred to convoy ON224 (2nd EG was
also in support),
"Spey" claimed another success with the
sinking
of "U-386". 24th - West of
Ireland, "U-257" was
sunk
by Canadian frigate
"Waskesiu" of the 6th EG with Halifax/UK
convoy
SC153. 25th - Further south
"U-91"
was
lost
to frigates "Affleck",
"Gore" and "Gould" of the 1st EG
carrying out an A/S patrol in support of
the convoys in
the vicinity.
Russian
Convoys (map below)
- The 42 merchantmen
of Russian convoy JW57
all reached Kola on the 28th, but one
escort and two U-boats
were
sunk in the battles surrounding
them: 24th - To the northwest of
Norway, "U-713"
was
put down by destroyer
"Keppel" of the escort. 25th -
Next day,
destroyer "MAHRATTA"
was
lost
to an acoustic torpedo from
"U-956" or "U-990" and sank with
heavy loss of life. A RAF Catalina of No
210 Squadron
flying at extreme range managed to sink
"U-601".
Monthly Loss
Summary
-
2 British, Allied and neutral ships of
12,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 destroyer
and 1 sloop
- 15
U-boats including 2 by RAF to the west
of Scotland; 1 by
US Navy aircraft off Ascension Island
FEBRUARY
1944
Europe
20th -
On patrol
off Trevose Head, southwest England for
a reported
U-boat, destroyer "WARWICK"
was torpedoed
and sunk by
"U-413" - the first enemy submarine to
effectively penetrate British coastal
waters since 1940.
Mediterranean
18th -
Royal Navy
ships continued to suffer casualties
during the Battle
for Anzio. Returning to Naples, the
seemingly
indestructible cruiser "PENELOPE"
was
torpedoed
and sunk by "U-410".
24th -
In the
Strait of Gibraltar, USN Catalina's
equipped with the new
magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) located
"U-761" trying to break in to the
Mediterranean. Destroyers "Anthony" and
"Wishart" of the Gibraltar patrol sank
her.
Indian
& Pacific Oceans
14th -
On patrol in
the Malacca Strait, submarine "Tally Ho"
had
another success (the other was cruiser
"Kuma"
the month before) by sinking German
ex-Italian submarine "UIt-23" bound for
Europe with cargo from
the Far East.
MARCH
1944
Atlantic
1st -
The 1st
Escort Group, last recorded five days
earlier sinking
"U-91" was now to the far southwest of
Ireland,
north of the Azores. Frigates "Affleck",
"Gould", "Garlies" and
"Gore" had already hunted a contact for
30hr
when the second two ships had to leave
for Gibraltar.
Late on the 1st the tables were turned
when "GOULD"
was
hit and sunk by a Gnat acoustic
torpedo. That just left "Affleck" which
located
"U-358"
and sent her to the
bottom with depth charges and gunfire.
At 38hr this was
probably the longest continuous U-boat
hunt of the war.
6th -
In another
long hunt lasting 30hr, the Canadian C2
group escorting
Halifax/UK convoy HX280 sank "U-744" in
mid-Atlantic. Canadian
destroyers "Chaudiere" and
"Gatineau", frigate "St Catherines",
corvettes "Chilliwack" and "Fennel"
and British destroyer "lcarus" were
joined by
corvette "Kenilworth Castle" before the
action
was over.
9th -
Corvette "ASPHODEL"
escorting West and
North Africa/UK convoys SL150/MKS41 was
torpedoed and
sunk by "U-575" to the west of the Bay
of
Biscay. The U-boat was lost four days
later.
10th -
In an attack
on Halifax/UK convoy SC154, "U-845"
was
sunk in mid-Atlantic by Canadian C1
group including destroyer "St Laurent",
frigates "Owen Sound", "Swansea" and
British destroyer "Forester".
13th -
RAF
Wellingtons flying from the Azores
attacked "U-575" well to the north. She
was finally
sent to the bottom by the aircraft and
ships of the US
escort carrier "Bogue" task group and
Canadian
frigate "Prince Rupert" from nearby
convoy
ON227.
15th -
In
mid-Atlantic, Swordfish of 825 Squadron
from escort
carrier "Vindex" working with 2nd EG's
"Starling" and "Wild Goose" sank "U-653"
- Capt Walker's 13th kill.
25th
-'Tsetse'
Mosquitos of RAF Coastal Command armed
with new 6pdr guns
had their first success. On Bay of
Biscay patrol one of
them sank "U-976".
Russian
Convoys - The
next return convoy from Russia RA57,
sailed with the escort of the February
JW57 including
escort carrier "Chaser" and her
rocket-firing
Swordfish of 816 Squadron. On the 4th,
to the
north west of Norway, they damaged
"U-472" which was finished off by
destroyer "Onslaught". In the next two
days, in
spite of foul weather, they destroyed
"U-366"
and
"U-973". The
2nd EG moved from Atlantic
convoys to support Russian convoy JW58.
Two days
after leaving Loch Ewe and by now off
Iceland,
"Starling" sank "U-961"
on the 29th. More U-boats were
lost before the convoy reached Russia
early in April.
Monthly Loss
Summary
-
8 British, Allied and neutral ships of
41,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 2 escorts and
1 US destroyer
off Iceland
- 17
U-boats including 1 by RCAF off Ireland;
4 by the
aircraft and ships of USS Block Island
off the Azores and
Cape Verde Islands; 1 by unknown causes
in the North
Atlantic; 1 by SAAF off South Africa
Europe
20th -
Royal Navy
submarine "GRAPH" (the captured "U-570")
broke her
tow and ran aground on Islay Island off
the west coast of
Scotland.
Mediterranean
10th -
In
operations against Allied shipping bound
for Italy, three
U-boats were lost together with one
Royal
Navy destroyer. On
the 10th off Anzio, 'Hunts'
"Blankney", "Blencathra",
"Brecon" and "Exmoor" and US
destroyer "Madison", sank "U-450".
The same day
south of Sardinia, anti-submarine
trawler
"Mull" sank "U-343".
The destroyer and
the third U-boat
were
sunk at the end of the month
16th -
US Navy
Catalinas used MAD to locate another
U-boat in the Strait
of Gibraltar on passage into the
Mediterranean. Destroyer
"Vanoc" and frigate "Affleck" were
called up and accounted for "U-392".
30th -
In support
of Allied shipping bound for Italy,
destroyers
"Laforey", "Tumult" and 'Hunts'
"Blencathra" and "Hambledon" located
a U-boat north of Sicily. As the search
proceeded, "LAFOREY"
was
torpedoed
and sunk, but the
remaining ships found and finished off
"U-223".
APRIL
1944
Atlantic
Russian
Convoys - Three days
after 2nd EG sank
"U-961" off Iceland, Russia-bound JW58
was
to the northwest of Norway and the
attacking U-boats lost
three of their number. On the 1st
an Avenger of
846 Squadron from escort carrier
"Tracker"
damaged "U-355" with rockets and
destroyer
"Beagle" completed the job. Next day -
the
2nd - destroyer "Keppel" sank
"U-360" with her ahead-throwing Hedgehog
mortar. On the 3rd it was the
turn of "U-288". A Swordfish, Wildcat
and Avenger
from "Tracker's" 846 and "Activity's"
819 Squadrons sent her to the bottom.
Apart from one
merchantman that was forced to return,
all JW58's
remaining 48 ships arrived at Kola on
the 5th April.
6th -
"U-302"
sank
two ships
from Halifax/UK convoy SC156 to
the northwest of the Azores before being
destroyed by
frigate "Swale" of the British B5 group.
8th -
To the
northwest of Cape Finisterre, sloops
"Crane"
and "Cygnet" of the 7th EG accounted for
"U-962".
14th -
North of the
Azores "U-448"
attacked
escort
carrier
"Biter" but was detected by Canadian
frigate
"Swansea" of the 9th EG and sunk by her
and
sloop "Pelican" of the 7th.
19th -
Norwegian
submarine "Ula" working with the Home
Fleet
flotillas and on patrol off Stavanger,
SW Norway sank "U-974".
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 7
British, Allied and neutral ships of
48,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 16
U-boats including 2 by RAF in North
Atlantic; 1 by RAF
Bay of Biscay patrol; 6 by US Navy
forces off America,
Madeira, Cap Verde Islands and in North
Atlantic.
Indian
& Pacific Oceans
There were
no merchant shipping losses in either
the Indian or
Pacific Oceans in April and May 1944
MAY
1944
Atlantic
Russian
Convoys - Return
Russian convoy RA59 (45
ships) was attacked by U-boats to the
northwest of Norway. One ship was
lost, but in return the Swordfish of 842
Squadron from
"Fencer" sank three with depth charges -
on the
1st, "U-277", and next day
"U-674"
and
"U-959". The convoy arrived at Loch Ewe
with the rest of the 44 ships on 6th
May.
5th/6th
- The 2nd
and 5th EGs in the North Atlantic
detected U-boats by HF/DF after the
torpedoing of a
US destroyer. "U-473"
was
found
by 2nd EG (Capt Walker) and
sunk on the 5th by "Starling", "Wren"
and "Wild Goose". Next day it was the
5th EG's
turn (Cdr Macintyre). Aircraft of 825
Squadron from
escort carrier "Vindex" locate "U-765"
and frigates "Aylmer",
"Bickerton" and "Bligh" shared in her
destruction.
6th -
The US escort
carrier "Block Island" group was again
on
patrol in the Atlantic off the Canaries
and being
directed to U-boats by the work of
'Ultra' and the
Admiralty Tracking Room. On the 6th her
aircraft and
accompanying destroyer escorts sank
"U-66". Then at the end of the month,
the
carrier was sunk.
7th -
Canadian
frigate "VALLEYFIELD", with a Canadian
group escorting UK/North
America convoy ONM234, was sunk off Cape
Race,
Newfoundland by "U-548".
29th -
"BLOCK
ISLAND"
was
torpedoed
and
sunk by "U-549" in the Canaries area,
but her task group
soon avenged the loss of their leader.
30th -
Destroyer
"Milne" sank "U-289" to the southwest of
Bear Island in
the Arctic.
Battle
of
the Atlantic - RAF Coastal
Command and one of its Norwegian
squadrons were particularly successful
between the 16th
and 27th against the U-boats passing
through the Northern
Transit Area off south and west Norway.
In the space of
12 days, "U-240", "U-241",
"U-476", "U-675", "U-990"
and
"U-292"
were sunk.
Monthly Loss
Summary
-
3 British, Allied and neutral ships of
17,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 frigate and
1 US escort
carrier
- 15
U-boats including 1 by RCAF Bay of
Biscay patrol
Mediterranean
4th -
"U-371" attacked North Africa/US convoy
GUS38
off Algeria on the 3rd and was detected,
but damaged one
of the escorting US destroyers.
Throughout the night she
was hunted by a mixed group of British,
US and French
warships including the 'Hunt'
"Blankney", and
this time managed to torpedo a French
destroyer. Later on
the 4th "U-371"
was
sunk
northeast of Bougie.
15th -
"U-731" on passage through the Strait of
Gibraltar was detected by USN Catalinas
and lost to
attacks by patrol sloop "Kilmarnock" and
trawler "Blackfly" of the Gibraltar
patrol. No
more U-boats made the attempt to get
into the
Mediterranean.
21st -
U-boats gained their last success
of
the war in the Mediterranean. East of
Sicily "U-453"
attacked
Taranto/Augusta
convoy HA43 and its
Italian escort and sank one merchant
ship. Destroyers
"Termagant", "Tenacious" and the
'Hunt' "Liddlesdale" were brought up and
sent
her to the bottom on the 21st.
Merchant
Shipping War
-
U-boats had
only
managed to sink 10 merchantmen in the
Mediterranean in
the first five months of 1944. In return
15 had been
lost, including three breaking through
the Strait of
Gibraltar and four in USAAF raids on
Toulon and Pola.
Indian
& Pacific Oceans
Merchant
Shipping War
- No Allied merchant ships were lost in
April and May
1944 throughout the Indian Ocean, but 29
were sunk in the
preceding three months, and by never
more than six German
and four Japanese submarines. In return
only four boats
including one transport submarine had
been sunk. The last
was "U-852" off the Gulf of Aden to RAF
aircraft on 3rd May.
DEFENCE
OF TRADE - June 1943 to May 1944
Total
Losses = 324 British, Allied and
neutral ships of 1,733,000 tons
(144,000 tons per month)
By
Location
Location
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral
ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
North
Atlantic |
76
|
443,000
tons
|
South
Atlantic
|
27 |
147,000
tons |
UK
waters
|
23 |
31,000
tons
|
Mediterranean
|
105
|
550,000
tons
|
Indian
Ocean
|
87
|
532,000
tons
|
Pacific
Ocean
|
6 |
30,000
tons
|
By
Cause
Causes*
in order of tonnage sunk
(1., 4. ... -
Order when weapon first
introduced)
|
Number
of
British, Allied, neutral
ships
|
Total
Gross
Registered Tonnage
|
1.
Submarines |
216
|
1,219,000
tons
|
4.
Aircraft
2. Mines
6. Raiders
5. Other causes
7. Coastal forces
3. Warships |
64
19
4
9
11
1
|
378,000
tons
55,000 tons
35,000 tons
20,000 tons
18,000 tons
8,000 tons
|
JUNE
1944
Atlantic
4th -
Off West
Africa,
"U-505"
was
captured
by
the USS Guadalcanal and her task group.
Later in the
month, tanker "U-490" was sunk in
mid-Atlantic by the ships and
aircraft of the "Croatan" group and
"U-360" in the South Atlantic by
aircraft
from "Solomons".
15th -
Submarine
"Satyr" on Arctic patrol torpedoed and
sank "U-987" to the west of Narvik.
26th -
Destroyer
"Bulldog" on patrol off the northwest
coast of
Ireland sank "U-719".
Battle
of
the Atlantic - U-boats
passing
through the Bay of Biscay were the
target for aircraft covering the
Normandy invasion, and
also continued to suffer badly at the
hands of the
aircraft of the Northern Transit Area
patrol. Throughout
the month, seven
were sunk
and
one severely damaged by RAF, RCAF and
Norwegian
aircraft. In the case of "U-1225" to the
northwest of Bergen on the
24th, the attacking Canadian Canso (or
Catalina) was
badly hit and crashed but not before
sinking her.
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of
7,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 13
U-boats excluding those sunk in Bay of
Biscay
Europe
6th
- Normandy Invasion: Operation
'Overlord' - Aircraft
of
Coastal Command and Escort Groups of the
RN and RCN on
patrol at the west end of the English
Channel and its
approaches were ready for any attempt by
U-boats to reach the Normandy ships and
landing craft numbering well over 5,000.
Only
schnorkel-equipped boats dared try, and
the few that did
had little success. In June they lost 12
of their number:
off the Channel, aircraft sank five
including "U-629" and "U-373" in one day
- the 8th - to
one RAF Liberator of No 224 Squadron
(Flg Off K. Moore).
Two more went down in the Bay of Biscay
as they returned
from Atlantic patrol. Warships accounted
for the
remaining five, but two frigates were
sunk and other
escorts severely damaged: 15th -
Frigate "BLACKWOOD"
was
torpedoed off Brittany by
"U-764" and sank in tow off Portland
Bill. 15th
- Frigate "MOURNE"
was sunk
by "U-767" off Land's
End. 18th - Three days after
sinking
"Mourne", "U-767"
was
caught
off the Channel Islands by
destroyers "Fame", "Havelock" and
"Inconstant" of 14th EG and sent to the
bottom.
24th - Destroyers "Eskimo" and
Canadian
"Haida" of 10th Flotilla, together with
a Czech
Wellington of No 311 Squadron, sank
"U-971" off Ushant. 25th - Two
U-boats were lost off Start Point in the
English Channel - "U-1191" to frigates
"Affleck" and
"Balfour" of the 1st EG, and "U-269" to
"Bickerton" (Capt
Macintyre) of the 5th EG. 27th/29th
- Two days
after badly damaging corvette "PINK"
(constructive total loss) on the
27th and sinking two merchantmen,
"U-988"
was
caught
and sunk off the Channel
Islands by frigates "Cooke",
"Domett", "Duckworth" and
"Essington" of 3rd EG and a RAF
Liberator of No
224 Squadron.
Monthly Loss
Summary (now
that U-boats were operating off British
shores)
19
British, Allied and neutral ships of
75,000 tons in UK
waters.
JULY
1944
Atlantic
FAA
attacks on "Tirpitz" - Barracuda
torpedo bombers from Home
Fleet carriers "Formidable",
"Indefatigable" and "Furious"
attempted to hit "Tirpitz" in Altenfiord
on the
17th, but failed, partly because
of defensive
smokescreens. U-boats
were
sent
to attack the carrier force, but over a
period of four days, RAF Coastal Command
sank three in
the Northern Transit Area. The RAF also
sank a fourth
U-boat off southwest Norway.
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 4
British, Allied and neutral ships of
29,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes
- 7
U-boats including one each by task
groups of US escort
carriers "Wake Island", "Croatan" and
"Card" off the Canaries, Madeira and
Nova
Scotia respectively
Europe
U-boat
Operations
against the Normandy Beachhead -
Those U-boats that
did get through the Channel defences
sank and damaged a
number of ships, but six were lost to
warship patrols: 5th
- After attacking a convoy off
Normandy, "U-390"
was
sunk by destroyer
"Wanderer" and frigate "Tavy". 6th
- In a convoy attack off Beachy
Head, "U-678"
was
lost to Canadian destroyers
"Ottawa" and "Kootenay" and British
corvette "Statice". 18th -
Frigate
"Balfour" on patrol southeast of Start
Point
sank "U-672". 21st - Escorting
frigates
"Curzon" and Ekins" sank "U-212" off
Beachy Head. 26th - As "U-214"
tried to lay mines off Start
Point, she was sunk by frigate "Cooke"
of the
3rd EG. 31st - "U-333"
was
destroyed
to the west of the Scilly
Islands by sloop "Starling" and frigate
"Loch Killin" of the 2nd EG using the
new
Squid. This marked the first success
with this
ahead-throwing A/S weapon which fired
three large mortar
bombs. Three more U-boats
were
sunk
in the Bay of Biscay; one each to RAF
and RAAF aircraft and the third mined
off Brest. Allied
air raids on Germany were also becoming
more effective
and four more were destroyed at Kiel and
Bremen.
Monthly Loss
Summary
8
British, Allied and neutral ships of
19,000 tons in UK
waters.
AUGUST
1944
Atlantic
Attacks
on Tirpitz and Russian Convoy
JW59 - Russian
convoy
JW59 (33 ships) left Loch Ewe on
the 15th
with a heavy escort. Home Fleet sailed
in two groups,
partly to cover the convoy but mainly to
launch further
FAA attacks on "Tirpitz" in
Altenfiord.
One group included "Formidable",
"Indefatigable" and "Furious" and
battleship "Duke of York"; the second,
escort
carriers "Trumpeter" and the
Canadian-manned
"Nabob" together with the
5th EG (Cdr Macintyre). Between
the 22nd and 29th, three strikes were
made and although a
hit was obtained on the 24th, the bomb
failed to explode.
In the course of these manoeuvres the
escort carrier
group suffered two casualties: 22nd
-
"U-354" encountered them to the
northwest of
North Cape and attacked. Frigate
"BICKERTON" of the 5th EG was torpedoed,
badly
damaged, and finished off by destroyer
"Vigilant". Escort carrier "NABOB"
was too badly damaged by her torpedo hit
to be repaired.
The U-boat
was shortly
sunk. The convoy, JW59 was
also subjected to U-boat
attack
and
losses were sustained by both sides: 21st
- Sloop "KITE" of the 22nd EG was
torpedoed by
"U-344" to the northwest of Norway in
the
Greenland Sea and went down. There were
few survivors,
but the attacker, like "U-354" was also
shortly
sunk. 24th - As
"U-344" tried to approach the convoy to
the north of North Cape, she was sunk by
destroyer
"Keppel", frigate "Loch Dunvegan" and
sloops "Mermaid" and "Peacock" of the
20th EG (both sister-ships of "Kite" so
recently lost to "U-344's" attack). 25th
- "U-354" now prepared for the arrival
of
return convoy RA59A in the Bear Island
area and was
destroyed by a rocket-firing Swordfish
of 825 Squadron
from "Vindex". (Note: Some sources
reverse the
cause of loss of "U-344" and "U-354",
but with "U-344" sunk on the 22nd and
"U-354" on the 24th.) JW59 arrived at
Kola
Inlet on the 25th with all 33 merchant
ships.
Europe
British
Convoy Routes
- As the German Biscay bases became
untenable for U-boats, the South Western
Approaches to
the British Isles were opened to Allied
convoys for the
first time in four years. West and North
Africa/UK
convoys SL167 and MKS58 were the first
to benefit from
the shortened journey.
U-boat
Operations -
U-boats
passing through the
Bay of Biscay and operating in the
Channel and its
approaches suffered badly at the hands
of the air and sea
patrols and escorts. However, the Royal
Canadian Navy
lost two corvettes: 4th - Escort
destroyer
"Wensleydale" and frigate "Stayner"
on patrol off Beachy Head, sank "U-671"
shortly after she sailed from
Boulogne. 6th - The 2nd Escort
Group had a hand in
three sinkings (1-3)
in
the Bay of Biscay. On the 6th, to the
west of St Nazaire,
frigate "Loch Killin" and sloop
"Starling" used the new Squid A/S mortar
again
to account for "U-736" (1).
The other two attacks were carried out
off
La Rochelle. 8th - Canadian
corvette "REGINA" was
sunk
off Trevose Head, north
Cornwall by "U-667" as she escorted
Bristol
Channel convoy EBC66. The U-boat was
lost on mines off La
Pallice later in the month. 10th
- In the second
sinking by 2nd EG, "U-608" (2)
was
lost to sloop "Wren" and
aircraft of No 53 Squadron. 11th
- 2nd EG's
"Starling" working with RAAF aircraft of
No 461
Squadron accounted for "U-385" (3).
14th - West of St Nazaire,
"U-618" was
sunk
by RAF aircraft of No 53
Squadron, this time with 3rd EG frigates
"Duckworth" and "Essington". 15th
- Attacking a convoy to the south of the
Isle of Wight, "U-741"
was
sunk by corvette
"Orchis". 18th/20th - Canadian
destroyers "Chaudiere", "Kootenay"
and "Ottawa" of the 11th EG sank "U-621"
on the 18th off La Rochelle and "U-984"
two days later to the west of
Brest. 20th - After sinking one
merchantman from a
convoy off Beachy Head, "U-413"
was
counter-attacked
and lost to
destroyers "Forester", "Vidette" and
escort destroyer "Wensleydale". 21st/22nd
- Off the Isle of Wight, "U-480" sank
Canadian
corvette "ALBERNI" on the 21st and
British fleet minesweeper
"LOYALTY"
next day. 24th - As most of the
U-boats evacuated
the Biscay bases and headed for Norway,
frigate
"Louis" on patrol off St Nazaire sank
"U-445". Throughout the month a total of
21 U-boats
had
been
lost
in and
around French waters. Apart from "U-667"
which
sank "Regina" on the 8th, one more was
mined in
the Bay of Biscay, three were lost to
RAF and RAAF Bay
patrols, and six more were scuttled or
paid off in their
Biscay bases.
Monthly Loss
Summary
12
British, Allied and neutral ships of
55,000 tons in UK
waters.
Indian
& Pacific Oceans
12th -
An escort
carrier task group was formed to hunt
for German and
Japanese submarines operating in the
Indian Ocean off the
coast of Africa. "U-198"
was
located
on the 10th and two days
later, sunk off the Seychelles by
frigate
"Findhorn" and Indian sloop
"Godavari".
SEPTEMBER
1944
Atlantic
Russian
Convoys - Return Russian
convoy RA59A (nine ships) was
now off northwest
Norway when "U-394"
was
damaged
by
Swordfish of 825 Squadron
and
sunk on the 2nd by destroyers
"Keppel" and "Whitehall" and sloops
"Mermaid" and "Peacock". The convoy
arrived safely at Loch Ewe on the 6th.
The next convoy
returning from Russia, RA60 left
Kola on the 28th
with 30 ships, but by the time it
arrived at Loch Ewe in
early October had lost two merchantmen
to U-boat attack. While still to the
northwest of Norway on the 30th,
Swordfish of 813
Squadron from escort carrier "Campania"
sank "U-921".
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 3
British, Allied and neutral ships of
17,000 tons in the
Atlantic from all causes, 1 US destroyer
in a hurricane
off Bahamas
- 7
U-boats including 1 cause unknown and 1
mined off
Iceland; 1 by RAF off the Azores; 1 by
US Navy off Cape
Verde Islands; 1 by US aircraft in South
Atlantic
Europe
U-boat
Inshore Campaign - With the start
of the British
Isles Inshore Campaign, U-boats
sunk off Norway and
in the Western Approaches as well as the
Bay of Biscay
are included in the European theatre.
The same applies to
the Allied and German surface warships
lost.
1st -
On passage
into the Bristol Channel as part of the
U-boat Inshore
Campaign, "U-247" was sunk close to
Lands End by patrolling
Canadian frigates "St John" and
"Swansea" of the 9th EG.
1st -
Two U-boats were sunk in the North
Western
Approaches in attacks on Atlantic
convoys in exchange for
a corvette and several merchantmen. On
the 1st, off the
northwest Irish coast, "U-482" attacked
Caribbean/UK tanker convoy CU36 and sank
"HURST
CASTLE" of the
British B1 group with an acoustic
torpedo. Just over a
week later the two U-boats were lost.
9th -
Northwest of
Ireland, "U-743" was sunk near UK/North
America convoy ONF252 by
escorting frigate "Helmsdale" and
corvette
"Portchester Castle". Off the south
Hebrides "U-484" went
down to attack by Canadian frigate
"Dunver" and corvette "Hespeler" of
C5 group. Later in the month, RAF
aircraft sank two more
in the Northern Transit Area.
Monthly Loss
Summary
3
British, Allied and neutral ships of
21,000 tons in UK
waters.
Mediterranean
End of the
Mediterranean U-boats - The last
U-boats in the Mediterranean were lost
to
sea and air attack. On the 19th
schnorkel-equipped
"U-407"
was sunk
north of Crete by destroyers
"Terpischore", "Troubridge" and the
Polish "Garland" of Adm Troubridge's
escort
carrier and cruiser force. Five days
later in raids on
Salamis near Athens, USAAF aircraft sank
"U-596" and the damaged "U-565". Since
June 1944 the other eight
surviving U-boats
had all been lost at Toulon, either by
USAAF raids or
through scuttling. In three years the
comparatively few
German U-boats in the Mediterranean had
inflicted heavy
losses on the Royal Navy including: 1
battleship, 2
aircraft carriers, 4 cruisers and a
cruiser-minelayer, 12
destroyers. In return 68 German U-boats
had been lost from all
causes.
Indian
& Pacific Oceans
23rd -
Submarine
"Trenchant" on patrol off Penang in the
Malacca
Strait sank "U-859" arriving from
operations in the
Indian Ocean.
OCTOBER
1944
Atlantic
Monthly Loss
Summary
-
For the first time since September 1939,
no merchant
ships were lost throughout the length
and breadth of the
North and South Atlantic in October 1944
- 1
U-boat in the North Atlantic due to
schnorkel defect.
Europe
16th -
Outward
bound from Norway, "U-1006"
was
located by the
patrolling 6th EG
south of the Faeroes and sunk by
Canadian frigate
"Annan".
27th -
During Home
Fleet operations against German shipping
off Norway,
aircraft of 1771 Squadron from fleet
carrier
"Implacable" drove "U-1060" ashore near
Namsos. She was
finished off two days later by aircraft
of Nos 311
(Czech) and 502 Squadrons RAF. Earlier
in the month four
more U-boats
were
lost
in RAF raids on
Bergen and another three by accident in
Norwegian waters.
Monthly
Loss
Summary
2
British, Allied and neutral ships of
1,700 tons in UK
waters
NOVEMBER
1944
Atlantic
25th -
Canadian
corvette "SHAWINIGAN" on passage alone
off the southwest tip of
Newfoundland was torpedoed and sunk by
"U-1228". Schnorkel-equipped U-boats
were
still
capable of disrupting Allied
shipping in distant waters.
Europe
11th -
On Arctic
patrol off the Lofoten Islands,
submarine
"Venturer" sank "U-771" heading home for
Narvik from
operations in northern waters.
11th -
South of
Ireland "U-1200"
was sunk by patrolling
corvettes "Kenilworth Castle",
"Launceston
Castle", "Pevensey Castle" and
"Portchester Castle", then supporting
Halifax/UK convoy HX317.
25th -
On passage
out to the North Atlantic, "U-322" was
sunk west of the Shetlands by a
Norwegian Sunderland of No 330 Squadron
and patrolling
frigate "Ascension".
Monthly Loss
Summary
3
British, Allied and neutral ships of
9,000 tons in UK
waters.
DECEMBER
1944
Atlantic
Russian
Convoys - Return Russian
convoy RA62 (28 ships)
prepared to leave Kola Inlet on the 10th
with the escort
of JW62. Beforehand on the 9th,
Royal Navy and
Russian warships drove off the waiting
U-boats, and corvette "Bamborough
Castle" serving with the 8th and 20th
EGs sank "U-387". As the convoy passed
Jan Mayen
Island on the 13th, "U-365" was
sent to the bottom by Swordfish of
813 Squadron flying from escort carrier
"Campania". All merchantmen reach Loch
Ewe on
the 19th.
27th -
"U-877" encountered Halifax/UK convoy
HX327 to the northwest of the Azores and
was sunk by
Canadian corvette "St Thomas" of the C3
group.
Monthly Loss
Summary
- 1
merchant ship of 5,000 tons in the
Atlantic
- 3
German U-boats
Europe
British
Isles
Inshore Campaign - The
inshore campaign by U-boats gained some
successes including
two frigates, but four were lost: 6th
- Frigate "BULLEN" of the 19th EG was
sunk off the
north coast of Scotland by an acoustic
torpedo from
"U-775". On the same day in the same
area,
frigates "Goodall" and "Loch lnsh"
also with 19th EG, accounted for
"U-297". 17th - Attacking a
convoy
off the south coast of Ireland, "U-400"
was
sunk by
escorting frigate
"Nyasaland". 18th - "U-1209" ran
aground near Lands End at the
far tip of SW England and was wrecked. 26th
-
Frigate "CAPEL" of the 1st EG on patrol
off Cherbourg was
lost to "U-486". 30th - Allied
aircraft
now had few successes against the
schnorkel-equipped
U-boats. An exception was "U-772" lost
off Portland Bill to a RCAF
Leigh Light Wellington of No 407
Squadron. In Norwegian
waters one U-boat
was
lost
in a RAF raid and another by collision
off the Lofoten
Islands.