U-boat 2 Sep 43

[Nick Beale]

National Archives HW 13/36, German Naval Air Activity Vol. X (1 Jul–30 Sep 1943) includes Report ZIP/No. 918 covering 2 September.

This says that five aircraft of 13./KG 40 were heard in W/T raffic from 0730–1005 BST. These were F8+AX, PX, LX, OX and MX. At 0838 F8+MX claimed to have shot down an enemy aircraft. All the German machines had landed by 1040.

There is a note that two Coastal Command aircraft were missing from Biscay patrols and it was not known which, if either, was the one reported shot down.

Ju 88s of 14./KG 40 were up in the late afternoon and F8+MY appeared to be in difficulties. Bf 110s of II./ZG 1 flew patrols (eight aircraft each time) from 0715–0930 and 1700–1915 but did not contact British aircraft.

If you wanted to look for deciphered signals from the U-boat, you could try downloading files DEFE 3/721 (covering 15 Aug–20 Sep 1943) from the UK National Archives. The boat sending the signal may be identified by its captain's name rather than its number.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Nick. This accords with what I have-Gmelin shooting down Gibson in the morning and Necesany shooting down Wharram in the afternoon. However, Gmelin is 24 hours out in his logbook and states he was flying F8+AX up at 0704hrs, landing 1115hrs