Air attack on a German tanker in the Bay of Biscay.

[sergey]

Colleagues,
I need your help. I've been unsuccessfully trying to determine which squadron's aircraft bombed the German tanker SPICHERN in the Bay of Biscay on the night of November 10/11, 1942. I'd be very grateful for any information.

Sergey

[Laurent Rizzotti]

No reply to your question but I found two reports on what happened.
British POV: https://www.fold3.com/image/30211769...ries-1941-1945
German POV: https://uboatdata.ussleahy.com/SKL/39-1/04001908.pdf (page 271)

Neither of them tells anything of the squadron or even type of attacking aircraft. German wikipedia says the attack was done by "Jagdbombern" but such type operating by night (the attack was done at 0110 hrs) on the Spanish coast is IMHO unlikely.

[sergey]

I've found the culprit. It's a Wellington S/172 (Sub-Lieutenant Thomson). He attacked the tanker with four depth charges, three of which exploded near misses and a direct hit.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello Sergey, I found the same, K/172 made the sighting reported in the evening of the 10th and S/172 attacked some hours later. I have not found who made the first sighting reported in Admiralty War Diary.

Later on the 11h (around 1300 hrs) a Halifax of 405 Sqn attacked two MVs suspected of refueling U-boats in Bay of Biscay (no more precise location given in ORB), missing them with DCs and then strafing one. As nothing was reported about it in German reports, my guess is that they were French or Spanish fishing boats.
See https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/o...el_c12270/1132

[Chris Goss]

Sqn Ldr R B Thomson not Sub-Lt!

[Stig Jarlevik]

Our friend Geoffrey Sinclair wishes to add the following

Coastal Command Intelligence Summary 176 for 8 to 15 November 1942.

No. 172 squadron, Wellington S, Captain Squadron Leader Thompson,
sighted tanker of 8,000 tons at 0105 hours on 11th November 1942, N of
Ferrol. Aircraft sent sighting report and continued to shadow until
instructed to attack. Aircraft made dive attack from 2,000 feet to mast
height from starboard bow to port quarter and dropped four 269 pound
Torpex depth charges set at 25 feet; three depth charges were seen to
explode, one very close to the hull two or three points on starboard bow
and the other two close to the port side; the crew considers that one
may have fallen directly on the vessel. As aircraft passed over intense
fire from the M/V was experienced, this ceased immediately after depth
charges exploded. Aircraft suffered some damage, but no casualties to
personnel.

Claim: M/V damaged

There is a more detailed account in the squadron record of events, it
was a Wellington VIII.

Rgds
Geoffrey

[sergey]

Correct. Squadron Leader Thomson. I was mistaken. Colleagues. Thank you. It took me a month of daily searching to find this information. You found it in a few hours.