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
editConvoy | Escort | Date Located[1] | Warships | Bombers | U-boats[1] | Ships Sunk[1] | GRT lost[1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Convoy HX 65 | — | 24 August 1940[2] | — | 12[3] | 3[4] | 7[4] | 42,311[4] |
Convoy HX 72[5] | — | 20 September 1940 | — | — | 9 | 11 | 72,727 |
Convoy SC 7 | — | 16 October 1940 | — | — | 7 | 20 | 79,592 |
Convoy HX 79 | — | 19 October 1940 | — | — | 5 | 12 | 75,069 |
Convoy HX 84[6] | HMS Jervis Bay | 5 November 1940 | Scheer | — | — | 5 | 33,331 |
Convoy HX 90 | —[7] | 1 December 1940 | — | — | 7 | 11 | 73,958 |
Convoy HG 53 | — | 8 February 1941[8] | Hipper[8] | 5[8] | 1[8] | 9[8] | 15,218[8] |
Convoy SL 64 | —[8] | 12 February 1941[8] | Hipper[8] | — | — | 7[8] | 32,806[8] |
Convoy OB 293 | — | 7 March 1941 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 27,206 |
Convoy HX 112 | 5th EG[9] | 15 March 1941 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 34,505 |
Convoy SC 26 | 1 April 1941 | — | — | 8 | 10 | 51,969 | |
Convoy OB 318 | 3rd EG[10] | 7 May 1941 | — | — | 4 | 9 | 50,985 |
Convoy HX 126 | HMS Aurania[11] | 19 May 1941 | — | — | 11 | 9 | 51,862 |
Convoy OG 69 | — | 24 July 1941 | — | — | 8 | 7 | 11,303 |
Convoy OG 71 | — | 17 August 1941 | — | — | 8 | 10 | 15,185 |
Convoy SC 42 | NEF 24th EG[12] | 9 September 1941 | — | — | 19 | 16 | 68,259 |
Convoy HG 73 | — | 19 September 1941 | — | — | 5 | 10 | 25,818 |
Operation Halberd | Force H[13] | 25 September 1941[14] | 2 × BB[15] | 62[16] | 11[14] | 1[17] | 12,427[13] |
Convoy SC 48 | EG 4.1.15[18] | 15 October 1941 | — | — | 9 | 11 | 49,835 |
Convoy HG 76 | 36th EG[19] | 16 December 1941 | — | — | 10 | 4 | 18,383 |
Convoy 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] |
Second Battle of Sirte (Convoy MW 10)[22] | — | 21 March 1942 | Littorio | 9 | 3 | 2 | 17,031 |
Convoy PQ 13 | — | 28 March 1942 | — | — | 9 | 2 | 11,507 |
Convoy ON 92 | A-3[23] | 11 May 1942 | — | — | 6 | 7 | 36,284 |
Convoy ON 100 | C-1[23] | 8 June 1942 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 20,478 |
Operation Vigorous (Convoy MW 11)[24] | — | 12 June 1942 | — | — | 6 | 2 | 12,915 |
Operation Harpoon (Convoy GM 4)[24] | Force X | 14 June 1942 | — | — | — | 4 | 29,129 |
Convoy PQ 17[25] | 1st EG | 1 July 1942 | — | 202 sorties[26] | 9 | 16 | 102,311 |
Convoy ON 115 | C-3[23] | 29 July 1942 | — | — | 12 | 3 | 21,456 |
Convoy SC 94[23] | C-1 | 5 August 1942 | — | — | 17 | 11 | 53,421 |
Operation Pedestal (Convoy WS.5.21.S)[27] | — | 10 August 1942 | — | 316 | 2 | 9 | 88,812 |
Convoy ON 122[28] | B-6[28] | 22 August 1942 | — | — | 14 | 4 | 17,235 |
Convoy ON 127 | C-4[28] | 9 September 1942 | — | — | 12 | 8 | 51,619 |
Convoy PQ 18 | — | 12 September 1942 | — | 77 | 5 | 3 | 19,689 |
Convoy SC 100[28] | C-4 | 18 September 1942 | — | — | 17 | 5 | 26,331 |
Convoy QP 14 | — | 20 September 1942 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 23,474 |
Convoy RB 1[29] | — | 23 September 1942 | — | — | 9 | 3 | 11,525 |
Convoy SC 104[28] | B-6 | 12 October 1942 | — | — | 17 | 8 | 43,970 |
Convoy HX 212[28] | A-3 | 26 October 1942 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 51,918 |
Convoy SL 125 | — | 27 October 1942 | — | — | 10 | 12 | 80,005 |
Convoy SC 107[28] | C-4 | 30 October 1942 | — | — | 16 | 15 | 82,817 |
Convoy ON 144[28] | B-6 | 15 November 1942 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 26,321 |
Convoy ON 153 | B-7[28] | 15 December 1942 | — | — | 13 | 4 | 19,551 |
Convoy JW 51B[30] | — | 24 December 1942 | 2 × Heavy cruiser | — | 1 | — | —[31] |
Convoy ONS 154[28] | C-1 | 26 December 1942[32] | 0[33] | —[33] | 16[32] | 14[33] | 66,922[34] |
Convoy TM 1 | B-5[30] | 3 January 1943 | — | — | 14 | 7 | 56,453 |
Convoy SC 118[28] | B-2 | 4 February 1943 | — | — | 20 | 11 | 59,765 |
Convoy ON 166[28] | A-3 | 21 February 1943 | — | — | 19 | 14 | 88,001 |
Convoy UC 1[35] | 44th EG[36] | 22 February 1943 | — | — | 11 | 3 | 26,682 |
Battle of the Bismarck Sea (Convoy 81)[37] | 8 × DD | 1 March 1943 | 10 × MTB | 114 | — | 8 | 37,324 |
Convoy SC 121[28] | A-3 | 6 March 1943 | — | — | 26 | 12 | 55,661 |
Convoy HX 228[28] | B-3 | 10 March 1943 | — | — | 19 | 5 | 25,515 |
Convoy UGS 6[38] | 12 March 1943 | — | — | 17 | 4 | 28,018 | |
Convoy HX 229[28] | B-4 | 16 March 1943 | — | — | 43 | 13 | 93,502 |
Convoy SC 122[28] | B-5 | 17 March 1943 | — | — | 43 | 9 | 53,094 |
Convoy RS 3 | 27 March 1943 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 15,389 | |
Convoy HX 231[28] | B-7 | 4 April 1943 | — | — | 11 | 6 | 41,494 |
Convoy ONS 5[28] | B-7 | 28 April 1943 | — | — | 55 | 13 | 61,958 |
Convoy TS 37 | — | 30 April 1943 | — | — | 1 | 7 | 43,255 |
Convoy SC 130 | — | 18 May 1943 | — | — | 25 | — | — |
Convoy JW 55B[39] | — | 22 December 1943 | Scharnhorst | — | 2 | — | —[31] |
Convoy JW 56A | — | 25 January 1944 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 21,584[40] |
Convoy Hi-40[41] | Shimushu[42] | 19 February 1944[42] | —[42] | —[42] | 2[42] | 5[42] | 28,075[41] |
Convoy Hi-71[43] | 6th EG | 17 August 1944 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 73,071[44] |
Convoy Hi-81[45] | 8th EG | 15 November 1944[45] | — | 1 | 6[46] | 3[45] | 36,100[46] |
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d "Famous Convoy Battles". uboat.net. Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 36.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 32.
- ^ a b c "Convoy HX.65". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Edwards 1999, p. 26.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 41.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 50.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 54.
- ^ Blair 1996, p. 278.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 62.
- ^ Milner 1985, p. 67.
- ^ a b Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 182.
- ^ a b Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 184.
- ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 187.
- ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 185.
- ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, p. 191.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 90.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 108.
- ^ a b c d e f Abbazia 1975, p. 50.
- ^ "Convoy ON.67". Arnold Hague convoy database. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ Greene & Massignani 1998, pp. 216–222.
- ^ a b c d Milner 1985, p. 286.
- ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 175–176.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, p. 176.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 2005, pp. 183, 186–187.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Milner 1985, pp. 148–150.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 164–165.
- ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 184.
- ^ a b Hague 2000a, p. 189.
- ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 183.
- ^ a b c "Convoy ONS 154". J. Gordon Mumford. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ Hague 2000a, p. 161.
- ^ Blair 1998, pp. 811–812.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 195.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 197–198.
- ^ Hague 2000, p. 181.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 250.
- ^ Hague 2000a, p. 189; Woodman 2004, p. 379.
- ^ a b "Hisendan". Nifty.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Cressman 2000, pp. 213–214.
- ^ Blair 1975, pp. 676–678.
- ^ Blair 1975, pp. 702–704.
- ^ a b c Cressman 2000, pp. 274–275.
- ^ 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.