1 September 1942 Part 3

1 September 1942 St Malo Convoy Control Office

Weather: South-west to west, weak to moderate breeze; cloudy; visibility up to 30 nautical miles; calm to slightly disturbed sea, isolated rain and south-westerly swell.

0030, St Malo: V 206/09/11 sailed with La France for Jersey, Minotaure and Robert Müller 8 for Guernsey. [V 207 is also listed in the later movements.] 0220, Guernsey: V 707/04 and V 212 arrived with Georgi from Alderney. 0445, Jersey: V 206/07/09/11 released La France and continued to Guernsey. 0625, Guernsey: V 206/07/09/11 arrived with convoy from Malo.

Requests: (1) Sperber from Malo to Jersey, Karel and Heinrich to Guernsey; (2) night troop convoy of 1/2 September, Minotaure and Robert Müller 8 from Guernsey and La France from Jersey to Malo; (3) combined convoy Granville–Jersey–Guernsey; (4) night troop convoy of 1/2 September, Georgi and Karel, Guernsey–Alderney. I assign V 208/13 to (1); V 212/08 to (2), while V 213 is to await escort to Brest at Guernsey for installation of its KDB [source abbreviation retained]; M 4605/01 to (3), first proceeding independently Malo–Granville; and V 707/04 to (4). V 207/09 and V 206/11 are ordered independently to Cherbourg, where V 206/11 are released for dockyard passage under 2nd Security Division's orders.

3rd Security Division orders me to take eight tugs and five barges, which arrived at Cherbourg in convoy 2455/37 and are destined for Malo, Brest, Lorient and La Pallice, to Lézardrieux as convoy 3303. V 710/02 are to escort, reinforced by another pair from the Convoy Control Office. I order V 707/04, after the night troop convoy Guernsey–Alderney on 1/2 September, to proceed from Alderney to Cherbourg on 2 September. Convoy 3303 is to sail at 0330 under the commanding officer of V 707 and proceed through to Lézardrieux.

Remark: I order night passage because the fighter escort needed by this slow, unwieldy convoy during daylight cannot be provided. Departure is set for the last hours of darkness because experience shows British surface attacks at the Cap de la Hague corner occur in the middle of the night. Sailing at 0330 gives the full ebb stream; on a normal passage, the convoy should be near point Herz 328 by daybreak and sufficiently far south for a fighter attack at that early hour to be unlikely.

1000, Malo: M 4605/01 sailed independently to Granville. 1215, Guernsey: V 206/07/09/11 departed for Cherbourg. 1250, Granville: M 4605/01 sailed with Pondicherry, Compt. 51, Gabes, Maas, Klaus-Wilhelm and FK 2 for Jersey–Guernsey.

The following was sent to 3rd Security Division. Situation for 1 September: (1) V 206/07/09/11 completing the night troop convoy of 31 August/1 September, Malo–Guernsey, then at noon onward to Cherbourg; V 206/11 released for dockyard passage under 2nd Security Division's orders; (2) V 707/04/212 completing Georgi's night troop convoy Alderney–Guernsey, then V 707/04 with Georgi and Karel Guernsey–Alderney on 1/2 September; V 212 as in item 3; (3) V 213/08 escorting Sperber Malo–Jersey and Karel to Guernsey, then V 212/08 with Minotaure and Robert Müller 8 from Guernsey and La France from Jersey to Malo on the night of 1/2 September; V 213 ready for Brest passage; (4) M 4605/01 independently Malo–Granville, then with combined convoy to Jersey–Guernsey; (5) M 4611/04 ready at Malo. Escorted tonnage: 7,600 GRT.

Intentions for 2 September: (1) V 207/09 ready at Cherbourg; (2) V 707/04 completing the night troop convoy, then escort Alderney–Cherbourg and readiness for combined convoy to Lézardrieux; (3) V 212/08 completing the night troop convoy, then ready at Malo; (4) V 213 and M 4605/01 ready at Guernsey; (5) M 4604/11 with Kochelsee from Malo to Jersey and Corona to Guernsey.

1420, Malo: V 213/08 sailed with Sperber, Karel and coastal motor vessel Heinrich to Jersey–Guernsey. 1530, Jersey: M 4605/01 released part of the convoy and continued with Claus-Wilhelm and FK 2 to Guernsey. 1600, Cherbourg: V 206/07/09/11 arrived from Guernsey. 1830, Jersey: V 213/08 released Sperber and continued with Karel and Heinrich to Guernsey. 1930, Guernsey: M 4605/01 [number overwritten] arrived with convoy from Granville. 2120, Guernsey: V 213/08 arrived with convoy from Malo. 2245, Guernsey: V 707/04 sailed with Georgi and Karel for Alderney. 2345, Guernsey: V 212/08 sailed with Minotaure and Robert Müller 8 for Malo.

Signed: Wunderlich.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scans 0474–0475 (cover and title), 0476–0477 (original pages 2–3). The secret diary covers 1–15 September 1942; its named head is Frigattenkapitän Dr Diederichs, chief of 2nd Patrol Flotilla, with Korvettenkapitän Wunderlich acting during this period. Cover reference: Ch 22434.