HG-73
Gibraltar - UK19 Sep 1941 - 28 Sep 1941
| The Convoy | 25 ships |
| First sighting | On 19 Sep 1941 by U-371 |
| Escorts | Escort Group (KAdm. Creighton) with:
Destroyer Vimy 8 Corvettes 2 Sloops Catapult carrier Springbank |
U-boats | U-124 * Kaptlt. Johann Mohr, U-201 * Oblt. Adalbert Schnee, U-203 * Kaptlt. Rolf Mützelburg, U-205 Kaptlt. Franz-Georg Reschke, U-371 Kaptlt. Heinrich Driver * U-boats that fired torpedo or used the deck gun |
The battle | After shadowing by Italian boats on 24th September a Focke Wulf 200 from the Luftwaffe held the contact and vectored U-124 and U-203 during the night to the convoy. These two boats sank the next night 5 ships. One day later U-201 and U-205 also reached the convoy. On 27 September U-205 was bombed by British aircraft and damaged. On 28 September the operation was broken off, because the boats had run out of torpedoes. |
Article compiled by Tom Linclau
Ships hit from convoy HG-73
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Ship hit | GRT | Nat. | |
| 25 Sep 1941 | U-124 | Johann Mohr | Empire Stream | 2.922 |  | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-124 | Johann Mohr | Cervantes | 1.810 | | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-124 | Johann Mohr | Lapwing | 1.348 | | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-124 | Johann Mohr | Petrel | 1.354 | | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Avoceta | 3.442 | | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Cortes | 1.374 | | |
| 26 Sep 1941 | U-203 | Rolf Mützelburg | Varangberg | 2.842 |  | |
| 27 Sep 1941 | U-201 | Adalbert Schnee | HMS Springbank | 5.155 | | |
| 27 Sep 1941 | U-201 | Adalbert Schnee | Margareta | 3.103 | | |
| 27 Sep 1941 | U-201 | Adalbert Schnee | Siremalm | 2.468 | | |
| 9 ships sunk for a total of 20.663 GRT 1 auxilary warship sunk for a total of 5.155 GRT |
Locations of ships hit from convoy HG-73.
Some 10 convoys on route HG were hit by U-boats in the war. |
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