The Invisible Enemy

[Franconicus]

Course?

[Fisherking]

Current Location?

Under the circumstance more frequent zigzags and course changes are in order but losing the pack is unlikely. They need to be damaged or sunk and setting a course to intersect with the reinforcements is the best bet.

Do you think we can get away with launching and recovering aircraft at night with snowflakes?

This should work. Also subs are more likely to operate on the surface at night which would make them more vulnerable to air attack. Launching a few random snowflakes might silhouette a sub or two and we could reduce their numbers and force them under.

Not to mention the effect ships guns would have on them.

[Franconicus]

Location: CF64

Could you please explain your ideas about using planes at night and snowflakes?

[King Kurt]

I am not sure about lauching planes at night - The Fleet Air arm did do it, but it would highlight the carrier and make it a target. Better to aggressively patrol and use dummy attacks to lure U Boats to that area.

[Fisherking]

We need to use snowflakes occasionally to try to spot surfaced subs.

The pilot only needs to see up and down at take off and landings. An escort near the carrier launches snowflake when a plane need to take off or land.

The planes are the best weapon against surfaced subs that we have.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 12 – from noon until dusk, 20 of December

Walker calls the carrier back to the rear of the convoy, close to the "Stork". He also sends instructions to the other escort ships, so that they know how to behave during night. Walker tells them to use the snowflakes more aggressively and especially to use the Martlets also at night. As expected, Mac Kendrick protests. He argues, that it is much too risky to start and land during night and that he has only got four planes and that the stress is too much. Walker ignores him and soon the Audacity is on her way to the rear of the convoy.
If Walker thought the next raid would come at night, he is wrong. At 13:48 the Martlet patrol reports of two unidentified planes, coming straight to the convoy. Walker immediately alarms the escorts and a second Martlet gets off. The gunners sit at their anti aircraft guns, ready to repel any air raid. However, only the humming of engines shows that there is something going on above the clouds. Then a four engine bomber dives through the clouds. First it seems as if the plane would go straight in to the convoy, but then it falls straight into the sea. A quarter of an hour, the two Martlets return. Brown, one of the pilots, flies twice across the convoy, shaking his wings. When he finally got down, he reports that he shot down two German Condors.
Walker sends a report to the WAC. He also receives two radio messages. First one is telling him that the reinforcements will arrive next afternoon. Second one is telling him, that the United States are now at war with Germany.

[Fisherking]

Have the planes concentrate on scouting the forward area of the convoy until near dark and then concentrate on the rear area from dusk until dawn. Making occasional sweeps all around.

If searchlights and snowflakes don’t turn up a sub in the night, perhaps they will give themselves away with smoking on deck or the conning tower or show a light through the hatches. We can only hope. The pilots may get lucky.

We should use more active ASDIC until dark. In the night they will mostly be on the surface anyway, charging batteries and making surface approaches.