WAR ON MARITIME COMMERCE.

German campaigns and battles 1919-1945.

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tigre
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WAR ON MARITIME COMMERCE.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; a brief account of an article I've found over there..........................

TWELVE MONTHS OF WAR ON COMMERCE.

BRITISH, ALLIED AND NEUTRAL MERCHANT SHIPPING.

From the outbreak of hostilities until the 4th of September, 1940, over 35,000 vessels were convoyed in British convoys, and this with a loss of only ninety-nine ships, or one vessel lost for every 350 brought safely to port.

The total British losses during the first year of the war for all classes of vessels-both merchant and fishing-was 406, of a gross tonnage of 1,611,842.

The Allies lost 103 ships of 474,816 tons, and the neutrals 253 ships of 769,212 tons, making a total for all countries of 762 ships of 2,855,870 tons.

The British losses for a similar period in the last war were 383 ships of 651,255 tons.

GERMAN MERCHANT SHIPPING.

During the first year of war Germany is reported to have lost the following ships :

Captured or seized by the British: 27 ships of 95,000 tons (approx.)
Captured or seized by the Dutch: 26 ships of 145,000 tons (approx.) - Mostly in the East and West Indies.
Sunk or scuttled : 70 ships of 380,000 tons (approx.)
Unidentified ships reported sunk or destroyed by the Allies (approx.) 60 ships of 300,000 tons
Total 183 ships of 920,000 tons (approx.).

There are still more than 130 ships of a total tonnage of over 650,000 sheltering in neutral ports. Few of these seem to have made any serious movement for months, and many have not moved since the outbreak of war.

ITALIAN MERCHANT SHIPPING.

Since the entry of Italy into the war on the 11th of June, 1940, to the 3rd of September, 1940, she has lost:

Captured or seized: 29 ships of 150,000 tons (approx.)
Sunk or scuttled: 12 ships of 72,000 tons (approx.)
Unidentified ships reported sunk or destroyed by the Allies: 10 ships of 50,000 tons
Total 51 ships of 272,000 tons.

Excluding Italian ships in ports in Yugoslavia there are at least 140 ships of a total tonnage of three-quarters of a million known to be sheltering in various neutral ports. These include 25 ships of over 135,000 tons in North American ports, and 57 ships of approximately 360,000 tons in Central and South American ports.

Source: THE NAVAL REVIEW VOL. XXVIII. No. 4. Nov 1940.

Cheers. Raúl M 8).
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Interesting to see how the U boats had great impact at the beginning of the war (many loose merchant). Then we see a noticeable reduction in the impact of the U Bootwaffe (Mar-June 1940) and a new peak from June-July 1940 .....
Interesting to see how the U boats had great impact at the beginning of the war (many loose merchant). Then we see a noticeable reduction in the impact of the U Bootwaffe (Mar-June 1940) and a new peak from June-July 1940 .....
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Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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Re: WAR ON MARITIME COMMERCE.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; a little more on this.................................

MERCANTILE MARINE IN WAR-1939.

In the opening stages sinkings were almost exclusively caused by submarine attack, 70 per cent. being in the Atlantic or western approaches by U-boats which had in many cases been sent to their operating positions before war was declared.

In October, 60 per cent. of sinkings were by submarines and only 20 per cent. by mines, but in November and December submarines accounted for only 20 per cent. whilst mines were responsible for 55 per cent. The locale of the war on shipping moved in a corresponding manner. In September-October only 25 per cent. of sinkings were in the North Sea, but in November-December this area accounted for 80 per cent. of casualties.

Only two surface raiders have apparently been at work, both being of the so-called " pocket battleship " type. Due no doubt to the vigilance of our fleet, the Deutschland, at sea in the North Atlantic for a considerable period, was only able to sink one British merchantman, the Stonegate of 5,044 tons, though unfortunately the raider managed to get home to Germany after sinking the armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi after a most gallant fight. The Graf Spee, however, operating in the South Atlantic and off South Africa accounted for nine ships of 50,000 tons before her career was ended ingloriously by self-destruction after she had been well hammered by Commodore Harwood with his three comparatively lightly armed cruisers. An epic victory of great moral value.

Source: The Naval Review. February 1940.

Cheers. Raúl M 8).
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Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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Re: WAR ON MARITIME COMMERCE.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; a little more.................................

North Atlantic - Tonnage sunk 1941-42.

Source: Die Kriegsmarine. Jan 1943. Heft 1.

Discrepancies? Raúl M 8).
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Full line - Tonnage sunk by Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.....................................<br />Broken line - Tonnage sunk by submarines..................................................
Full line - Tonnage sunk by Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.....................................
Broken line - Tonnage sunk by submarines..................................................
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Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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Re: WAR ON MARITIME COMMERCE.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; a little more.................................

Atlantic - September 1939 - May 1940.

Source: https://www.iberlibro.com/maps/Battle-A ... 6568074/bd

Raúl M 8).
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Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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