Operation Stonewall was a
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 ...
operation to intercept blockade runners off the west coast of
German-occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
. It was an effective example of inter-service and international co-operation.
Background
From the start of the war, the
Allies
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 ...
had maintained a
blockade against the import of seaborne goods to Germany. Although rich in many basic industrial materials, Germany, like Britain, could not indigenously produce some essentials. These included
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
, tin, and
tungsten
Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isolat ...
.
Until
Germany invaded the Soviet Union it evaded the blockade via the
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...
. Large quantities of materials were shipped by this route. After this was closed, German and Italian ships, stranded in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Japanese-occupied Singapore, were used as
blockade runners to bring in these essential goods to ports in occupied France
Although organised interdiction against these blockade runners was not set up until December 1943, the Allies intercepted and sank several ships in the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
s. Few ships managed successful runs. A lot did not.
The operation
![German freighter burning in Bay of Biscay Dec 1943](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/German_freighter_burning_in_Bay_of_Biscay_Dec_1943.jpg)
The
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
HMNZS ''Gambia'' joined the operation in December 1943, operating from
Horta in the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. The
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
light cruiser patrolled an area north of the islands.
On 23 December aircraft from the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
escort carrier
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
sighted a suspected runner, and there were further reports of a flotilla of destroyers escorting another merchantman west from France. ''Gambia'', '' Glasgow'', and the light cruiser formed a cordon to intercept. Aircraft attacked the flotilla, now escorting a large incoming merchantman, the , and reported a hit and a near-miss on her.
The light cruiser ,
minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...
and four
Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
destroyers joined the patrol to intercept another runner.
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
aircraft acted in close cooperation.
On 27 December at 1535 hrs
Liberator GR Mk V heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
of Coastal Command's
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
-crewed
No. 311 Squadron RAF sighted a smaller blockade runner, the
refrigerated cargo ship . The Liberator made a diving attack with eight wing-mounted SAP60 semi-armour piercing rocket projectiles, five of which hit the cargo ship above her waterline. The Liberator also dropped one bomb, and one 250 lb (115 kg) bomb one of which hit the ship aft of her funnel. The ship immediately caught fire.
''Alsterufer'' defended herself with anti-aircraft fire and rockets that released parachute cables. The Liberator's starboard outer engine was hit, but the aircraft successfully returned to base at
RAF Beaulieu
Royal Air Force Beaulieu or more simply RAF Beaulieu is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, station in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408. It is l ...
in England. Later that day two more RAF Liberators and four RAF
Halifax heavy bombers attacked the ship, but claimed no hits. ''Alsterufer'' sank on the afternoon of 28 December. 74 members of her crew were rescued by four Canadian
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
s.
''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' destroyers and torpedo boats had set out to meet and escort ''Alsterufer'' in an operation codenamed ''Bernau''. Now ''Glasgow'' and ''Enterprise'' sought to intercept them. Guided by shadowing aircraft, the cruisers intercepted eight destroyers early in the afternoon of 28 December and exchanged fire with them. Despite accurate German gunfire and torpedoes, effective German evading action and an attack with guided bombs by a ''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' aircraft, the Royal Navy ships maintained contact.
Battle of the Bay of Biscay
The German ships divided into two groups and the cruisers pursued one of these. By 1600 hrs the s
''T25'' and
''T26'' and the
''Z27'' had been sunk and one had escaped, damaged. About 62 survivors were rescued by Royal Navy minesweepers, 168 by a
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
coaster, , and four by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
destroyers. The blockade runner ''Osorno'' reached the
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
but struck a wreck in the estuary. She was beached and subsequently unloaded offshore.
''Glasgow'', ''Enterprise'' and ''Ariadne'' returned to
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
and ''Penelope'' 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 ...
. More blockade runners from the Far East were expected, so the ''Gambia'' and the light cruiser patrolled north of the Azores for the next three days. ''Gambia'' then returned to Plymouth on 1 January 1944.
Three more German ships were sunk between 3 and 5 January by US Navy patrols in the South Atlantic. These were the last German blockade runners.
By Autumn, German armies were retreating out of France and the French ports were no longer open to Axis ships.
Allied participants
:Ships: Canadian, French, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States
:Aircraft: United Kingdom (including one with Czechoslovak crew), United States
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
* https://fcafa.com/2013/12/27/70th-anniversary-of-the-alsterufer-sinking/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stonewall
Battles and operations of World War II involving Czechoslovakia
Naval aviation operations and battles
Naval battles of World War II involving Canada
Naval battles of World War II involving France
Naval battles of World War II involving Germany
Naval battles of World War II involving New Zealand
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom