PQ17

The PQ-17 is the code name of a convoy combined during the Second world war. The allies sought to supply the the USSR which fought their common enemy, Reich Nazi. The convoys, organized 1941 with 1945, had as a destination the port of Arkhangelsk, the summer, and Mourmansk, the winter, via the Iceland and the ocean Arctique, accomplishing a perilous voyage in water among most hostile of the world.

The PQ17qui convoy made the voyage in 1942, entered the legend by the losses which it underwent. It lost 26 of the 37 Navire S which composed it.

Context

geographical .

The convoys towards the the USSR gather in Iceland. They then seek to gain their destination while passing more to possible north. The objective is to pass further possible from the coasts of Norway occupied by the Nazis.

Their destination is Arkhangelsk. It is the port which is furthest away from the German bases installed in Norway. In winter, when this port is taken by the ices, the convoys aim Mourmansk which, it, remains free ices throughout the year, but which presents the disadvantage of being much more close to the enemy bases and surrounded by hills which make it difficult to defend against the air raids.

But the presence of the ice-barrier prohibited to the ships of passage to sufficient move away the coasts and thus to pass out of the space threatened by the German planes. However, in this summer 1942, the ice-barrier went back very to north but still not sufficiently to remove the threat.

weather .

In summer, under these Latitude S, the night does not exist. The convoy will not be able thus to be camouflaged in the darkness.

The visibility is however far from being perfect. The clearness of the day is poor, the fog is frequent. Moreover, it is frequent also that " the sea fume". I.e. that the difference in temperature between the air and water supports the formation of low fogs in which the ships can be almost invisible.

military .

In June 1942, the German forces break in the plains of the USSR, of Voronej to the Black Sea. Those of the south prepare to seize a named city Stalingrad.

In Africa, Tobrouk fell the June 21st and Rommel continues its progression towards the Egypt.

To help the Soviet effort of war, the allies were committed providing all the possible material. Part of this help passes by the convoys of Mourmansk.

The passage of the preceding convoy (PQ16) was dearly paid. It was proposed to differ the departure from the next convoy, to avoid the unfavourable weather conditions of the polar summer. But, for political reasons, Churchill chooses to make leave the PQ17 nevertheless. The escort will be powerful. One will go even until creating a false convoy to delude German.

The composition of the convoy

Cargo liners

The convoy is composed of 36 Cargo S. One account 23 American, mainly Liberty-ship S; 8 English cargo liners, 2 Russian, 2 Panamanians and Dutch.

One of English is a Pétrolier which must be used to supply the escort ships. The latter must fill their tanks almost the every day.

The escort

The escort is, on paper, imposing. Classically, it is divided into 2. There are a protection brought closer and a force to support.

the brought closer escort.

Under the orders of the " commander" I Broome, sailor of experiment, the group of escort am composed of 6 destroyers, 4 Corvette S, 3 dredger S. One finds in more the 2 cargo liners transformed into anti-aircraft ships.

the force of support.

It is double. One finds initially the division of Croiseur S of against admiral Hamilton. They are HMS Norfolk and HMS London , with 2 American Croiseur S, USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita . This division has 3 Destroyer S.

To face German linerships, the allies align off the Cuirassé S HMS Duke York and USS Washington , accompanied by the Croiseur S HMS Nigeria , HMS Cumberland , of the Porte-avions HMS Victorious , 10 Destroyer S British and 2 American.

Moreover, admiralty deployed a line of 8 Sous-marin S to try to intercept any German force which would seek to leave its muoillage Norwegian.

The organization

The convoy is organized in 9 columns of 4 cargo liners each one. The columns are spaced of 1000 meters and, in a column, the ships sail with 400 meters from/to each other. The shape of the rectangle formed by the cargo liners of the convoy, much broader than long, is intended to complicate the task of attackers attacking of side.

The brought closer escort form a screen around the convoy. There are 2 different formations. The anti-underwater formation sees the escort ships positioning with 3000 meters of the convoy; the anti-aircraft formation sees the escort ships approaching with 1000 meters the convoy.

To order Broome chose to make a double screen. The external screen, to flush out the U-boot E, with the 4 Trawler S armed. They are placed at the before-right and before-left for the Lord Austin and Lord Middleton , at right back and the back-left for the Northern Gem and the Ayrshire .

The interior screen includes/understands the other escort ships. In front of the convoy, there is HMS Keppel (SOE). With its line, HMS Leamington and HMS Poppy ; with its left, HMS Wilton and HMS Lotus . On the right side, HMS Offa and HMS Ledbury ; on the left side, HMS Fury and the Corvette HMS the Inhabitant of Saint Malo .

The cover of the back of the convoy is ensured by HMS Halcyon , HMS Dianella and HMS Salamander , with HMS Britomart behind. The role of this last is to drive out the U-boot which would track the convoy, but also to activate the possible carriages.

The two anti-aircraft ships, HMS Pozarica and HMS Palomares are placed in the convoy. They are between the 2 most external columns, left for HMS Palomares , right-hand side for HMS Pozarica , in the middle of those.

The escort includes/understands finally 2 Sous-marin S, P614 and P615 , which one waits until they attack the enemy buildings of surface which would come to range.

3 ships of rescue are also attached to the convoys, HMS Zaafaran , HMS Zamalek and HMS Rathlin . The position which to them is assigned the place each one with the back of a column of cargo liners. They are equipped with means of radiogoniometric detection (HF/DF, are familiarly called " Huff-Duff") and can thus help the remainder of the escort to locate the position of Sous-marin S sending of the radio messages.

One of the cargo liners, Empire Tide , is a Camwood-ship. I.e. that it is provided with a catapult and a hunter Hurricane. It is positioned in one of the columns of the center, in 3rd position

The speed planned for the convoy will be of 8 miles per hour.

German forces

In 1942, German reinforced their means in Norway. To be opposed to the passage convoys but also by fear of an unloading of combined in Norway.

Navy

With Trondheim, one finds the Tirpitz and the Hipper . There are also 3 Destroyer S.

With Narvik, the Scheer and the Lützow are wet. With them, 6 Destroyer S.

Two flotillas of submarines are stationed in the bases of Kirkenes, Trondheim, Bergen and Narvik. That groups a score of " wolves gris".

Aviation

Several aerodromes house German equipment. Their operating range of action enables them to cover a good part of the space which the convoys must borrow.

The apparatuses are based with Borduflos (close to Narvik), Tromsö, Banak (close to the Northern Cape), Kirkenes, Petsamo and Bodo. The units are KG 26 and KG 30.

The apparatuses are varied. Apart from the large four-engined planes FW200 Condor, one finds bombers JU 88, He 111 and Ju 87. There are also seaplanes, of type He115 and BV138.

In all, German will engage 202 apparatuses against the convoy.

The " plan; Rösselsprung"

The plan must proceed in 2 times. First of all, of the air recognitions to locate the convoy in the neighborhoods of the island Jan Mayen. Once discovered, it is attacked by the planes, with the bomb and the torpedo.

In the second time, 2 groups of combat of surface vessels, supported by air and underwater means, must destroy the convoy and its escort when it exceeds the 5° longitude is. Tirpitz and Hipper, with 4 destroyers and 2 destroyers form the first group of combat. Lützow and Scheer, with 1 destroyer and 5 destroyers form the second group.

Hitler approves the plan but under conditions. In particular, it requires that any enemy air support be eliminated as a preliminary, i.e. any aircraft carrier present. Lastly, the ships must avoid any risk and know this to satisfy with a partial success rather than to take risks by seeking a total destruction of the adversary.

The information

If German lays out sympathizers in Iceland to inform them, they are also able to decipher some of the English codes. In particular, the Naval cypher 3 , which is used as from January 1942 for the communications with the convoys is deciphered February 1942.

They also seized, before even its coming into effect, a new code on a hailed cargo liner. Some of the cargo liners of the PQ17 will be cast only after being inspected by the crew of the U-boot.

German thus has a rather precise idea from what occurs throughout the voyage from the PQ17.

Without the knowledge, they also seriously will disturb the work of the services of English decoding to Bletchley Park. A new model of machine to code Enigma is brought into service at this period, depriving English of the usual information, time to find the procedure of the new machine.

The odyssey of the PQ 17

June 27th

Equipment. The S Richard Bland fails and leaves the convoy.

June 29th

the convoy meets drifting ices. 4 cargo liners are damaged. S Exford gives up the convoy.

June 30th

the escort joined the convoy which until was there escorted by 4 trawlers and 3 dredgers.

July 1st

Departure of the cruisers and the force of support.

About midday, the convoy is detected by U-255 and U-408. The escort detects in its turn a submarine. The English message sent is intercepted by German.

14:00 a Hydravion Bv 138 discovers the convoy. Its message is intercepted by English.

German sends in reinforcement U-336 and U-456 towards the convoy. They prepare also a stopping more in the east while directing 6 others there U-boot S.

July 2nd :

In the night, the German surface vessels install to gain a station in north more. The Lützow and 3 destroyers run up against rocks and will not take share with the operation.

There are now 3 planes which monitor the convoy.

In the course of the day, U-456 tries an attack; it is driven back by 4 of the escort ships.

18:00 : 9 seaplanes He 115 attack the convoy; they aim HMS Pozarica . Without result, a plane is cut down, its crew fished out by another He 115 which does not hesitate to be posed under fire.

July 3rd :

an English reconnaissance aircraft discovers that the damping of Trondheim is empty. The recognition on Narvik cannot be carried out by the Catalina envisaged. English concludes from it that all the German fleet installed.

Fog. The convoy threads discreetly.

July 4th

4:50 : A plane destroyer attacks the HMLS Pozarica which operates to avoid the machine which strikes another cargo liner. The cargo liner does not run. P614 launches to him in its turn a torpedo, without result. It is then HMS Dianella which launches 2 underwater loads closest it cargo liner given up to dislocate the hull. Always without result. But the noise of the explosions attracts U-457 which renews contact with the convoy and calls the remainder of the pack.

Throughout the day, follows one another of the air raids. Defense succeeds in dislocating each attack.

2 0:20 : more than 25 He 111 and Ju 88 attack on line, launching several tens of torpedes on the convoy. The aircraft fly so low that the cargo liners are able from there to draw above. 3 cargo liners are torpedoed, and 3 shot down planes, several others damaged.

21:11 : the cruisers receive the order to be withdrawn.

21:23 : message ordering the dispersion of the convoy.

21:36 : 13 minutes later, new message modifying the verb " disperser" used previously ( to disperses ) by " éparpiller" ( to scatter ), thus giving the impression of the imminence of the appearance of the linerships Nazis.

22:20 : HMS Keppel raises a white house to Red Cross. It is the order of dispersion of the convoy, every man for himself.

the dispersion of a convoy is an operation envisaged by the handbook. Each column must deviate from 10° of that from at side; then, in each column, the cargo liners uncouple, alternatively, on the right and on the left. Then, each one chooses its road.

About midnight, U-456 announces the good news, the departure of the escort.

July 5th

11 cargo liners are run. 5 by the planes, 6 by the submarines.

the ship of rescue HMS Zaafaran is bombarded by a German plane. A bomb explodes on its bridge, 2 others burst in the vicinity.

the trawler HMS Ayrshire with the Ironclad decides to travel in the North-West and to skirt the ice-barrier then. Making way they meet Troubadour , then Silver sword . He intend to let spend a few days before continuing the tour. Troubadour transporting white painting in its cargo, the 4 survivors will paint of it their right-sided exposed to the sight of possible enemies.

July 6th

2 cargo liners moreover are sent by the bottom. One by the Luftwaffe, the other by U-255.

15:00 the German surface vessels leave Altenfjord. The prey that they aimed being in the course of destruction, they are pointed out a little later.

July 7th

U-255 runs its second victim, Alcoa Ranger .

6:00 the cargo liner Pankraft is victim of a plane destroyer.

16:00 the tanker Aldersdale is torpedoed by U-457.

20:00 the cargo liner Hartlebury is victim of U-355.

July 8th

1 cargo liner is cast. S Olopana is the third victim of U-255.

July 10th

2 new cargo liners are run, close to the entry of the White Sea.

July 13rd

the Dutch cargo liner, Paulus Potter , given up, is torpedoed by U-255.

July 24th

HMS Ayrshire and its 3 companions arrives healthy and safe at the port.

Assessment and questions

Assessment.

On 36 ships, 2 made half-turn, 11 were torpedoed (whose ship of rescue) and 11 were bombarded and torpedoed. There remain 11 surviving cargo liners which reach their destination.

The incurred losses were enormous for the Soviet effort of war of the S since these ships were to deliver material of combat to them. 3350 vehicles, 430 tanks, 210 planes and 93.316 tons of provisioning were lost. 153 sailors lost the life.

The lost material represents what to equip nearly 3 divisions. After a terrestrial battle, such losses would make speak about important defeat.

It should however be noted that on the whole of the Arctic convoys, the losses were of the same order as those undergone by the Atlantic convoys. But they are the losses incurred by two of them, of which the PQ17, which created the legend.

did the lost material influence the course of the conflict?

The losses are important, but if the sendings of materials by Mourmansk seem considerable, they account for only approximately 25% of the tonnage received by the the USSR. The remainder passes by the the Middle East, and also by the Pacifique, between the the United States and Vladivostock.

Have did to be dispersed the convoy?

A posteriori, it is obvious that the decision taken by Admiralty to disperse the convoy was an error. But how was it taken?

Dudley Pound, first Lord of the Admiralty, which made the decision, had the following elements. First of all, that the zone was under the threat of the German planes. Then, that vis-a-vis an attack of cruisers or battleships enemy, the convoy could not anything. The cruisers could be measured with the German destroyers or cruisers, but not with the Tirpitz. There, one off needed the presence of HMS Duke York and of USS Washington , but those then became targets of choice for the German bombers. The presence of port-planes British, HMS Victorious , was not sufficient to offer an adequate air protection to them.

It did not have either to be drawn aside the possibility that the German ships do not scorn the PQ17 and do not benefit from it to launch a raid in the Atlantic like had tried it the Bismarck .

The admiral Pound was to appreciate the level of the threat represented for the convoy. He had for that several information;

The first information had from Sweden where the British naval attache had received a confidence: " Tirpitz, a battleship of pocket and 6 destroyers will attack the next convoy for Russie". It had retransmis the message with Admiralty, on June 18th, by granting a confidence " to him; A3" , i.e. " source absolutely of confiance". On arrival, information was classified " A2" , i.e. as sure as the messages deciphered by English themselves. The July 3rd a message intercepted by the British and partially deciphered indicated the equipment of Tirpitz. The July 4th, with 19:18, another message is deciphered. It indicates: " Tirpitz arrived at Altenfjord with 19:18, the July 4th. The destroyers and destroyers have order of mazouter immédiatement".

An additional problem comes to complicate the task of the British services of listening. The service of English decoding needs approximately 48 hours to reconstitute the key of coding used when German changes it, which they do regularly. And it is what arrives during the voyage of the PQ17.

With these indices indicating equipment, Pound asks its intelligence services if they can ensure it that German is always with quay. Those admit to be able to certify it, even if they propose a series of indices in this direction, like the absence of interception of characteristic messages. Weighing for and against, the admiral Pound makes his decision, decision who will appear fatal for the convoy.

Consequences

In spite of this catastrophic result, the following convoy, PQ18, are programmed for September 1942. Its passage will be also hard. The following convoys will wait the winter to leave. JW51A will pass without encumbers, JW51B will also pass, the escort having succeeded in driving out the surface vessels trying to make a success of what they had not been able to do with PQ17.

The escorts will be reinforced and one will see, dice the following convoy, the appearance of escort carrier to provide an aerial cover to the cargo liners.

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