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Re: PQ 17 losses
The first attack on PQ17 was on 2. July, at about 18:00 8 He 115 of 1./Kü.Fl.Gr 406 attacked without success. The plane of the Staffelkapitän Hptm. Herbert Vater (Werk.Nr. 2759) was hit and forcelanded on the sea, Oblt. Burmester landed and saved the crew.
On 4. July at 4:52 Hptm. Eberhard Peukert, staffelkapitän of 1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 906 located PQ17 through a gap in the clouds/fog and made a suprise attack. The torpedo hit the Christopher Newport (7191 BRT) in the engine room. Since the engine room and stokehold were flooded and the seering gear out of action, the submarine P614, escorted by HMS Dianella, was ordered to sink it. P614 shot 2 or 3 torpedos but Christopher Newport did not sink. HMS Dianella put 2 depth charges under the ship but it still did not sink. P614 and Dianella left the ship still afloat but sinking. Later in the day U457 found the abandoned wreck and sank it with a torpedo.
At about 20:30, 26 He 111H-6 from I./KG26 attacked. 3 ships were hit:
William Hopper (7.177 BRT) by Hptm. Bernot Eicke.
Navarino (4.941 BRT) by Lt. Konrad Hennemann (He 111H-6 Werk.Nr. 7098 1H+GH, crew killed).
Azerbaidzhan, a soviet tanker.
Azerbaidzhan was only damaged and could continued with the convoy. The William Hooper had a destroyed engine room and Navarino was listing 30 °-40°, so HMS Britomart and Halcyon were ordered to sink the ships. They fired 20 rounds of 4in into the ships and left them on fire. Navarino sank but the still floting wreck of William Hooper was found by U334, that sank it with torpedos.
My opinion is that the ships should be credited to Luftwaffe since the U-Boats sank only abandoned and sinking ships.
Regards,
Johann Palsson
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