Wolfpack Weddigen
Weddigen was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.
Service history
[edit]Weddigen was formed in November 1943 off the coast of Portugal, to intercept convoys sailing to and from Gibraltar, Mediterranean and South Atlantic. It was composed of U-boats from the disbanded patrol group Schill, with reinforcements from the North Atlantic and from bases in occupied France.
Weddigen originally numbered seventeen U-boats, though two had been destroyed in recent actions, and two others had to withdraw with damage. On 22 November the thirteen U-boats remaining formed a patrol line west of Portugal to await warning of an Allied convoy.
On 23 November one of the Weddigen boats, U-648, fell in with the frigate HMS Blackwood, of 4th Escort Group accompanying KMS 30 and was destroyed.[1] On 25 November U-600 also fell in with KMS 30, and was attacked by Blackwood and Bazely, and destroyed.[2]
On 27 November the Weddigen boats intercepted convoy SL 140/MKS 31, and attacked it over the next five days, though without success. On 29 November U-86 was destroyed by aircraft from the carrier USS Bogue, while on 28th U-238[3] and U-764 had been attacked and damaged, also by aircraft from Bogue.
On 7 December Weddigen was disbanded, a number of U-boats returning to base, while others formed a cadre of a new patrol group, code-named Borkum.
U-boats involved
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The name
[edit]Weddigen was named for Otto Weddigen, German World War I U-boat ace.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
- Jak P M Showell U-Boat Warfare: The Evolution of the Wolf-Pack (2002) ISBN 0-7110-2887-7
External links
[edit]Helgason, Guðmundur. "Weddigen". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.