Convoy battles
OG-69
United Kingdom - Gibraltar (North Atlantic)24 Jul 1941 - 30 Jul 1941
| The Convoy | |
| First sighting | On 24 Jul 1941 by U-68 |
| Escorts | |
U-boats | U-79*, U-126 *, U-331, U-68, U-561 *, U-562, U-203 * and U-564 (briefly) * U-boats that fired torpedo or used the deck gun |
The battle | The convoy was located by B-Dienst, the German intelligence service, on 24 July and then confirmed by Fw-200 Condor aircraft. Initially 8 U-boats are directed towards it while another 6 boats are vectored against the SL.80 located the same day. The SL.80 escapes and the operation is withdrawn on the 26th. Actual U-boat contact is only on the 26th at 1745hrs, when U-68 finds the convoy after Fw-200 guidance. Between 1930 and 2040hrs U-79, U-371 and U-561 reached the convoy. U-79 attacked then as first U-boat in the early morning of 27th. In the same time U-331 also reached the convoy, but was forced aside by the escorts. 2 hours later arrived U-126 and U-203, which sunk immediate a ship. At 0330hrs were U79 and U-203 attacked from the escorts with depth charges. The U-boats shadowed the convoy in the daylight of 27th and attacked once more in the night. Last attack shot U-203 in the evening of the 28th. Last contact had Tiesenhausen's U-331 in the morning of 29th. 8 ships are sunk for 12,762 tons, no additional ships are damaged. The U-boats shooted 25 torpedoes and were attacked 6 times with depth charges and 2 times with guns. Only U-562 was damaged after an attack with depth charges and had to leave for heading home. |
Article compiled by Tom Linclau
Ships hit from convoy OG-69
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | GRT | Nat. | |
| 27 Jul 1941 | U-126 | Ernst Bauer | Erato | 1.335 |  br | |
| 27 Jul 1941 | U-126 | Ernst Bauer | Inga I | 1.304 |  nw | |
| 27 Jul 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Hawkinge | 2.475 | br | |
| 27 Jul 1941 | U-79 | Wolfgang Kaufmann | Kellwyn | 1.459 | br | |
| 28 Jul 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Lapland | 1.330 | br | |
| 28 Jul 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Norita | 1.516 |  sw | |
| 28 Jul 1941 | U-561 | Robert Bartels | Wrotham | 1.884 | br | |
7 ships sunk for a total of 11.303 tons from convoy OG-69