Wolfpack West
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic from 8 May 1941 to 20 June 1941.[1]
| Wolfpack West | |
|---|---|
| Active | 8 May - 20 June 1941 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Kriegsmarine |
| Size | 23 submarines |
| Engagements | Convoy OB 317 Convoy OB 318 Convoy OB 322 Convoy OB 327 Convoy OB 328 Convoy OB 329 Convoy OB 330 Convoy SC 30 Convoy HX 126 Convoy HX 128 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gerhard Bigalk Engelbert Endrass Robert Gysae Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat Wilhelm Kleinschmidt Claus Korth Herbert Kuppisch Fritz-Julius Lemp Wolfgang Lüth Ernst Mengersen Adalbert Schnee Klaus Scholtz Heinrich Schonder Herbert Schultze Robert Gysae Karl Thurmann Helmut Rosenbaum Herbert Wohlfarth Robert-Richard Zapp |
This wolfpack was responsible for sinking 33 ships (191,414 gross register tons (GRT)) and damaging a further four ships (33,448 GRT), making it one of the most successful wolfpacks of World War II.
Raiding Summary
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Nationality | Tons | Convoy | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1941 | U-97 | Ramillies |  United Kingdom |
4,553 | OB 317 | Sunk |
| 9 May 1941 | U-110 | Bengore Head | United Kingdom |
2,609 | OB 318 | Sunk |
| 9 May 1941 | U-201 | Empire Cloud | United Kingdom |
5,969 | OB 318 | Damaged |
| 9 May 1941 | U-110 | Esmond | United Kingdom |
4,976 | OB 318 | Sunk |
| 9 May 1941 | U-201 | Gregalia | United Kingdom |
5,802 | OB 318 | Sunk |
| 10 May 1941 | U-556 | Aelybryn | United Kingdom |
4,986 | OB 318 | Damaged |
| 10 May 1941 | U-556 | Empire Caribou | United Kingdom |
4,861 | OB 318 | Sunk |
| 10 May 1941 | U-556 | Gand |  Belgium |
5,086 | OB 318 | Sunk |
| 13 May 1941 | U-98 | HMS Salopian |  Royal Navy |
10,549 | SC 30 | Sunk |
| 13 May 1941 | U-111 | Somersby | United Kingdom |
5,170 | SC 30 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-556 | British Security | United Kingdom |
8,470 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-556 | Cockaponset | United Kingdom |
5,995 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-556 | Darlington Court | United Kingdom |
4,974 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-109 | Harpagus | United Kingdom |
5,173 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-94 | John P. Pedersen |  Norway |
6,128 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-94 | Norman Monarch | United Kingdom |
4,718 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-98 | Rothermere | United Kingdom |
5,356 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1941 | U-111 | San Felix | United Kingdom |
13,037 | OB 322 | Damaged |
| 21 May 1941 | U-93 | Elusa |  Netherlands |
6,235 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 21 May 1941 | U-98 | Marconi | United Kingdom |
7,402 | OB 322 | Sunk |
| 22 May 1941 | U-111 | Barnby | United Kingdom |
4,813 | HX 126 | Sunk |
| 29 May 1941 | U-557 | Empire Storm | United Kingdom |
7,290 | HX 128 | Sunk |
| 2 June 1941 | U-108 | Michael E. | United Kingdom |
7,628 | OB 327 | Sunk |
| 3 June 1941 | U-75 | Eibergen | Netherlands |
4,801 | OB 327 | Sunk |
| 3 June 1941 | U-48 | Inversuir | United Kingdom |
9,456 | OB 327 | Damaged |
| 3 June 1941 | U-75 | Inversuir | United Kingdom |
9,456 | OB 327 | Sunk |
| 4 June 1941 | U-101 | Trecarrell | United Kingdom |
5,271 | OB 327 | Sunk |
| 5 June 1941 | U-48 | Wellfield | United Kingdom |
6,054 | OB 328 | Sunk |
| 6 June 1941 | U-48 | Tregarthen | United Kingdom |
5,201 | OB 329 | Sunk |
| 6 June 1941 | U-43 | Yselhaven | Netherlands |
4,802 | OB 328 | Sunk |
| 8 June 1941 | U-108 | Baron Nairn | United Kingdom |
3,164 | OB 328 | Sunk |
| 8 June 1941 | U-108 | Dirphys |  Greece |
4,240 | Sunk | |
| 8 June 1941 | U-48 | Pendrecht | Netherlands |
10,746 | OB 329 | Sunk |
| 9 June 1941 | U-101 | Trevarrack | United Kingdom |
5,270 | OB 329 | Sunk |
| 10 June 1941 | U-108 | Christian Krohg | Norway |
1,992 | OB 329 | Sunk |
| 10 June 1941 | U-204 | Mercier | Belgium |
7,886 | OB 330 | Sunk |
| 13 June 1941 | U-77 | Tresillian | United Kingdom |
4,743 | OB 330 | Sunk |
U-Boats
Of the 23 U-boat commanders, 19 were either, or went on to become, recipients of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
| U-boat | Commander | From | To | Notes |
| U-43 | Wolfgang Lüth | 17 May 1941 | 16 June 1941 | |
| U-46 | Engelbert Endrass | 19 May 1941 | 6 June 1941 | |
| U-48 | Herbert Schultze | 2 June 1941 | 8 June 1941 | |
| U-66 | Robert-Richard Zapp | 24 May 1941 | 5 June 1941 | |
| U-73 | Helmut Rosenbaum | 31 May 1941 | 16 June 1941 | |
| U-74 | Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat | 13 May 1941 | 22 May 1941 | |
| U-75 | Helmuth Ringelmann | 2 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-77 | Heinrich Schonder | 6 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-93 | Claus Korth | 8 May 1941 | 26 May 1941 | |
| U-94 | Herbert Kuppisch | 8 May 1941 | 29 May 1941 | |
| U-97 | Udo Heilmann | 8 May 1941 | 27 May 1941 | |
| U-98 | Robert Gysae | 8 May 1941 | 27 May 1941 | |
| U-101 | Ernst Mengersen | 2 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-108 | Klaus Scholtz | 2 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-109 | Hans-Georg Fischer | 13 May 1941 | 23 May 1941 | |
| U-110 | Fritz-Julius Lemp | 9 May 1941 | 9 May 1941 | U-boat was lost |
| U-111 | Wilhelm Kleinschmidt | 13 May 1941 | 5 June 1941 | |
| U-201 | Adalbert Schnee | 8 May 1941 | 13 May 1941 | |
| U-204 | Walter Kell | 5 June 1941 | 16 June 1941 | |
| U-553 | Karl Thurmann | 13 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-556 | Herbert Wohlfarth | 10 May 1941 | 20 May 1941 | |
| U-557 | Ottokar Arnold Paulssen | 25 May 1941 | 20 June 1941 | |
| U-751 | Gerhard Bigalk | 16 June 1941 | 20 June 1941 |