Does anyone have the S 31 report of this action?
Many thanks.
Platon
hi, Platon,
leider habe ich vom KTB der 2. S-Fltl für den 1.- 15.5.1940 nur das KTB "Maschine" ... hilft das ?
Gruß, Urs
This utterly useless vessel was designed after special wishes of Lord Mountbatten, who was her commander for most of the time and had some altering wishes in her construction. Utterly useless, because the nominally strong armament of 6 x 4.7 inch guns did not prevent her from getting torpedoed by an e-boat, she finally was sunk near Crete by German bombers, since her guns were not dual purpose and hadn t the elevation to fight dive bombing aircraft. The living quarters for the commanding officer on the other hand were way out of proportion in comparison to her sisters, thanks to Lord Mountbattens influence.
ZitatUtterly useless, because the nominally strong armament of 6 x 4.7 inch guns did not prevent her from getting torpedoed by an e-boat
Dazu muss man aber auch sagen, dass das Gefecht bei sehr schlechten Sichtbedingungen (Nacht, Nebel) stattfand und sie meines Wissens noch kein Radar hatte.
Als Beispiel für die Sichtbedingungen: Beim Ablaufen hat S 33 gleich zwei britische Zerstörer gerammt, und das mit Sicherheit nicht mit Absicht.
Wusste ich nicht :MV: :MLL: Müsste man mal einen Film draus machen...
Hi Urs,
Many thanks for the document. It seems a detailed report of S 31 cannot be found. Years ago, I did extensive research on the Norway Campaign but failed to locate the report. This was before the microcomputer and the age of digital photography so navigating through my notes is a hassle!
Thanks also to Ekki and Thorsten for their comments. I can assume that Ekki is not a great fan of Mountbatten! On the other hand, as Thorsten points out, visibility was poor and this could have happened to the best destroyer captain. I do not think that one can blame Mountbatten for HMS Kelly not being armed with dual purpose guns, this was common to all destroyers of the period.
Best regards,
Platon
moin,
noch ein "Nachklapp" :O/Y : S 31 und Opdenhoff, 15.5.1940 (https://www.forum-marinearchiv.de/smf/index.php/topic,18105.msg384300.html#msg384300)
Gruß, Urs
Agreed on the main armament, Platon, but many of these were re-armed in 1941 with 4-inch Mark V AA guns and 20 mm Oerlikons, in this class and the succeeding ones, so obviously not KELLY
And yes, Platon, my personal feelings toward Lord Mountbatten do no matter, but in the service he was higly criticized, since many officers in the navy assumed, that he got his assignments due to the near of him as a person to the royal family. This closeness on the other hand proved fatal for him, being murdered by the IRA in 1979. Nobody deserves this.
Hi,
I have attached Opdenhoffs description of the battle that he sent to his parents.
/Alo
moin, Ola,
toll :MG: top Wo hast Du denn so etwas her ? :TU:)
Der gefallene Bruder : Martin Opdenhoff, Crew 1926
Beförderungen
01.04.1926 Matr (OA)
26.10.1926 Seekadett
01.04.1928 Fähnrich zur See
01.10.1930 Leutnant zur See
01.04.1933 Oberleutnant zur See
01.04.1936 Kapitänleutnant
Dienstposten
04.1926 - 07.1926 Rekrutenausbildung bei der II. Schiffsstammdivision der Ostsee in Stralsund.
07.1926 - 10.1926 Seemännische Grundausbildung auf dem Segelschulschiff Niobe
14.11.1926 - 23.03.1928 Auslandsreise auf dem Leichten Kreuzer Emden.
03.1928 bis 03.1929 Fähnrichs-Kriegsschulausbildung an der Marineschule Mürwik
1929 Teilnehmer Fachlehrgänge
1930 Wachoffizier, Torpedoboote G 11 bzw. T 155
1931-32 Kompanieoffizier/Zugführer, Schiffsstammdivision der Ostsee
1933/ 34 ?
1935-36 Gruppenoffizier, Marineschule Mürwik
1937 Gehilfe des Marineattachés bei der deutschen Botschaft in Rom
1938 I.O. eines Zerstörers in der 4. Z-Div
6/1939 - 10.4.1940 I.O. Zerstörer Z 21 "Wilhelm Heidkamp"
10.4.1940 beim Torpedotreffer auf WH in Narvik gefallen
Die Zuordnung zur Crew 1925 in den HMA Crewlisten stimmt nicht.
Eine Beförderung zum KKpt (posthum) ist mir nicht bekannt.
Gruß, Urs
Hello Alo,
Many thanks for the Opdenhoff letter! It seems as close to an official report as we can get.
Thanks also to Urs for Opendoff brother's career listing. and to Ekki's comments on Mountbatten. It is true that Mountbatten's career seemed to have been plagued by bad luck which could have ended the career of another captain (he was also in command of HMS Javelin when she was torpedoed by German destroyers in November 1940).
To return to the torpedoing of HMS Kelly: the British destroyers were looking for the minelayers Kaiser, Cobra, Roland and Preussen which had been reported in the area. I have not found the report of the minelaying operation which was aborted when B-Dienst intercepted a RAF signal reporting them and they turned back at 2030/9. Do you know if the Schnellboote had been sent in support of the minelayers or were just in the area by chance and were proceeding from Stavanger direct for home?
Best regards,
Platon
About Lord Mountbatten, there is no doubt, that he was a brave officer. His nephew, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh wasn t either. They proved valour in battle
Hello Platon!
The german e-boats were indeed sent in for support and cover for the minelayers.
Excerpt from war diary minelayer Cobra: 35.jpg
War diary Preussen: 569-jpg
War diary Roland: Mission was aborted after enemy report by 2. Schnellbootflottile (121.jpg)
Hello Thorsten,
Many thanks for the documents and clearing up this matter! So it appears that the boats of the 2nd Schnellbootflottille that sailed from Stavanger were S 30 S 31, S 32, S 33 and S 34. Richtig?
Best regards,
Platon
Hello,
a short question. Which was the destroyer that broke in half?
HMS Kelly was sunk by the Luftwaffe on May 23, 1941.
Correction to my previous posting: only S 13, S 31 and S 34 sailed from Stavanger. S 13 had rudder damage, so perhaps she did not take part in the action against the British destroyers. S 30, S 32 and S 33 sailed from Wilhemshaven to join them.
Platon
Hello Sven,
In the action of 9 May 1940, only HMS Kelly was hit by a torpedo and she was not "broken in half".
Best regards,
Platon
Platon, yes, S 13 is not mentioned any further if I see it correct.
Sven, "broke in half" was the observation by S 31 but that was overestimated. As already said, it was pitch dark and foggy, so very poor visibilty.