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

Military unit

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]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Wolfpack West". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

* v
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U-boats

* Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I
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Commanders|

* BdU
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Wolfpacks|

* List of wolfpacks of World War II
* Blücher
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Major engagements|

* Convoy SC 7
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* Battle of the St. Lawrence
* Convoy ONS 5
* Black May
* Bismarck chase

U-boat flotillas|

| World War I|

* I
* II
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* IV
* Flanders
* Kurland
* Pola
* Constantinople

|

World War II|

* Regions
* 1.
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Capital ships sunk|

| World War I|

* HMS Britannia
* HMS Cornwallis
* French battleship Danton
* HMS Formidable
* Gaulois
* Russian battleship Peresvet
* HMS Majestic
* Italian battleship Regina Margherita
* HMS Russell
* French battleship Suffren
* HMS Triumph

|

World War II|

* HMS Ark Royal
* HMS Barham
* HMS Courageous
* HMS Eagle
* HMS Royal Oak

Technology|

* Anechoic tile
* Depth charge
* Elektroboot
* FuG 200 Hohentwiel
* Hedgehog
* Leigh light
* Mark 24 mine
* Metox radar detector
* Mousetrap
* Pillenwerfer
* Q-ship
* Sieglinde (decoy)
* Sonar
* Snorkel

Concepts|

* Submarine warfare
* Unrestricted submarine warfare
* Rocket U-boat

Bases|

| World War II|

* France
* Lorient
* Saint-Nazaire
* Germany
* Valentin
* Norway
* Dora I
* Dora II

|

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