Convoy SL 140/MKS 31 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Convoy SL 140/MKS 31
Part of World War II
Date 24 November-5 December 1943 Location Mid Atlantic Result Allied victory, complete failure for Germany
Belligerents
Nazi Germany	United Kingdom United States
Commanders and leaders
Adm. Karl Dönitz	Comm: Escort:Cdr EC Bayldon
Strength
13 U-boats	65 ships 18 escorts
Casualties and losses
6 U-boats lost, 2 U-boats damaged	none

During World War II, a convoy was a group of merchant ships sailing together. They were protected by warships, especially from German submarines called U-boats. This article is about two important convoys, SL 140 and MKS 31, which joined forces in November 1943. They sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain.

The SL 140 convoy started in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It carried raw materials like food and supplies for Britain. The MKS 31 convoy came from the Mediterranean Sea. It included special ships called LSTs. These LSTs were very important for the upcoming D-Day invasion in France.

On November 24, 1943, these two convoys met near Gibraltar. Together, they formed a large group of about 65 ships. They were attacked by German U-boats, but the Allies won a big victory.

Why These Convoys Were So Important

During World War II, German U-boats tried to stop supplies from reaching Britain. Convoys like SL 140 and MKS 31 were vital for two main reasons:

• Bringing Supplies: The SL 140 part of the convoy carried important raw materials. These materials were needed for factories and people in Britain.
• Moving Landing Ships: The MKS 31 convoy had many LSTs. These were large ships designed to carry tanks, vehicles, and troops directly onto beaches. They had been used in battles in North Africa and Italy. Now, they were needed in England to prepare for D-Day. The invasion of northern France (D-Day) could not happen without enough LSTs. Even Winston Churchill, Britain's Prime Minister, was worried about getting enough of these ships to England.

The German navy knew how important these convoys were. They organized groups of U-boats, called wolf packs, to find and attack them. To protect the convoys better, the Allies often combined them. This way, fewer warships could protect more merchant ships.

Who Was Involved

The SL 140 convoy left Freetown on November 12, 1943. It had 35 ships. The MKS 31 convoy sailed from Port Said on November 13. The LSTs in this group came from Oran, Algeria. All these ships met off Gibraltar on November 24.

The combined convoy had about 65 ships. They were protected by 18 escort ships. These escorts were warships like destroyers and frigates. One important group was the B-1 Escort Group, led by Commander E.C. Bayldon on HMS Hurricane.

The German side had a wolf pack called Weddigen. This group started with 17 U-boats. However, some U-boats had problems or were sunk before the main battle. For example, U-538 was sunk on November 21, and U-648 disappeared. So, the wolf pack had fewer U-boats when the attack began.

The Battle in the Atlantic

The combined convoy was first spotted by German aircraft on November 26, west of Cape St Vincent. But the convoy changed its course during the night and managed to hide. The escort force also got stronger when the destroyer HMS Watchman joined them.

On November 27, German aircraft found the convoy again. U-262 began to follow the convoy, guiding other U-boats to it. More Allied escort ships also joined, including a group of five frigates led by Commander E.H. Chavasse on HMS Bentinck.

By evening, the U-boats gathered and started their attack. The captain of U-262, Heinz Franke, claimed he got inside the escort screen and fired at three ships. But none of his attacks hit anything. Other U-boats that got close, like U-764, U-107, and U-238, also failed to hit any ships.

The Allied escorts were very strong and experienced. They made it very dangerous for the German U-boats. Three more U-boats from the Weddigen wolf pack were sunk in the last week of November 1943. Another, U-391, was sunk later while returning to base. In total, six U-boats from the Weddigen group were lost.

U-boat Losses

During the night of November 27/28, the convoy got even more protection. Captain F.J. "Johnnie" Walker, a very successful anti-submarine commander, arrived with his 2nd Support Group on HMS Starling. This brought the total number of escort warships to seventeen.

Allied aircraft also helped protect the convoy at night. A British Wellington bomber, flown by Thomas Wilkin, found U-764 and attacked it. The aircraft crashed, and four crew members, including Wilkin, died. Two other crew members survived and were picked up by U-238, becoming prisoners of war.

The captain of U-238, Horst Hepp, sent a long radio message about the captured airmen. This message was picked up by the Allies using HF/DF (radio direction finding). Allied forces tried to intercept U-238 and U-764 to rescue the airmen. Both U-boats were attacked by aircraft from the USS Bogue the next day. They were damaged but managed to escape.

Another U-boat, U-842, was also attacked by the 2nd Support Group but managed to get away.

With so many losses and strong Allied defenses, the German U-boats had little chance. The German U-boat command ordered the attack to stop. The convoys SL 140 and MKS 31 continued their journey. Even though they faced a huge Atlantic storm, all the ships reached England safely without any more attacks. The LSTs arrived in Plymouth on December 5, ready for D-Day.

What Happened Next

The attack by Wolf pack Weddigen was a complete failure for Germany. Despite their efforts, not a single ship in Convoys SL 140/MKS 31 was damaged. The Allied escorts successfully fought off every attack. Six of the U-boats assigned to this group were destroyed, which was a major loss for the German navy.

All the raw materials carried by the merchant ships reached Britain. Every single landing ship (LST), which was so important for the upcoming D-Day invasion, arrived safely. Each LST also carried smaller landing craft. This meant that about sixty or seventy landing ships and craft, vital for Operation Overlord, arrived in England with this convoy.

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