January 1940 (The U-boat War)
The first month of the New Year saw the combatants fighting in the middle of the coldest winter for forty years. The bitterly cold weather had a significant effect, not only upon U-boat operations, but also construction/repair of new/existing boats and the training of new crews. Damage to boats was considerable as parts of the Baltic, the Kiel Canal, the Elbe and the Jade froze over. In order to escape the ice, Donitz ordered the bleak island of Helgoland (in the North Sea) be used to base as many U-boats as possible.
Five boats sailed from Helgoland to the Atlantic; U-25 (Type I), U-51, U-55 (both Type VIIB), U-41 and U-44 (both Type IX). U-51 was a new boat commanded by Dietrich Knorr and took up station in the Western Approaches. An early kill was recorded against a Swedish freighter, followed by the sinking of a Norwegian vessel, but her patrol was then cut short by mechanical problems. Werner Heidel commanded the second Type VIIB and he sank four Scandanvian vessels on his way to the Western Approaches whereupon Heidel was directed to a convoy that netted him two 5,000 freighters. However, the Royal Navy sloop Fowey (Cdr Ellison) located the U-boat and doggedly pursued her, dropping depth-charges that damaged Heidel’s boat. Fowey received help from two British and one French destroyer plus an RAF Sunderland. The hunters refused to let go of their prey and eventually, after an increasingly hopeless surface battle, Heidel had to scuttle his boat. All crew were picked up except Heidel who is thought to have chosen to go down with his boat.
The other three boats were ordered to sail for the coast of Spain, where they would receive refuelling and replenishment from a supply ship moored in Cadiz. On the way south U-25 (Schutze) sank 3 ships for 13,000 tons, while U-44 (Ludwig Mathes) also sank three vessels for 14,000 tons. He was not going to leave it at that though. After reaching Spain, U-44 sank a further 5 ships (30,885 tons in total for the patrol) before heading back to Germany. Schutze also continued to cause problems with a further three victims being found before his patrol ended (note: two of these are not in the nos. below as they occurred in February).
The final boat of the five was not so lucky. U-41 (Mugler) - see next month.
Three boats were assigned mine-laying roles in January; Two Type VII’s U-31 (Habekost) and U-34 (Rollman) and the Type VIIB U-48 (Schultze). U-31 laid her mines off Loch Ewe, U-34 off Falmouth and U-48 off Portland. These fields would only produce one sinking between them – an 8,000 ton tanker off Falmouth. After laying their mines Schultze and Rollman claimed one merchant ship each (Note: Schultze's sinking was in February and so not included below).
Meanwhile in the North Sea the Ducks claimed the following successes:
- Between the 6th and 16th January four boats patrolled off the east coast of Scotland - U-19 (Schepke), U-20 (Moehle), U-23 (Kretschmer) and U-24 (Heilmann). The latter failed to score having suffered reported torpedo malfunctions, but Kretschmer sank 2 ships totalling 11,600 tons and Schepke and Moehle sank a small vessel each.
- From the 18th onwards, Ducks took to sea off the east coast of England and the Southern North Sea. Rather than repeat a list of statistics, the results of these operations can be seen below.
- However there was one notable success worthy of further mention by U-22 (see below).
- The U-15 (Kapitanleutnant Peter Frahm) failed to record a hit. She set out from Wilhemshaven on the 29th January to start her 6th war patrol but was sunk with all hands after colliding with the torpedo boat Iltis.
Sinking of the destroyer Exmouth
In January 1940 HMS Exmouth was part of Rosyth Command. On the afternoon of the 20th January she was ordered to escort a small freighter – SS Cyprian Prince - that was making her way to Scapa Flow carrying searchlights, AA guns and associated equipment for the defence of the fleet anchorage. The destroyer was ahead of the freighter, apparently neither were zig-zagging, and travelling at 10 knots in a northerly direction – a route that was to take both ships directly into the path of U-22.
In the early hours of the following morning Kapitanleutnant Karl-Heirich Jenisch was observing three ships travelling in a northwest direction when suddenly HMS Exmouth and her charge came into view. Quickly realising the value of this new target, Jenisch forgot all about the three ships he was tracking and, at just after 0430hrs, Jenisch fired a single torpedo at each ship. That fired at Cyprian Prince missed but Exmouth was not so lucky. She sank below the freezing waters in less than five minutes. Post war, she was found on the ocean floor and her appearance supports the notion that she suffered a magazine explosion that hastened her demise and lessened the chances that any of the crew would survive.
Cyprian Prince briefly returned to the scene to look for survivors but, although hearing voices in the water, Captain Wilson decided he could not risk his ship for an extended search and rescue mission and headed for Scapa Flow. In the subsequent inquiry his decision was seen as being correct in the circumstances. Badly affected by the incident, Wilson never commanded at sea again.
HMS Exmouth (Captain R.S Benson DSO RN) sank with the loss of all hands (190 officers and men). Commissioned in November 1934, HMS Exmouth was the flotilla leader of the E-class destroyers. She was the first surface warship to be lost with all hands during World War II – she would not be the last….
A Type IIB (no picture definitely confirmed as being U-22 could be found). U-22 was one of the last of the Type IIB submarines. She was built in 1936 and was based at Kiel during her brief wartime existence. Less than 2 months after the sinking, she was on her fifth war patrol in the North Sea when she disappeared. It is believed she hit a mine off the Danish coast, but whatever the cause, U-22 sank with all hands.
Summary for the period
U-boat, type, ships sunk
U-9 (IIB) – (2) Flandria (18th), Patria (19th)
U-13 (IIB) – (1) Start (31st)
U-14 (IIB) – (1) Biarritz (25th)
U-18 (IIB) – (1) Bisp (23rd)
U-19 (IIB) – (5) Manx (9th), Pluto (23rd), Baltangia (23rd), Everene (25th), Gudveig (25th)
U-20 (IIB) – (5) Sylvia (13th), Faro (27th), Fredensborg (27th), England (27th), Hosanger (27th)
U-21 (IIB) – (1) Vidar (31st)
U-22 (IIB) – (4) Ferryhill (21st) mine, HMS Exmouth (21st), Tekla (21st) Eston (28th) mine
U-23 (IIB) – (3) Fredville (11th), Danmark (12th), Varild (24th)
U-25 (I) – (4) Polzella (17th), Enid (17th), Pajala (18th), Songa (22nd)
U-30 (VII) – (2) El Oso (11th) mine, Cairncross (17th) mine
U-34 (VII) – (2) Caroni River (20th) mine, E Stathatou (28th)
U-44 (IX) – (8) Fagerheim (16th), 16th Arendskerk (16th), Panachrandos (17th), Canadian Reefer (19th), E Dracoulis (21st), Alsacien (25th), Touny (26th), Flora (29th)
U-51 (VIIB) – (2) Gothia (22nd), Eika (29th)
U-55 (VIIB) – (6) Foxen (18th), Teines (19th), Segova (22nd), Andalusia (23rd), Vaclite (30th), Keramiai (30th)
U-56 (IIC) – (1) Onto (mine) (23rd)
U-57 (IIC) – (2) Miranda (20th), HMS Durham Castle (26th) (mine)
U-59 (IIC) – (1) Quiberon (19th)
U-61 (IIC) – (1) Sydfold (22nd)
Total: 52 ships with a total tonnage of 150,537 tons.
Two U-boats were lost – one to accident (U-15) and one to enemy ASW activity (U-55).
Sources:
Hitler’s U-boat War Volume I (Clay Blair)
Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-45 (Jurgen Rohwer)
www.uboat.net
U-boat Attack Logs (Morgan and Taylor)