Morning November 13 Force Z, the Channel Dash and the Raid on St Nazaire
The various naval forces now face a new day and the weather is changing. A Cold Front has come down off the North Atlantic and is already clearing away clouds and dropping temperatures over Britain, northern France and the English Channel. The leading edge which passed over night has mostly cleared all but the eastern edge of the Bay of Biscay, and seas are starting to moderate there and in the Channel, dropping from 4 meter seas down to a 2 meter seas. As dawn breaks, the skies have cleared from heavy clouds to partly cloudy conditions everywhere but along the French coast south of Lorient. These clouds are still hiding Force Y and its supporting minesweepers as well as the two southern U Boat groups. All of the other naval forces and the airfields that will impact them now have good weather.
The first to launch aircraft are the Allied carriers, which send 35 TBD and 36 SBD to ferry to the RAF Coastal Command base at Manston while the British carriers launch 36 American fighters to provide a combat air patrol over Force Z. The carriers follow with a launch of 12 Swordfish, 6 Albacore, 6 Fulmer fighters, and 30 SBD which begin providing Combat Air Patrol, ASW and Air Search patrols around the carrier force and for the American aircraft, longer range scouting patrols as the carriers complete their air operations at 0700 hours and turn to the southwest to move into position to provide cover for Force Y. Additional Fulmer fighters are launched every hour thereafter (at variable intervals) which forces the carriers to turn north each time to launch into the wind and recover aircraft. This will slow the advance of the fleet. The carrier fleet makes its turn just 30 miles from the southern Scilly Islands and are churning through the seas at 25 knots, the best speed for the USS Wasp. At the same time, Coastal Command Beaufighters take off from southern England with 16 heading for Force Y and the remainder escorting Hudson patrol bombers over the Bay of Biscay to look for the German Uboats that might threaten the battleship groups, while the RAF Coastal Command strike force from Southern England takes off with 56 Beaufort torpedo bombers and 36 Bleinheim fighters. RAF Fighter Command launches 36 Spitfires to link up and provide fighter cover for this force. Another 36 torpedo armed Swordfish are preparing for operations at Manston, and 48 Spitfires are assigned to provide them cover when they and the American strike aircraft are ready to attack in the late morning.
The Royal Navy is also hurriedly preparing. Admiral Ramsey has 32 torpedo boats in position to attack when the Germans reach Dover, and in addition he has 6 destroyers of the Harwich Force in position to support that attack. His plan is to launch a combined assault with boats, destroyers and strike aircraft when the Germans reach Dover. Further north, Admiral Tovey has the Home Fleet and he orders the King George V, the Prince of Wales, Duke of York and Renown, along with cruisers and destroyers to steam on an intercept course at their best speed of 28 knots. This is a calculated risk as there is some change the Germans will send the Tirpitz and the 2 pocket battleships out but after discussion in the wee hours, Churchill, Pound and Tovey determine that this is an acceptable one as PQ 3 is already in Russian waters, while PQ 4 has not yet completed assembling at Iceland.
The Germans are also launching their aircraft and preparing for battle. First to leave are 8 Eboats out of Cherbourg and Le Havre to provide additional support to the German fleet. As dawn breaks, the Luftwaffe aircraft along the Channel Coast take off, with 16 fighters moving into position over the German fleet, while 30 dive bombers with 32 fighters fly toward the American Force Z. A second group of 25 He111s with torpedoes along with 28 fighters has some problems assembling but is soon on its way, about 30 minutes behind the first group. Weather in Lorient initially prevents the take off of the float plane torpedo bombers, but the dive bombers, consisting of 2 groups of 27 JU88s, along with 16 Me110s takes off at around the same time and also heads toward Force Z, with the 12 torpedo bombers finally getting up about an hour later and in the poorer weather conditions over that part of France their assigned escort of 24 fighters fails to locate them in the low clouds and decides to fly out to the American fleet in hopes of meeting them at that point.
It is not until nearly 0800 that a patrol plane spots the Allied minesweepers and then the battleships approaching St Nazaire, and by that point the bulk of the German air strikes have already left for their missions. The Allied carriers do not launch again until 0930 hours, when they turn into the wind and send out 12 Buffaloes, 12 Wildcats and 12 Fulmers to provide cover for Force Y.
Air attacks on Force Z
The American force consists of 5 battleships, 1 light cruiser and 4 destroyers and has 36 USN/USMC fighters overhead when the first German air attack, consisting of dive bombers and fighters arrives. The German FW190 fighters have even odds, and engage the American fighters to keep them from intervering with the bombers. However some American fighters manage to break through and interfere with the German attack. In the mass dogfight that follows, the Germans lose 3 fighters and 6 bombers, while the American Buffalo fighters are particularly savaged, with 6 going down, while the Wildcats lose 3. This fight exhausts the fuel and ammunition of the American fighters who are forced to land in England to refuel before returning to their carriers later in the day to rearm.
The American ships are seriously deficient in light antiaircraft guns, as planned installation of 1.1 inch guns mounts was delayed due to the rush to get the fleet to Britain early in the Fall. However the 5 inch guns of the American ships are powerful and effective weapons, while the American heavy machine guns are able to engage the Germans as they pull out of their dives. In all the German Stukas are savaged, with 4 more splashed by antniaircraft, and another 8 are damaged. However the pilots are dedicated, experienced veterans and many took part in antishipping strikes during the Battle of France a year ago, and operations in Crete and Greece earlier this year. They concentrate on the biggest battleship, which is the lead ship West Virginia, which is also the fleet flag. Of the 30 Stukas, 19 managed to drop their 500 KG high explosive bombs, and they manage to hit 25% of the time. Thus 4 bombs and a near miss rock the West Virginia.
These bombs inflict fail to penetrate the deck armor but all do extensive damage to the upper works, especially 2 that hit near the bridge area. Casualties are serious but the most notable one is the death of the ships captain and Admiral Kimmel as fragments sweep the exposed bridge area. An African American mess attendant, Doris Miller, will win the Navy Cross for his efforts to save his captain and then manning a heavy machine gun after its crew were killed. Admiral Bagley aboard the Nevada orders the fleet to make full speed toward Plymouth so that it can more rapidly reach British fighter recover and support is asked for. The RAF responds with 36 Spitfires which arrive just as the second Luftwaffe attack force of torpedo bombers and fighters arrives. This force is successfully engaged (6 RAF fighters, 3 Luftwaffe fighters and 8 torpedo bombers shot down) and the American antiaircraft is far more successful against the torpedo bombers, splashing another 4 and damaging most of the rest. German accuracy is excellent considering the opposition however, and 2 torpedoes hit the California which rapidly takes on a dangerous list and slows as due to a freak of luck, the first blast blows a hole in her armored belt and a second hits close enough for the force of the explosion to break through the interior bulkheads and flood 2 boiler rooms and several nearby compartments. The striken ship is slowed to 9 knots and Admiral Bagley orders the fleet to steam for Plymouth at that speed to keep her in formation.
The final German attack by Ju88 dive bombers, and again the timely arrival of RAF fighters is critical. The JU88s are able to only dive at 45 degree angles and are much easier for the American ships to engage. The first formation arrives 5 minutes before the second and attacks the main fleet, and is badly shot up, with 6 shot down, 9 more damaged and only limited success with their bombing, scoring a bomb hit each on the Maryland and New Mexico. These bombs are a mix of high explosive and armor piercing (in equal portions) and the Maryland takes an armored piercing hit that knocks her number 4 turret out of line and creates a fire that forces the flooding of that magazine. The New Mexico takes an high explosive hit that obliterates her aircraft hanger and starts a major fire that takes hours to extingush. The second formation notices the listing California and concentrates on her, and this formation is entirely armed with armor piercing weapons. They manage to get 3 hits as they arrive while the defending fighters are still dealing with the previous formation and its escorts, and have the initial advantage of the American antiaircraft fire concentrating on the first formation. These three bombs are disastrous as one bomber manages to get 2 amidships and they knock out the remaining boilers and knock out her power as well as starting fires in her aircraft and boat service areas that spread blazing oil and gasoline throughout her amidships area.. The other bomb penetrates sick bay and wipes out it and a nearby damage control party. Burning fiercely and now coasting to a stop, the California begins to sink as her pumps are gone, her damage control teams lack effective coordination as the ship has no internal communications and with sadness Admiral Bagley orders her abandoned and her crew taken off. She will go down soon after, just before noon while the remainder of the fleet enters the appoaches to Plymouth harbor.
In all Force Z as lost one battleship sunk (California), 2 battleships seriously damaged to the point of requiring lengthly months long yard time (Maryland and Mississippi) and 2 more are damaged and will require significant repair (West Virginia and New Mexico). Only the Nevada has escaped damage and it is the oldest of the group. The Germans have achieved a costly victory as three groups of bombers have been badly shot up but in achieving it they have been diverted from Force Y. That force is now in position at 0900 hours and is about to open fire on St Nazaire and its important Normandie dock.
The RAF is not idle while this is going on. In addition to fighter support for the badly mangled Force Z, the first attack on the German Fleet is launched at the same time. The 92 RAF aircraft reach the German fleet at 0915 hours, and while the standing patrol of Fw190 fighters wrecks the Bleinheim fighters (shooting down 12 of them, and badly damaging nearly all the rest) they are distracted and caught by surprise when the late arriving Spitfire escort arrives and jumps them The British torpedo bombers are unopposed by fighters and able to make effective attacks. Both of the German battle cruisers take a hit each, although their torpedo belt prevents serious damage, but the cruiser Prinz Eugen is singled out and is smothered by 8 torpedoes and rolls over and sinks with most of her crew by 0937. The belated arrive of addiitional Spitfires provides cover for the torpedo bombers to escape (having lost 6 of their number to antiaircraft fire) and the surviving Blenheims and holds off the second wave of German Me109s that had arrived to reinforce the FW190s. The Germans lose 6 fighters, the RAF another 4 (plus 12 Blenheims and 6 Beauforts), and for a brief time Admiral Ciriax is able to mourn his lost cruiser and her crew. One result of this attack is greater urgency by Coastal Command to replace the Blenheim with the new marks of the Mosquito which is already in the works.
Further to the south and west, near the entrance of the Irish Sea, the USS Mississippi and her destroyer escort are met by a flotilla of British destroyers out of Liverpool and Sloops from Bristol, which engage and sink the U131 and U574 which were nearly in attack position on the US battleship. By 1100 hours the American ship is steaming north toward Belfast so that she can begin repairs.
The attack on St Nazaire.
The Germans are manning their 4-280 mm guns and ready when the Allied battleships steam within range at 0915 hours, although they are facing an unequal struggle. The Allies have 24-15 inch guns and 18 -14 inch guns and due to aerial reconnaissance and human intelligence work know exactly where the German guns, the critically important drydock and the construction site for the new submarine pens are located. The British ships concentrate on the drydock (Revenge and Ramilies) and the construction site (Resolution) while the American ships keep the German heavy guns under fire. Although the Germans score 2 hits on the Idaho and 4 on the Oklahoma, they and the other targets are smothered by a total of 1500 shells which convert the target areas into a moonscape over the course of 3 hours before the ships turn and run for home. Although the Germans have inflicted casualties and some damage to the American ships, they failed to achieve serious results and the 100 American dead are well worth the cost as the Normandie dock is effectively knocked out. Although the dock is later determined to be repairable, the Germans never bother as there is no urgency to use it.
Meanwhile Allied carrier aircraft and RAF Coastal Command have forced the two groups of German Uboats in the area to remain submerged and even as the weather clears at noon and the Allies are steaming away the Uboats are out of position and unable to interfere. The Allies have achieved one of their major objectives and Admiral Pye is pleased.