Rösing's wolfpack was a formation of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with th ...

'' in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a " wolfpack" of

U-boat U-boats were naval 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 ro ...

s that operated during the early stages of the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blocka ...

Background

Rösing's wolfpack was an early attempt by the ''

'' during World War II in its wolfpack tactic against Allied

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be use ...

s. Its operations were in June 1940, at the beginning of the "Happy Time", when the

U-boat Arm The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the ...

renewed its offensive in the Atlantic campaign. The name "Rösing" was unofficial, taken from that of its commander,

Hans-Rudolf Rösing Hans-Rudolf Rösing (28 September 1905 – 16 December 2004) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and later served in the Bundesmarine of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, of Nazi ...

. Unlike later packs which had specific code names this formation was left without an official designation. In June 1940 U-boat Command ( BdU) received intelligence that a large troop convoy would be passing through the mid-Atlantic to Britain. The convoy, designated US 3, would comprise seven troopships, including and would be transporting some 25,000 Australian and New Zealand troops. It was decided to form a patrol line off the coast of Spain, in order to mount a wolf pack attack on the convoy. To this end three U-boats already on station, and two others sent as reinforcement, would concentrate of

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; gl, Cabo Fisterra, italic=no ; es, Cabo Finisterre, italic=no ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like ...

in Spain. The group would be under the command of '' K.Kapt.'' Rösing,

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

("Wegener's") flotilla commander.

Operations

The two boats dispatched from Germany were , under Endrass, and under Rösing. They would join ( Schuhart), (Ambrosius) and ( Frauenheim), which were already in mid-Atlantic. All five boats met with success while moving into position. ''U-46'' was able to intercept and sink three ships, sailing alone and unescorted; she also sank the

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. ''U 48'' sank three ships in transit, while in the south ''U-101'' also sank three ships. By 14 June all five boats were in position, but the Allies, suspecting U-boat activity in the area, re-routed the convoy to the west, so that it passed around the packs position. By 17 June it was clear the convoy had escaped, and the pack was dissolved. All boats then proceeded to patrol independently.Blair p169 Before returning to base ''U-46'' sank one more ship and attacked , though this was unsuccessful. ''U-48'' sank four more ships, for a total of seven (), ''U-101'' sank three more, including the passenger ship ''Wellington Star'', for a total of seven (42,026 GRT). All U-boats returned to base safely.

Aftermath

Sailing independently, the five boats of Rösing's pack achieved great success, sinking a total of 27 ships. However, as a wolfpack, operating as a group to intercept and destroy a convoy of ships, it failed in its intent. The failure underlined the difficulties of operating a wolf pack under local control at sea; henceforth BdU determined to exercise close control from its headquarters, newly established at

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

in occupied France

U-boats involved

* * * * *

Notes

References

* Clay Blair, ''Hitler’s U-Boat War Vol I '' (1996). * Jak P M Showell ''U-Boat Warfare: The Evolution of the Wolf-Pack'' (2002)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosing Wolfpacks of 1940 1940 establishments in Germany