11 January 1943 Part 3

11 January 1943 St Malo Convoy Control Office

Weather: South-west force 5, sea 4, visibility 5 nautical miles; storm warning in evening. 0800, Malo: V 207's commanding officer reported that while anchoring in the roads H 49 had drifted across his bow, despite his veering cable and going full astern. V 207's stem was dented. The boat remained seaworthy and was to carry out repairs at Cherbourg, which were impossible at Malo.

Tasks left over owing to stormy weather: (1) night troop convoy Malo–Jersey–Guernsey; (2) Tinda Guernsey–Alderney; (3) Dorsch, Franka, Weber and Claus Wilhelm Alderney–Cherbourg; (4) Hydra and Schwalbe Cherbourg–Alderney; (5) night troop convoy Lena Alderney–Guernsey; (6) Meteor and Corona Malo–Jersey. Assigned: (1) V 711/22 and V 207; (2–3) V 208/09, ordered to begin their dockyard passage east, but required to wait for V 213 at Cherbourg, whose degaussing was still prevented by the installation being out of action; (4–5) V 210/703/04 [as recorded in task allocation]; (6) M 4604/05/07.

1030, Malo: M 4604/05/07 sailed with Meteor and Corona for Jersey. 1230, Malo: V 208/09 sailed for Guernsey. Report to 3rd Security Division: Correction to 10 January, item 4: postponed owing to weather. Escorted tonnage: none. Situation for 11 January: (1) V 210 minor repairs at Cherbourg; (2) V 213 ready at Cherbourg; (3) V 711/22 and V 207 night troop convoy of 11/12 January from Malo, La France and Holland to Jersey, Rob. Müller 8 and H 49 to Guernsey; (4) V 209/08 independently Malo–Guernsey, then Tinda Guernsey–Alderney, then Dorsch, Franka, Weber and Claus Wilhelm Alderney–Cherbourg; (5) V 212, C Group of 46th Minesweeper Flotilla and M 4612 ready at Malo; (6) M 4604/05/07 with Corona and Meteor Malo–Jersey; (7) V 703/04 with Hydra and Schwalbe Cherbourg–Alderney. Escorted tonnage: 6,450 GRT.

Intentions for 12 January: (1) V 210 ready at Cherbourg; (2) V 703/04 convoy Alderney–Guernsey; (3) V 208/09/13 dockyard passage Cherbourg–Le Havre; (4) V 711/22 and V 207 complete night troop convoy of 11/12 January Malo–Jersey–Guernsey, V 711/22 evening return Guernsey–Jersey–Malo; (5) V 212 and M 4600 shadow Hüxter Malo–Guernsey; (6) M 4612/01/06 independently Malo–Granville, then combined convoy to Jersey–Guernsey; (7) M 4604/05/07 combined convoy Jersey–Granville, then independently to Malo.

1715, Jersey: M 4604/05/07 arrived with convoy from Malo. 1800, Malo: night troop convoy cancelled owing to weather. 1800, Cherbourg: V 703/04 sailed with Hydra and Schwalbe for Alderney. 2050, Alderney: V 703/04 arrived with convoy from Cherbourg; return to Cherbourg impossible owing to weather. 2200, Cherbourg: V 209/08 arrived from Malo.

Remark: weather prevented collection of the ordered convoys at Guernsey and Alderney. Harbour Commandant Alderney's radio message on the HS wavelength was not correctly received here and consequently arrived hours later. A telephone call to Operations Centre Cherbourg clarified matters. Its equipment had detected both V 209/08 coming from Malo–Guernsey and V 703/04 with convoy from Cherbourg, enabling an exact report on the boats' movements. This close cooperation made it possible to correct the ship-reporting service in time. Signed on behalf, Wunderlich.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scans 0694–0695, original pages 20–22.