1 April 1942

1 April 1942 St Malo convoy diary

Secret. War Diary of the Convoy Control Office St Malo, 1–15 April 1942. [Scans 0299 and 0300 are covers; the title is 0301. Head: Fregattenkapitän Dr Diederichs.] Weather: WNW fresh breeze, visibility 5 nautical miles, slight sea.

The night convoys were only partly carried out as planned on 31 March. V 210/08 returned to Guernsey because visibility of 100 metres made protection impossible. General der Artillerie Eberth’s voyage was combined with the troop convoy. The commanders of V 209/07, Oberleutnant zur See Stock and Leutnant zur See Wieboldt, completed their duties exceptionally quickly. Three fishing cutters were ordered by day Guernsey–Cherbourg; V 210/08 were to return to Guernsey to carry out the cancelled troop convoy. V 212/11, protecting Olwe’s daytime cable work, were assigned the Jersey–Alderney troop convoy during the night of 1/2 April without delaying cable work. The division extended the availability of V 1510/704 until the morning of 5 April. [The source explicitly corrects the designation V 710/704.] Four pairs carried out or began twelve escort tasks between 00:00 and 24:00.

Correction to 31 March, item 3: convoy postponed because of fog; escorted tonnage 6,499 GRT. Situation: V 213 Brest, installation of 8.8 cm gun; V 212/11 protect Olwe by day, RO 8 Jersey–Alderney at night; V 210/08 Guernsey–Cherbourg with three cutters, back without convoy, then Karel, Derfflinger and Livadia with troops to Jersey; V 209/07, after landing the General, release Holland and Schockland at Guernsey, proceed without convoy Guernsey–Jersey, then at 17:30 Jersey–Guernsey with the General aboard V 207; V 206/04 replenish at St Malo; V 205 dock Cherbourg; V 704/1510 at 13:00 Cherbourg–Guernsey with B 125 S, P 310 PM, Inisulva, Normand and SF 108, then overnight Guernsey–Alderney–Cherbourg. Escorted tonnage initially 9,893 GRT, corrected on 2 April to 7,056 GRT.

Intentions for 2 April: V 213 gun installation; V 212/11 return without convoy Alderney–Jersey, later protect Olwe; V 210/08 troop convoy to St Malo with the above vessels and H 13 from Jersey, then replenish; V 209/07 afternoon Guernsey–St Malo with the General aboard V 207; V 206/04 ready St Malo; V 205 dock Cherbourg; V 1510/704 complete Guernsey–Alderney–Cherbourg troop convoy, then ready.

20:00: Jafü 3 telephones that V 209/07, with the General aboard, appear to have suffered damage near Corbière. 21:45: Harbour Commandant Jersey reports V 207’s machinery damage; after three hours V 209 succeeds in taking V 207 in tow. The harbour tug turned back because of the sea. Naval Signal Station Corbière reports the tow heading for Jersey, where it arrives at 01:45.

T-1022 Roll 2423, PG 38000, scans 0299–0302.