Order of Battle
Battle off the Coast of North Brittany
23 October 1943
Contributed by Dan Muir and Tony DiGiulian

Royal Navy

CL Charybdis* (F)  Captain Voelcker
DD Grenville
DD Rocket
DD Limbourne*
DD Wensleydale
DD Talybont
DD Stevenstone


German Navy

4th Torpedo Boat (TB) Flotilla
    K. Kpt. Kohlauf

T23  (F) Kpt. Lt. W. Weinlig
T22  Kpt. Lt. Blöse
T25  K. Kpt. von Gartzen
T26  Kpt. Lt. Quendenfeldt
T27  K. Kpt. Verlohr

* Sunk

Battle Set Up

Royal Navy group is sent out from Plymouth to intercept the German Blockade Runner Munsterland.  It encounters the German 4th TB Flotilla employed in escorting a small convoy.  HMS Charybdis finds the German ships via radar at 0136 and opens fire with starshell a few minutes later, but the British never visually sight the Germans.  The Germans spot the British, turn away and fire a total of 24 torpedoes.  HMS Charybdis is sunk by two torpedoes from T23 and T27.  HMS Limbourne is crippled by one torpedo from either T22 or T26.  She is finished off by a torpedo from HMS Rocket.  No German ships are damaged.

Source:
1.  "Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945" by Rohwer & Hummelchen.
2.  "German Destroyers of WWII" by M.J. Whitley.