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In the early hours of November 9, after early reports indicated that
there were no ships in Algiers bay, Kreisch directed U-83, U-593, and U-
605 to search to the west of Algiers and the other subs to search along
the coast. Then, at noon, he divided the U-boats between Algiers and
Oran into two groups. Group Delphin with eight boats was deployed off
Oran and Group Hai with six boats off Algiers. These new dispositions
immediately paid off. While patrolling on the surface that night U- 431’s
lookout sang out, “Target bearing 030.” U-431’s skipper, Wilhelm
Dommes, identified the target as a formation of three cruisers and four
destroyers. After making a risky approach with his boat silhouetted
against the sky, he took aim at a cruiser and fired four torpedoes. A sheet
of flame and an explosion that sent an enormous mushroom-shaped
cloud into the night sky convinced Dommes that he had hit the cruiser
and one destroyer. In reality U-431 had missed the cruiser but hit the
1,920-ton destroyer Martin, which went down with her commanding
officer and most of her crew.