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Sinking of HMT Thorbryn 19-8-41 off Tobruk
HMT Thorbryn was a sub hunter converted from a Norwegian trawler. In the early hours of 19 Aug 41 she was on the Tobruk run, towing two D-lighters (maybe LCMs off HMS Glengyle?), accompanied by LCT 12. There is a bit of confusion around what happened when at 0730am (Berlin) a Stuka party set upon the convoy.
The general story is that both vessels were sunk by German Stukas. looking throug the record, a number of things appear:
1) the Germans recorded that German attacks sank a 1,500t merchant (LCT12?) and two tugs and that Italian planes sank a sub hunter, the surviving crew of which was captured. Could have been HMT Thorbryn or the Germans could have mistaken Thorbryn for a 1,500t merchant and LCT12 for a sub-hunter?
2) There is no record of any mission against shipping in the Comando Supremo war diary, the 5a Squadra war diary, and the history of the Italian Stuka squadrons.
3) There is no record of a 1,500t merchant being sunk that day.
Any ideas what happened there?
All the best
Andreas
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