''Leuthen'' was the given name to a wolfpack of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 role ...

s that operated during the

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 blockade ...

in 1943 from 15 September 1943 to 24 September 1943

Service history

''Leuthen'' was formed in September 1943 and was established to renew the attack on the North Atlantic route. Following the defeats of May 1943, and the devastating losses incurred by 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 It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic.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 an ...

(''U-Bootwaffe'', UBW) then,

Admiral Dönitz Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

had withdrawn from attacks on the North Atlantic route while awaiting tactical and technical improvements. By September 1943 these were ready. ''Leuthen'' operated against convoys ONS 18 and

ON 202 On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

, which were travelling together;

s from ''Leuthen'' sank 6 ships of and 3 escorts in this battle, but lost 3 boats ( ''U-229'', ''U-338'', and ''U-341'') destroyed, and 3 forced to return with damage, in attacks by aircraft and surface vessels. ''Leuthen'' was disbanded after this assault, at the end of September; of the remaining 15 boats, 3 returned to base and 12 formed the core of a new patrol line, code-named ''Rossbach''.

Raiding History

U-boats

The name

The name "Leuthen" was a reference to the

battle of Leuthen The Battle of Leuthen was fought on 5 December 1757 and involved Frederick the Great's Prussian Army using maneuver warfare and terrain to rout a larger Austrian force completely, which was commanded by Prince Charles of Lorraine and Cou ...

fought by

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leuthen Wolfpacks of 1943 Wolfpack Leuthen