Convoy battles of World War II

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

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Convoy 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

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  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. ^ Hague 2000a, p. 161.
  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

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Further reading

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