A British destroyer flotilla destroyed three German warships without loss in the Adriatic, eliminating the escort for a retreating Axis convoy.
Key Facts
- Date
- 1 November 1944
- German ships destroyed
- 3 (2 corvettes, 1 destroyer)
- British ships lost
- 0
- German crewmen killed
- 200+
- Survivors rescued by British
- 90
- Convoy size
- 19 landing craft
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
German forces were withdrawing along the Adriatic coast, and a convoy of 19 landing craft needed escort from Šibenik to Fiume (modern Rijeka). The Kriegsmarine deployed two corvettes and a destroyer to protect this retreating convoy through the Kvarner Gulf.
On 1 November 1944, a Royal Navy destroyer flotilla intercepted the German escort force in the Kvarner Gulf between the islands of Pag and Lussino. The British attacked and sank all three German warships — two corvettes and a destroyer — without suffering any losses themselves.
More than 200 German crewmen perished; 90 were rescued by the British and a further 20 by German vessels two days later. Despite losing its escort, the convoy of 19 landing craft was not intercepted and reached its destination by 2 November 1944.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent