11 September 1942

11 September 1942 St Malo Convoy Control Office

Weather: North-east to east, weak to moderate breeze; daytime sea breeze, light to weak; visibility 12–15 nautical miles; calm sea.

Requests: (1) Pondicherry and Normand Granville–Jersey, Gabes and Compt. 66 Granville–Guernsey; (2) combined convoy Kochelsee, three tugs and seven barges Malo–Jersey; (3) night troop convoy of 11/12 September, RO 21 from Jersey and Robert Müller 8 from Guernsey to Alderney; (4) night troop convoy of 11/12 September from Malo, Minotaure for Guernsey and La France for Jersey; (5) steamer Monbaldo, convoy 3322, Lézardrieux–Cherbourg. I assign M 4611/05 to (1), first independently Malo–Granville; V 705/22 to (2) and (3); V 707/04 to (4); M 1207/04, V 212/08 and F 6 to (5).

0630, Malo: M 4605/11 independently to Granville. 0830, Malo: V 705/22 sailed with combined convoy for Jersey. 0930, Granville: M 4611/05 took over convoy for Jersey–Guernsey. 1245, Jersey: M 4611/05 released Pondicherry and Normand and continued to Guernsey.

The following was sent to 3rd Security Division. Situation for 11 September: (1) V 209 fitting out and resting at Cherbourg; (2) V 707/04 night troop convoy of 11/12 September from Malo, La France for Jersey and Minotaure for Guernsey; (3) M 1207/04, V 212/08 and F 6 night passage with convoy 3322 Lézardrieux–Cherbourg; (4) M 4611/05 independently Malo–Granville, then combined convoy Jersey–Guernsey; (5) M 4601 hull cleaning at Malo; (6) V 705/22 combined convoy Malo–Jersey, then night troop convoy with RO 21 from Jersey and Robert Müller 8 from Guernsey to Alderney. Escorted tonnage: 16,100 GRT.

Intentions for 12 September: (1) V 209 and M 1207 escort Cherbourg–Alderney and return; (2) V 212/08 and M 1204 completing the night passage with convoy 3322 Lézardrieux–Cherbourg, then escort Cherbourg–Guernsey–Malo; (3) V 707/04 completing the night troop convoy of 11/12 September, then night troop convoy of 12/13 September Minotaure from Guernsey and La France from Jersey to Malo; (4) M 4611/05 with Vollmar, one barge, Spes-Salutis and one fishing cutter Guernsey–Malo; (5) V 705/22 completing the night troop convoy of 11/12 September, then daylight escort Alderney–Cherbourg; (6) M 4601 hull cleaning at Malo.

1430: I am informed by telephone that the Wimille locating station can at any time give Henka's drifting wreck position off Cherbourg. I ask it by teletype to send a radio message at 0400 on 12 September giving the position to warn Monbaldo's convoy. It does not send the radio message. Investigation establishes: (1) Malo teletype office forwarded the request, no. 31729, to Paris at 1430 on 11 September; (2) Paris passed it to 2nd Security Division only at 0037 on 12 September, after ten hours; (3) the division passed it to the locating station only at 2255 on 12 September, more than 22 hours later, when the convoy had long since arrived. The Convoy Control Office deliberately used only urgency marking “S”, since there were 16 hours until the intended radio transmission.

1500: Commander, Security Forces West's secret teletype 5576 AI orders no more daylight passages Cherbourg–Alderney because of air danger; morning and evening twilight should be used where possible, allowing for the tide. I forward the order to Harbour Commandant Cherbourg (SFO), copied to Sea Transport Chief and Harbour Commandant Alderney, by teletype G 5300.

Remark: A suitable tide rarely coincides with morning or evening twilight. With the heavy traffic between Cherbourg and Alderney, convoys will inevitably have to be dispatched in full darkness, when surprise surface attacks can be made most readily.

1530, Guernsey: M 4611/05 arrived with the remainder from Granville. 1800, Jersey: V 705/22 arrived with combined convoy from Malo. The 45-nautical-mile passage has taken 11½ hours. 1900, Lézardrieux: M 1207/04/12, V 212/08 and F 6 sailed with Monbaldo's convoy for Cherbourg. 2040, Jersey: V 705/22 sailed with RO 21 for Guernsey–Alderney.

2100: The Minotaure–La France night troop convoy must be postponed 24 hours: (1) while turning in harbour, La France rams V 707 at the pier and badly dents her bulwark. Damage to the MES is suspected, which would make the boat unready, but this suspicion is not confirmed; (2) as V 707 pulls away, a wire end catches in her propeller and cannot immediately be removed; (3) according to the Harbour Commandant, the convoy should have passed Grand Jardin by 2200 because of practice firing, which these delays make uncertain. 2300, Guernsey: V 705/22 took Robert Müller 8 into convoy for Alderney.

Signed: Wunderlich.

T-1022 Roll 2423, scans 0492–0494, original pages 17–19. The 1430 entry includes the later investigation of a message delay through 12 September; it remains with its originating diary entry.