Operation Juno Fueling Question

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gflotron
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Operation Juno Fueling Question

Post by gflotron »

In several accounts I've read, mention is made of fueling delays for the squadron which dragged on from late on June 6th, until late in the day on June 7th.
Whitley specifically says until 17:50.

I was rereading the Koop-Schmolke work which claims to reproduce extracts from the Commanders War Diary and it shows that all was completed at 07:50 on the 7th.
What is confusing me is In the latter, the War Diary timeline quoted begins late on the 6th then follows chronologically:
05:30-Refuelling of all destroyers completed
07:50-Hipper refueling complete
08:30-Daylight sailing resumed
All just a misprint?
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wadinga
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Re: Operation Juno Fueling Question

Post by wadinga »

Hi gflotron,

Haarr's explanation in Battle for Norway is that
The refuelling took along time due to inexperience and technical problems and was not completed until late afternoon the next day.
ie the 7th.

The RAS was done offshore by stern hose from the Dithmarschen, but the another factor in delay seems to have been Marschall waiting for intelligence to decide what he might encounter at Harstad. He had a conference of officers from all the various ships aboard Gneisenau (shades of Nelson and the Band of Brothers). Reports had come in during the day of convoys and carriers at sea and taking the battleships into the confines of a fjord as he was ordered to, would only be justified if there were targets worth the risk. The conference only broke up at 22:15/7 with the officers returning to their various ships, and Haarr says Dithmarschen was "released" at 22;55.

Marschall gave his deployment instructions by Ultra Short Wave radio at 00:30/8. Luckless Orama and trawler Jupiter were sunk later the same day. There is an indication that the at-sea refuelling on the 7th had limited success because Hipper and the destroyers were detached later on the the 8th to fuel (properly?) in Trondheim.

I can't explain the Koop/Schmolke conundrum.

All the best

wadinga
"There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today!"
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wadinga
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Re: Operation Juno Fueling Question

Post by wadinga »

Correction

For Jupiter read Juniper. :oops: Also failed to mention Oil Pioneer as another victim, and that Orama is surely the most-often-sunk ship in WWII TV documentaries. Any time anyone needs a few seconds of a ship plunging, down goes poor old Orama again.

Given the very long hours of daylight available at that latitude and time of year and good weather conditions, the at-sea refuelling on 6th/7th seems to have been a bit of a fiasco. Maybe it was too embarrassing to detail in the KTB.

All the best

wadinga
"There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today!"
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