Two of these returning submarines were attacked by aircraft in the Bay of Biscay; one was sunk, another so badly damaged it had to be withdrawn from service.

Monsen and the group were later commended for their aggressive defence, which was widely held to have averted a major disaster.

B6, again led by Fame, and with the three Norwegian ships was now joined by the Polish destroyer ORP Burza, and a British corvette.

Another aggressive defence kept losses to a minimum, even when Panzer was joined by a second wolf pack, Draufgang.

Another U-boat was lost, and one damaged, in a mid-ocean collision [5] In January 1943 B6 was joined by the corvettes HMS Kingcup and Vervain, bringing its strength up to seven warships.

[6] In late February and early March HX 227 was intercepted by group Neptun, but an aggressive defence and foul weather frustrated any co-ordinated attacks.

[8] Following this action the North Atlantic route was again quiet, with B6 continuing escort duties, until in the spring of 1944 it was disbanded in a general re-organization prior to the invasion of Normandy.