Battle of the Bay of Biscay

Battle of the Bay of Biscay
Part of the Battle of the Atlantic of the Second World War
Battle of the Bay of Biscay 1943 by Norman Wilkinson
Date 28 December 1943 Location Bay of Biscay, Atlantic 45°N 12°W / 45°N 12°W / 45; -12 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Charles Clark Harold Grant	Franz Kohlauf Hans Erdmenger †
Strength
2 light cruisers	5 destroyers 6 torpedo boats 1 aircraft
Casualties and losses
2 killed 1 cruiser damaged	532 1 destroyer sunk 2 torpedo boats sunk 1 torpedo boat damaged[1]

The Battle of the Bay of Biscay or Operation Bernau, was a naval action that took place on 28 December 1943 during the Second World War during the Atlantic campaign. The engagement took place between two light cruisers of the Royal Navy and a force of destroyers and torpedo boats of the Kriegsmarine that had sailed to rendezvous with a blockade-runner and escort it to port. The British operation was part of the Allied Operation Stonewall to intercept German blockade-runners off the west coast of France. In the confused action that followed the cruisers HMS Enterprise and HMS Glasgow sank the torpedo boats T26, T25 and the destroyer Z27.^[2]