‘The Blockade Runners only completed four seasons of transshipment during the war. Running was restricted from October to March, when rough seas and thick fog were to Germany’s advantage. During the 1941-1942 season, eleven ships were sent from the Far East to Europe. Nine of the runners made it to France. The following season, over sixteen vessels left for Europe, but only four of them succeeded. Within the 1943-1944 season, only five ships had attempted the run and only one blockade runner made it to Europe. In early 1944, the system of surface blockade running was abandoned. Allied supremacy was too intense. Similarly, voyages made from Europe to Japan were drastically reduced from 1941 to 1944.
Although much of the cargo intended for the Axis nations was sunk by the Allies, a reasonable amount of resources and aid had been secured. From 1941 to 1944, Germany had received over 100,000 tons of aid from Japan (rubber, edible oils and fats, metals and ores). Japan received approximately 60,000 tons of aid from 1941 to 1944 (equipment, machinery and armaments). It would appear that Germany benefited more from the surface running operation than Japan. In 1943 however, the German navy was contemplating the employment of submarine cargo vessels. Ultimately, Japan would benefit from these submarine ventures.
Before examining submarine operations however, one should examine the various supplementary roles that the blockade runners played during their operations in eastern waters. The German runners frequently assisted German auxiliary cruisers and U-Boats throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In early 1941, the runner TENNEFELS met with the raider ATLANTIS in the Indian Ocean. The First Officer from TENNEFELS was trained on the ATLANTIS for a short period of time, after which he took command of the raider’s prize, the captured SPEYBANK. The SPEYBANK was then sailed to Bordeaux by a section of the TENNEFELS’ crew. The captured cargo included 1,500 tons of manganese, rubber, jute, teak, tea, ilmenite and monazite. Later in the war, the runners served the raiders and U-Boats as supply ships for provisions of fuel, foodstuffs, torpedoes and other munitions. In many instances, the vessels provided transfers of prisoners and captured booty. The interaction between the German blockade runners, auxiliary cruisers and U-Boats, is essential in understanding the coordination that existed in the Indian and Pacific waters during the Second World War.
The runners also played a direct role for the Japanese Government. Several of the German vessels acted as general cargo carriers for the Japanese war effort during the summer seasons. A variety of goods were shipped between Darien, Saigon, Singapore and Japan. the German ship’s employment was paid for in Yen, by the Japanese Government. Although such ventures attributed for little of Japan’s wartime needs, the employment of German naval craft aided the failing Japanese system. the runners also provided transportation of captured enemy spies. In early 1943, the famed Russian spy ring led by Richard Sorge was broken by the German and Japanese authorities. Five spies were arrested by the German GESTAPO (GEheime STAats POlezei, or secret state police) in Tokyo and placed under the authority of the Japanese. In October of 1943, the five spies were sent to France on three separate blockade running vessels. Only three of the prisoners ever reached France. the other two men went down with the two doomed ships.
In January of 1943, Hitler recognized the importance of acquiring more vital raw resources from the Far East. The blockade-running successes were minimal. He therefore ordered the construction of special cargo submarines. The twenty new U-Boats of TYPE XX were scheduled to be completed by mid 1944. It was estimated that an annual collection of 20,000 tons would be secured from the East. Each U-Boat was obliged to make two trips annually, shipping a cargo of approximately 500 tons each. In the meantime however, Dönitz ordered that a number of TYPE IX-D submarines partake in the early cargo operations. The German Naval High Command (OKM) requested of the Japanese and the Italians, cooperation in the venture. The Japanese agreed to the German request with two submarines. The Italians offered four submarines.
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© Copyright 1996 by Harry Cooper, Sharkhunters International, Inc.
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