OG 82 was an

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

of the OG (Outward to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

) series during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The action involving this convoy resulted in the destruction of a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

, and also had consequences for German U-boat strategy.

Forces involved

OG 82 comprised 17 ships outward bound to Gibraltar, carrying war materials and trade goods. The convoy commodore was Captain AJ Baxter in ''Baron Yarborough'', and the convoy was protected by an understrength escort group. This was 36th Escort Group, led by Cdr FJ "Johnnie" Walker, consisting of the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

and the s , ''Pentstemon'', and ''Gardenia'' (joined 13 April). The convoy's protection was enhanced by armed merchants— the CAM ships '' Empire Eve'' and ''Empire Heath'', and the rescue ship ''Toward''.Hague p

Action

OG 82 left Liverpool on 8 April 1942. On 14 April 1942 OG 82 was at the western edge of the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

when it was encountered by ''U-252'', inbound to France after completing her first war patrol. Her skipper, KL Kai Lerchner, sent a sighting report stating that the convoy was lightly escorted and that he was starting to shadow. His radio signal was picked up and DFed by Royal Navy land stations and reported to Walker. He quickly dispatched his four corvettes to search for the U-boat, which was picked up on radar by ''Vetch''. As ''Vetch'' closed to attack, ''U-252'' crash-dived and launched two torpedoes which narrowly missed the corvette. Arriving in ''Stork'', Walker then sent the others corvettes back to the convoy and commenced a hunt with ''Vetch'' Together they made several attacks, dropping 45

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s in total, and ''U-252'' was destroyed.Blair p553 No further attacks took place and OG 82 arrived at Gibraltar on 20 April without loss.

Ships in the convoy

Allied merchant ships

A total of 17 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Liverpool or later in the voyage.Hague 2000 p.146

Convoy escorts

The 36th Escort Group of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various strengths during its journey.

U-boats

Aftermath

This small action resulted in the destruction of one U-boat, but had far-reaching consequences. ''U-252’s'' disappearance, after reporting an encounter with a lightly escorted convoy, was similar to the disappearance six weeks previously of ''U-82'' in the same area. From this,

Befehlshaber der U-Boote The ''Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote'' or BdU (Eng: "Commander of the U-boats") was the supreme commander of the German Navy's U-boat Arm (''Ubootwaffe'') during the First and Second World Wars. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U-bo ...

(BdU)

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz (sometimes spelled Doenitz; ; 16 September 1891 24 December 1980) was a German admiral who briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as head of state in May 1945, holding the position until the dissolution of the Flensburg Government follo ...

reached the erroneous conclusion that the Allies were running a decoy operation, sending heavily armed anti-submarine vessels disguised as a weak convoy to act as a U-boat trap. He therefore instructed his U-boat force to avoid attacking convoys in the Biscay area, an unexpected benefit to the Allies from this brief action.

Notes

References

* * Arnold Hague ''The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945'' (2000). (Canada) . (UK) * *

Stephen Roskill Captain Stephen Wentworth Roskill, (1 August 1903 – 4 November 1982) was a senior career officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the Second World War and, after his enforced medical retirement, served as the official historian of the Royal ...

: ''The War at Sea 1939–1945 Vol II'' (1956). ISBN (none) * DEG Wemyss : ''Walker's Groups in the Western Approaches'' (1948). ISBN (none)

External links

OG 82 at convoyweb.org.uk

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