Convoy battles
HX-72
Homeward from Halifax (North Atlantic)20 Sep 1940 - 22 Sep 1940
| The Convoy | 41 ships |
| First sighting | On 20 Sep 1940 by U-47 |
| Escorts | From 21st September Escort Group (Cdr. Knapp) with: Sloop Lowestoft Destroyer Shikari Corvettes La Malouine, Calenduala, Heartsease From 22nd September the destroyer Scimitar and Skate |
U-boats | U-29, U-32*, U-43, U-46, U-47*, U-48*, U-65, U-99*, U-100* * U-boats that fired torpedo or used the deck gun |
The battle | After sighting the convoy by U-47 the BdU tried to bring additional boats to the convoy, but not all ordered boats managed to reach it. U-47 had been for the last days serving as a weather boat and had only one torpedo on board. U-99 under Kptlt. Kretschmer reached the convoy as the first boat and sank 3 ships in the night of 20/21 Sept. On the morning of 21 Sept U-48 under Kptlt. Bleichrodt sank the Blairangus. The next evening U-100 under Kptlt. Schepke reached the convoy and sank during the night 7 ships for a total of 50,340 tons. A masterpiece in view of such a strong escort! |
Article compiled by Tom Linclau
Ships hit from convoy HX-72
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | GRT | Nat. | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Canonesa | 8.286 |  br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Dalcairn | 4.608 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Torinia | 10.364 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-47 | Günther Prien | Elmbank (d.) | S | 5.156 | br |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-48 | Heinrich Bleichrodt | Blairangus | 4.409 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-48 | Heinrich Bleichrodt | Broompark (d.) | 5.136 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-99 | Otto Kretschmer | Baron Blythswood | 3.668 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-99 | Otto Kretschmer | Elmbank | 5.156 | br | |
| 21 Sep 1940 | U-99 | Otto Kretschmer | Invershannon | 9.154 | br | |
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Empire Airman | 6.586 | br | |
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Frederick S. Fales | 10.525 | br | |
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Scholar | 3.940 | br | |
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-100 | Joachim Schepke | Simla | 6.031 |  nw | |
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-32 | Hans Jenisch | Collegian (d.) | S | 7.886 | br |
(d.) = the ship was damaged in that attack. Convoy info: S = straggler, D = dispersed, R = Romper | ||||||
11 ships sunk for a total of 72.727 tons from convoy HX-72