Attack on Convoy CW9 "Peewit" night of 7/8 August 1940

[Andy Saunders]

Convoy CW9 ("PEEWIT") was attacked by "E" Boats off Beachy Head/Newhaven during the early hours of 8 August 1940. Whilst I have found all of the detail of those attacks the Board of Trade (Shipping Division) reports from the masters of the ships are all adamant that they were also attacked by aircraft that night which dropped flares and bombs. This was at 02.00 hrs.

I am not convinced there was an air attack and think the captains mistook the sound of the "E" Boat engines for aero engines.

Before I dismiss the air attack can anyone shed any light either way?

[Peter Cornwell]

Andy,

No German air activity over CW9 recorded that early AFAIK. A solo Do17P of 4.(F)/14 was tasked with a reconnaissance of the convoy after the S-Boat attacks and reported 17 ships about 15 miles SSW of Selsey Bill at 6.20 a.m. (BST).

[Andy Saunders]

Peter

Thanks - yes, thats as I thought.

Reading through the survivors reports from the ships in convoy they talk about the sound of low flying aircraft at 02.00ish, but as the attack from the E-Boats came almost at once I figured they must have mistaken the growl of the E-Boat engines and thought they were aero engines. However, I thought I'd check because the report of aircraft (and of being bombed!) crops up in three reports from different individuals and all from seperate ships. The only explanation is that they mistook the engine sound.

[Doug Stankey]

According to the Arnold Hague Convoy Database at:
http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hague/index.html

Convoy CW 9 contained 26 freighters with no escorts. It departed Southend on 7 August 1940.
The Empire Crusader (1042 tons) was bombed and sunk. It was the only vessel of this convoy to be sunk.

I can’t access the Miramar Ship index site to get more particulars.



I hope that this sheds some light on all this.


DGS

[Andy Saunders]

Doug

Many thanks for you kind assistance.

However, Empire Crusader was certainly not the only loss!!

If interested, look out for "Convoy Peewit". Published by Grub Street end of May 2010.

Hope that I have not broken any forum advertising rules, here?

If I have, no doubt the mods will edit as appropriate.

[Darius]

Hello friends,

here:
http://forum-marinearchiv.de/smf/ind...c,12499.0.html

we had a thread about the CW.9 - Peewit. We have different informations about the size of the convoy, escorts etc. Do you know the vessels at the various stages of the voyage?

Are they nemed in your book Andy?

Thank you

Darius