Angus Constam (2023) The Convoy HG76: Taking the Fight to Hitler’s U-Boats

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_HG_76

We know Britain wins the war. In the same way we can’t know that Ukraine will win its war. Hindsight blinds us. Angus Constam takes the reader back to a period in winter 1941 when it was all bad news. Nazi Germany had occupied most of Europe and Channel Islands. Britain was next on the Hitler’s list. The Royal Navy had been brought home to defend British shores. Despite Germany’s mass investment in a navy, Britain was still rated the most powerful in the world. The soft underbelly was British merchant shipping. Like now, post Brexit, Britain was wholly dependent on imports to survive. U-Boats at the end of the first world war showed spectacular success. At the outset of the second world war, what U-Boat captains called ‘Happy Times’ continued. Hundreds of thousands of tons of British merchant shipping was sunk with little or no U-Boat losses. Constam reiterates the belief then that if it continued, Britain would starve itself of supplies—such as iron pyrites, metal ores and food such as oranges on Convoy HG76—and the King would have to sue Hitler for the British Empire’s terms of surrender.

Constam’s first chapter is called ‘A Dark Time’. Convoy HG 76 had about 30 merchant ships. Navel escorts, including Audactiy, a prototype Royal Naval aircraft carrier with three Marlette planes on its deck, protected them. Ranged against it, and lying in wait, was around 10 U-Boats, a Wolf-Pack, as it sailed at around seven nautical knots (the pace of its slowest ship) from Gibraltar to dock in Liverpool and other British ports.

Earlier in the war, Admiral Karl Dönitz’s rule-of-thumb estimate was such a German Wolfpack would expect to sink around ten merchant ships. Perhaps more. Earlier German Commanders had sunk three or more boats in one voyage, before returning home to re-fuel and pick up more torpedoes. He flung everything against it. Merchant ships with their supplies were sinking faster than British yards could make them. There were easier pickings around Africa and further out in the Atlantic, but Karl Dönitz was determined to decimate convoy HG 76.

Monstam suggests a British hero here to rival Admiral Nelson in the more modest figure of Commander and later Captain Walker. His defence of his convoy with an outer and inner ring of Royal Naval support vessels was a war changer. But it wasn’t one thing, or one man, but many men, following Walker’s leadership. One of Britain’s most decorated pilots, ‘Winkle’ Brown, for example, cut his teeth on Marlette’s. Flying out and protecting their boats from U-Boats and Condors that mapped their every move and radioed in their positions. Air supremacy was one aspect of how many more ships were avoiding U-Boats.  American Land-Lease and Roosevelt’s selling of the war to the American public, allowing him to support British war efforts, was another. Radar didn’t work very well. ASDIC (Radar) had little success picking out U-Boats beneath the water. They slipped underwater largely undamaged after causing maximum damaged. Radar used to pick out U-Boats on the water worked even less well. But as they improved, so did Walker’s tactics.

Walker worked with spotter aircraft and used fast-paced boats to drop depth charges based on ASDIC readings. From the beginning of the war in 1939, thousands of depth charges sunk one U-Boat.  No better than random. Walker sunk around five U-Boats in five days. His crew were no longer reactive, but active, hunter killers. Training and technology. U-Boats were sinking faster than the Germans could replace them. They were no longer ‘Happy Days’ for Hitler’s submarine crews.

A shootout and shoutout between the U-Boat Wolfpack of around ten U-Boats, versus Walker and his crews. Admiral Donitz, getting the latest reports from Condor planes and U-Boats shadowing the convoy. Constam suggests, he wanted a win, because the battle got personal. Many of the U-Boat captains didn’t survive the war. Captain Walker did, but died shortly afterwards, to be largely forgotten. Constam has resurrected his name and reiterated his valiant deeds. Read on.

Celtic 3—2 Athletic Bilbao

James Forrest’s testimonial. He was made captain and given 49 minutes to strut his stuff, which was four minutes more than his first-half team mates. It was a game of two halfs (yeh, I know it always is). Our first-half team, which I imagine will be close to the starting line-up on Saturday for flag-day and the game against Ross County, was largely outplayed and went in a goal down at the break.

Bilbao could have been three goals up in the first five minutes. Celtic conceded after 90 seconds. Reo Hatate’s sloppy pass was picked up and played to the edge of the box. Unai Gomez curled it into far post. Hatate wasn’t the only one to give the ball away. Kwon Hyeok-kyuy’s passing was poor and backward. He made too many mistakes.

Kyogo came close to equalising after a superbly worked opening, but his shot was too near the keeper. Bilbao kept the ball better, created more chances and were slicker in attack. Inaki Williams looked certain to make it 2—0 for the Spanish side, with yet another ball given away in midfield. Carter-Vickers slid in to block his shot, and it really should have been finished. The American international lost his man at a corner in the first five minutes, but was comfortable thereafter and is a certain starter, when fit, in the same way as Callum McGregor.

It was McGregor, playing a more advanced role, who won the ball back in the Bilbao half. After Hatate redeemed himself with an equalising goal, a ball over the top found Iwata as favourite to win it. Thirty second later Celtic were a goal down again. Iker Muniain rolled the Japanese player and cut inside to score far too easily.

I’m not sure if the Celtic second-string for the second half was up to it. Alexandro Bernarbei got his second pre-season goal and our equaliser. He’d played a one-two with Matt O’Riley and scored. The young Argentinian is a joy going forward. But simply can’t defend It’s not been a good pre-season for Greg Taylor. The more physical and quicker wingers have left him in their wake. Abada had a couple of strikes. Yang was a standout on the other side. Holm looks the kind of midfielder who gives himself time on the ball and can pick a pass. Turnbull took the captain’s armband from Forrest and got us the winner from an Oh cutback. The former Scotland young player of the year had a good pre-season, whether he gets into the team on a regular basis, I don’t know. I suspect Maik Nawrocki will replace Carl Starfelt. I like the look of the Polish import. I’ve regarded Starfelt as a second stringer, but he has proved me wrong. I might be wrong again.

Our second stringers were better than our first stringers tonight. Whether the likes of O’Riley and Abada can be grouped in that category is a moot point. It wasn’t to be for James Forrest. He had one chance where he jinked one way and tried a shot, but it hit two or three players. I’d high hopes for Haksabanovic, but he stayed on the bench with youngsters such Kelly and McPherson. Liam Scales had moved up the pecking order and started the second-half ahead of Stephen Welsh.

It’ll be interesting to see if Iwata starts on Saturday ahead of Ralston. Joe Hart in goal. Greg Taylor will retain his spot. Carter-Vickers will start.  I’m guessing Nawrocki is here to stay. Starfelt can go. If we can get some cash for him all the better.

Midfield. Kwon might turn out to be something special, but on the evidence of tonight’s match he’ll be on the bench. McGregor back in front of the defence. Hatate in one of those players that is so much better than everyone else. But he keeps giving the ball away in dangerous areas. He did it in the first minute and we lost a goal. He tried to dribble out of the box later in the game and nearly gave away another. He’s still a certain starter. O’Riley will probably come back into the team. Maeda on one side. Abada on the other. Kyogo through the centre. Holm and Turnbull are lurking and ready to start. Yang is looking to nail down a spot. And we know if anyone is going to drop out, it’ll likely be Abada. Oh is third-choice striker, but he offers something different and more physical. When Kyogo goes off, Maeda goes central. The next game is not Athletic Bilbao, but Ross County. Malky MacKay’s men would take a draw, and we know they’ll have eleven men behind the ball, like all Scottish teams. We need to cut out the mistakes and backward passing. This time it’s for real.