Zerstörergefecht 17./18.10.1940

[Platon Alexiades]

Hi,

Perhaps, you might be interested in reading the article I co-wrote with Commander Claudio Rizza: "La nascita di ULTRA" (The Birth of ULTRA), published in Storia Militare in March 2024. It is available in PDF format on the Academia.edu website. It describes the first operations based on Enigma (known as HYDRO signals at the time) decrypts in May 1940. It was first revealed in "Very Special Admiral" by Patrick Beesly, a biography of Admiral Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence, to which I contributed this story 45 years ago. The Hinsley history of British Intelligence was already at the printers at the time, so this was not included. The 2024 article gives more details.

Best regards,

Platon Alexiades

[Darius]

Hi Platon,

nice to have you here again. Thank you the link to your article.




Darius

[Knouterer2]

Vincent P. O'Hara, The German Fleet at War 1939-1945, S.64: "At 0835 hours Bey's bad fortune continued when a British Blenheim sighted his force. In response to the aircraft's report, Plymouth Command quickly diverted the three lightly escorted convoys ..."

Peter C. Smith, Naval Warfare in the English Channel 1939-1945, S. 139: "The first news that the British had that the German flotillas were at sea was obtained quite by chance. A bomber of Coastal Command reported four enemy destroyers in position 48°24'N, 05°33'W, steering west, at 0835 ..."

[Darius]

Danke Knouterer2 für die Quellenangaben.

Habe bei 12o´clock high! nach den Nummern der Squadrons angefragt:
  http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?p=347325

 

Darius

[Darius]

Hallo zusammen,

es gibt neue Informationen:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpost.php?p=347606&postcount=2

17/10/1940 Between 05:00 and 10:00 hrs five Blenheims of 59 Sqn sent to bomb Lorient power station

TR-L P/O Archer T/O 05:05 landed 09:30 hrs
Cloud over target (Lorient) Two runs made and bombs dropped in a stick, one seen to burst on water near power house. Four destroyers seen 20 miles W of Brest. (unsure of word) made and they were recognised as hostile. Sent out first sighting report.

This looks to me your man

Martin

Darius

[t-geronimo]