Convoy battles of World War II

Summary

Convoy Battles of World War II occurred when convoys of warships protected cargo ships assembled for mutual defense and were attacked by submarines, surface ships and/or aircraft. Most were in the North Atlantic from 1939 to 1943 and involved attacks by U-boat wolfpacks. Convoy battles also occurred in the Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and western Pacific Ocean.

Battles edit

Convoy Escort Date Located[1] Warships Bombers U-boats[1] Ships Sunk[1] GRT lost[1]
HX 65 24 August 1940[2] 12[3] 3[4] 7[4] 42,311[4]
HX 72[5] 20 September 1940 9 11 72,727
SC 7 16 October 1940 7 20 79,592
HX 79 19 October 1940 5 12 75,069
HX 84[6] HMS Jervis Bay 5 November 1940 Scheer 5 33,331
HX 90 [7] 1 December 1940 7 11 73,958
HG 53 8 February 1941[8] Hipper[8] 5[8] 1[8] 9[8] 15,218[8]
SL 64 [8] 12 February 1941[8] Hipper[8] 7[8] 32,806[8]
HX 112 5th EG[9] 15 March 1941 5 5 34,505
SC 26 1 April 1941 8 10 51,969
OB 318 3rd EG[10] 7 May 1941 4 9 50,985
HX 126 HMS Aurania[11] 19 May 1941 11 9 51,862
OG 69 24 July 1941 8 7 11,303
OG 71 17 August 1941 8 10 15,185
SC 42 NEF 24th EG[12] 9 September 1941 19 16 68,259
HG 73 19 September 1941 5 10 25,818
GM 2 Force H[13] 25 September 1941[14] 2 × BB[15] 62[16] 11[14] 1[17] 12,427[13]
SC 48 EG 4.1.15[18] 15 October 1941 9 11 49,835
HG 76 36th EG[19] 16 December 1941 10 4 18,383
NA 2 31 January 1942 4 1 1,190
ON 67 TU 4.1.5[20] 21 February 1942[20] [20] [20] 5[20] 8[20] 54,750[21]
MW 10[22] 21 March 1942 Littorio 9 3 2 17,031
PQ 13 28 March 1942 9 2 11,507
ONS 92 A-3[23] 11 May 1942 6 7 36,284
ONS 100 C-1[23] 8 June 1942 6 5 20,478
MW 11[24] 12 June 1942 6 2 12,915
GM 4[24] Force X 14 June 1942 4 29,129
PQ 17[25] 1st EG 1 July 1942 202 sorties[26] 9 16 102,311
ON 115 C-3[23] 29 July 1942 12 3 21,456
SC 94[23] C-1 5 August 1942 17 11 53,421
WS.5.21.S[27] 10 August 1942 316 2 9 88,812
ON 122[28] B-6[28] 22 August 1942 14 4 17,235
ON 127 C-4[28] 9 September 1942 12 8 51,619
PQ 18 12 September 1942 77 5 3 19,689
SC 100[28] C-4 18 September 1942 17 5 26,331
QP 14 20 September 1942 7 6 23,474
RB 1[29] 23 September 1942 9 3 11,525
SC 104[28] B-6 12 October 1942 17 8 43,970
HX 212[28] A-3 26 October 1942 13 6 51,918
SL 125 27 October 1942 10 12 80,005
SC 107[28] C-4 30 October 1942 16 15 82,817
ON 144[28] B-6 15 November 1942 13 6 26,321
ON 153 B-7[28] 15 December 1942 13 4 19,551
JW 51B[30] 24 December 1942 2 × CA 1 [31]
ONS 154[28] C-1 26 December 1942[32] 0[33] [33] 16[32] 14[33] 69,378[34]
TM 1 B-5[30] 3 January 1943 14 7 56,453
SC 118[28] B-2 4 February 1943 20 11 59,765
ON 166[28] A-3 21 February 1943 19 14 88,001
UC 1[35] 44th EG[36] 22 February 1943 11 3 26,682
81[37] 8 × DD 1 March 1943 10 × MTB 114 8 37,324
SC 121[28] A-3 6 March 1943 26 12 55,661
HX 228[28] B-3 10 March 1943 19 5 25,515
UGS 6[38] 12 March 1943 17 4 28,018
HX 229[28] B-4 16 March 1943 43 13 93,502
SC 122[28] B-5 17 March 1943 43 9 53,094
RS 3 27 March 1943 7 3 15,389
HX 231[28] B-7 4 April 1943 11 6 41,494
ONS 5[28] B-7 28 April 1943 55 13 61,958
TS 37 30 April 1943 1 7 43,255
JW 55B[39] 22 December 1943 Scharnhorst 2 [31]
JW 56A 25 January 1944 4 3 21,584[40]
Hi-40[41] Shimushu[42] 19 February 1944[42] [42] [42] 2[42] 5[42] 28,075[41]
Hi-71[43] 6th EG 17 August 1944 6 5 73,071[44]
Hi-81[45] 8th EG 15 November 1944[45] 1 6[46] 3[45] 36,100[46]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Famous Convoy Battles". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  2. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 36.
  3. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 32.
  4. ^ a b c "Convoy HX.65". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  5. ^ Edwards 1999, p. 26.
  6. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 41.
  7. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 42–43.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 50.
  9. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 54.
  10. ^ Blair 1996, p. 278.
  11. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 62.
  12. ^ Milner 1985, p. 67.
  13. ^ a b Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 182.
  14. ^ a b Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 184.
  15. ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 187.
  16. ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 185.
  17. ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 191.
  18. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 90.
  19. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 108.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Abbazia 1975, p. 50.
  21. ^ "Convoy ON.67". Arnold Hague convoy database. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  22. ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, pp. 216–222.
  23. ^ a b c d Milner 1985, p. 286.
  24. ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 145–146.
  25. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 175–176.
  26. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 176.
  27. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 183, 186–187.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Milner 1985, pp. 148–150.
  29. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 164–165.
  30. ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 184.
  31. ^ a b Hague 2000a, p. 189.
  32. ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 183.
  33. ^ a b c "Convoy ONS 154". J. Gordon Mumford. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  34. ^ "Convoy ON.154". Arnold Hague convoy database. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  35. ^ Blair 1998, pp. 811–812.
  36. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 195.
  37. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 197–198.
  38. ^ Hague 2000, p. 181.
  39. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 250.
  40. ^ Hague 2000a, p. 189; Woodman 2004, p. 379.
  41. ^ a b "Hisendan". Nifty.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  42. ^ a b c d e f Cressman 2000, pp. 213–214.
  43. ^ Blair 1975, pp. 676–678.
  44. ^ Blair 1975, pp. 702–704.
  45. ^ a b c Cressman 2000, pp. 274–275.
  46. ^ a b Blair 1975, pp. 748–749.

References edit

  • Abbazia, Patrick (1975). "When the Good Shepherds Were Blind". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. United States Naval Institute. ISSN 0041-798X.
  • Blair, Clay (1975). Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan. New York: J. B. Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-00753-0.
  • Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-boat War:The Hunters 1939–1942. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
  • Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-boat War:The Hunted 1942–1945. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.
  • Cressman, Robert J. (2000). The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-149-1.
  • Edwards, Bernard (1999). Donitz and the Wolf Packs. Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-927-5 – via Archive Foundation.
  • Greene, Jack; Massignani, Alessandro (1998). The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940–1943. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-885119-61-5.
  • Hague, Arnold (2000). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-019-3.
  • Hague, A. (2000a). The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945: Its Organization, Defence and Operation. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-86176-147-3.
  • Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. p. 67. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
  • Rohwer, J.; Hümmelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (3rd rev. ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Woodman, Richard (2004) [1994]. Arctic Convoys 1941–1945. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-5752-1.

Further reading edit

  • Dönitz, Karl (1958). Memoirs: Ten Years and Twenty Days. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80764-0.