Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II | |||||||
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Part of the Black Sea Campaigns of the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
6 German U-boats 6 Italian midget-submarines 1 Romanian submarine Anti-submarine forces |
34 submarines Anti-submarine forces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 Italian midget-submarine lost 1 German cargo sunk 1 German tanker scuttled, 1 damaged 1 German tug sunk 2 Romanian cargo sunk and 1 damaged 1 Romanian tug sunk |
9 submarines sunk (4 more lost in Sevastopol operations) | ||||||
8 neutral Turkish vessels lost 1 refugee ship sunk |
Submarine warfare in the Black Sea in World War II during 1942 involved engagements between primarily submarines of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet attacking Axis merchantmen defended by Romanian and German naval warships. These engagements were a part of the Black Sea campaigns between Axis and Soviet naval forces.
As during the first 1941 campaign, the Soviet Navy sent submarines against the Axis supply lines along the western coast of the Black Sea. A number of neutral Turkish vessels were also attacked near the Bosporus area, resulting in the Struma disaster. Once again, Axis defenses primarily consisted of Romanian-laid fields of mines: 5000 mines were laid (both anti-submarine and floating), the Soviet Navy possessed 34 submarines including 14 of new construction but only 20 were operational ready.[1] German U-boats began operating in the Black Sea during late 1942, without scoring any hits while the Romanian submarine Delfinul departed for her final patrols.
A separate action was accomplished (alongside other Soviet Navy units) to supply and later evacuate troops from the Siege of Sevastopol. While carrying away men from the besieged city, Soviet submarine ShCh-214 was torpedoed and sunk in surface action by Italian MAS boats on 19 June.[2][self-published source?] A second loss occurred on 26 June when Soviet submarine "S-32" was sunk, most likely by German bombers (while Italian midget-submarines CB-3 and CB-4 also take credit of this victory but their attacks did not matched with S-32's last mission).[3][self-published source?] With the Axis finally victorious in Sevastopol, the Soviet Navy scuttled submarines "D-6" and "A-1" to avoid their capture.[4][self-published source?][5][self-published source?]
German U-boats of the 30th U-boat Flotilla failed to sink or damage enemy target during this first year of operations in Black Sea, while Delfinul departed for her last ineffective patrols. Soviet submarines have been extimated to have sunk 13 targets in the Black Sea (13,000 GRT) but only 6 of them directly supporting Axis operations on the Crimea.[1] Other sources raise the total number to 17 targets sunk (but with less tonnage: 12,900 GRT).[47]