In mid-October 1942, the Nazi command assembled a fleet of eight U-Boats east of the Azores. From 23 October, the submersibles formed the “Streitaxt” (German for axe) group, which stretched from Freetown to the Canaries. On 27 October, U-409 reports a slow convoy, west of the Canaries and about 1500 km west of Tangiers. It is the SL 125. The pack of German submarines attacks this convoy which is composed of 42 merchant ships, including some troop transports ships. As its name suggests, the SL 125 is actually heading from Sierra Leone (SL) to Britain. It is barely protected. Her escort consists of a sloop, four corvettes and an armed anti-submarine trawler. This escort seems to be really insufficient for this type of convoy because, in the middle of the crossing, the sloop and the trawler are called for another mission… U509 torpedoes the British freighters Pacific Star and Stentor. U604 sinks the British tanker Anglo Mærsk, a latecomer to convoy SL-125 west of the Canary Islands. The attack on convoy SL-125 lasted five days and ended on 01 November 1942 west of Lisbon, with one ship damaged and eleven others sunk (Silver Willow, Hopecastle, Baron Vernon, Brittany, Bullmouth, Corinaldo, Nagpore, Pacific Star, Président Doumer, Stentor, Tasmania). The attack claimed 407 victims, including 260 French sailors who were on the liner “Président Doumer”. This was the deadliest attack on an SL convoy in World War II. The mission of the Streitaxt pack was a success and the Nazi submariners were congratulated on their return to the Lorient base. Curiously, on his arrival in Liverpool, Rear Admiral Sir Cecil Nugent Reyne was also congratulated by the British General Staff! He would later say that “it was the first and only time he had been complimented for losing so many ships…”.
