Stuka-Geschwader 77, sinking of sowjet destroyer FRUNZE, 21 September 1941

[Nasenbär]

Hello,

I'm no Aircraft buff, researching tank warfare (WW 2) and submarine warfare (WW 1), but a friend of mine, a merchant capatain I'm in contact with usually with regard to Naval warfare, is asking me if there are more details available on this specific action:

Sowjet destroyer FRUNZE (also FRUNSE or Фрунзе) was sunk on 21. September 1941 in the Black Sea by I./Stu.G. 77.
This here the text from "Chronik des Seekrieges 1939 - 1945":

21.– 22.9.1941 Schwarzes Meer
Sowjetische Landung bei Grigorevka. Einsatz des 3. Marine-Schützen-Regimentes im Rücken der 13. und 15. rumän. Inf.-Div, um den Angriff der 157. und 421. Schützen-Division zur Einnahme der rumän. Küstenbatterien bei Fontanka und Dofinovka zu erleichtern.
Am 21.9. nehmen in Sevastopol die Kreuzer Krasny Kavkaz und Krasny Krym zusammen 3 Bataillone des 3. Marine-Schützen-Regiments an Bord und laufen, gesichert von den Zerstörern Boiki, Bezuprechny und Besposhchadny unter Führung des Kommandeurs der Kreuzer-Brigade (Kapt. 1.Rg. S.G. Gorshkov) aus. Ihnen voraus läuft Zerstörer Frunze mit dem Befehlshaber des Geschwaders, KAdm. L.A. Vladimirsky, an Bord, der die Landungsoperation mit den aus Odessa kommenden Kräften – dem Kanonenboot Krasnaya Gruziya, 1 Schlepper, 22 Kuttern und 10 Barkassen zur Ausschiffung der Truppen – koordinieren soll. Am Nachmittag des 21.9. dreht die auf dem Marsch befindliche Frunze ab, um vor der Halbinsel Tendra dem von Ju 87 des StG.77 angegriffenen Kanonenboot Krasnaya Armeniya zu Hilfe zu kommen. Beide Schiffe werden zusammen mit dem herangerufenen Schlepper OP-8 von den Stukas versenkt. Trotz dieser Ausfälle gelingt in der Nacht zum 22.9. die Ausschiffung, die Höhen bei Fontanka und Dofinovka werden zurückgewonnen. Am gleichen Tag greifen Ju 87 des StG.77 die zur Feuerunterstützung der Landungstruppen vor der Küste kreuzenden Zerstörer Boiki, Bezuprechny und Besposhchadny an. Bezuprechny wird durch Nahtreffer beschädigt, Besposhchadny erhält schwere Treffer im Vorschiff und wird über den Achtersteven von dem Schlepper SP-14 nach Odessa eingeschleppt, während der Zerstörer Soobrazitelny die Sicherung übernimmt.

see: https://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/41-09.htm


As there is much information from the Russian side of course, the question here is form details from the German Side, such as names of the pilots, which Staffel from I. Gruppe and which report they made. Obviously the first attack by 6 Stukas, a little later by 9 Stukas.

The Russian side of view you can see here with some pics:
https://topwar.ru/83243-posledniy-boy-esminca-frunze.html

I say thank you for any help, a translation via Google of this Russian site will follow below.

Oliver


Translation

Frunze destroyer in the 1930s

On September 21, 1941, at noon in the area of ​​Tendrovskaya Spit, the Soviet destroyer Frunze assisted the gunboat Red Armenia, sinking as a result of an air strike. The old Curtiss Vulcan turbines operated at low speeds, the tachometer needle swaying at the beginning of the scale. The Frunze lowered the boat to lift the gunboat personnel, when one of the signalmen monitoring the air situation noticed the characteristic silhouettes of airplanes in the sky. Too characteristic. Only one type of aircraft in this part of the Black Sea had fixed gear in teardrop-shaped cowls. And their appearance always carried death and destruction. The unshakable calm of the Black Sea waters was broken by the piercing “alarm” of bells of loud battle, the stomp of sailor boots, the evil staccato of 45-mm anti-aircraft guns and the growing aching roar of Jumo engines. Dive bombers Ju 87 of the 1st group 77 "direct support squadrons" (I / Schlachtgeschwader 77) began their deadly carousel.

The landing of
September 1941 on the southern part of the Soviet-German front was tense. However, where then it was not intense? Odessa, a large city and the largest port in the south of the USSR, fought surrounded for the second month. On August 20, the German-Romanian troops, whose task was to capture Odessa, in the amount of eleven infantry, three cavalry divisions and two brigades launched an assault. They were opposed by three infantry and one cavalry division of the Separate Maritime Army and militias. At the cost of great efforts and dedication of the advancing enemy, they managed to keep them at a distance of 8-15 kilometers from the city. But the forces of the Odessa defensive region were at the limit. Affected by a huge consumption of ammunition, lack of armored vehicles and heavy weapons. There was a significant decrease in personnel killed and wounded. On September 14, 1941, the command of the Odessa defensive area asks for assistance, primarily reinforcements. By order of the rate, a personnel 157 infantry division is being transferred to the city from Novorossiysk. September 17, the first parts of it landed in the port of Odessa. Despite this, the general situation near Odessa inspired fears. The Soviet command decides to conduct a combined counterattack by the forces of the Primorsky Army with the simultaneous landing of air and sea tactical assault forces in the vicinity of the village of Grigoryevka. Meanwhile, on September 21, the Romanian units succeeded in breaking into Soviet defense in the area of ​​the Ajalyk estuary and starting a systematic shelling of the city from large-caliber artillery.

General management of the operation was to be carried out by Rear Admiral L.A. Vladimirsky. Using the old destroyer "Frunze" as a temporary headquarters ship, Vladimir at 6 in the morning left it from Sevastopol. At about 2 p.m. the destroyer was in the area of ​​the Tendra Spit. Air cover over him was not carried out.

A ship with a biography
Being, in fact, a continuation of the Baltic Novikov, the destroyer Bystry (the new ship got the same name) was built according to the project of the Putilov factory’s destroyer for the Black Sea Fleet. He belonged to the “Happy” type. Five ships of this series were built in Nikolaev (shipyard of the Nikolaev Admiralty) and the private shipyard of A. Waddon in Kherson. "Fast" June 7, 1914 was launched in Kherson, June 1, 1915 came into operation.

At that time it was a completely modern ship with a total displacement of 1,460 tons, equipped with two English-made steam turbines with a total capacity of 23 thousand hp. The armament was 3 × 1 102 mm guns, 2 - 47 mm anti-aircraft guns (installed later, in 1916), 5 × 2 457 mm torpedo tubes. The destroyer could take in the appendage of 80 minutes.

“Quick” was actively used by the Russian command in various operations on the Black Sea: escorting large warships, shelling of the Turkish coal region of Zunguldak, hunting for communications.

In December 1917, the ship was enrolled in the Red Black Sea Fleet. Since January 1918, the ship, worn in battles and campaigns, was finally delivered for scheduled repairs to the workshops of the Sevastopol port, where in May of the same year German troops captured it and entered it as part of its fleet under the number "RO2". However, inspection by technical experts showed that the destroyer, whose turbines were disassembled, was not suitable for operation in the near future. Then, when the Germans left at the end of the year, they were replaced by the "enlightened mariners" the British, who transferred a motionless ship from the noble shoulder to the Black Sea Fleet of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. However, the White had neither the strength nor the ability to bring “Quick” into operation, and he continued to defend in Sevastopol. From the ship dismantled the most valuable - artillery. Due to the lack of progress, “Quick” was not used during the evacuation of Wrangel troops from the Crimea. In November 1920, the destroyer came under the control of Soviet Russia.

In the conditions of a catastrophic shortage of combat-ready ships, temporary impossibility to build new “Fast”, it was decided to restore and put into operation. From 1923 to 1927 at the Sevmorzavod, and later at the Andre Marti plant in Nikolaev, repair and restoration of the destroyer, which received the name "Frunze" on February 5, 1925, takes place. During the work, the ship received new main-caliber artillery with an increased firing range, anti-aircraft weapons were also strengthened.

Finally, in December 1927, the Frunze became part of the Black Sea Naval Forces - that was the name for the connection of ships that were once called the Black Sea Fleet. Of the interesting details of the pre-war service, it is worth noting a visit to Istanbul in 1928, and in 1929 - Naples. In 1936-1940, the destroyer underwent a fairly lengthy overhaul at the Sevmorzavod, where it received new anti-aircraft weapons. Now it was one 76-mm gun, two 45-mm semi-automatic 21-K and two 12.7-mm DShK machine guns. The expansion of the range of air defense systems was achieved by reducing the number of anchor mines from 80 to 40. The total displacement of the ship increased to 1700 tons, and the crew to 172 people.

June 22, 1941 "Frunze" met, being part of the 1st division of destroyers. In July-August he carried out transport postings. In September - involved in the defense of Odessa.

Enemy

The crew of the destroyer no longer had to meet a serious enemy - the pilots of the 77th squadron of direct support for troops, or, closer to Russian terminology, the assault squadron. This compound was formed on May 1, 1939. Its arsenal received the latest then dive bombers Ju-87. Squadron pilots actively participated in Polish and French companies. In the Battle of England, the 77th suffered heavy crew losses. It was later transferred to the Mediterranean Theater, where it contributed to operations against Greece and Yugoslavia. It was the planes of this squadron that caused maximum destruction in Belgrade. With the start of Operation Barbarossa, St77 was located in the central section of the German offensive, supporting units of Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Group operating on the encirclement of the Soviet Western Front. In mid-summer, the connection was transferred to the southern part of the Soviet-German front, where it operated from airfields in Iasi and Balti. The Commander of the 77th Squadron for that period was Major Earl Clemens von Schörnborn-Wiesentheide, Knight of the Knight's Cross.

Directly in the attack on the Frunze took part Ju-87 I of the group of the 77th squadron (an approximate analogue of the Soviet air regiment) under the command of Hauptmann Helmut Brook. Most recently, for the hundredth sortie on September 4, 1941, Brooke received the Knight's Cross. The squadron crews, as already mentioned, had great military experience. According to general statistics, the 77th assault squadron is among the five leaders in awarding Knights' crosses among Luftwaffe formations.

The last battle of the Frunze destroyer
To ensure the landing in Grigoryevka, an operational formation of ships consisting of the cruisers Krasny Kavkaz and Krasny Krym, destroyers Flawless, Ruthless and Boyky (the last three are all new - Project 7 ships) was formed ) and the gunboat "Red Georgia" (the latter belonged to the pre-revolutionary type "Elpidifor"). On board the ships was the 3rd Black Sea Regiment of the Marine Corps with enhanced armaments - 2 thousand people. Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov (flag in the "Red Caucasus").

At 6 a.m., Frunze left Sevastopol, Rear Admiral Vladimirsky was on board, who was supposed to lead the landing, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Odessa Defense Region, Captain 1st Rank S.I. Ivanov. “Frunze” was led by the captain of the 3rd rank V.N. Eroshenko instead of the wounded captain-lieutenant P.A. Bobrovnikova. At about 2 p.m., while in the area of ​​Tendrovskaya Spit, from the side of the ship they noticed a disaster gunboat “Red Armenia”, which was shortly before attacked by Ju-87, causing severe damage to it. The signalmen reported to the bridge: “We see the sunken gunboat“ Red Armenia ”, smoke, nobody on the ship.” The destroyer is sent to assist. When approaching the disaster site, people floating on the water are noticed. Boats descend from the destroyer. One of them picked up and brought on board the commissioner of the boat, Serov. From the information received it turned out that the boat was attacked by enemy aircraft half an hour ago. Rear tug OP-8, Rear Admiral Vladimirsky, ordered to go to the gunboat and put out the fire.

Soon, nine diving bombers of the Ju 87 I group of the 77th squadron appear in the sky. Obviously, the Germans were heading to “Armenia” to finish it off, however, having discovered the destroyer, they changed course and attacked it. Eroshenko, leaving the boats in the disaster area, orders to increase the speed to 23 knots in order to move more sea for the possibility of maneuver. Reorganized into a chain, German planes begin to bomb. All air defense systems of the ship enter the battle - even the old 76-mm Lender gun fires with shrapnel. The space above the ship is filled with tracers and flakes of breaks. Initially, the evasion maneuver is triggered - the first three planes miss - high pillars of water rise from the close bombs.

The crew of the 4th Shtuki was more accurate - a 250 kg bomb hits the Frunze stern in the area of ​​the main caliber gun No. 4. The steering wheel jammed in an explosion, and the ship began to describe the circulation to the right. The right machine failed, the machine telegraph ceased to function. Was thrown overboard stern anti-aircraft 76-mm gun Lender. Following this, in the region of the forecastle, next to the side, another bomb exploded. A part of the bridge was destroyed, the deck was showered with fragments. The captain of the 1st rank S.I. Ivanov, the commissar of the ship Zolkin, the ship’s commander Eroshenko was seriously wounded in the arm and stomach. Slightly injured Vladimirsky and the first Nosov.

The flow of water into the bow and stern spaces begins, a slow increase in the trim on the stern occurs with a simultaneous roll to the port side. The destroyer was in a difficult situation, but the German dive bombers ran out and they went to their airfield. The struggle for vitality has begun. The damaged transverse bulkhead in the area of ​​the 4th Kubrick was reinforced, and water distribution was stopped. After another half an hour, it was possible to put into operation the right car and partly the steering. Having taken command of the ship, Vladimirsky, having assessed the situation, decides to push the ship to the shallows. Machine control was carried out by voice commands - orders were transmitted along the chain. "Frunze" slowly crawled to the shore, the flow of overboard water began again. Understanding that there was simply nothing to leave the ship - the boats were either already lowered or riddled with fragments - Vladimirsky gave the order to take out all the bunks on the deck, to unfasten the cork mattresses.

At about 15 o’clock over the ship the nine Ju-87 reappeared - the Germans did not want to lose their prey and came to finish off the target. By the time the attack began, the position of Frunze was critical - he had lost the ability to maneuver and develop full speed. The ammunition for the 45-mm semi-automatic 21-K is almost over. The Lender gun was disabled. The intensity of anti-aircraft fire decreased sharply, which allowed the crews of German dive bombers to reduce the height of attack from 800 to 100 meters. After the bomb hit the forecastle, which caused a fire, Vladimirsky orders to flood the 1st artillery cellar to avoid detonation. Water intensively goes deep into the hull, the buoyancy margin decreases. Roll reaches 45 degrees. Considering the ship’s position to be hopeless, Rear Admiral gives the order to leave all internal posts and go on deck. The wounded were transferred to rosters. At 15 hours 07 minutes “Frunze” touches the bowed cheekbone stranded 90 cable from the Tendra lighthouse. The ship stopped heeling, resting in the ground. Part of the settings was under water. Here cork mattresses were useful for personnel. The wounded remained mainly on the rosters, where Vladimirsky was also there. The German bombers, having used up their stock of bombs, flew off again. The tugboat “OP-8” approached the semi-sunken destroyer, which the Uncresi, who were keen on the attack, had not paid attention to.
Destroyer bridge protruding above the water. Post-war photo
The tugboat began to take people - he picked up everyone who was on board and in the water. The last "Frunze" left Vladimirsky and Eroshenko, who refused to evacuate with the wounded, who were transported in the first place.

The tug was ordered to move as close to the shore as possible. However, the 1st group of the 77th squadron showed true Teutonic methodical obstinacy that day, and at 16 o’clock the Junkers engines howled in the sky over the Tendra Scythe.

The overcrowded tug could not maneuver efficiently, and from the first call a bomb hit the engine room. The resulting damage was fatal for a small boat - "OP-8" lay on board. The depth was shallow, part of the hull of the tugboat remained above the water. Everyone who was on it sailed to the shore. On the semi-submerged "OP-8" there were several seriously wounded, including Eroshenko. There was Vladimirsky. The Ju-87 crews who got a taste of it got free from the bomb load and went down - they earned wing machine guns. The Germans excitedly shot people floundering in the water. Those who remained in tow had to hide behind the bulwark to go unnoticed. Of the 238 people who were aboard the Frunze that day, only 78 survived. About 50 people died from bombings, the rest were shot by Germans in the water when they tried to swim to the shore.

About half an hour later, torpedo boats arrived, bringing all the survivors to Tendra. As a result of the death of Frunze, the departure of ships with an amphibious assault from Sevastopol was delayed, command of the operation was transferred to Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov, and L.A. Vladimirsky was taken aboard the cruiser "Red Caucasus" already during the operation on a torpedo boat. The Soviet squadron, although belatedly, arrived at the scene of the operation. Naval artillery of two Soviet cruisers and three destroyers provided significant support to the Marines. The landing at Grigoryevka was a complete success and went down in history as one of the most successful landing operations of the Soviet fleet.

After the war
In June 1949, Frunze was examined by divers. The ship lay with a slight roll to the left side at a depth of 8-9 meters. One 102 mm gun and deck mechanisms were missing. The hull of the ship had great damage. The Soviet Navy had enough worries in those years, and the old destroyer lying at Tendrovskaya Spit waved a hand, and it didn’t interfere with navigation.

The interest in the sunken ship returned already in the late 60s and early 70s, when members of the Nikolaev diving club "Sadko" descended to the Frunze hull tormented by the storm. The history of the club itself requires a separate article - in the Soviet Union it was known far beyond Nikolaev. A group of young, enthusiastic people - students, athletes and simply not indifferent - decided to organize a club for the examination and research of underwater objects. One of the first dives was made on the Udarny monitor and the Frunze destroyer discovered by the Sadkovites.
Lifting 102 mm guns
For the state at that time it was not difficult to provide assistance to such groups of researchers. The Sadko Club was assigned an expeditionary ship and the necessary equipment for underwater operations. In the 70s, members of the club lifted two main-caliber guns and the ship's anchor. Several safes with documents were found and recovered to the surface, one of which belonged to the ship commissioner. At Frunze, by the way, all the staff documentation for the upcoming landing operation remained.

A lot of personal belongings of sailors were discovered. A number of items lifted from the destroyer are exhibited at the Nikolaev Museum of Shipbuilding and Navy. Some of the documents were transferred to the Central Naval Archive.
Monument to the destroyer "Frunze". Photo taken by members of the Sadko Club
Already during the years of “independence”, the Frunze hull was used for diving. Club “Sadko”, squeezed by market conditions, courageously fights against the circumstances, having in its asset only enthusiasm and devotion to his beloved business. The monument, erected by members of the Sadko club on the Tendrovskaya Spit, and the main-caliber guns on the external site of the Nikolaev Museum of Shipbuilding and the Navy remind of the "Frunze" who died in an unequal battle.

[SteveR]

Nothing in Peter C. Smith's Stuka Squadron unfortunately.

[igorrB]

According to Luftlage 21.9.41, first attack near Tendra was made at 09.25-09.35 by 12 Stuka. Target: "linienschiff" with 2 T-boote, obviously KRASNAYA ARMENIA and 2 CKA-cutters. Then in 12.30 9 stuka on "kleine kreuzer", perhaps FRUNZE. Last strike on warship was on 13.48-13.52, again by 9 stuka. Same time these planes attack also "Handelsschiff 2000 brt".

[Nasenbär]

Hello Steve, hello Igor,


thank you that for for your replies, and your efforts to have a look...


Seems to me that Stu.G. 77 is a not well known unit when going into detail!


But I also can see that the files from RL 10 in the German Bundesarchiv will give no clue. There is no war diary available. Damn ... !


So it's just to hope that someone by accident know more :-(


Oliver

[James A Pratt III]

the book Barbarossa to Odessa vol 2 has an account of these ships sinking

the book The Russian Fleet 1914-1917 should have mention of this ship in WW I

[robert]

The only chance is to find a logbook (or logbooks) with these sorties.

Robert

[SteveR]

Following on the above suggestion, I checked Barbarossa to Odessa vol. 2. There's only one paragraph; it states the attack was made by 9 Ju.87s of II./St.G.77.

[Nasenbär]

James, Steve ...


thank you for looking. But obviously there are no files from Stukageschwader 77 available for 1941, so no chance at all to get more detail from the German side, apart from the known facts (II. Gruppe also was involved) ...


Oliver

[andrus]

Hello,


what do you mean with "(II. Gruppe also was involved)" ?
Attacks reported in OKL Ic Lagebericht speak only about II./StG 77, no mention of I./:
http://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/r...inspect/zoom/5
http://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/r...inspect/zoom/8

[Nasenbär]

Hello,


well, all (secondary) sources point to I. Gruppe, StuG 77, with Steve R. pointing to the mentioning of II. Gruppe in Barbarossa to Odessa.


So, seems that just the II. Gruppe being involved (thank you for the links to the German docs!), and Ritterkreuzträger Hauptmann Bruck (I. Gruppe) is OUT ...


:-)


Oliver