Merchant Ship Attacked - Milford Haven May 1941. Any ID possible?

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by hucks216, Jan 9, 2021.

  1. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Good evening all. I have a report from a Luftwaffe airman who served in a maritime bomber unit. In the report for a sortie on the night of 10-11th May 1941 he mentions attacking a merchant ship of about 6,000t at a height of 30 to 40m at night with the bomb missing the ship by just a few metres with the ship stopping in the water after the explosion. He gives a Luftwaffe map coordinate that places the attack about 12 miles from Milford Haven. This was how it was reported in the daily Luftwaffe Command briefing:
    10-11 May 1941 009.jpg

    I have not found any mention of a merchant ship being sunk on that date or in that location but would anyone know if their are any British reports of ships being attacked and damaged at this location on the night of 10-11th May?
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Might be worth trying the local newspaper archives - Pembroke Dock's night of terror when 30 people were killed

    THE Pier Hotel, a prominent landmark on the corner of Tremeyrick Street and London Road, was destroyed in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) ‘blitz’ on Pembroke Dock on the night of May 11/12 1941.

    TD
     
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  3. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

  4. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Claim reported in the papers:
    Milford.jpg
     
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  6. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    Some background knowledge about the organisation of the naval aviation groups, although the term "organisation" is vastly overused here:

    The deployment of German naval air forces was generally severely impaired by the constant disputes between the Ob.d.L. (Göring) and the Ob.d.M. (Raeder) over their authority of disposal. At first it was about the right to assign combat missions to naval aviation units. In the opinion of the Ob.d.L., these were to be limited to reconnaissance, escort and sea rescue tasks. With the conversion of coastal aviation groups to wheeled aircraft, the dispute further escalated from mid-1940 onwards.
    As a result, the Ob.d.M. was forced to keep its scarce assets somehow halfway operational for its purposes through constant organisational regroupings and renamings:
    So for example in Oct ´41 the 2./906 became 2./506 and switched it´s Ju 88 for He 115 from the latter unit
    The former 2./506 in turn became 2./906, received the Ju88 and was imediately thereafter remaned from KüFlGr to KG

    As far as the planes of the KüFlGr 406 in question are concerned:

    In early May 1941 Staffel 1./406 was in List (under Gruppenstab 506 in Westerland) undergoing conversion to the BV 138.
    Whereas Gruppenstab 406 had in May 1941 the following Staffeln with He 115 in Brest:
    2./506
    1./906

    For those who are now confused: this is the highly simplified breakdown ;-)
     
  7. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Many thanks for the replies. I didn't think there would be much chance of getting anything so to get the name of the ship and a newspaper notification is brilliant.
     
  8. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Cargo ship CAITHNESS sailed Milford Haven in convoy OB.321 on 11 May 1941. The ship's rather messy movement card does record an attack on 11 May 1941 - bomb damage.
    She arrives at Belfast Lough on 12 May and repaired at Belfast on 19 May. There may also be a mention in the ship's official logbook of the attack which should be held at Kew in piece BT 381/1563
    Regards
    Hugh
     
  9. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Thanks for the pointers on those documents. I have just downloaded the movement cards and will bookmark the Ships Log details as I might have a few requests to copy files so will put those together in one order.
     
  10. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Just be careful about ordering the logbook - its for a whole year and has many parts to it and you are only interested in the Narrative and that date range.
    Regards
    Hugh
     
  11. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    Thanks for the heads-up.
     

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