Convoy HX 112

Part of Second World War

Date	15/17 March 1941
Location	Western Approaches
Result	British victory

Belligerents

Germany

United Kingdom

Commanders and leaders

Admiral Karl Dönitz

convoy:
escort : Cdr Donald Macintyre

Strength

5 U-boats

41 ships
6 escorts

Casualties and losses

2 U-boats sunk

6 ships sunk

HX 112 was a North Atlantic convoy of the HX series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It was notable in that it saw the loss of U-boats commanded by two of the Kriegsmarine's (KM) foremost U-boat aces, U-99 with Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer (POW) and U-100 with Kapitänleutnant Joachim Schepke (KIA).

HX 112 was an east-bound convoy of ships which sailed from Halifax on 1 March 1941, making for Liverpool with war materials. Many of the ships in HX 112 were tankers carrying fuel oil to Britain.

It was escorted by 5th Escort Group which consisted of two destroyers, HMS Walker and HMS Vanoc and two corvettes, and was led by Commander Donald Macintyre of HMS Walker. 5th Escort Group was reinforced on this occasion by an additional two destroyers, in view of the importance of the cargo, and met the convoy as it entered the Western Approaches.

On 15 March 1941 HX 112 was sighted by U-110 commanded by Fritz-Julius Lemp, who sent in a sighting report and commenced shadowing the convoy. He was joined throughout the day by four other boats; U-99 (Kretschmer) U-100 (Schepke) U-37 (Clausen) and U-74 (Kentrat).

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Wikipedia