The Cockleshell Heroes Raid: Ten British Commandos in five two-man canoes are launched from a submarine to attack our shipping in the port of
Bordeaux. Three canoes are lost but two paddle 70 miles up-river to plant limpet mines on ships in the harbour. Six vessels are disabled. Two Commandos are drowned en route, six are captured and executed and two will make it back to England.
The
Allies launch a new offensive toward Marsa Brega and El Agheila in
Libya.
As, apart from the three ships previously sunk in the patrol channel of
Group "Westwall", no further contact with enemy has taken place, and the boats are so
low on fuel that they must begin the return voyage in the next few days, the Group has received orders to proceed in lines of reconnaissance on an easterly course, days reckoning 140 miles at 2400 from 11.12. A later deployment of the boats still fit for action in the north half of CF and for operations on the England - Gibraltar traffic is intended.
Further refueling is not possible owing to the shortage of tankers.
"Milkcow" U 460 (Kptlt. Ebe Schnoor) has delivered the last of her fuel to U 67 and U 183 and begins her
return voyage.
Supplied from
"Milkcow" U 461 (Kptlt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler): U 126 - 174 - 128 - 134 and U 176. Tanker
homeward bound.
The following waiting positions are to be occupied with a depth of 4 sea miles for protection and area reconnaissance for the
tanker "Germania" putting out on 12.12.: U 514 - BE 9326; U 125 - BE 9629; U 563 - BF 7116; U 706 - BF 7442.
U 553 (KrvKpt. Karl Thurmann) reports strong spray formation and difficulty in depth maintenance as a result of the construction of the new
2 cm Flak Crew Protection "Wanne". The boat was seen continually during an attack on a convoy and thereby deprived of success. U 553 has been ordered to return at maximum speed and the
adaptation of further boats discontinued in all shipyards.
The deployment of the
Group "Westwall" has not led to satisfactory results, as the sinking of 4 ships cannot be regarded as such. As warfare directly west of Gibraltar was no longer promising, there were no possibilities of intercepting English - American supplies to Gibraltar and morocco.
a)
Deployment W. of Portugal: Successful convoy warfare could not be expected here, as the entire area in question lies within range of enemy air activity. Isolated successes remained possible but depend a great deal on luck and opportunity.
b)
Operations moved to area free of air activity against American supplies, which is presumed to be on the Great Circle America - Gibraltar. B.d.U. is in favor of the second possibility. This deployment could be quite successful even if only one convoy was intercepted. That did not in fact happen. Radio Intelligence reports show rather that the enemy has used a route far more to the S., whereby it is difficult to see whether he uses it principally or exploits it in order to spread out as much as possible. The former is possible. The available "Westwall" boats cannot, however be used anymore on the southerly route, owing to insufficient fuel supply, and they are numerically too weak to be used for a search in other areas. It therefore only remains to test the possibilities given under a) and to use the "Westwall" boats for this. They are unequipped for cold areas which cuts out the possibility of sending these boats to the Newfoundland area and putting boats from Western France in the area W. of Portugal.
U 648 (Ltnt.z.S.d.R. Peter-Arthur Stahl) conducts Work-up's and Trials with the
U.A.G. in Danzig.