Minesweeper M 27 // Commissioned in 10th February,1941. http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/timeline/1941-wwii-timeline.htm
22nd February’40,German destroyer Leberecht Maas raided and destroyed in full moon night by Heinkel 111,its not a matter of joke. Six German destroyers set out that night to intercept British fishing trawlers off the Dogger Bank ,since Kriegsmarine had been informed that Luftwaffe intend to fly North Sea for anti-shipping operations there.Strange that the warning not did not passed.This narrow channel was covered with their own minefield.About entering this swift Channel , Destroyer Z 1 Leberecht Maas was bombed by a Henkel ,and in two attacks she was hit three times. She broke into two parts by 20:00hrs. An alle : Maas sinkt. Boote aussetzen // To all ships : Mass is sinking,send boats. Confusion was high for who had not seen any aircraft,started thinking they were attacked by British torpedo.Theodor Riedel was moving too slow to avoid mines[everyone was seeing a British S-marine flag or periscope in almost every minute,in panic],interpreted hydrophone sounds as a British submarine,hastily depth charges[4 numbers] damaging her own steering and hull.The situation was terribly bad for rescuing their own crews from the icy cool water for existing minefield. The Erich Koellner, Friedrich Eckoldt and Richard Beitzen downed pickup boats for survivors and as they reached the men in the water, another British submarine was believed sighted and they were ordered away from the rescue at speed.The boat still attached to the stern of Koellner,capsized and lost all survivors.Only 30 of 330 Leberecht Mass crew members were rescued. Though Luftwaffe reported they bombed successfully a single ship at some 50km away.. [Unternehmen Wikinger by Michael Emmerich] // German Kriegsmarine Encyclopedia
