The Pola flotilla was an Imperial German Navy (IGN) formation set up to prosecute the U-boat campaign

Mediterranean U-boat Campaign (World War I)

The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign in the Mediterranean Sea was fought by Austria-Hungary and German Empire against the Allies during World War I...

 against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean during the First World War in support of Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

’s ally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Despite its official name, the (Deutsches U-Halbflotille Pola: German U-Boat Half-Flotilla, Pola

Pula

Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...

), it operated mainly from an advanced base at Cattaro, at the entrance to the Adriatic.

The flotilla was made up of U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s dispatched from German home ports, which travelled via the Atlantic and the Strait of Gibraltar

Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...

, and coastal type UB-

German type UB II submarine

The UB II type submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine. They were enlarged from the preceding type UB I and were more effective vessels. The boats were a single hull design with a 50 metre maximum diving depth and a 30-45 second diving time...

 and UC-

German Type UC II submarine

Type UC II minelaying submarines were used by the Kaiserliche Marine during the World War I. They displaced 417 tons, carried 7 torpedoes and up to 18 mines...

 boats, which were moved in parts by rail to Pola and assembled there at the SeeArsenal of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....

 (Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine: KuK).

The Pola flotilla had a maximum strength of 33 U–boats; due to the favourable conditions for commerce raiding in the Mediterranean, they caused a disproportionately large number of Allied losses during the U-boat campaign. 3.6 million tons of the 14 million tons lost by the Allies were sunk in the Mediterranean. Eight of the IGNs top dozen U-boat aces served in the Pola flotilla, including L. Arnaud de la Periere and W. Kophamel

Waldemar Kophamel

Commander Waldemar Kophamel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I....

.

In all, 45 U-boats served in the Pola Flotillas; 11 boats were lost operationally.

In 1918 the unit was divided into two separate Flotillas; the first, based at Pola, and the second, at Cattaro, while the commander, re-titled (Führer der U-boote im Mittelmeer: U-Boat Leader, Mediterranean) assumed overall command of the forces here and at Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

.

In 1918 at the end of the campaign, the Pola flotilla was evacuated to Germany. One of its boats, UB-50 sank the battleship Britannia

HMS Britannia (1904)

The sixth HMS Britannia of the British Royal Navy was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the King Edward VII class. She was named after Britannia, the Latin name of Great Britain under Roman rule.-Technical characteristics:...

, the last British warship sunk during the U-Boat Campaign in World War I.

Commanding officers

Date	Commander	Title
1915	Kapitanleutnant Adam K/L Kophamel Waldemar Kophamel Commander Waldemar Kophamel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I....	(Chef) Commanding Officer (CO) Flotilla Commander
1916	Korvettenkapitan Kophamel	(Chef) CO
1917	Kapitan zur See Pullen	Leader Mediterranean /CO Pola (Combined command)
1918	KzS S Gratzhoff KK Schultze KK Ackermann	Leader Mediterranean CO I U-Flotilla CO II U-Flotilla