You can rely on these guys! Submariners achieve success in any situation - “steel wolves” have no equal in the sea, submarines are capable of reaching any enemy, even where their appearance is considered impossible. Every time, a meeting with an invisible underwater killer results in heavy losses and confuses all the enemy’s cards.

But it happens that not only shipping in a given square, but also the fate of the whole world depends on the results of submarine attacks. I bring to your attention a small selection of interesting cases that took place during the Second World War - many of the stories presented became (or could become) the cornerstone of modern history.

"Nelson". National disaster

On October 30, 1939, the submarine U-56 under the command of Wilhelm Zahn discovered a British battleship surrounded by a large number of destroyers west of the Orkney Islands.
Something clearly unusual was happening. The submarine crawled closer, Commander Tsang peered predatorily into the periscope - That’s right! Three main caliber towers in front of the superstructure, this is the battleship Nelson - a powerful modern ship with a displacement of 40 thousand tons.

Torpedo tubes, come on!

Three torpedoes pierced the side of the Nelson with a dull clang, but, alas, the fuses of none of them went off. Misfire! Undiscovered by anyone, Wilhelm Zahn hastily took the boat towards the open sea. Shaize, damned G7e torpedoes - after all, victory was practically in his hands!

As it became known later, Winston Churchill was on board the Nelson that day.

Having lost its great national leader, Great Britain could have capitulated as early as 1940 - and it is unknown what the world map would look like now. As for the battleship Nelson, just a month later it was blown up by mines laid in Willow Bay by the U-31 boat, and was out of action until August 1940.

Explosion of the ammunition magazines of the British battleship Barham (torpedoed in the Mediterranean by the submarine U-311, November 25, 1941)

The Tragedy of the Sullivan Family

On November 13, 1942, a procession of three cruisers slowly moved across the ocean - Juneau, Helena and San Francisco - returning to their base at Esperito Santo for emergency repairs. It was especially hard for the seriously wounded San Francisco - the ship sank 4 meters into the water with its bow and had difficulty developing a 13-knot speed. But the hearts of the sailors were warmed by hope - yesterday’s battle seemed like a bad dream, and a long-awaited rest lay ahead.

Hope was dashed in an instant - at about 11 am a torpedo hit the side of the Juneau. The explosion caused the detonation of the artillery magazines: the cruiser broke into pieces and sank over the next 20 seconds. The commander of the Japanese submarine I-26 widened his eyes in surprise: everything happened so quickly...

Of the 623 crew members of the cruiser, only 10 survived.

In general, the sinking of the USS Juneau (CL-52) was not an outstanding achievement of submariners - by that time the Juneau was already fairly damaged, and the loss of the light cruiser itself did not affect the combat effectiveness of the US Navy. The death of the cruiser could have gone unnoticed if not for one legend associated with the ship:

Five sailors served on the Juneau - brothers George (27 years old), Francis (26), Joseph (24), Madison (23) and Albert (20).

…That morning, Thomas Sullivan was getting ready for work when there was a knock on the door of his house. “I’m talking about your guys,” said the naval officer. “Which one?” Thomas asked. “I’m sorry,” the officer replied, “All five of them.”

The simultaneous loss of five sons was the worst tragedy in American families during the war. The Sullivan Brothers became national heroes, and the US Department of Defense developed the Sole Survivor directive to protect family members who had already lost loved ones in the war from conscription.

This is the kind of mess the unknown Japanese boat I-26 managed to stir up.

Ritual of revenge

On June 19, 1944, during the full moon, the American Navy carried out the Great Rite of Revenge: the submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244) sank the aircraft carrier Shokaku.

The Americans had long-standing scores to settle with the Soaring Crane - after all, it was part of the combat core of the Japanese formation that attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. And so, the aircraft carrier giant with a displacement of 32 thousand tons disappeared forever under water, taking 1,273 of its crew to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

The ritual itself turned out to be surprisingly simple: during its first combat campaign (just 19 days after entering service), the little Cavella noticed a large enemy aircraft carrier - at that time the Shokaku was providing landing operations, so it could not change its course and go in an anti-submarine zigzag. The perfect target!

Having fired six torpedoes in a fan, the Cavella disappeared into the water without a trace. The distant explosions of depth charges dropped by the escort destroyers only peeled off the paint on her superstructure.

USS Cavalla (SS-244) is preserved as a monument in the state of Texas. However, she is not at all like the legendary Cavella that sank the Japanese aircraft carrier - after the war, the boat underwent extensive modernization under the GUPPY program, which completely changed her appearance.

"Syokaku" died, and "Cavella" continued its service - until the end of the war, the submarine chalked up one more destroyer and two flat-bottomed vessels, and once returned to base not alone - the damaged British boat HMS Terrapin was in tow behind the "Cavella" .

On July 31, 1945, as the shining fleet of winners was drawn into Tokyo Bay in an endless stream, the baby Cavella brazenly followed everyone and stood proudly between the rows of majestic battleships and aircraft carriers. Well, she had the right to do so!

Death of Leviathan

The case, of course, is unique: the submarine "Archer Fish" - a pathetic "pelvis" with a surface displacement of 1.5 thousand tons - managed to sink the largest warship that took part in World War II - the Japanese super-aircraft carrier "Shinano" with a total displacement of 70 thousand tons !

As it became known after the end of the war, USS Archer Fish (SS-311) initially did not plan to sink anyone - during its sixth combat campaign, the submarine patrolled off the southern coast of the island. Honshu, preparing to catch pilots of downed “Superfortresses” from the water. On November 27, 1944, the boat received a fateful order: “No B-29 raids are expected in the next 48 hours. There are no other US Navy ships or submarines in your sector - relax and go free hunting."

This was truly a royal gift for the crew of the submarine - in this area, nicknamed by the Americans “Hit Parade,” there was always a great chance of meeting a large target. And they met her!

The sinking of the Shinano still causes a lot of controversy:
On the one hand, “Shinano” is a cruel experiment on the topic: how quickly a ship will perish with an untrained crew, unsealed bulkheads and the absence of means of combating survivability. According to eyewitnesses, the Shinano left the shipyard unfinished, and its “crew” set foot on deck just a few days before the first trip to sea. As a result, water slowly rolled over the decks and penetrated into the compartments - the aircraft carrier, which initially did not receive critical damage, slowly sank after 7 hours.

On the other hand, all the signs of a real naval battle are present - an escort of three destroyers, an anti-submarine zigzag, attempts to counterattack the boat, 14 depth charges dropped. There is also evidence that one of the torpedoes that hit the aircraft carrier damaged an aviation fuel tank (luckily for the Japanese, it was empty).
It remains to be seen whether the Shinano would have been able to hold out for a full 7 hours if it had been in combat-ready condition - with a trained crew, a full air wing and a supply of jet fuel on board. In a similar situation, the aircraft carrier USS Taiho (torpedoed on July 19, 1944 by the submarine Albacore) was destroyed by a massive internal explosion of gasoline vapor, 6 hours after the attack by the American boat.

The first casualty of the war

Another notable story is the sinking of the British aircraft carrier Koreas by the German submarine U-29, which occurred on September 17, 1939. As usual, the 626-ton pellet “butchered” a ship with a displacement of 22 thousand tons: having received a powerful blow from under the water, the Coreyges fell on board and sank just 15 minutes after the attack. The shipwreck killed 518 crew members of the aircraft carrier.

But the main “trick” of this whole story is that the Corages became the first warship sunk in World War II. Also, Coreys became the first British aircraft carrier lost during combat operations (but not the last! - over the next two years, German U-Bots will sink the Eagle and Ark Royal).

“Nuclear suitcase” of the cruiser Indianapolis

...They were only four days late. The cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35) managed to deliver components of the Baby nuclear bomb to the Tinian airbase (Mariana Islands).

The history of the cruiser Indianapolis is similar to a creepy conspiracy theory: from Tinian the cruiser moved to Guam, where it received a new order that surprised the officers with its senselessness: to proceed without an escort to the Philippines, to Leyte Gulf. But why? Why drive a heavy ship across the ocean? Why take unnecessary risks? After all, Japan is capitulating any day now, most of the Imperial Navy is lying at the bottom, and there are no suitable targets for 8-inch guns in the Philippines.

But the Navy command was adamant - to urgently go out for “exercises” in the open ocean.

According to one conspiracy hypothesis, the fleet command was in fear of an unknown cargo aboard the Indianapolis. Of course, the sailors knew nothing about the Manhattan Project, and the high secrecy and chemical troops stripes on the uniforms of the officers accompanying the “cargo” finally convinced the admirals that the cruiser was transporting bacteriological agents. Plague, or maybe something worse?

Now the Indianapolis cannot return to Pearl Harbor or San Francisco. We urgently need to get rid of the infected ship! Send him to the ends of the Earth, without an escort, and if he dies on the way, so much the better.

And the doomed cruiser went to where the invisible killer was moving under the arches of the waves - the Japanese submarine I-58. The last torpedo salvo in World War II reached its target - the Indianapolis shuddered and fell into the abyss. As a result of the shipwreck, 883 sailors were killed - the sinking of the Indianapolis was the largest loss in the number of casualties in the history of the US Navy.

It is noteworthy that the cruiser and submarine I-58 had a chance to “meet” a week earlier - alas, the patrol Catalina, which accidentally deviated from its course due to a failure of the navigation equipment, scared the boat, forcing it to abandon the attack. Indianapolis passed by. Now the city of Nagasaki was doomed.

Gold cruiser "Edinburgh"

The cruiser Edinburgh is torpedoed!

This message made admirals on both sides of the Earth shudder - “No! Not Edinburgh! On board the ship is a precious cargo - 93 boxes with 465 gold bars. Payment for British military supplies for the period summer-autumn 1941.

The cruiser was still afloat, but two well-aimed shots from the submarine U-456 did their job: Edinburgh lost speed and tilted dangerously to port. The distance to Murmansk was 187 miles, but the chance of successful towing under enemy fire was close to zero.

While there were discussions in the offices about the plans for the rescue operation, German ships broke through to the scene of the disaster - the cruiser managed to fight back, sinking one of the Kriegsmarine destroyers, but a new torpedo hit became fatal for it. British destroyers arrived in time, removed the crew and finished off the doomed cruiser. It was all over. The sea swallowed up the treasure forever!

In terms of its combat effectiveness, the submarine U-456 became truly “golden” - the enemy was damaged in the amount of 5.5 tons of precious metal. Now even the destruction of 30 German U-bots in response would not be able to compensate the Allies for the bitterness of the loss. Fantastic efficiency.

The gold of the cruiser "Edinburgh" will be raised only 40 years later - in 1981, but that's a completely different story.

Pearl Harbor with a German accent

Another amazing story involves the secret visit of the U-47 submarine to the main British naval base at Scapa Flow (Scotland). The very fact that an enemy boat has penetrated one of the most guarded harbors in the world can cause mute surprise. They even got in here!

Today it seems like a fantasy: How was commander Gunther Prien able to navigate his U-boat through the narrow Kirk Saud Strait? How did you manage to bypass anti-submarine barriers and barriers of sunken ships and blockages in unfamiliar waters, without pilot charts and accurate navigation data? At night, with a strong oncoming current. On a primitive submarine, without radar or sonar.

The behavior of the British raises even more questions: U-47 sailed on the surface for several hours, but went unnoticed from the shore.

The crew of the battleship Scharnhorst greets U-47 after returning from a combat cruise

The result was a pogrom: the small U-47 "slammed" the battleship HMS Royal Oak. On that night of October 13-14, 1939, 833 British sailors died, including the commander of the Home Fleet, Rear Admiral Henry Blagrove.

Enchanting victory. To the sound of anti-aircraft gunfire, the “invisible” U-47 calmly left Scapa Flow along a familiar route and returned safely to its base in Wilhelmshaven.

Fearing a repeat of new raids by German submarines, the British came up with nothing better than to block the Kirk Sound with a stone dam. At least the U-bots couldn't crawl on the ground, which gave the British Admiralty some sense of relief.

Churchill Barrier at Scapa Flow

Saving Private Ryan

On September 2, 1944, the submarine USS Finback (SS-670) received a Mayday signal from an Avenger aircraft in distress. Four hours later, the boat arrived in the area of ​​the disaster and began searching for surviving crew members. The operation was a success - the submariners were able to discover and lift out of the water a life raft with a frightened, lanky pilot. The one who was saved was George Herbert Walker Bush, the future 41st President of the United States.

Losses of the merchant fleet from enemy actions

In total, 5,150 ships with a capacity of 21,570,720 GRT were sunk during the war. Of these, 2714 ships 11455906 GRT were British, the rest belonged to the allies and neutral countries. In 1939 the British merchant fleet consisted of 9488 ships 21215261 GRT. Thus, 28.6% of the total number of ships and 54.4% of the tonnage were sunk. Overall, Allied losses were:

The largest annual losses occurred in 1942, when 1,664 ships 7790697 GRT were sunk. Of this number, submarines accounted for 1,160 vessels 6266215 GRT.

We suffered the greatest losses in the North Atlantic, where 2,232 ships with a total capacity of 11,899,732 GRT were sunk. In the waters around the British Isles, including the Arctic, 1,431 ships totaling 3,768,599 GRT were lost.

The largest monthly losses occurred in March 1942, when 273 ships with a capacity of 834,164 GRT were sunk. Of these, 95 ships (534,064 GRT) went to the North Atlantic and 98 ships (183,773 GRT) went to the Far East. In June 1942, 173 ships with a capacity of 834,196 GRT were sunk, including submarines that sank 144 ships with a capacity of 700,235 GRT. All but 20 ships in 76690 GRT were sunk in the North Atlantic.

In addition to enemy actions, during the war years we lost 1,600 ships worth 3,000,000 GRT from various “maritime causes.”

German submarine losses

During the war years, Germany built 1,162 submarines. Of these, 785 units died for various reasons. U-31 was sunk twice. 156 boats capitulated, the rest were scuttled at the end of the war.

The causes of death of the 785 sunk boats were as follows:

British forces, including Commonwealth and Allied forces operating under British control, sank 514 boats. The United States sank 166 boats. 12 boats were destroyed jointly by the British and Americans.

Personnel losses

The Royal Navy lost 50,758 killed, 820 missing and 14,663 wounded.

The Women's Navy Service suffered 102 killed and 22 wounded.

The British merchant fleet lost 30,248 people from enemy action.

Losses of British Commonwealth navies

In addition, the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies lost 1,035 auxiliary and minor ships.

Losses of the German and Italian fleets

Convoys

Ocean convoys

In total, during the war years, 2,889 guarded convoys were conducted to and from England. Of the 85,775 ships in their composition, 654 ships, or 0.7%, were sunk.

Coastal convoys

A total of 7,944 convoys were deployed in UK coastal waters. Of the 175,608 ships in their composition, 248 ships, or 0.14%, were sunk.

811 ships were sent as part of convoys to Northern Russia, and 720 ships reached their destination. 33 ships returned for various reasons, 58 ships were sunk, which amounted to 7.2%.

717 ships left Northern Russia as part of convoys, of which 29 ships, or 4%, were sunk.

In total, during the war years, about 4 million tons of cargo were sent through the Arctic to Russia. Approximately 300,000 tons were lost on the road. Among the military equipment, 5,000 tanks and more than 7,000 aircraft were delivered.

Transatlantic troop transport

175 “Operational Convoys”, that is, huge airliners traveling on their own, delivered:

to the east 907,954 people, to the west 185,578 people.

All military transports, including airliners, delivered:

to the east 2,093,791 people, to the west 675,319 people.

In total, 3,862,642 Allied soldiers crossed the North Atlantic in both directions, starting on January 1, 1942, when transportation became widespread. In addition, a large number of soldiers (the exact numbers remain unknown) were brought to the Middle East from England, Australia, and New Zealand. Transportation to Malaya, India, Burma, and Ceylon was widespread. In general, it can be assumed that British ships and transports delivered about 10 million soldiers to and from the theaters of war.

Losses of the merchant fleet from enemy actions

In total, 5,150 ships with a capacity of 21,570,720 GRT were sunk during the war. Of these, 2714 ships 11455906 GRT were British, the rest belonged to the allies and neutral countries. In 1939 the British merchant fleet consisted of 9488 ships 21215261 GRT. Thus, 28.6% of the total number of ships and 54.4% of the tonnage were sunk. Overall, Allied losses were:

The largest annual losses occurred in 1942, when 1,664 ships 7790697 GRT were sunk. Of this number, submarines accounted for 1,160 vessels 6266215 GRT.

We suffered the greatest losses in the North Atlantic, where 2,232 ships with a total capacity of 11,899,732 GRT were sunk. In the waters around the British Isles, including the Arctic, 1,431 ships totaling 3,768,599 GRT were lost.

The largest monthly losses occurred in March 1942, when 273 ships with a capacity of 834,164 GRT were sunk. Of these, 95 ships (534,064 GRT) went to the North Atlantic and 98 ships (183,773 GRT) went to the Far East. In June 1942, 173 ships with a capacity of 834,196 GRT were sunk, including submarines that sank 144 ships with a capacity of 700,235 GRT. All but 20 ships in 76690 GRT were sunk in the North Atlantic.

In addition to enemy actions, during the war years we lost 1,600 ships worth 3,000,000 GRT from various “maritime causes.”

German submarine losses

During the war years, Germany built 1,162 submarines. Of these, 785 units died for various reasons. U-31 was sunk twice. 156 boats capitulated, the rest were scuttled at the end of the war.

The causes of death of the 785 sunk boats were as follows:

British forces, including Commonwealth and Allied forces operating under British control, sank 514 boats. The United States sank 166 boats. 12 boats were destroyed jointly by the British and Americans.

Personnel losses

The Royal Navy lost 50,758 killed, 820 missing and 14,663 wounded.

The Women's Navy Service suffered 102 killed and 22 wounded.

The British merchant fleet lost 30,248 people from enemy action.

Losses of British Commonwealth navies

In addition, the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies lost 1,035 auxiliary and minor ships.

Losses of the German and Italian fleets

Convoys

Ocean convoys

In total, during the war years, 2,889 guarded convoys were conducted to and from England. Of the 85,775 ships in their composition, 654 ships, or 0.7%, were sunk.

Coastal convoys

A total of 7,944 convoys were deployed in UK coastal waters. Of the 175,608 ships in their composition, 248 ships, or 0.14%, were sunk.

811 ships were sent as part of convoys to Northern Russia, and 720 ships reached their destination. 33 ships returned for various reasons, 58 ships were sunk, which amounted to 7.2%.

717 ships left Northern Russia as part of convoys, of which 29 ships, or 4%, were sunk.

In total, during the war years, about 4 million tons of cargo were sent through the Arctic to Russia. Approximately 300,000 tons were lost on the road. Among the military equipment, 5,000 tanks and more than 7,000 aircraft were delivered.

Transatlantic troop transport

175 “Operational Convoys”, that is, huge airliners traveling on their own, delivered:

to the east 907,954 people, to the west 185,578 people.

All military transports, including airliners, delivered:

to the east 2,093,791 people, to the west 675,319 people.

In total, 3,862,642 Allied soldiers crossed the North Atlantic in both directions, starting on January 1, 1942, when transportation became widespread. In addition, a large number of soldiers (the exact numbers remain unknown) were brought to the Middle East from England, Australia, and New Zealand. Transportation to Malaya, India, Burma, and Ceylon was widespread. In general, it can be assumed that British ships and transports delivered about 10 million soldiers to and from the theaters of war.

Losses of the Netherlands (Holland)

The losses of the Dutch army in battles with the Germans in 1940 amounted to 2.2 thousand people. Another 1.7 thousand resistance fighters died during the German occupation. The Dutch navy lost 2.6 thousand people dead. In addition, 250 Dutch soldiers died in German captivity. In the Battle of the Atlantic, 1,350 Dutch sailors of the Dutch merchant fleet and another 1,650 representatives of other nationalities were killed on ships sunk by German submarines. We do not include the latter in the Dutch losses. In addition, about 900 Dutch soldiers died in battles against Japan, and about 8 thousand out of 37 thousand Dutch prisoners of war died in Japanese captivity. According to R. Overmans, about 10 thousand Dutch died in the German army. According to official Russian data, 4,730 Dutch were in Soviet captivity, of whom 200 died. The losses of the civilian population of Holland amounted to 7.5 thousand killed or missing during forced labor in Germany (in total, 27 thousand Dutch were taken to forced labor), 2.8 thousand executed by the German occupation authorities, 2.5 thousand Dutch, died in concentration camps in Holland, 18 thousand died in concentration camps in Germany, 20.4 thousand died from Anglo-American bombings and as a result of ground combat and 16 thousand died as a result of the famine of the winter of 1944/45. 104 thousand Dutch Jews became victims of the Holocaust. As a result of the Roma genocide, 500 Dutch citizens died. In addition, in Indonesia (Dutch Indies), out of more than 100 thousand interned European civilians, 14.8 thousand people, mostly Dutch, died. We included these losses in Indonesia's losses. According to Dutch data, only 3.7 thousand Dutch died in the German army. This is almost three times lower than R. Overmans’ estimate, but the latter seems to me much closer to reality. Probably, the difference between 10 thousand and 3.7 thousand was formed due to those 7.5 thousand Dutch who are considered missing while in Germany. It can be assumed that at least 6.3 thousand of them actually entered the German army, mainly the SS troops, and died on the Eastern Front or in Soviet captivity. The remaining 1,200 Dutch missing in Germany were probably victims of Anglo-American bombing. In 1941, at the time of the German attack on the USSR, according to the German Foreign Ministry, there were even slightly more Flemings in the SS troops than the Dutch - 5,721 and 4,814, respectively. But on January 31, 1944, there were 18,473 Dutch in the German army, which was 2.7 times more than the number of residents of Belgium (5,033 Flemings and 1,812 Walloons). This was due to the relatively large influx of Dutch volunteers. Taking this into account, the number of Dutch killed in the German army must be approximately 2.7 times greater than the number of Belgians killed. If R. Overmans' estimate of 10 thousand Belgians who died in the ranks of the German army were correct, then the number of Dutch should have been about 27 thousand people, which would be one and a half times the number of Dutch in the SS troops on January 31, 1944. And before January 31, 1944, only a few hundred Dutch could have died. Therefore, we believe that approximately 10 thousand Dutch died in the German army.

In total, Holland's losses are estimated at 193.4 thousand people, including 25,650 military personnel, of whom approximately 10 thousand died fighting on the German side.

From the book Europe on Fire. Sabotage and espionage by British intelligence services in the occupied territories. 1940–1945 by Edward Cookridge

BETRAYAL IN HOLLAND On June 26, 1942, the Dutch professor Georges Louis Jambros was sent by the regional branch of the SOE from London to his homeland, with the task of establishing control over the partisan movement in this country and preparing for the implementation of Plan Holland,

From the book The Longest Day. Allied landings in Normandy author Ryan Cornelius

Casualties Over the years, the number of Allied casualties during the first twenty-four hours of the landings has been estimated differently by various sources. No source can claim absolute accuracy. In any case, these were estimates: by their very nature

From the book The Battle Path of the Imperial Japanese Navy by Dall Paul S.

Military operations against Great Britain and Holland Hong Kong Since the main invasion of Hong Kong by Japanese troops was carried out by land, the role of the fleet in the capture of this city was minimal. Light cruiser “Isuzu” from the 2nd Chinese Expeditionary Fleet and 2 destroyers -

From the book 100 Great Football Coaches author Malov Vladimir Igorevich

He coached the Austrian national team and clubs in Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Brazil,

From the book The Defeat of Georgian Invaders near Tskhinvali author Shein Oleg V.

Coached the national teams of Holland and Austria, the Dutch clubs ADO and Feyenoord, the Belgian clubs Brugge and Standard, the Spanish Seville, the German Hamburg, the Austrian

From the book Who fought with numbers, and who fought with skill. The monstrous truth about the losses of the USSR in World War II author Sokolov Boris Vadimovich

Coached the Dutch national team, Dutch Ajax, Spanish Barcelona, ​​Azteca (USA), German clubs Cologne and

From the book Adventure Archipelago author Medvedev Ivan Anatolievich

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From the book Just Yesterday. Part three. New old times author Melnichenko Nikolay Trofimovich

He coached the Dutch national team, the Dutch club Sparta, and the Spanish Barcelona. In 2009 he headed the Turkish club

From the author's book

Coached the Dutch national team and Amsterdam

From the author's book

Losses Official figures for Russian casualties were 64 killed and 323 wounded and shell-shocked. Considering that there were several thousand fighters on both sides supported by heavy artillery and tanks, the loss figures are relatively small. Lost

From the author's book

Civilian losses and general losses of the German population in World War II It is very difficult to determine the losses of the German civilian population. For example, the number of deaths as a result of the bombing of Dresden by Allied aircraft in February 1945 From the author’s book

Swedish losses During World War II, 8,680 Swedish volunteers served in the Finnish army, of whom 33 died. About 1,500 Swedish citizens also served in the Finnish army during the Continuation War of 1941–1944. Taking into account the fact that in this war the Finnish army died

From the author's book

Orang Russia in tropical Holland At the end of the 19th century, a dark-skinned young man, a subject of the Russian Empire, appeared in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). He introduced himself as Vasily Malygin, a mining engineer. Fate threw him so far from his homeland in search of concessions

From the author's book

Losses... At any feast, amid the noise and din of the departed, remember; Although they are invisible to us, they see us. (I.G.) ...When I was awarded the highest officer rank, my son Seryozha and my friend and wife’s brother, Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service Ruzhitsky Zhanlis Fedorovich, rejoiced most of all.

Statistics say

I. ACTIVITIES OF THE ITALIAN FLEET

Not counting the intense and important activities of small and auxiliary ships, these figures show that the large ships of the Italian fleet alone during the war years made 43,207 trips to sea, amounting to 48,939 days of sailing, and the distance traveled reached 11,815,815 miles.

II. ESCORT ACTIVITY

A. GENERAL STATISTICS

Before the armistice, the Italian fleet provided escort for a huge, almost unimaginable, number of merchant ships in the following directions:

Coastal waters of the Italian Peninsula and Dalmatia

Between the peninsula and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and, since November 1942, Corsica

Between the peninsula and Tunisia to ensure the transport of critical agricultural fertilizers

Along the coasts of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (later Tunisia) for the delivery of goods from Italy. In addition, the Italian fleet ensured the transport of large quantities of supplies and army personnel overseas (return passages not included)

To complete this work I had to send

Losses of cargo and personnel during these transportations are indicated below. The percentage of losses sent are given in brackets.

However, if most of the cargo sank, then the people who never arrived at their destination ports were mostly saved.

After the armistice, the Italian fleet continued its escort activities, as reflected in the table:

In addition to these convoys, the Italian fleet transported cargo and personnel on its own warships.

B. TRANSPORTATION TO AFRICA

The given figures can be divided into the following columns:

These cargoes included 28,466 Italian and 32,299 German tanks and trucks.

B. TRANSPORTATION TO ALBANIA AND GREECE

During the campaigns in Albania and Greece, the Italian fleet also carried out the transport of men and equipment. The table does not include return passages and transportation to Dalmatia for the capture and occupation of Yugoslavia.

Until April 1941, 15,951 tanks and trucks, as well as 87,092 horses and mules, were transported.

III. VARIOUS FLEET OPERATIONS

In total, before the armistice, 19 hospital ships of the Italian fleet made 623 trips, transporting 281,260 wounded and sick to Italy from various overseas ports. During this time they were subjected to 36 attacks by aircraft and submarines. The following were sunk:

It should be added that the German hospital ship Graz was sunk by a submarine off the coast of Cyrenaica on December 5, 1942.

The fleet's reconnaissance seaplanes made 31,107 sorties, spending 125,943 hours in the air. 230 aircraft were lost.

For the defense of the ports, 174,500 meters of nets, more than 300 balloons, and about 2,000 guns were installed. A total of 54,457 mines were delivered.

Before the armistice, the fleet's radio stations transmitted radiograms with a total volume of 71,000,000 words.

Before the armistice, 7,608 ships were repaired in the docks.

Italian naval bases were subject to no less than 2,030 air raids before the armistice.

IV. LOSSES OF THE ITALIAN FLEET

A. Losses before the armistice

The total losses include ships that were active in the Italian fleet and were sunk or lost for various reasons in the period from July 10, 1940 to September 3, 1940 (including sunken ships that were later raised).

This includes the following enemy ships that were captured and entered service under the Italian flag: France - 1 submarine, 1 corvette, 8 minesweepers; Yugoslavia - 1 destroyer, 6 gunboats.

b. After the truce

From the Armistice to the end of World War II, the Italian Navy lost many ships that were previously part of the active fleet. In many cases they can be divided into the following groups:

Ships that died in the first days after the armistice in battles against German ships, aircraft, artillery, and died later in battles on the side of the Allies (Column A).

Ships that perished because on Armistice Day they were unable to leave the German- or Japanese-controlled ports where they were located. In most cases, these ships were sunk by their own crews (Column B).

V. Ships not in active service

In addition to all these ships, the Italian fleet lost those ships that, by the day of the armistice, were in the shipyards, being completed and undergoing equipment.

B. Causes of death

393 ships of the Italian fleet were lost for the following reasons:

V. GERMAN LOSSES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

The German Navy, according to official lists published by the British Admiralty, lost, from October 1941, when it first appeared in the Mediterranean, until September 8, 1943, the following ships:

1 destroyer

38 submarines

5 hunting boats, several torpedo boats and minesweepers, the exact number of which could not be determined.

In total, the Germans lost about 50 ships with a total displacement of approximately 30,000 tons.

VI. ENGLISH LOSSES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

From June 10, 1940 to September 8, 1943, the British fleet lost the following ships in the Mediterranean (Blatent lies. List of British losses until the very end of the war. See translator's appendix. A.B.):

VII. LOSSES OF THE REST OF THE ALLIES' FLEETS

The losses of the remaining fleets of the Allied powers that fought against the Italian fleet were not officially published. For this reason, the data provided, compiled from multiple sources, may be incomplete and actual losses may be greater. In any case, this includes ships sunk in the Mediterranean from June 10, 1940 to September 8, 1943.

Before the armistice between France and Italy, the French fleet lost only one Morse submarine. Later, under the flag of Free France, 1 destroyer, “Leopard”, and 2 submarines, “Narwhal” and “Souffler” (Leopard was thrown ashore by a storm. A.B.) were lost.

Therefore, the French fleet lost 4 ships with a displacement of 5048 tons. The ships sunk at Toulon are not included here, as these are non-combat losses.

The Greek fleet lost at least 56 ships with a displacement of about 30,000 tons. 1 battleship (Kilkis); 4 destroyers; 10 escort destroyers; 4 submarines; 1 hospital ship; 4 minesweepers; 3 military tankers; 5 torpedo boats and about 20 small ships (The battleship is actually a battleship built at the beginning of the century: Escort destroyers are the same old coal destroyers.).

Among the captured Yugoslav ships were: 5 destroyers; 4 escort destroyers; 3 minesweepers; 3 submarines; many small and auxiliary ships. 1 destroyer was sunk by its own crew. 1 submarine was lost in battle. In total, the Yugoslav fleet lost at least 30 ships with a displacement of 18,000 tons.

Holland lost the destroyer Isaac Sweers.

The official list of American losses shows 1 destroyer, 3 small ships, 2 sea transports and 12 landing craft. Here we should add transports that belonged to the American army, about which we do not have data.

Ships of the Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Indian fleets also took part in the war in the Mediterranean. Their losses are unknown, except for 2 Canadian corvettes with a displacement of 1450 tons.

From these data it follows that the fleets of the remaining allied powers that fought on the side of Britain in the Mediterranean Sea from June 10, 1940 to September 8, 1943 lost at least 111 ships with a displacement of 84,126 tons. However, in reality this figure should be much higher.

VIII. COMPARISON OF LOSSES

A. Comparison of losses of the Italian and British fleets

A. Classification of losses

Having all the above figures, we can compare the losses suffered by the fleets until September 8, 1943. This excludes partially sunken ships that were later raised. Also not included here are 61 landing ships of the Italian fleet with a displacement of 732 tons, since there are no official British statistics on ships of this type.

Comparing these figures suggests that the British fleet lost more surface ships (137 versus 112) and significantly more tonnage (about 72% more than the Italians). On the other hand, the Italian fleet lost more submarines and significantly more small and auxiliary ships. They died mainly during several evacuations and during raids on Italian ports. In total, the British fleet lost 412,000 tons of warships against 269,000 Italian ones, which is 53% more.

b. Reasons for losses

From this you can see that the Italian fleet lost much fewer ships from ship-based weapons (shells, torpedoes, mines, etc.) than the enemy. From aviation, the Italians lost much more, both in quantity and in percentage terms.

IX. LOSSES OF MERCHANT SHIPS

* Italian ships returned to Italy or built

** Foreign vessels captured or purchased

*** Ships captured or built by the Germans, transferred to the Italians, but remaining under the German flag

X. ITALIAN SHIPS BUILT DURING THE WAR

During the war from June 10, 1940 to September 8, 1943, the fleet commissioned the following ships:

At the beginning of the war, the Italian fleet had warships with a total displacement of 500,589 tons and auxiliary vessels with a displacement of 189,011 tons; total - 689,600 tons. This included 4 battleships that did not belong to the active fleet, but were later transferred there. Therefore, during the war, ships were built with a total displacement of approximately 20% of the original fleet. During the same period, 60 merchant ships with a total displacement of 305,733 tons were built.

XI. PERSONNEL LOSSES

During the war, the personnel of the Italian fleet suffered heavy losses (this does not include the losses of the Republic of Salo).

There were about 8,000 people wounded. These losses amounted to approximately 15% of the 190,000 men called up to serve in the navy. 121 officers serving as observers on reconnaissance aircraft were also killed. This amounted to approximately 50% of the officers seconded there. Among the crews of sunken ships, the losses were:

30% sailors

50% officers

75% of ship commanders

100% admirals

XII. ACCURATE CLASSIFICATION OF LOSSES

The translator considered it necessary to add this small appendix, since the statistics of losses given by the author are false from beginning to end. As is easy to see, it was not only Soviet propaganda that depicted the “victories of Russian weapons at Austerlitz.” Please note the discrepancies with the text of the book itself. Bragadin describes “Queen Elizabeth” and “Valiant” as constructive total loss (a beautiful term, isn’t it?), but “Cavour” is quite the opposite. Juggling with the period of sinking - before and after the armistice, especially - attributing German merits to oneself. But, to be completely objective, the British also sin in a similar way, although to a lesser extent. They really don’t like to include that same constructive total loss in losses. That's not sunk, that's all! And further. Notice what can be done with three hundred aircraft, two dozen submarines and a dozen torpedo boats at your disposal. Only! I'm talking about the Germans.

Sunk by the Germans

Aircraft carriers: Ark Royal, Eagle Battleship: Barham Light cruisers: Coventry, Calcutta, Galatea, Penelope (*), Southampton, Gloucester, Fiji, Hermione, Naiad, Spartan (*)

Layer cruisers: Abdiel, Latona, Welsman

Destroyers: Dainty, Defender, Diamond, Eclipse, Inglefield (*), Greyhound, Hasty, Hereward, Imperial, Intrepid,Ithuriel, Maori, Sikh, Zulu, Jackal, Jersey, Jaguar, Kashmir, Kingston, Kipling, Janus (*), Nestor, Gurkha, Lance, Legion, Lively, Laforey (*), Loyal (*), Lightning, Martin,

Panter, Partridge, Porcupine, Quail (*),

Escort destroyers: Tynedale, Dulverton, Grove, Puckeridge, Airedale, Btean, Holcomfae, Heythrope, Southwold, Derwent, Hurworth(*), Alderham (*), Rockwood

Sunk by Italians:

Heavy cruiser: York

Light cruisers: Calypso, Cairo, Manchester, Bonaven-ture, Neptune Destroyers: Waterhen, Escort, Fearless, Gallant (+), Hostile, Hyperion, Bedouin, Mohawk, Juno, Kandahar, Khartoum, Pakenham, Quentin (+)

Escort destroyers: Eridge.

The cause of death has not been established, or other reasons:

Destroyers: Broke, Arrow, Havock (?)

Broke - sunk by the French

Arrow - died in an ammunition explosion

As you can see, the cause of the death of 1 destroyer has not been precisely established.

* - sunk after the surrender of Italy

Sunk together with the Germans

It is not established who was sunk

XIII. SINKING OF THE CRUISER HELLY

From the book “The hollow Legions” by Cervi, London 1972.

The governor of the Aegean Islands in the summer of 1940 was De Vecchi. His residence was in Rhodes. Beginning in June 1940, the British began to use Greek territorial waters and Greek ports to refuel their ships. This forced Mussolini to declare war on Greece. Italian agents greatly exaggerated the scale of shipping south of the Dardanelles, but Mussolini believed their reports and decided to stop it. He ordered covert patrols between the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea on August 20-25, 1940. The target is merchant ships. Submarines were to attack them without warning and regardless of the flag.

However, it was impossible to attack neutral ships and warships. This order was top secret. Admiral Cavagnari wrote a letter to De Vecci. Having outlined the Duce's directive, he proposed choosing the best submarine for this operation. On August 14, De Vecci arrived at Leros and selected the submarine "Delphi no" of Lieutenant Aicardi. De Vecci did not show Aicardi Cavagnari's letter and instructed him verbally. Aicardi later stated that he was not informed about the patrol times and prohibitions, but was simply pointed to ships sailing near Tinos and Spros. Aicardi immediately went to sea. At 0800 on August 15, 1940, she torpedoed and sank the cruiser Helly near Tinos. Aicardi stated that when he went out to attack 2 merchant ships docked in the harbor of Tinos, he noticed the Helly astern, which intended to attack him. It was better for him not to say this. The Helly was at that time anchored with flags flying on the occasion of a church festival held in a famous temple on Tinos. It is clear that Aicardi's actions did not meet with approval in Rome. In November 1940, he was removed from command of the boat and never went to sea again. And in December 1940, De Vecchi was also removed.