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PT Boats of WWII
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PT Boats - General
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[StartQuote] This photo shows a painting (by Brian Byron) of the PT 509 when it collided with the German Minesweeper M 4626 which was part of an escort of a convoy traveling between Guernsey and Jersey (Channel Islands. UK) on 8th August 1944. It is on display in a German bunker which overlooks where the running battle took place and there is a nearby memorial to the fallen crew of PT 503 and 509. The engagement took place in heavy fog and the German captains over estimated the number of attacking PT boats as different ships were seeing and reporting the same PT boat but not could not see each other. The following is part of the German Report taken from the log book of the German 46th Minesweeping Flotilla: "Four enemy gunboats come in line from astern at high speed. M 4622 opens fire. There is heavy firing from both sides at point-blank range whereby the two enemy boats catch fire. The first burning boat moves into the combined fire of the V 204, breaks down and explodes at 6.35 hours. The second burning boat, at slackened speed, goes out of sight in the fog. A third enemy boat rams our lead at the rear corner of the forecastle, after the commander has turned into her with hard rudder. The gunboat remains with running engines. The gun crews of friend and foe alike, all standing at their battle stations in anticipation, open fire simultaneously when sighting their opponents. A German shell hits the charthouse of the PT 509, temporarily stunning Radar man John Leydon Page, who was soon to be the sole survivor of his boat. The German lead boat lists heavily due to the force of the collision but soon rights itself. The forecastle of the PT boat is cut wide open and it is possible to see into the interior of the hull with the lights still burning. The ensign of the PT 509 floats in the wind just a few metres from the German ensign. In this situation the two hostile boats are sailing, wedge-shaped and side by side, while the crews wage close combat with dogged obstinacy. Hand grenades and machine pistols are used, and the Army soldiers on board the German minesweeper take up their arms as well. In no time at all the wooden PT boat is in flames and members of the crew can be seen jumping into the water to escape the fire, while others on board have already fallen. On board the M 4626 there have been casualties as well and seconds before the collision a volley from the American boat has eliminated the 8.8cm gun. The gun layer and one of the crew have fallen and many others have been wounded. But as soon as the PT boat burst into flames the guns fall silent as both vessels are in great danger – one explosion on the torpedo boat would destroy both craft. Feverishly the crew of the M 4626 try to extinguish the flames by every means. A courageous and expert German able seamen crawls on board the PT boat and pushes overboard an explosive charge, stored on the deck. Had he not done so, both boats would certainly have been sunk. A wounded American crew member, John Page, crawls onto the bow of his boat and is pulled aboard the minesweeper by means of a line. Ten minutes after the collision, while two members of the German crew try to rescue a second American, the two vessels suddenly part. The engine of the PT boat has stopped. With the help of their comrades, those Germans on the stricken vessel jump back on to their minesweeper. The PT 509 goes down by the bow with the ammunition detonating. Finally a heavy explosion announces the end of a courageous attacker."
[EndQuote]
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