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Re: Aircraft sunk with SS Alexander Macomb 1942
Hallo all,
I am not so sure about the cargo as stated. Where did the information about the Sherman tanks and the P-38s come from ?
This ship was heading in a northerly direction, towards Britain or the northern Soviet ports. If the latter then the cargo as stated could not have been on board. P-38s were never sent to Russia, but P-39s and P-40s were. Especially the latter in 1942. I don't think any M-4 Shermans reached Russia until 1943, but M-3 Stuart light tanks and M-3 Lee medium tanks did in 1942 and possibly as early as 1941.
Again unlikely Shermans or P-38s were being shipped to Britain in early July 1942. At this time the Sherman was the newest and best American tank and was not being produced in sufficient quantities for even the US Army. The Sherman first saw action in Egypt from late October 1942. I expect any shipments from the US to Egypt would have gone south via the Cape of Good Hope and up the Red Sea. At least one ship with Shermans bound for the British 8th Army was sunk in transit.
At this time Operation BOLERO was in full swing. P-38s were being flown across the Atlantic by USAAF Fighter Groups. Shortly after this the decision was taken to ship them as deck cargo to Britain, but AFAIK the first such shipments did not reach Britain until September or October 1942.
Where can one find the cargo manifest I wonder ?
Regards,
Martin Gleeson.
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