German Commerce Raider vs British Cruiser: The Atlantic & The Pacific 1941 (Duel)
Robert Forczyk
Language: English
Pages: 80
ISBN: B01DPPWJ64
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
During World War II, the Kriegsmarine armed a number of merchant vessels with concealed guns and torpedo tubes for surprise attacks against Allied shipping. To counter this deadly threat, the Royal Navy employed cruisers and their intelligence-gathering apparatus to find and destroy the disguised German commerce raiders. This Duel title covers the deadly game of cat and mouse, fought by these surface vessels during World War II.
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Strategic Situation 33 Combatants 39 Combat 47 Statistics and Analysis 73 Aftermath 75 Further Reading 78 Index 80 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com DUE 27 Text.qxd:DUE 27 Text 15/2/10 14:00 Page 4 INTRODUCTION “…in action with British cruiser. Fighting for the glory and honor of Germany. A last greeting to our relatives.” Last message from Hilfskreuzer Leopard, sunk March 16, 1917, by British cruiser HMS Achilles 4 At the beginning of the 20th century, it was.
1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and hoped to send up to four raiders to the Pacific by means of passing through Soviet waters in the Arctic Sea. With the assistance of Soviet icebreakers, the Hilfskreuzer Komet began threading its way through the Arctic in August 1940 and eventually reached the Pacific by September. This route had the advantage of totally avoiding the British blockade, but Soviet cooperation was inconsistent and Stalin demanded a fee of 950,000 RM to assist with the Komet’s.
Another destroyer limited his ship’s contributions, and his destroyer was laid up during the initial invasion of Norway in April 1940. In June 1940, however, Detmers’ destroyer participated in Operation Juno, a fleet sortie off the coast of Norway. When some British shipping was intercepted, Detmers was ordered to finish off the damaged 5,666-ton British tanker Oil Pioneer with a torpedo – his first “kill.” Returning from Operation Juno, Detmers was surprised to discover that the SKL had.
From RAF patrol aircraft, while the Hilfskreuzer became increasingly reluctant to risk operating close to shore after the loss of the Pinguin. Detmers spent weeks cruising © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com DUE 27 Text.qxd:DUE 27 Text 15/2/10 14:04 Page 63 around the central Indian Ocean without sighting anything, and sank his last Allied freighter on September 26. He then proceeded eastward to rendezvous with the supply ship Kulmerland off southwest Australia’s Cape Leewin in.
Action, the Kormoran fired 500 15cm rounds and scored approximately 86 hits, along with one torpedo hit and numerous smaller-caliber hits. It is not certain how many rounds HMAS Sydney fired, but probably no more than about 50 6in shells and six torpedoes. It was a lop-sided engagement that was decided by leadership and quick reactions. There is also little doubt – although unpleasant to Australian sensibilities – that Captain Burnett’s decision to get so close to Kormoran without being sure of.