Convoy JW 56B

The convoy JW 56B was an Allied Nordmeergeleitzug, which was compiled in January 1944 in the Scottish Loch Ewe and essential war goods brought into the Soviet Murmansk. The Allies lost a convoy while lost a submarine on the German side

Composition and assurance

The convoy JW 56B consisted of 17 cargo ships. On 22 January 1944, she left the Scottish Loch Ewe ( Lage57.83 - 5.61 ) in the direction of Murmansk ( Lage69.0933.39 ). The backup took over the destroyer HMS Milne, HMS Musketeer, HMS Opportune, HMS Mahratta, Huron ( Canadian ), HMS Scourge, HMS Meteor, HMS Westcott, HMS Whitehall and HMS Wrestler, the sloop HMS Cygnet, the corvette HMS Rhododendron, HMS Honeysuckle and HMS Oxlip and the minesweeper HMS Onyx, HMS Hydra and HMS Seagull. The remote backup group consisted of the cruisers HMS Bermuda, HMS Berwick and HMS Kent.

Course

The Germans established between Bear Island and Norway on the submarine group werewolf. It included the U- boats U 278, U 313, U 472, U 425, U 601, U 737, U 956, U 957, U 973 and U 990 U 956 On January 29, captured the convoy and resulted in the episode three unsuccessful attacks with TV torpedoes on escort vessels. On the night of 29 January 30, closed to other U- boats and attacked with torpedoes on TV. But only 278 U hit the destroyer HMS Hardy ( Lage73.6624.5 ) so hard that he had to be sunk by HMS Venus. In return, the destroyer HMS Whitehall and HMS Meteor sank the U- boat U -314 ( Lage73.6824.5 ). More attacks by the U- boats were unsuccessful until February 1. The JW 56B reached on February 1, the upstream Murmansk Kola Bay. He had lost the destroyer HMS Hardy. On the German side U 314 was lost.