|
The Battle of the Bay of Biscay was a naval action that took place on 28 December 1943 during World War II as part of the Atlantic campaign. The battle took place in the Bay of Biscay between two light cruisers of the British Royal Navy, and a destroyer and a torpedo boat flotilla of the German Kriegsmarine hoping to intercept and escort a blockade runner. The battle was fought as part of the Allied Operation Stonewall which was to intercept German blockade runners off the west coast of France. In the confused action that followed the two British cruisers HMS ''Enterprise'' and HMS ''Glasgow'' respectively sank ''T-26'', together with her sister ship ''T-25'' and the destroyer ''Z27''.〔Blair p.382〕〔Nesbit p. 126〕 == Background == In late December 1943 a German Kriegsmarine destroyer flotilla, reinforced by six large Elbing-class torpedo boats were ordered to the Bay of Biscay in order to escort into a French port the blockade runners ''Osorno'' and ''Alsterufer'' which were carrying vital cargo from Japan. The Germans codenamed this Operation ''Bernau''.〔Chesneau p. 238〕 The blockade runner ''Osorno'' reached the Gironde on the 26 December, but struck a wreck in the estuary after being attacked by the RAF. She was beached and subsequently unloaded offshore. Meanwhile, ''Alsterufer'', carrying tungsten (''Wolfram'') and rubber, was still much further behind.〔Tucker pp. 96–97〕 ''Korvettenkapitan'' Franz Kohlauf sailed from Brest on the morning of 27 December with the torpedo boats ''T23'', ''T24'', ''T26'' and ''T22''. The 8th Destroyer Flotilla under ''Kapitän'' Hans Erdmenger put out from the Gironde with destroyers ''Z24'', ''Z37'', ''Z32'' and ''Z27'', accompanied by two torpedo boats ''T25'', under the command of ''Korvettenkapitän'' Wirich von Gartzen, and ''T27''.〔O'Hara pp. 277–279〕 The British Admiralty were also aware of the impending arrival of ''Alsterufer'' through the decryption of German Enigma messages at Bletchley Park and sent out dispatches to the nearest ships in the area for the interception. The closest ship, the light cruiser HMS ''Glasgow'' which had sailed from the Azores on 24 December was soon joined by HMS ''Enterprise''. In support, but further away; HMS ''Mauritius'' had been ordered out from Gibraltar; HMS ''Penelope'' steamed past Lisbon; and HMNZS ''Gambia'' was in the Western Atlantic.〔 By 0400 hours the next day the 4th Flotilla was 300 miles due south of Cape Clear, the 8th Flotilla standing to the south and were ready to meet ''Alsterufer''. She was however nowhere to be seen, but the Germans were completely unaware that during the previous afternoon a B-24 Liberator bomber of No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF had attacked and put ''Alsterufer'' on fire. Abandoned by her crew, the ship was finished off by Liberators of No. 86 Squadron. This released the ''Glasgow'' and ''Enterprise'', who were some 300 nautical miles south-west of the German forces and were now steaming eastwards along the 45th Parallel.〔 Just after midday, Erdmenger's 8th Destroyer Flotilla sighted Kohlauf's 4th Flotilla to the east, whereupon the torpedo boats turned east astern of the northernmost destroyers, taking station on their port side.〔(German)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of the Bay of Biscay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|