Publisher's Synopsis
The capture by the German surface raider Atlantis of the British steamer City of Baghdad's secret code books in July 1940 enabled the Nazis to de-cypher Admiralty convoy plans with deadly effect. This book describes the resulting appalling Allied losses suffered by four convoys during the Autumn of 1940. Admiral D?netz, aware of the movements of the Allied convoys, marshalled as many of his U-boats as possible. The first convoy, SC2, consisting of 53 merchantmen was attacked in early September by four U-boats. Due to poor weather only five ships were lost. Shortly after HX72, with 41 ships, sailing from Nova Scotia, lost eleven ships to five Type VIIC U-boats. Top Aces Otto Kretschremer and Joachim Schepke, who penetrated inside the columns, accounted for nine.
