Information on KG 26 - December 1942

[Andre Chissel]

Dear Sirs,

I am researching the torpedoing of the Cameronia

I have received the following information from another forum:

On the night 21-22 december 1942 14 torpedo aircraft from KG26 were launched against the convoy containing the Cameronia and 8 effectively attacked the ship. The Cameronia was again attacked by 2 Ju88 armed with bombs and 1 Ju88 with torpedos from III/KG26 and a hit was claimed by the torpedo aircraft on a 12000 BRT steamer which I think was the Cameronia.

I would like to know who the other six torpedo aircraft attacked in the initial onslaught. Why launch them if not to use them ?

I would also like to know what ships were attacked on 21-22nd December 1942 in the entire mediterranean. Basically I am trying to confirm that the only attacks to occur against shipping within these dates were directed towards the convoy containing the Cameronia.

Many thanks

Andre

[Seaplanes]

According to my information, the Cameronia was torpedoed and damaged north of the Golfe de Bejaia due to a torpedo from submarine U-565, even though the convoy KMF.5 was attacked by torpedo aircraft of K.G.26 during the night 21-22. December 1942, as well as on 22.12.42.

[Andre Chissel]

Hi there,

Yep I know about U565, there is controversy about who hit the Cameronia, a U boat (U565) or an aerial torpedo - those on board the Cameronia believe it was an aerial torpedo.

If you have any details e.g. an official report of the torpedoing from U565 I would love to see it. Interesting that you use the new name of Bejaia as it was Bougie at the time !

Andre

[Seaplanes]

Sorry, I do not havve any original documents to support my theory. I looked up in the book "Luftwaffe Aerial Torpedo Aircraft and Operations in World War Two" by Harold Thiele. This book seems well researched.

[Graham Boak]

There are a number of reasons why 6 of the aircraft failed to attack. They could have gone astray and missed the convoy. They could have been unable to reach a promising attack position (because of convoy manoeuvring or AA fire) before reaching a low fuel state. They could have suffered technical failures and had to return.

[Andre Chissel]

Thanks everybody for your time.

Please keep the replies coming, much appreciated

Andre

[Mattesini]

Gentlement,

My name is Francesco Mattesini, author of many books to official character for the Italian Historical Offices of Navy and Aviation.
I report in this blog my reconstruction on navigation of convoy KMF.5, on the sinking and damaging of the ships transport troops Strathallan and Cameronia.

***

Convoy KMF.5, constituted from 39 mercantile ships, left l'11 December 1942 from Greenock, in the matting of the river Clyde, and the night of day 20 exceeded the Strait of Gibilterra, in order then to continue for Alger and Bona. The German submarine U-562 (lieutenant Horst Hamm), that had left from Spezia 22 November in order to operate in the western Mediterranean, after to have launch without outcome against a naval destroyer - met 9 December in lat. 35°51' N, long. 00°05' W - successive day 21 sighted and attacked convoy KMF.5, to 110 miles to the north-west of Alger (in the German paper squared 73 CH correspondent to 45 miles to south of Palos Head), and hit with one of the four torpedo launch to fleeting 02,23 hours the steamboat British Strathallan, of 23.722 tons, where the Commodore of the convoy was found, Captain John Henry Biggs. The Strathallan, used after transport troops, was hit on the left flank, in correspondence between knows blots some it and it knows it motor, that endured they became flooded. Therefore, for the naphtha, that invaded knows it boilers to it, where two official engineers and two Indian sailor were killed, and for the flooding that extended to the near premises the ship assumed a sideslip of 15 degrees, the commander Biggs, was forced then to order the evacuation of the troops, than she carried out herself tidily, on 4 motorboats, 16 sloops and rafts, and fortunately with sea much calm one. Then, being appeared obvious that the ship was not in imminent danger to sink, the evacuation was interrupted and the troops were collections tidily on the right side of the ship, in order to make from against-balance, while approximately 1.300 it is shipwrecked that already they were found in means of rescue, were collected to the morning of the 22 from the British naval destroyer Verity (Lt. J.C. Rushbrooke), and capacities to Oran. , While coming from the Algerian port, the naval destroyer Laforey (Capt.R.M.J. Hutton) arrived to the 06,00, after two hours of job, the Strathallan taken to towing, in order then to haul it to the 5-6 speed nodes towards Oran. Little after noon approximately 2.000 men they were taken to edge from the naval destroyer Panther (Lt.Cdr. Viscount Joacelyn) and Pathfinder (Cdr. E.A. Gibbs), and capacities they to Oran. When then, to the 13,15, because of the naphtha that entered in contact with the burning boilers, on the Strathallan, that it had been caught up from the tug Restive (Lt.D.M. Richards) in order to help the Laforey in the towing work, burst a strong fire that extended in blanket. Then newly the evacuation was ordered, to all the men, of troop and of crew, that they were remained to edge were collected from the Laforey., while the Restive continued to very haul the damaged ship in order fourteen hours, before that to the 04,20 of 22 December the Strathallan sank, upsetting in lat. 36°52' N, long. 00°34' And, correspondent to 12 miles to north of Oran, Fortunately was light human losses between the 5122 persons who the ocean-going liner transported, limits you to six sailors and five soldiers. In order to trace convoy KMF.5, that he continued navigation towards Bona, in the night on 22 December the commando of II the Fliegerkorps made to take off from the airports of the Sardinia two nocturnal reconnaissance aircrafts equips you of Rare apparatus (the German Radar), in order to find the naval formation and to hold of the contact. Subsequently, between the 19,20 and the 20,00, were made to leave fourteen torpedo bombers of KG.26, of which five He. 111 of I./KG.26 and the nine Ju. 88 of the III. /KG.26. Of they, three He. 111 and five Ju. 88 succeeded to characterize KMF 5 to east of Algeri, and to carry themselves to the attack near Dellys, in lat. 36°57' N, long. 04°03' and, without but achieving happened. And this although the crews of the III. /KG.30 had declared with optimism to have hit one motor-ship from 10.000 tons and two steamboats, respective of 8.000 and 5.000 tons. For against, two He. 111 of 3^ the Squadron of the /KG.26, was pulled down from the air defence of the ships and from the aircrafts from Spitfire hunting of 600° the Squadron of the R.A.F. These last ones credited the destruction of a He. 111 with the petty officers first class pilot Owen and McAllister. Between the crews of the two lost airplane (1H+BL and 1H+NL), that they had for heads crews the Lt. Sebastian Suchanek and the Uffz. Hermann Meinel, four were died (the entire crew of Suchanek). Continuing navigation towards Levant, the convoy still came held under control from the German reconnaissances aircraft and then, to the 04,35, they took off from the Sardinia six Ju.88 bombers, two of which they attacked KMF 5 in the first hours of the morning of 22 December, in lat. 36°57' N, long. 05°03' and. the crews asserted to have hit with a bomb a motor-ship of 6.000 tons, on which smoke column was developed one. The other four Ju. 88, not having sighted the convoy, went to bomb the Algerian port of Djidjelli. Meantime, to hours 05,00, was taken off from the Sardinia a Ju.88 torpedo bomber of III. /KG.26, that it succeeded to sight the enemy and to hit with a fleeting torpedo the steamboat British Cameronia, of 16.297 tons, it used after transport troops, damaging it seriously in lat. 37°03' N, long. 05°24' and. were 22 dead men, comprised 17 soldiers, on a total of 4.181 persons transported from the ship. According to the operating bulletin n. 390 of the O.B.S (Oberbefehlshaber Süd - Commander in Head of the South), that is the Feldmarshal Albert Kesselring, the crew of the Ju. 88, that it attacked to the 06,35, asserted to have hit with two torpedo a steamboat fleeting of 12-15.000 tons in lat. 35°57' N, long. 05°03' and, to the northeast of Bougie, and to have noticed on that ship an outbreak, continuation from strong development of smoke and probable fire. The commander of the Cameronia confirmed in its relationship that to the 06,34 its ship had been hit from the torpedo launch just from one Ju. 88, while according to torpedo launch from the German airplane, also having caught up the steamboat on the flank, not exploded, and that allowed the Cameronia to save itself, catching up Bona. According to many historians, above all in the situated ones of Internet, the to torpedo of the Cameronia has been credited to the Germanic submarine U-565 (lieutenant Wilhelm Franken), but that is not possible since from the information passages the evening of the 21 from the Commando of Germanic Navy in Italy to the General Staff of the Italian Navy (Supermarina), referred that the U-boote already attacked a convoy (the KMF.5), to north of the Gulf of Bejaia. It achieves some that the attack of the U-565 could not to have happened the 22, given in h the Cameronia was torpedoed. The odyssey of convoy KMF.5 concluded 24 December to Bona without to endure other attacks. And this although in the night between the 23 and 24 six Ju bombers. 88 had been nd you to its search, without to succeed to discover the convoy for the bad weather. Only one of the Ju. 88 sighted and attacked one motor-ship of 5.000 tons, without to hit it, others two Ju. 88 re-entered the bombs to edge, and the others three, choosing an other objective, uncoupled in the port of Bona. According to many sources, above all in the situated ones of Internet, the torpedo the Cameronia has been credited to the Germanic submarine U-565 (lieutenant Wilhelm Franken), but that is not possible since from the information passages the evening of the 21 from the Commando of Germanic Navy in Italy from the Operations command of the General Staff of the Italian Navy (Supermarina), referred that the U-boote in issue already attacked a convoy (the KMF.5), to north of the Gulf of Bejaia. It achieves some that the attack of the U-565 could not to have happened the 22, given in which the Cameronia was torpedoed. The odyssey of convoy KMF.5 concluded 24 December to Bona without to endure other attacks. And this although in the night between the 23 and 24 six Ju bombers. 88 had been send you to its search, without to succeed to discover the convoy for the bad wearher. Only one of the Ju. 88 sighted and attacked one motor-ship of 5.000 tons, without to hit it, others two Ju. 88 re-entered the bombs to edge, and the others three, choosing an other objective, uncoupled in the port of Bona.

[Andre Chissel]

Many thanks

Please contact me !

Andre Chissel