Letters

WW2 Merchant Raider supply ships - were any dedicated oil tankers?

Dear Gregory.
 
I have for a few  years been working on a manuscript on the Norwegian merchant navy during WW2. The German  commercial raider supply ships are in literature described as both supplyship and tankers (fex. Altmark). I had the idea they all were both.

I would be wery thankful if you would verify if there were also oil tankers with no other supplies onboard, and if you know anything on how much these tankers were loading.
 
I thank you in advance.
 
Sincerely John Omark (Norwegian)


Dear John,

Thank you for your message.

It is my belief that the tankers used to service the German Armed Merchant Raiders in WW2 were all used in the duel role of providing both oil and supplies, they certainly replenished the Raiders with food. I cannot remember any of these tankers such as Altmark , Kulmerland, Ermland, Rekum, Nordmark, Konisburg, suppling oil alone when they met up somewhere on the world's ocean with one of the Raiders. Even your own Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob after being captured by Atlantis, was used in both roles to replenish Supplies/Oil. These tankers also had a third role, and that was to relieve the individual Raiders of their load of Prisoners of War that resulted from the sinking of Allied Merchant Ships.

I have not been able to turn up the quantity of oil carried aboard these Supply/ Tanker vessels.

Good luck with your work, and best wishes.

Mackenzie. Gregory.

Thanks for help. It feels good to have that confirmed.

Best wishes John


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