Intelligence brought Force K to the Duisburg Convoy, and radar established the British firing position for a coordinated night attack. The positional advantage resembles the later Battle of Cape Bon, where Royal Navy destroyers caught Italian cruisers that were themselves carrying supplies to North Africa. HMS Upholder also damaged the Duisburg Convoy, showing how Malta's submarines and surface ships could act against the same supply stream. Force K methodically neutralized the close escort, jammed communications, and then attacked the merchantmen while the distant Italian covering force struggled to understand the action. Roughly 40,000 tons of shipping were destroyed, demonstrating the concentrated damage a surface raiding force could inflict in one operation.
Chapter · 31:13-33:58
The Duisburg Convoy night interception
At the Duisburg Convoy, Force K used intelligence, radar, and electronic disruption to dismantle escorts before taking the merchant ships.