Actions Of 7–8 May 1945
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The last actions in British coastal waters and the last actions of the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...
took place on 7–8 May 1945.


Background

During the first five months of 1945, the U-boat Arm (UbW) of Nazi Germany's ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi 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 It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic.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 military branch, branche ...
'' dispatched 125
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
patrols to the Atlantic, operating principally in British coastal waters. By 5 May 1945, just 29 were still at large.


Actions

On the morning of 7 May 1945, — a modified Type VIIC/41 boat under O/L H Emmerich — was two days into her first operational patrol and running submerged, when she was detected by an RAF Catalina under Flt/Lt KM Murray of 210 Squadron, Coastal Command. Murray attacked immediately with a pattern of depth charges. ''U-320'' was damaged but not destroyed; Murray sighted oil, and
sonobuoy A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a small expendable sonar buoy dropped from aircraft or ships for anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research. Sonobuoys are typically around in diameter and long. When floating on t ...
s dropped by the Catalina detected hammering. Murray was unable to continue the attack and by mid-afternoon, at his Prudent Limit of Endurance (PLE), was forced to abandon the hunt. Emmerich meanwhile headed for
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, abandoning his crippled boat the following day. Emmerich and all his crew survived. ''U-320'' was the last U-boat to be sunk in action during the Battle of the Atlantic. Also on 7 May 1945, — a modified Type VIIC/41 under K/L H Schroeteler — sighted a group of Norwegian
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
s off Portland Bill. In his first successful attack since the patrol started, in March, he struck. His torpedoes hit ''NYMS 382'', which sank with the loss of 22 men. At around the same time, — a Type XXIII under O/L E Klusmeier seven days into her first operational patrol — sighted a British convoy in the
Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...
. Firing his two torpedoes, Klusmeier hit freighters ''Sneland'' and ''Avondale Park'', which both sank. Nine men were lost altogether. Both U-boats escaped. These actions took place in the evening of 7 May 1945, just hours before the German surrender.


Conclusion

These were the last ships to be sunk by enemy action in the Battle of the Atlantic, nearly five and a half years after the first shot was fired.


References

* Dan van der Vat : ''The Atlantic Campaign'' (1988) * Stephen Roskill : ''The War at Sea 1939-1945'' Vol III pt 2 (1959) ISBN (none) * *


External links


U-320 at u-boat.net






{{DEFAULTSORT:19450507-8 Battle of the Atlantic