"unsuccessful, as was ""U-514""s patrol. The German submarine departed Lorient on 1 July 1943 but was sunk on the 8th northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain by rockets fitted to a British B-24 Liberator of 224 Squadron in the Bay of Biscay among a group of Spanish fishing boats. This modification, although effective in this case, was not adopted for use by such an aircraft as the Liberator. ""U-514"" took part in six wolfpacks, namely. German submarine U-514 German submarine ""U-514"" was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" during World War II. She was laid down by Hamburg Werft"
"U-boat U-boat is an anglicised version of the German word U-Boot , a shortening of Unterseeboot, literally ""undersea boat"". While the German term refers to any submarine, the English one (in common with several other languages) refers specifically to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role (commerce raiding) and enforcing a naval blockade against enemy shipping. The primary targets of the U-boat campaigns in both wars were the merchant convoys bringing supplies"
"Victor Oehrn () and Heinrich Bleichrodt (). U-boat crews became heroes in Germany. From June until October 1940, over 270 Allied ships were sunk: this period was referred to by U-boat crews as ""the Happy Time"" (""""Die Glückliche Zeit""""). Churchill would later write: ""...the only thing that ever frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril"". The biggest challenge for the U-boats was to find the convoys in the vastness of the ocean. The Germans had a handful of very long-range Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft based at Bordeaux and Stavanger, which were used for reconnaissance. The Condor was"
"Wolfpack Pfeil Pfeil (""Arrow"") was the name given to two separate U-Boat ""wolfpacks"" of Nazi Germany during World War II. The first wolfpack comprised 11 U-boats and operated from 12 September 1942 to 22 September 1942. This pack patrolled both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, preying on merchant vessels coming to Europe from the Americas. ""Pfeil 1"" was responsible for the sinking of 0 ships in the Atlantic Ocean. The first wolfpack comprised 13 U-boats and operated from 1 February 1943 to 9 February 1943. This pack patrolled both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, preying on merchant vessels coming to"
"Europe from the Americas. ""Pfeil 2"" was responsible for the sinking of 11 ships (54,326 GRT) plus 1 ship damaged (9,272 GRT) in the Atlantic Ocean. Wolfpack Pfeil Pfeil (""Arrow"") was the name given to two separate U-Boat ""wolfpacks"" of Nazi Germany during World War II. The first wolfpack comprised 11 U-boats and operated from 12 September 1942 to 22 September 1942. This pack patrolled both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, preying on merchant vessels coming to Europe from the Americas. ""Pfeil 1"" was responsible for the sinking of 0 ships in the Atlantic Ocean. The first wolfpack comprised 13"
"Wolfpack (naval tactic) The term wolfpack refers to the mass-attack tactics against convoys used by German U-boats of the Kriegsmarine during the Battle of the Atlantic, and by submarines of the United States Navy against Japanese shipping in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. Karl Dönitz used the term ""Rudeltaktik"" to describe his strategy of submarine warfare—""Rudeltaktik"" translates best as ""tactics"" of a ""pack"" of animals and has become known in English as ""wolfpack"" (""Wolfsrudel""), an accurate metaphoric, but not a literal translation. U-boat movements were controlled by the ""Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote"" (BdU; English translation: ""Commander of Submarines"") much"
"Wolfpack (naval tactic) The term wolfpack refers to the mass-attack tactics against convoys used by German U-boats of the Kriegsmarine during the Battle of the Atlantic, and by submarines of the United States Navy against Japanese shipping in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. Karl Dönitz used the term ""Rudeltaktik"" to describe his strategy of submarine warfare—""Rudeltaktik"" translates best as ""tactics"" of a ""pack"" of animals and has become known in English as ""wolfpack"" (""Wolfsrudel""), an accurate metaphoric, but not a literal translation. U-boat movements were controlled by the ""Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote"" (BdU; English translation: ""Commander of Submarines"") much"
"Monsun Gruppe The Gruppe Monsun or Monsoon Group was a force of German U-boats (submarines) that operated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during World War II. Although similar naming conventions were used for temporary groupings of submarines in the Atlantic, the longer duration of Indian Ocean patrols caused the name to be permanently associated with the relatively small number of U-boats operating out of Penang (primarily its capital, George Town). After 1944, the U-boats of the ""Monsun Gruppe"" were operationally placed under the authority of the Southeast Asia U-boat Region. The Indian Ocean was the only place where German"
"of World War II in Europe. From 1939 to 1945 the German war effort made extensive use of the U-boat as a strategic weapon. From bases in Northern Norway U-boats sailed against the Allied convoys making for Russian ports in the Arctic Ocean. In autumn 1944, when German forces retreated from the extreme north, the U-boat base at Hammerfest was moved south to Kilbotn. The base consisted of the 5000-ton depot-ship ""Black Watch"", a former North-Sea passenger ferry, supported by a Norwegian cruiser converted by the Germans into a flak-ship, two barges fitted with anti-aircraft guns, and numerous gun emplacements"
"Seebataillon Seebataillon (plural ""Seebataillone""), literally ""sea battalion"", is a German term for certain troops of naval infantry or marines. It was used by the Prussian Navy, the North German Federal Navy, the Imperial German Navy, the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the ""Kriegsmarine"", and briefly in the ""Bundesmarine"". In 2014, also the modern German Navy established a naval force protection unit called ""Seebataillon"". The first ""Seebataillon"" was organized on 13 May 1852 as the Royal Prussian ""Marinier-Korps"" at Stettin. This formation provided small contingents of marines to perform traditional functions such as protecting officers, general policing aboard warships and limited amphibious shore intrusions."
"Wolfpack Siegfried Siegfried was a ""wolfpack"" of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. ""Siegfried"" was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 18 boats. It consisted of seven boats from the disbanded group ""Schlieffen"", plus eleven others from bases in France and Germany. All the reinforcements were commanded by new skippers; six from Norway were also new boats, while the five from France were experienced boats with new commanders. The ""Siegfried"" boats had fuel problems, so a re-fueling group was established north of the Azores,"
"(where they spend the majority of their time), but less stable on the surface. While U-boats were faster on the surface than submerged, the opposite is generally true of modern submarines. The most common U-boat attack during the early years of the war was conducted on the surface and at night. This period, before the Allied forces developed truly effective antisubmarine warfare tactics, which included convoys, was referred to by German submariners as """"die glückliche Zeit"""" or The First Happy Time The U-boats' main weapon was the torpedo, though mines and deck guns (while surfaced) were also used. By the"
"taken to shore, where they were broken up for scrap. German submarine U-2342 German submarine ""U-2342"" was a short-lived Type XXIII U-boat of Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" during the Second World War. She was built at Hamburg during 1944 as a modern Type XXIII """"Elektroboote"""", a small coastal class designed to strike ships along the coastlines of Britain and liberated Europe, particularly the English Channel, although none ever served there. ""U-2342"" was placed under the command of ""Oblt.z.S.d.R."" Berchtold Schad von Mittelbiberbach, a former senior non-commissioned officer, who received a field promotion in 1943. She was his first submarine experience. Like"
"Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I The Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I (sometimes called the ""First Battle of the Atlantic"", in reference to the World War II campaign of that name) was the prolonged naval conflict between German submarines and the Allied navies in Atlantic waters—the seas around the British Isles, the North Sea and the coast of France. Initially the U-boat campaign was directed against the British Grand Fleet. Later U-boat fleet action was extended to include action against the trade routes of the Allied powers. This campaign was highly destructive, and resulted in the loss"
"Foreign U-boats Foreign U-Boats was the title for a special section created by Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" that adopted 13 captured enemy submarines and a single Turkish vessel into the U-Boat corps. Beginning in 1939 and lasting until the end of World War II in 1945, the Kriegsmarine modified a total of 13 captured enemy submarines, then deployed them into combat with German crews. The special corps was not especially successful, as only nine enemy ships were destroyed by Foreign U-Boats through the entire war. Seven of these were destroyed by , which was a modified Type IX U-Boat originally built"
"1st U-boat Flotilla The 1st U-boat flotilla (German ""1. Unterseebootsflottille"") also known as the Weddigen flotilla, was the first operational U-boat unit in Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" (navy). Founded on 27 September 1935 under the command of ""Fregattenkapitän"" Karl Dönitz, it was named in honor of ""Kapitänleutnant"" Otto Weddigen. Weddigen, a U-boat commander during World War I, died on 18 March 1915 after his submarine was rammed by the British battleship in the North Sea. The flotilla at first only consisted of , a Type IIB boat commissioned on 21 August 1935. Later, boats to were included in the flotilla, but"
"tankers with over five kills, such as Dmitry Lavrinenko and Zinovy Kolobanov, have also been referred to as ""tank aces"". Many German U-boat commanders of World War II, especially Gunther Prien, Otto Kretschmer and Wolfgang Lüth, have been popularised in German war-time propaganda and popular literature. According to historian Michael L. Hadley, Literature of World War II heightened the features that earlier cults of the hero [of the German U-boat arm] had promoted. This was the era of the ""grey wolves"" and ""steel sharks"", when wolf packs, officially designated by such predatory names ""robber baron"" and ""bludgeon"", attacked the Allies'"
"Operation Regenbogen (U-boat) Regenbogen (""Rainbow"") was the code name for the planned mass scuttling of the German U-boat fleet, to avoid surrender, at the end of World War II. At the beginning of May 1945 Nazi Germany was collapsing under the Allied onslaught. The Soviets had captured Berlin, and on 30 April Hitler had committed suicide. He had appointed Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. US Forces from the west and Soviet forces from the east had already met at Torgau, cutting the Reich in two, while in the north 21st"
"Sea coast, ending the ""Kriegsmarine""s war at sea. Operation Regenbogen (U-boat) Regenbogen (""Rainbow"") was the code name for the planned mass scuttling of the German U-boat fleet, to avoid surrender, at the end of World War II. At the beginning of May 1945 Nazi Germany was collapsing under the Allied onslaught. The Soviets had captured Berlin, and on 30 April Hitler had committed suicide. He had appointed Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. US Forces from the west and Soviet forces from the east had already met at Torgau, cutting the"
"E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ""Schnellboot"", or ""S-Boot"", meaning ""fast boat"") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. The most popular, the ""S-100"" class, were very seaworthy, heavily armed and capable of sustaining , briefly accelerating to . These craft were long and in beam. Their diesel engines provided a range of , substantially greater than the gasoline-fueled American PT boats and British Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs). As a result, the Royal Navy later developed better-matched MTBs, using the Fairmile 'D' hull design. This design was chosen because the theatre of operations"
"Wolfpack Schlieffen Schlieffen was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. ""Schlieffen"" was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 14 boats. It consisted of 6 boats from the disbanded group ""Rossbach"", plus 7 others from bases in France and Germany, while another, , joined from patrol in the Mid Atlantic. Whilst moving into position a number of boats came under attack, principally from aircraft from USS ""Card"", which was operating against their re-fuelling operation. The tanker was attacked on 12 October, but"
"the navy that Germany used in World War II. In 1933, Germany established a school for training U-boat crews, under the title 'Anti-Submarine Defence School,' the ""Unterseebootsabwehrschule"". This school was established in Kiel. This program involved provision for a small fleet of eight 500 ton submarines. This number was later doubled to 16. Later, Germany developed plans for an actual navy. The projected designs for the boats that were to be the composition of this navy were referred to as 'Experimental Motor Boats'. Deutsche Werke in Kiel was elected to build the new submarines, and a new U-boat base was"
"Type VII submarine Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. U-boat stands for Unterseeboot, which means submarine in German. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III and especially the cancelled Type UG. The type UG was designed through the Dutch dummy company ""Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw Den Haag"" (I.v.S) to circumvent the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles, and was built by shipyards around the world. The Finnish ""Vetehinen"" class and Spanish Type E-1 also provided some of the basis for"
"Gruppenhorchgerät The Gruppenhorchgerät (group listening device, abbreviated GHG) was a hydrophone array, which was used on Nazi Germany's U-boats in World War II. In World War I carbon microphones were still used as sound receiver. The individual receivers were mostly placed in the front part of the vessel along the hull sides to have enough distance from the screw and the noise they emitted. The individual microphones were arranged in groups and each was oriented in a different direction. The individual microphones had to be connected manually for taking bearings. The carbon microphones were not very reliable, so other experiments"
"There were no survivors from the entire crew of 56 including the three captives and the boat's new captain Heinz Radau, who was conducting an observation and familiarization patrol. German submarine U-507 German submarine ""U-507"" was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" built for service in the Second World War and the Battle of the Atlantic. She was mainly notable for two patrols she conducted during the ""Second Happy Time"" in mid-1942, during the first of which she caused havoc in the Gulf of Mexico amongst unprotected American shipping, and then in the second she attacked ships along"
"5th U-boat Flotilla The 5th U-boat Flotilla (German ""5. Unterseebootsflottille""), also known as Emsmann Flotilla, was a U-boat flotilla of Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" during World War II. The flotilla was formed in December 1938 in Kiel under the command of ""Korvettenkapitän"" Hans-Rudolf Rösing. It was named in honour of ""Oberleutnant zur See"" Hans Joachim Emsmann, a U-boat commander during World War I, who died on 28 October 1918 after his U-boat was sunk by a mine. The flotilla was disbanded in January 1940 and the boats were all transferred to 1st Flotilla. The flotilla was re-formed as ""5th U-boat Flotilla"""
"in one of the most calamitous nights of the campaign for the U-boat arm (""U-Bootwaffe"", UBW). ""Schlieffen"" was disbanded after this attack, with a number of its boats forming the nucleus of a new group, code-named ""Siegfried"". ""Schlieffen"" was named for Count Alfred von Schlieffen, a Prussian field marshal and strategist of the 19th century. Wolfpack Schlieffen Schlieffen was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. ""Schlieffen"" was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 14 boats. It consisted of 6 boats from"
"Wolfpack Weddigen Weddigen was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. ""Weddigen"" was formed in November 1943 off the coast of Portugal, to intercept convoys sailing to and from Gibraltar, Mediterranean and South Atlantic. It was composed of U-boats from the disbanded patrol group ""Schill"", with reinforcements from the North Atlantic and from bases in occupied France. ""Weddigen"" originally numbered seventeen U-boats, though two had been destroyed in recent actions, and two others had to withdraw with damage. On 22 November the thirteen U-boats remaining formed a patrol line"
"who held tactical control over more than one vessel. This was most common with U-Boat commanders in charge of several submarines that were assigned to a single task force. In the 19th century, German officers of this rank were referred to as fleet captains (""Flottenkapitän""). By World War II, ""Kommodore"" had at last become an actual - though rarely used - rank in the ""Kriegsmarine"". The position was considered that of a senior captain, with insignia being the shoulder boards of a ""Kapitän zur See"" with one thick admiral's rank stripe (52 mm) on the sleeve. German commodores also were"
"body was cremated, and its ashes were scattered at sea. Otto Kretschmer Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was the most successful German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until his surrender in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, among other awards. He earned the nickname ""Silent Otto"" both for his successful use of the ""silent running"" capability of U-boats as well as for his"
"R boat The R boats (Räumboote in German) were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the ""Kriegsmarine"" (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for several purposes during the war, and were also used post-war by the German Mine Sweeping Administration for clearing naval mines. A total of 424 boats were built for the ""Kriegsmarine"" before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In addition to its designed use as minesweepers, these boats were used for convoy"
"Wolfpack Borkum Borkum was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. ""Borkum"" was formed in December 1943 off the coast of Portugal, to intercept convoys sailing to and from Gibraltar, Mediterranean and South Atlantic. It was composed of U-boats from the disbanded patrol group ""Weddigen"", with reinforcements from bases in occupied France. ""Borkum"" was first detailed to assist the passage of blockade runners ""Osorno"" and ""Alsterufer"" which were returning to base. A surface force was also involved in this operation, code-named ""Bernau"". Allied intelligence was aware off this and"
"for the Turkish Navy. However, some were effective as minelayers. Foreign U-boats Foreign U-Boats was the title for a special section created by Nazi Germany's ""Kriegsmarine"" that adopted 13 captured enemy submarines and a single Turkish vessel into the U-Boat corps. Beginning in 1939 and lasting until the end of World War II in 1945, the Kriegsmarine modified a total of 13 captured enemy submarines, then deployed them into combat with German crews. The special corps was not especially successful, as only nine enemy ships were destroyed by Foreign U-Boats through the entire war. Seven of these were destroyed by"