Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

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Felix C
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Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#1

Post by Felix C » 08 Jan 2017, 03:51

Long subject question but there it is.

Did the ships leave for home at the right time? Would staying into late 1942 have made a return trip impossible?

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Sheldrake
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Re: Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#2

Post by Sheldrake » 08 Jan 2017, 10:57

Yes to both questions. They had been subjected to repeated heavy bombing which could only get worse.


Paul Lakowski
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Re: Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#3

Post by Paul Lakowski » 13 Jan 2017, 06:26

A major sortie was in the works when HITLER pulled the plug and ordered them to Norway , were he could keep an eye on them.

No Hitler interference , they sortie in early 1942 instead of the channel dash.

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Re: Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#4

Post by Carl Schwamberger » 13 Jan 2017, 06:59

Paul Lakowski wrote:A major sortie was in the works when HITLER pulled the plug and ordered them to Norway , were he could keep an eye on them.

No Hitler interference , they sortie in early 1942 instead of the channel dash.
Brit air attacks were taking a toll on the three ships. Gneisenau was hit by a unexploded bomb, then took a torpedo in the stern. Scharnhorst had its refit delayed from damaged docks & was eventually hit by five bombs. Prinz Eugene was hit by a detonated bomb. A sortie into the Atlantic had risk from mechanical failures from defered refit & possible degradation from the hits. The risk of loss of one or more ships was far higher in the Atlantic.

Felix C
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Re: Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#5

Post by Felix C » 13 Jan 2017, 13:59

Paul Lakowski wrote:A major sortie was in the works when HITLER pulled the plug and ordered them to Norway , were he could keep an eye on them.

No Hitler interference , they sortie in early 1942 instead of the channel dash.

Good to know. Is that in the Fuhrer Conference on Naval Affairs? Rarely read about German surface ship strategy.

Paul Lakowski
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Re: Has it been estimated what would have happened to S/G/PE at Brest if they had not sortied home when they did?

#6

Post by Paul Lakowski » 14 Jan 2017, 03:58

I recall Delcyros mentioned it and reported that plans were underway to preposition more tankers/v ships. I do recall reading that Hitler's intervention cut short plans for follow on raids.


Carl Schwamberger

The words are fine but over done. The ships did sortie in the channel dash, so they could have broken out in the other direction instead.

The RAF air raids were more nuisance than the crippling effects of the follow on mine strikes during the channel dash.

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