Place’s report describes repeated entanglements in the nets around Tirpitz. His compass had become unreliable; after releasing the charges he could not be sure exactly where X.7 was. The crew used the motor and compressed air to work the small submarine free, only to encounter more netting. YT-T01
An explosion shook X.7 clear. Seeing Tirpitz still afloat, Place was unsure whether he had heard the charges or depth charges. That uncertainty is revealing: the man making the attack did not immediately know its result.
The final official account describes a damaged, difficult-to-control submarine surfacing under fire. Place stepped onto a target buoy, but X.7 sank before the others could follow. Sub-Lieutenant Aitken subsequently escaped using breathing apparatus. Both men were taken aboard Tirpitz; the report records no trace of the remaining two crew members. YT-T01
The account after captivity
The final report was written in July 1945, after the commanding officers returned from Germany, and printed in 1948. It quotes Place’s report alongside a later reconstruction. Those layers must remain distinct from the earlier, less complete reports printed in the same supplement.