''Rossbach'' was a
wolfpack of German
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
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
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 ...
.
Service history
''Rossbach'' was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 21 boats.
It consisted of 12 boats from the disbanded group
''Leuthen'', plus 9 others from bases in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Whilst forming, several boats from ''Rossbach'' were found and attacked by air patrols; 4 were sunk (, , ,and ) and another 4 were damaged (, , and ), forcing them to return to base.
A further 3 were damaged, but were able to continue, while 2 more boats arrived from base as re-inforcement.
On 8/9 October 1943 ''Rossbach'', attacked convoy
SC 143.
They sank one ship of and one warship but lost 3 boats (, and ) in the engagement.
''Rossbach'' was disbanded following this attack; the remaining boats formed the core of a new group, codenamed
''Schlieffen''.
U-boats involved
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The name
''Rossbach'' was a reference to the
Battle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place on 5November 1757 during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763, part of the Seven Years' War) near the village of Rossbach (Roßbach), in the Electorate of Saxony. It is sometimes called the Battle of, or at, R ...
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
* Jak P M Showell ''U-Boat Warfare: The Evolution of the Wolf-Pack'' (2002)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossbach
Wolfpacks of 1943