The Nazis in Manhattan. Operation “Blow into Timpani”

26
January 1942 of the year. One of the sunniest states on the east coast of America. Here, in the south, life is calm. For the rest of the war in Europe, in which the United States entered three weeks ago, seemed something far away. At night, the entire shore shone with neon signs - from New York to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. Life here was easy and carefree, the bloody war in Europe was just newspaper headlines ...

The Nazis in Manhattan. Operation “Blow into Timpani”




The Americans did not even suspect that there were elite units just a few nautical miles from the coast, ready to strike at their country. Hitler's submarines arrived at the shores of America.

Admiral Karl Dönitz, commander of the German submarine fleet, developed an attack plan on shipping lanes along the American coast. It was supposed to begin 10 days after Germany declared the US war. Five boats were prepared, their commanders received secret orders.

Reinhard Hardegen, German submariner, captain of 3 rank (1 March 1944 of the year), commander of U-123:

“We left Lorient 23 December. I was in a hurry to go to sea before Christmas, because I didn’t need drunken sailors on board. The night before Christmas, we plunged into the depths and began to celebrate. We had a decorated Christmas tree and gifts for each crew member, a festive table, and the war seemed so far away. It was the most memorable Christmas in my life. ”


Hardegen headed to the shores of America on his IX-B type boat, followed by four more boats. He was ordered not to launch an attack before the others arrived. Submarines had to start fighting simultaneously, on the same day, choosing targets on their own. They were not united into a “wolf pack”, but had to act alone. Find targets, lay low, and then, January 13, simultaneously strike.

In January, 1942 off the coast of Long Island, New York, a British oil tanker headed for the Atlantic convoy gathering point heading for England. The crew did not expect an attack off the American coast. The commander of the German submarine, Lieutenant Commander Reinhard Hardegen could not believe such luck. The tanker nearly crashed into a submarine hiding in dark waters. Hardegen was not going to miss the chance. In 03 hours 41 minute he fired a torpedo. In less than a minute, the night was lit up with a bright flash, the flames rising towards the heavens. The U-123 submarine detonated 65000 oil barrels total 135 km from the lights of Manhattan.

This volley marked the beginning of Operation Spookenshlag. America struck at the very borders. Just a month ago, the Japanese took Americans by surprise at Pearl Harbor; in Germany, the submarine fleet commander, Karl Dönitz, asked the Fuhrer to do the same. The admiral intended to shock the United States with a series of attacks off the coast of America. His target was merchant ships carrying cargo along the east coast. Dönitz personally chose commanders for submarines. The group of experienced boat commanders who participated in Operation Blow into Timpani included: frigate-captain Richard Zapp on a U-66 boat; Lieutenant Heinrich Bleichrodt - on U-109; Lieutenant Reinhard Hardegen - on U-123; Lieutenant Commander Ulrich Völker - on U-125; frigate-captain Ernst Kals - on U-130.

27 December, four days after the start of the march, the submarine crossed the 20-th meridian of western longitude. U-123 took up combat duty, and Hardegen could open top-secret combat orders. Submariners knew that they had to go to the east coast of North America, but even the commander was not told exactly where. Hardegen learned the details of the combat mission, he must destroy the merchant ships in the waters off the coast of New York. Four other submarines received similar tasks on other stretches of the Atlantic coast.

Winter storm knocked U-123 submarine off course, she reached the coast ahead of schedule. Lt. Reinhard Hardegen and his crew conducted round-the-clock surveillance. They tracked down the enemy ship in 180 km from the coast. Hardegen began a maneuver for rapprochement and saw a British steamer, around 10000 t. Two days before the operation, Hardegen did not want to give out his position, but could not resist. Deciding to open fire, Hardegen fired the first torpedo. The night sky lit up with a fiery flash. Radio operators aboard the U-123 intercepted the urgent message from the steamer, the SOS SSS code meant that the ship had attacked the submarine. To leave the operation in secret, Hardegen had to silence the enemy. He turned the submarine, intending to launch the second torpedo. Seconds later, a second explosion lit up the sky. The passengers and crew of the ship "Cyclops" drifted 20 hours. Only two people died during the attack, another 86 will die from hypothermia in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

U-123 made the first unofficial attack during Operation Blow to Timpani.

Hardegen waited trouble. After his attack, the Americans will surely find out that they have German submarines near their shores. He hoped that enemy ships were already waiting for him, but as it turned out, the German operation was not a surprise.

American Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews commanded the defense of the eastern shores of the United States. The sinking of the Cyclops ship confirmed Andrews’s concerns, as well as information from Allied cryptographers. As soon as the German submarines left the port, British intelligence found a weak spot in Admiral Doenitz’s plan. Submarines are constantly in touch with headquarters in Europe. Their radio messages were intercepted by Allied forces.

Adolphus Andrews requested support for the defense of the east coast, but his senior officer, Admiral Ernest King, had a problem even worse. King has already fought with submarines, along with the British, for this large US forces were involved. King could not just forget about the Pacific. Operations in the Pacific took a lot of money, and he had to make a difficult choice. The admiral did not have enough resources to protect the coast from approaching submarines.

13 January U-130 launched the first official attack during Operation Blow into Timpani, sinking two small cargo ships off the coast of Newfoundland.

The submarines of the first wave of operations off the eastern shores of the United States and in the North Atlantic in January 1942 of the year sent American, British and neutral vessels with a total tonnage of 58 307 tons to the bottom of 059, of which 132 348 tons were tankers.

By July, 1942 was flooded or damaged around 700 ships in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Submarine attacks killed more than 5000 seafarers and passengers, more than twice the number of people killed in Pearl Harbor.


U-123 returned to France after the Paukenshlag. Picture taken in Lorian 9 February 1942 of the year

In the course of Operation Blow into the Timpani, German submariners sank Allied ships without meeting resistance. The operation became something of a “second golden era” for German submarines.

“Tubular strike” is a victory for submarines that could have been prevented. The Americans still do not recognize the historical heritage of the disaster that happened off their shores in 1942. The fleet avoids this stories like the plague, wants to forget about it as soon as possible. No one wants to remember the days when German submarines unleashed a war on American shores.

Based on:
https://warspot.ru/1869-kitoboi-protiv-stalnoy-akuly
https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=277
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26 comments
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  1. +3
    24 September 2018 06: 17
    History, an interesting thing ... one step to the side, and everything would go according to a different scenario. winked
    1. +1
      24 September 2018 06: 21
      WW2 Germans are experienced and strong fighters. These trips across the Atlantic confirm this. But the ambitions of one man and the "help" of Western countries led to the fact that the German soldiers turned into bloodthirsty assassins. And they could be heroes ..
      1. rum
        +1
        24 September 2018 10: 36
        you still lay flowers on them ...
        1. +1
          24 September 2018 13: 08
          Yes, no one justifies these killers. The sad thing is that these people could plow through the oceans, fly into space. And they brought so much grief.
      2. Alf
        0
        24 September 2018 10: 43
        Quote: Azim77
        And they could be heroes ..

        In what?
        1. +2
          24 September 2018 12: 54
          This is history and what happened cannot be changed .. Behind Hitler were big imperialists, financiers, bankers and industrial magnates. Krupp, Siemens, Opel, Bosch, etc. On the other side are the same bourgeois of England, France and the USA (this is about the instigators of that war, the USSR is not taken into account). When these "hucksters" cannot agree, they start wars. And ordinary people suffer from this, some are deceived, some for a just cause. And everywhere there are hard workers, engineers, teachers, researchers, divers. And when your homeland is at war, you need to choose who you will be. If your country is wrong - you are either a murderer or a corpse, if your country is for a just cause - you are either a hero or a traitor.
          1. Alf
            0
            24 September 2018 13: 55
            Quote: Azim77
            it's about the instigators of that war, the USSR is not taken into account).

            How not to accept it? The whole free and democratic world has long since found out that only the USSR is the culprit of WW2, and all other countries are innocent victims.
      3. Alf
        0
        24 September 2018 13: 57
        Quote: Azim77
        But the ambitions of one person

        Even in WW1 they did not differ much in terms of cruelty. But there was no "one person".
      4. +2
        24 September 2018 16: 24
        They were bloodthirsty killers, I don’t know what you read there if you’re talking about this "turned into bloodthirsty killers. Or they could be heroes .." I will not throw links here, come visit (Voronezh) go to my grandmother, she the hair on your back will tell you this, and you will never call these devils heroes again.
        1. 0
          24 September 2018 18: 05
          No need, I know very well about the Nazis and their atrocities. No one praises their deeds. And he doesn’t call heroes. You wrote out of place right now.
    2. +1
      24 September 2018 11: 10
      History, an interesting thing ... one step to the side, and everything would go according to a different scenario

      History does not tolerate the subjunctive mood ....
  2. +6
    24 September 2018 10: 57
    To the author: Sergey .. did not expect! bow down hi Very glad. A pleasant syllable plus a description of a little-known episode. Expensive! drinks
    My friends, pay attention to how many talented people among us are starting to write good articles! Yes, I repeat, it is very expensive! drinks In my memory, many began to write - a good forum, friendly and smart conversation themselves have the potential for a person to open up his creative potential, and we will only be happy to read pleasant articles! Here in this is another VO value! soldier With respect, Nicholai hi
  3. rum
    0
    24 September 2018 13: 13
    Quote: Azim77
    And they brought so much grief.

    then I will write this ... how much grief Azerbaijan brought to the Armenians! If you had not captivated the Russian Federation with your migrant workers, it would have been better for the Russians ... How do you like this? Here We, the Russians, do not have to talk nonsense about the Nazis ...

    Write that Azerbaijanis. That the Armenians are not interesting to me ...
    1. 0
      24 September 2018 15: 38
      Your emotionality caused me to doubt to answer, but could not resist. You definitely did not understand the essence of the comment. And thus they confirmed the conclusion. In exactly the same manner and "pride" some Hans or Friedrich went to war in World War 1 and World War II. We are GERMAN and so on and so on. And it's not about who was stronger. The fact is that because of intransigence, pseudo-patriotism, their false insult, many OUR people died then. Peaceful people who cannot be returned. And since here on VO topics relate to military topics, then one must not forget one truth for a man with a weapon. His goal, task, vocation is not simply to be stronger than everyone else, but to ensure that peaceful, ordinary people do not die behind his back. Not to win the war, but to prevent it. And this must be achieved not only with a bayonet and a bullet, but also with the head.
      1. Alf
        0
        24 September 2018 16: 34
        Quote: Azim77
        The fact is that due to irreconcilability, pseudo-patriotism, and their false resentment, then a lot of OUR people died. Peaceful people who cannot be returned. And since here on military topics related to military topics, one must not forget one truth for a man with a weapon. His goal, task, vocation is not just to be stronger than everyone, but to ensure that peaceful, ordinary people do not die behind him. Not to win the war, but to prevent it. And this must be achieved not only with a bayonet and a bullet, but also with the head.

        Verbiage is not necessary to deal with. A black male cannot be washed white. Although some are now trying hard.
        1. 0
          24 September 2018 17: 49
          Quote: Alf
          Verbiage is not necessary to deal with. A black male cannot be washed white. Although some are now trying hard.

          They are trying .. Those who, for their own selfish purposes, want to revive that evil, are trying. But this does not prevent you and me from looking at that story from a broader perspective and from different angles. The motives of the enemy, too, need to know .. About verbiage, that's a shame, if only a word. Now the situation is almost the same, only there is a light switch (nuclear weapons) on hand, which was not there then. Germany is in NATO, but Russia needs it as an economic partner. Let's nod to history and not sell gas to them. After all, there are descendants of those same. So? You yourself are talking about the first, where there was no that "one" person. You yourself are hinting that it was not the only thing ... You need to remember and protect history, but the article was about the voyages across the Atlantic. And it's hard. It's just complicated.
  4. +2
    24 September 2018 16: 21
    As far as I know, not so long ago they found a flooded German submarine in some American lake, which suggests that the Germans not only hung out along the coast, but climbed into the very heart of minke whales.
    1. +2
      24 September 2018 20: 23
      As far as I know, not so long ago they found a flooded German submarine in some American lake, which suggests that the Germans not only hung out along the coast, but climbed into the very heart of minke whales.

      it's fake. The storytellers lied to us! request
      1. +1
        25 September 2018 08: 43
        Mikado (Nikolai) Yesterday, 21: 23 is a fake. Lied to us storytellers!

        ... submarine UC-97 ,,
        In accordance with the Versailles peace treaty signed by Germany at the end of World War I, the German army surrendered 160 submarines, eight light cruisers and six dreadnoughts. Six of these surrendered submarines UC-97, UC-5, U-117, UB-88, UB-148, UB-5 and U-111 were issued to the United States.
        UC-97 was sunk in Lake Michigan during an exercise in 1921. feel
        1. +3
          25 September 2018 12: 26
          UC-97 was sunk in Lake Michigan during an exercise in 1921.

          hmm .. didn't know! request headers usually write: "Believe it or not, they found a WWII submarine in America!" fellow laughing I didn’t know, I bow! hi checked - it is. Thank you, Sergey! drinks
        2. +2
          25 September 2018 13: 59
          Thanks for the information, now I will know and not talk nonsense like "As far as I know, not so long ago they found a sunken German submarine in some American lake, ......."
    2. Alf
      +2
      24 September 2018 20: 27
      Quote: Romka47
      As far as I know, not so long ago they found a flooded German submarine in some American lake, which suggests that the Germans not only hung out along the coast, but climbed into the very heart of minke whales.

      How did the submarine get into the lake? Did the Germans also master teleportation? The press is not just yellow, but very yellow.
      1. +1
        25 September 2018 10: 46
        There are rivers and canals, but how do sea vessels navigate these lakes? same
        1. Alf
          +1
          25 September 2018 13: 33
          Quote: Romka47
          There are rivers and canals, but how do sea vessels navigate these lakes? same

          And on the rivers and canals sea vessels do not go, they are reloaded on smaller troughs. And let the submarine pass over the river in a surface, well, the Americans of '42 are, of course, frightened and ... you, but not to the same extent.
          1. +2
            26 September 2018 09: 30
            Listen, friend, I’m not a geologist (or whatever it is), I said that I know, Sori was mistaken. Although since you insist so, then in theory it was possible, and underwater position those bots could go all the way to the Mississippi
            1. +2
              27 September 2018 00: 12
              Quote: Romka47
              and underwater, those bots could go all the way to the Mississippi

              Well, at least, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, the "jackals of Dönitz" made a good joke, putting the allies' PLO on the ears. The pioneer in the summer of 1942 was Karl Thurman (U-553). In total, during the DB in that area, the Fritzes sank more than 20 Allied ships, including three Canadian military ones.

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