ASS-Nummer: 24710-15

[TW]

http://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/projekte/ass/ausgabe.php?where_value=4881

Axis Submarine Successes Update      (Beckers-Zimmerman 2002; update Dec.2012, May 2014)

Hi Thomas,

I've attached a report which I've just updated reassessing the U-boat attacks against convoy KMS-18B in July 1943.  The report although done originally many years ago in a revision for Professor Rohwer's first edition of Axis Submarine Successes was through oversight not incorporated into the most recent version of ASS.  Since then I've modified the report twice as further information has become available.  In the interim I see corrections have been found to the spelling of DEVIS (from DAVIS) and the fact that she carried a deck cargo of two LCMs (not LCTs) have been discovered but the most important fact that U409 also made a successful attack against this convoy and was almost certainly the boat which accounted for the CITY OF VENICE, has not yet been recorded.

With best regards
Eric

Page 247  July 1943  (Mediterranean)

04/      U409   CH84    -D     +  T  KMS-18B  .

04/2140  U375   CH8295  -D 8000+  T  KMS-18B  04/     br -M  St. Essylt     5634+  36.44N 01.31E
04/2140  U375   CH8295  -D        T  KMS-18B  04/     br -D  City of Venice 8762+  36.44N 01.31E

05/1543  U593   CH9544  -D 8000+  T  KMS-18B  05/1345 br -M  Davis          6054+  37.01N 04.10E (5)
05/1543  U593   CH9544  -- -----  T  KMS-18B  .       br LC  LCT {  }           +  On Davis
05/1543  U593   CH9544  -- -----  T  KMS-18B  .       br LC  LCT {  }           =  On Davis
   
(5)  The Davis had two LCTS on board: one was sunk and the other damaged.
       
The study of the survivor reports relating to the loss of the ST. ESSYLT and the CITY OF VENICE clearly indicates that the two vessels were not torpedoed at the same time. Convoy KMS-18B was bound from the Clyde to Sicily, carrying troops, equipment and supplies for the assault on the island which was to begin July 10th. 

On July 4, 1943 the CITY OF VENICE in position #21 (leading ship of the second column) was hit by a torpedo at 2056 (DBST = GMT +2) on the starboard side when 10 miles north of Cape Tenes and steering and easterly course of 82 degrees, at 7 knots.  The ship was abandoned and sank the next day at 0530 (DBST). Survivors were rescued by HMS TEVIOT and other vessels.   
Aboard the ST. ESSYLT in position #17 (last ship of the port side column) the torpedoing of the CITY of VENICE was noted at about 2100 (DBST).  The convoy proceeded on until at 2145 (DBST) the ST. ESSYLT was struck on the starboard side by a single torpedo.  At the time ST. ESSYLT was 20 miles to the NNW of Cape Tenes steering an easterly course of 80 degrees at 7 knots.  The ship was abandoned and sank at 0545 (DBST) the next day.

THE RAF IN THE MARITIME WAR, LLOYDS WAR LOSSES, the POW report of U409 and the survivor reports of the two merchant vessel give varying positions but it would appear that the CITY OF VENICE sank in position 36.44N  01.25E and the ST. ESSYLT in position 36.44N  01.31E.

From German records there is a claim by U375 (Kapitänleutnant Jürgen Könenkamp) based on its reconstructed KTB which was drawn up by FdU Italien.  The KTB for this period is based solely upon radio signals passed between the boat and its HQ.  The only signal pertaining to the events under examination is the claim to have attacked July 4, 1943 at 2140 hours, in CH8295, a convoy on an eastern course.  A four torpedo spread was fired and a hit on an 8000 ton freighter was heard, followed by sinking noises.  Subsequently the boat reported heading for Toulon to fix a mechanical breakdown of her multi unit hydrophone array.  She arrived on the 7th and departed again three days later to continue her patrol, being directed to waters south of Sicily.  She failed to return from this assignment, being lost with all hands.  She is currently officially credited as having been sunk in an attack of USS PC-624 on July 30, 1943 but in fact it is virtually certain that this attack was directed against the Italian submarine VELELLA which was undamaged.  The loss of U375 is currently unexplained.

There is only this single claim and as U-boats were at this time keeping their logs in GST (= GMT +2) it is apparent that both sides were keeping equivalent time (GST = DBST).  This being the case it would seem that U375 sank only the ST. ESSYLT.  She signalled only details of a single attack and made a claim for only one ship.  It is reasonable to state that U375's attack at 2140 GST hit the ST. ESSYLT at 2145.  As it is now known that ST. ESSYLT and CITY OF VENICE were torpedoed in separate attacks there is no reason to suppose U375 accounted for both.  A look at U-boat dispositions at this time reveals there was another boat in this vicinity and also a claim by this  U-boat which also failed to return.  The U409 (Oberleutnant Hanns-Ferdinand Massmann) departed Toulon June 29, 1943 along with U375, for operations off the Algerian coast.  In fact the two boats were allotted adjoining billits with U409 being the westernmost of the two occupying the upper portion of naval grid CH84 and U375 the lower portion of naval grid CH82.  The U409  was sunk by HMS INCONSTANT on July 12, 1943 but 37 of her crew including Massmann survived to become POWs.  As usual FdU reconstructed the KTB for this last patrol where only two signals from the boat are recorded before her loss, both are somewhat garbled.  On July 10, 1943 at 0022 hours, U409 reported her position at CH8002 (The KTB of FdU notes this position is not clear) and on July 12, 1943 at 0102 hours a second signal giving no position and stating that the last signal of FdU was not clear and to examine and repeat.  No report of any attack, but at the end of the KTB there is a note made of further intelligence which was forthcoming on this last patrol.  An exchanged Kriegsmarine officer returning from a POW camp stated, that the U409 a short time before her destruction had sank a freighter of 6000-8000 BRT.  The name of the ship was sounding similar to "DAVIS".  This information had been related to the officer by the LI and the obersteuerman of U409. 

Further confirmation of this comes from a document pertaining to the last patrol of U409 which is held at the U-Archiv in Cuxhaven.  This document which is signed by Massmann states that about July 4, 1943, near Oran, the U409 attacked a freighter in an east bound convoy.  The hit was not observed but was assumed when an explosion was heard in the boat after a torpedo run time equalling 350 meters.  As well the POW report related to the loss of U409 is now available (though Jerry Mason's great "U-boat Archive" website) and here it is reported the boat attacked a convoy with a single torpedo on the night of July 4/5, 1943 and claimed to have hit a 5000 ton freighter.  Although the sinking was not witnessed the crew were in no doubt that it had.  In addition this same report indicates that a document taken from a U409 crewman, includes a notation that an electric torpedo had been fired from tube I at 2047 on July 4th, 1943.  The POW report states that the target of this attack was the ST. ESSYLT but it's entirely clear based on the times reported by the two U-boats that in fact U409 attacked before U375 and therefore must have torpedoed the CITY OF VENICE.  Further evidence to support this conclusion comes in the fact that U409 held the more westerly position of the two U-boats and therefore logically would have discovered the east bound MKS-18B first.  About the only contradictory evidence is that U375 claimed a ship of approximately the correct size for the CITY OF VENICE, while U409 although the sources vary, between 5-8000 seems to have claimed a vessel of about the size of the ST. ESSYLT.

It is worth noting that VENICE has a similar pronunciation to DAVIS although it must be remarked that the convoy was attacked the following day by U593 (Kapitänleutnant GerdKelbling) and the freighter DEVIS was sunk which might have resulted in some confusion in the claim by the U409 crewmen.  It should be noted that the correct spelling of this vessel's name is DEVIS and not DAVIS as is currently given in ASS.
The Admiralty War Diary indicates that two LCM III (52 tons) were loaded on the DEVIS (not LCTs) in preparation for operation "Huskey" and names them as #1123 and #1129.  British Vessels Lost at Sea names the LCM III – 1123 as a war loss.  It's not listed until May 1944 and no cause is given, it only being noted the loss of was overseas.  It was not unusual for these smaller landing craft to be reported lost with only vague details long after the incident that led to their loss.  The LCM III-1129 is never listed as a loss.  Although there is no final proof in this case its likely that LCM-1123 was the landing craft which went down with DEVIS while the second craft she was carrying, presumably LCM-1129 floated free and was salvaged.

In summary it must be said that the POW report of U409 and THE RAF IN THE MARITIME WAR, years ago, theorized that U375 was responsible for only one of the successes on July 4, 1943 and credited U409 as the other probable attacker.  Those narratives indicate that U375 was the first attacker and U409 the second while this study shows that the reverse is a more likely scenario.

Recommended Correction to Axis Submarine Successes:

July  1943  (Med)

04/2047  U409  CH84    -D 5000+  T  KMS-18B   04/2056 br -DP City of Venice 8762+  36.44N 01.25E (5)
04/2140  U375  CH8295  -D 8000+  T  KMS-18B   04/2145 br -M  St. Essylt     5634+  36.44N 01.31E

05/1543  U593  CH9544  -D 8000+  T  KMS-18B   05/1545  br -M Devis          6054+  37.01N 04.10E (5a)
05/1543  U593  CH9544  -- -----  T  KMS-18B   .        br LC LCM.1123         52+  On Devis
05/1543  U593  CH9544  -- -----  T  KMS-18B   .        br LC LCM.1129         52=  On Devis

(5)  The U409 was lost during this patrol but the POW report of her crew indicates she claimed a success before her loss.
(5a)  The Devis had two LCMS on board: one was sunk and the other, though damaged floated clear and was salvaged

[Tetra]

Hi Thomas

Thank you for sharing this very interesting reassessment of the U-boat attacks on convoy KMS-18B by Eric Zimmerman.

I fully concur with his findings and would like to add the following comments:

ST. ESSYLT was the last ship of the port side column when she was torpedoed, but this was station #13 and not #17 because the 20 merchant ships of convoy KMS-18B were steaming in 7 columns with 3 ships in each (except the starboard side column with only 2). Like DEVIS she carried two LCMs which were lost with the ship, but their numbers are not known yet.

CITY OF VENICE was also carrying one small landing craft LCE-14 (10 tons) which was lost with the ship.