15 January 1943 Part 2

15 January 1943 St Malo Convoy Control Office

Weather: North-west to west force 3–4, sea 3, visibility 10 nautical miles, cloudy, medium-high long swell from north-west. 0200, Cherbourg: V 704 arrived with Spinell from Alderney. Following a slight easing of the wind, tasks are: (1) shadow Hüxter Guernsey–Malo; (2) night troop convoy Malo–Guernsey, Rob. Müller 8, H 49 and La France; (3) night troop convoy Guernsey–Malo, RO 45, La France and Rob. Müller 8; (4) Saigon, Mazagan, Gabes and Claus Jersey–Granville; (5) check south-eastern entrance to St Helier.

Assigned: (1) V 212/10 and M 4600, the latter ordered to turn off at Corbière and join M 4601/06's group to search St Helier's south-eastern entrance with SSG and KERG [equipment abbreviations retained]; (2), then (3), V 711/22 and V 207, which is to enter Guernsey for later onward passage with V 424 to Alderney–Cherbourg; (4) M 4604/05/07; (5) M 4601/06 and M 4600 as above.

0745, Guernsey: V 210/12 and M 4600 sailed with Hüxter for Malo. 0915, Jersey, St Helier: M 4601/06 sailed to check south-eastern entrance with SSG. 0915, Jersey: M 4604/05/07 sailed with convoy for Granville. 1030, Jersey: M 4600 arrived from Guernsey. 1200, Malo: M 4602 and three Hummer boats sailed to roads with WO course. 1215, Jersey: M 4600 sailed to join M 4601/06. 1220, Guernsey: Bizon, Nordplein, Rheinland and Comptoir 66 sailed unescorted for Jersey. 1330, Malo: V 210/12 arrived with Hüxter from Guernsey.

Report to 3rd Security Division. Special event: V 703 at Alderney is a total loss; no loss of life. Corrections to 14 January: item 1 delete V 207; item 3 add V 207; item 4 V 704 with Spinell Alderney–Cherbourg. Escorted tonnage: 650 GRT. Situation for 15 January: (1) V 212/10 and M 4600 shadow Hüxter Guernsey–Malo, M 4600 detached off Corbière, then item 2; (2) M 4600/01/06 check Jersey south-eastern entrance with SSG; (3) M 4604/05/07 combined convoy Jersey–Granville; (4) M 4602 and three Hummer boats in Malo roads with WO course; (5) V 711/22 and V 207 night troop convoy of 15/16 January Malo–Guernsey, Rob. Müller 8, H 49 and La France; (6) V 424 ready at Guernsey; (7) V 704 complete Spinell convoy Alderney–Cherbourg, then rest; (8) M 4612 coaling at Malo; (9) M 4047 minor repairs at Cherbourg. Escorted tonnage: 6,450 GRT.

Intentions for 16 January: (1) V 212/10 night troop convoy Malo–Guernsey; (2) M 4600/01/06 check Jersey south-eastern entrance with SSG; (3) M 4604/05/07 combined convoy Granville–Jersey–Guernsey; (4) V 711/22 return convoy Guernsey–Malo at 0200 with RO 45, Rob. Müller 8 and La France, evening night troop convoy of 16/17 January Malo–Jersey; (5) V 207/424 evening convoy with Tinda and Irene Guernsey–Alderney, then four coasters Alderney–Cherbourg; (6) V 704 repairs at Cherbourg; (7) M 4047 ready there; (8) M 4602/12 ready at Malo; (9) V 206/11 coming from east, Cherbourg–Malo passage.

1425, Jersey: Corona and Meteor sailed for Guernsey. 1430, Granville: M 4604/05/07 detached Mazagan, Gabes, Saigon and Claus, proceeding to Malo. Remark: I had a message passed through MSS Granville that the boats should remain in Granville to collect tomorrow's convoy. Transmission failed, so the boats immediately continued to Malo. 1430, Granville: RO 8 and Sperber sailed for Jersey. Remark: persistent bad weather has caused many ships to accumulate in ports awaiting escort to the islands or mainland. The small number of available escorts allows only some tasks to be covered. The Chief of Sea Transport therefore insisted, despite the Convoy Control Office's concerns, that even the large ships RO 8 and Sperber sail unescorted.

1505, Malo: I radioed M 4604, “Ordered to enter Granville for tomorrow's task.” 1615, Jersey: Bizon, Nordplein, Rheinland and Comptoir [66, identified in departure entry] arrived from Guernsey. 1700, Malo: M 4604/05/07 arrived from Granville. Remark: as the boats had not received the order to enter Granville, which MSS Granville had not reported, it was now too late to return because they could no longer enter the lock there. I had them locked into Malo and ordered them to Granville in good time the following morning. 1720, Malo: V 711/22 and V 207 sailed with Rob. Müller 8, H 49 and La France for Guernsey. 1745, Malo: M 4602 returned from roads with three Hummer boats and WO course.

1820, Jersey: M 4600/01/06 returned from checking south-eastern entrance with SSG and KERG, no mines swept. 1845, Guernsey: Corona and Meteor arrived from Jersey. 1920, Jersey: RO 8 and Sperber arrived from Granville. 2325, Malo: I radioed V 206/11 to proceed to Alderney, collect three coasters and escort them to Cherbourg, then begin passage to Malo. 2345, Guernsey: V 711/22 and V 207 arrived with convoy from Malo. Signed on behalf, Wunderlich.

Summary for 1–15 January 1943. Source: scans 0699–0700, original page 31; scan 0700 repeats pages 30–31 already present in 0699. Daily escorted tonnage in GRT, as printed: 1 January 3,200; 2 none; 3 7,600; 4 7,900; 5 4,500; 6 1,840; 7 7,650; 8 3,000; subtotal 35,690. 9 none; 10 none; 11 950; 12 none; 13 5,300; 14 650; 15 6,450; subtotal 13,350. Printed total: 49,040 GRT. These subtotals and total add correctly. The summary's 4 January figure differs from 9,450 less the 600 correction in the daily narrative; its 6 January figure is 1,840, whereas the daily report gives 1,240. Both source readings are retained.

Convoy-request summary, columns requested / executed / executed later / refused, with dashes or blank cells shown as “—”: 1 January 2 / 1 / 1 / —, one to 3 January; 2 — / — / — / —; 3 1 / 2 / — / —, one from 1 January; 4 4 / 4 / — / —; 5 5 / 4 / — / 1, lack of boats; 6 3 / 2 / 1 / —, one to 7 January; 7 3 / 4 / — / —, one from 6 January; 8 3 / 3 / — / —; 9 1 / — / 1 / —, to 10 January; 10 — / — / 1 / —, weather, to 11 January; 11 5 / 2 / 4 / —, weather, three to 13 January and one to 14 January; 12 — / — / — / —; 13 4 / 3 / 4 / —, three to 15 January and one to 16 January; 14 — / 1 / — / —, from 12 January; 15 — / 3 / — / —, from 13 January. Printed totals: 31 requested, 29 executed, 12 executed later, one refused. These columns track delays and carried-over work and should not be treated as mutually exclusive dispositions of 31 requests. Closed 15 January 1943; signed Wunderlich, Lieutenant Commander and acting Chief of 2nd Patrol Boat Flotilla.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scans 0697–0699, original pages 27–30.