27 April 1943 Part 1

27 April 1943 Channel Islands Sea Defence diary

Weather: wind 270°, 2 m/sec. At 17:18, the convoy from Granville to Guernsey was attacked at low altitude by 26 aircraft approaching from the south-west out of the sun, using guns and bombs. The force comprised fighters and twin-engined bombers.

The coastal motor vessel Helma was sunk by direct hits; her crew was rescued unhurt. The steamer Maas received bomb hits, caught fire and was towed into St Helier while the fire was being extinguished. M 4611 received several gunfire hits and a bomb hit below the waterline on the port quarter. It was towed damaged into St Helier and grounded. Attempts to pump it out with two pumps failed, and as the tide fell the vessel listed approximately 80° to port.

Casualties: aboard Maas, 3 dead, 1 missing and 1 slightly wounded; aboard M 4611, 2 dead, 5 seriously wounded and 10 slightly wounded.

Helma, 187 GRT, was hit by a bomb at the after edge of No. 1 hatch. A second bomb fell just outboard amidships and tore open the port side. The ship took water immediately and sank rapidly. The captain's attempt to beach her in St Brelade’s Bay [source spelling “St. Brelades-Bay”] failed because she sank too quickly. When she could no longer be saved, her crew took to the boats and was picked up by the lighter Mazagan. The classified documents were recovered.

When the master of Maas saw three low-flying aircraft attacking from port, he ordered the helm to port to make accurate bombing more difficult. Two bombs from the first aircraft fell 20–30 metres astern to starboard. The second aircraft scored two hits amidships to port; the bombs passed through the boat deck, main deck and intervening compartments into the boiler plant. The port boiler was destroyed, every steam line at the starboard boiler was severed and the engine stopped immediately.

Third Engineer Borchardt and steward Ernst Gravelmann were killed immediately. Radio operator Schmid, wounded while on deck, died in hospital that evening. Anti-aircraft gunner Paul Kuchler was blown from his position into the water and remained missing. Cook Josef Stüber suffered a gunshot wound.

The third attacking aircraft struck the port side with two bombs: one at the waterline at the after edge of No. 2 hatch, and the other amidships level with the engine room, one metre above the waterline. The ship was enveloped in smoke and steam, began making water and developed a slight list to port. Non-essential crew transferred to Mazagan, which had come alongside. Maas was then towed into harbour and its classified documents recovered.

On the orders of the Jersey Harbour Commandant, FK 13, FK 23, FK 25, FK 28 and FK 29, tug H 6 S, Argues and later FK 08, tug B 113 S, Poincaré and Guynemer, together with the Harbour Surveillance Station boat carrying a doctor, put out to assist.

The fifth anti-aircraft gun of Batterie Lothringen, Naval Artillery Battalion 604, fired 14 rounds 2-cm at aircraft attempting to attack a freighter in St Aubin's Bay off St Helier. The aircraft turned away. After the fourteenth round, a cartridge case jammed in the ejection opening and caused a stoppage. No hits were observed.

Subsequent undated assessment concerning this entry — source: T-1022 Roll 2423, scan 0177, Naval War Staff registry 1386/43. To avoid further losses of this kind, the entire island transport service had meanwhile been ordered to operate at night. Typed signature: Rieve; authenticated for the Commanding Admiral, Channel Coast, by the Chief of Staff [handwritten signature not securely read]. This is a later assessment of 27 April, not evidence that the order was issued that day.

T-1022 Roll 2422, PG 37997, scans 0626–0627.