Posted on 11/19/2015 12:58:20 AM PST by naturalman1975
SEVENTY-four years ago today, Australia's greatest naval tragedy unfolded off the coast of WA.
HSK Kormoran was a disguised German warship. Her job was to scour the seas for vulnerable cargo ships carrying the lifeblood of trade to the UK.
HMAS Sydney II was a light cruiser. Her job was to escort vulnerable ships, as well as to search the seas for hostile ships - like Kormoran.
The initial account of the battle that unfolded on the evening of November 19, 1941, was incomplete and confused. It was built up from interviews of German survivors - individuals who had only limited perspectives of what was going on.
But there also was suspicion: Australian interrogators were aware they had a one-sided story. Were there lies and distortions?
Eventually, in the 1990s, a German-English dictionary recovered from Fregattenkapitan (Commander) Theodor Detmers was examined and discovered to contain a cipher. It was a concise action report recorded for his superiors back in Germany.
Was this the definitive account?
For decades, these clues were all we had as to the fate of the 6000 tonne Australian cruiser and her 645 crew.
Why had its captain, Joseph Burnett, put his ship and crew in such a compromised position? How could a heavily armed German cargo ship sink the pride of the Australian navy?
.....
The battle was a bitter victory for both parties.
Kormoran, against the odds, had caused the sinking of a much more powerful Australian cruiser.
HMAS Sydney, at immense cost, had put an end to a severe threat to Britain and Australiaâs vital supply lifelines.
But the loss of 645 officers and crew would remain a deep scar on Australiaâs psyche for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...
But he followed all the rules of war - his deceptions were perfectly legitimate ruses of war, and in accordance with all Naval tradition, he broke out the German Battle Standard before opening fire.
He was an enemy - but he was not a dishonourable one.
He took on a significantly more powerful opponent (although the difference was not as great as sometimes claimed) and he won. It was a Pyrrhic victory, but it was a victory.
How do I access the article without having to subscribe?
But this workaround is likely to work.
Go to news.google.com
and put "SEVENTY-four years ago today, Australia's greatest naval tragedy unfolded off the coast of WA." into the searchbar (including the quote marks) then click on the Daily Telegraph link that comes up after you press enter.
That normally works with news.com.au stories.
Perhaps that part of that stemmed from that fact that there were no survivors from the HMAS Sydney II. Not even one soul. That alone proves nothing. But from an Australian point of view, I suppose that would sting, and motivate them to search for German duplicity.
HMAS Sydney II Commission of Inquiry in three volumes with massive appendix - online as pdf files.
Suggest starting with Summary section.
Type the article’s title into Google and go to the publisher’s website. (It also appears at other sources, but only excerpts.)
“The shot that sealed HMAS Sydneyâs” cop/paste
Light Cruisers did not fare well in ship to ship combat during World War II. They were essentially oversized destroyers, but were tended to be used for roles that they were not well suited. The armor plating was simply insufficient. Thus a 15cm gun, well crewed, at short range could take on a Light Cruiser
Great book on German Raiders. $1.99 on kindle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN5VB6Q?keywords=beware%20raiders&qid=1447951522&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
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