March 11th, 1943 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Frigates HMS Capel and Cooke laid down.
Destroyer HMS Tuscan commissioned.
GERMANY:
U.S.S.R.: General Hausser re-enters Kharhov. This city of ruins, liberated only a month ago by the Red Army, is once again threatened by the Germans. SS General Hausser who, against Hitler's orders, extricated his Panzers from the then doomed German garrison in the city, has led his men back to crush the Soviet Third Tank Army and establish himself in the approached to the city. He has sealed off the city and is tonight preparing to attack.
INDIAN OCEAN: At 2310, the unescorted Aelybryn was torpedoed and sunk by U-160 ENE of Durban. The U-boat misidentified the vessel as the American SS Arian. Nine crewmembers were lost. The master, 27 crewmembers and four gunners were picked up by the Portuguese SS Lourenco Marques and landed at Capetown.
U.S.A.: Submarine USS Barbel laid down.
CARIBBEAN SEA: At 0752, the unescorted Olancho was hit by one torpedo from U-183 about 30 miles west of Cape San Antonio, Cuba. The torpedo struck on the starboard side amidships abaft #2 hatch, ripping open the hull and demolishing the wheelhouse and starboard engine wing. The engine room flooded immediately and the port engine could not be stopped thus the ship kept going at full speed in circles until the screw was clear of the water due to the settling by the bow. At 0811 hours a coup de grāce hit the port side between #3 and #4 hatch, causing the ship to sink in 10 minutes. 41 crewmembers and 5 armed guards abandoned ship after the second torpedo hit in one lifeboat, on one raft and by jumping overboard. Three men went under with the suction of the sinking ship after the jumped from the stern and one was hit by the turning screw and later died after being picked up by the raft. Seven more survivors clung to a hatch cover. The 27 men in the lifeboat and the nine on the raft were picked up at 1255 by SS Choluteca. The remaining seven survivors were picked up by USS Absecon on 13 March and taken to Jacksonville. Green phosphorus flares dropped from aircraft were very helpful in assisting the ship to locate the survivors.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Convoy HX-228 comes under attack. The British destroyer HMS Harvester (ex Brazilian Jarua) sinks one U-boat and is herself sunk by another which in turn is sunk by the Fighting French corvette ACONIT.
Destroyer HMS Harvester sighted a U-Boat following a ship which submerged when it sighted the destroyer. Harvester dropped depth charges and forced the U-444 to the surface which defends itself by gunfire. Harvester's guns were also scoring hits, and in the flurry Harvester rams the U-444 at 27 knots. The collision was so violent that that the destroyer's sides were torn open, and U-444 slides alongside her and becomes jammed under the destroyer's propeller shaft in her A brackets where she sticks fast for about 10 minutes. Harvester is unable to bring any means of engagement to bear, or to drop depth charges. U-444 then slips clear and disappears into the night, unable to submerge. Harvester is forced to stop, because an explosion has put her other engine out of action. An hour later, the French corvette Aconit which is cruising in the vicinity picks up severely damaged U-444 sailing slowly, in her searchlights and rams. This second ramming followed by Aconit which is dropping depth charges sinks the U-444 with loss of all but 5 German crew. In the meantime, Harvester steaming at 11 knots is trying to reach port when her propeller shaft breaks, and she drifts compelled to await a tow. U-432 spots the helpless destroyer and hits her with two torpedoes, Harvester breaks into two and sinks. U-432 then submerges. Aconit returns, locates the U-432 and drops some depth charges which put her out of trim and compels her to surface. Her commander is killed at once by gunfire, and U-432 is then rammed and sunk by Aconit. A few survivors are rescued by Aconit, which then sank U-432. Location: 51 23N 28 40W. (Alex Gordon)(108)At 0215, U-590 fired torpedoes at Convoy HX-228 and observed two hits on a steamer and reported that the ship sank within one minute. In fact, SS Jamaica Producer was only damaged and managed to reach port.
At 1917, SS Baron Kinnaird, a straggler from Convoy O, Nova Scotia.-169 since 6 March, was torpedoed and sunk by U-621 NW of Belle Ile. The master, 35 crewmembers and six gunners were lost.
HMS LCT-2398 was on transfer from the USA to the UK aboard SS William C. Gorgas and was lost on 11 Mar, 1943, when this ship was sunk by U-757 in Convoy HX-228.
At 0503, U-86 attacked with FAT torpedoes on the starboard side of Convoy HX-228 and claimed to have sunk a tanker and an ammunition ship, which exploded. In fact, only SS Brant County was hit by one torpedo, which ignited her load of carbide. Of the five men on the bridge, three managed to get to the lifeboat and the other two died - the master in the flames and the other jumped overboard and drowned. Three of the four men in the engine room died and the fourth was unable to stop the engine but managed to get on deck. Among the dead were also eight military passengers. The 24 survivors abandoned ship in one lifeboat and when it was about 200 meters away the flames reached the cargo of explosives. Brant County disappeared in a huge explosion, which sent pieces of metal and other debris in the air. The British SS Stuart Prince picked up the survivors after 30 minutes. One of them was badly burned and died shortly thereafter.