''Pfadfinder'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "Pathfinder") was 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 from 21 to 27 May 1942, in 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 ...

during World War II. Operating off the North American coast between

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

they sank two ships for a total of .

U-boats, commanders and dates

* , Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius, 21–27 May * , Amelung von Varendorff, 21–27 May * ,

Heinz-Otto Schultze Heinz-Otto Schultze (13 September 1915 in Kiel – 25 November 1943 in the South Atlantic) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded t ...

, 21–27 May * , Hans-Heinrich Giessler, 21–27 May * , Dietrich Borchert, 21–27 May * , Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 21–27 May * , Gerhard Feiler, 21–27 May * ,

Otto von Bülow Otto von Bülow (16 October 1911 – 5 January 2006) was a German U-boat commander in World War II, and a captain in the ''Bundesmarine''. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Family Bülow w ...

, 23–27 May

Ships hit by this Wolfpack

Zurichmoor

At 00:24 on 23 May, while en route from Halifax to

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin ...

, the unescorted 4,455 GRT British merchant ship ''Zurichmoor'' was torpedoed and sunk by ''U-432'' east of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The master, 38 crewmen, and six gunners were lost.

Polyphemus

At 00:18 hours on 27 May the unescorted 6,269 GRT Dutch merchantman ''Polyphemus'', en route from Halifax to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, was hit by two torpedoes from ''U-578'' about north of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

and sank within 45 minutes, with the loss of 15 of the crew. The survivors, including 14 men previously picked up from the ''Norland'', sunk five days before by , abandoned ship in five lifeboats. The U-boat surfaced and questioned the first officer before giving them cigarettes and the heading for New York. Three of the lifeboats landed at

Nantucket Island Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, while the other two were rescued by a Portuguese ship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfadfinder Wolfpacks of 1942