David Verghese opened our autumn season with his talk on X-Craft midget submarines: Operation Source 1943 & The Vanguard of Operation Neptune: June 1944.
The early 3-4 manned X-craft midget submarines were based on a design by Varley Marine. They were intended to penetrate enemy waters and attack enemy vessels lying in protected harbours. David gave a thorough overview of these boats focussing initially on the early midget subs X-3 to X-10.
He described the daring attack (Operation Source) by six of these subs on the German battleship Tirpitz in the far recesses of Norway’s Altenfjord. Four of the boats were lost, with mystery surrounding the fate of X-10 to this day. X-6 and X-7 successfully laid charges which exploded causing significant damage to the Tirpitz and requiring six months’ repairs.
The captured 4-man crews were highly decorated on their return.
From early 1944 X-craft midget submariners of the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) carefully surveyed three of the D-Day landing beaches. Ten teams had trained intensively at HMS Varbel (Argyll and Bute). Their results, gathered under the defenders’ noses, were essential to the successful planning of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy.
David outlined the training for Operation Gambit which took place 2-6 June 1944 by the 5-man crews of X-20 and X-23. It was a high-risk but successful venture which enabled the landing ships and landing craft to disgorge their Duplex-Drive tanks and assault infantry units accurately onto Juno and Sword Beaches.
David brought a personal view to the talk, having known (in 2016) one of the Coppists aboard X-23.
We are also indebted to Rob Crane, who brought a detailed drawing of an X-craft and some photographs.
The German ‘Navies’ 1945-1956
As Germany’s resistance collapsed there were some four million Germans trapped behind Russian lines in the eastern Baltic. Dönitz, as Hitler’s nominated successor, arranged a sea lift to evacuate about 900,000 people to the western sector.
Following the surrender the Kriegsmarine’s remaining vessels were concentrated at Wilhelmshaven while the victors wrangled over the spoils. US Admiral Ernest King wanted them all out within two months, the Russians (along with much western public opinion) wanted German armed forces completely dismantled and, just to add interest, the US abruptly ended Lend-Lease and demanded repayment within two weeks of V-J Day.
However, somebody had to deal with the large number of sea mines left over from the war. 416 ships were lost or damaged by mines after the war. British minesweepers were manned by hostilities-only crews who could not legally be retained. The answer was to form the German Minesweeping Administration (GMSA) comprising former Kriegsmarine crews, who were only too pleased to have something constructive (if dangerous) to do rather than kicking their heels in an internment camp.
Meanwhile as the Second World War segued into the Cold War it was topical that the Kriegsmarine was the only navy that had fought the Soviets. The deceptively named German Naval Historical Team was formed to rewrite Nazi propaganda, and the equally misleading RN Fishery Protection Service used former S (or ‘E’) Boats to insert and recover agents, and spy on the Soviet fleet. It was not until 1957 that Chancellor Adenauer reformed a Federal German navy.
On the eastern side of the border Soviet sensibilities led to the creation of an increasingly heavily armed ‘Marine Police’ force under a ‘Chief Inspector’. This fiction persisted until 1956 when it became the Volksmarine.
Our November AGM will be followed by Richard Blake, on Sugar, slavery, sacrifice – and oblivion: the Royal Navy and the Slave Trade. Regular guests will know that Richard is an inspirational speaker, and the subject could hardly be more topical.
Please see our Events page for future attractions.