Wolf pack Siegfried
Encyclopedia
Siegfried was a "wolfpack" of German
U-boat
s that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
.
to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 18 boats.
It consisted of 7 boats from the disbanded group
Schlieffen
, plus 11 others from bases in France
and Germany
. All the reinforcements were commanded by new skippers; 6 from Norway were also new boats, while the 5 from France were experienced boats with new commanders.
The Siegfried boats had fuel problems, so a re-fueling group was established north of the Azores, of 3 tankers and a flak boat as escort.
Siegfried was deployed to intercept east-bound convoys in mid-Atlantic, planning to attack while travelling towards the re-fueling group and home bases in France. However the Allies became aware of Seigfrieds position, and diverted their east-bound HX and SC convoys out of harm's way, leaving a massively re-inforced west-bound convoy, ON 207
to run into Siegfried as bait.
Three Siegfried boats were destroyed in engagements with ON 207’s escorts (U-274, U-420, and U-282), while the re-fueling group was attacked by USN hunter-killer groups centred on the escort carriers Block Island
and Card
.
Two Siegfried boats (U-405 and U-584) and one tanker (U-220) were destroyed and the flak boat (U-256) was damaged and forced to return to base.
Siegfried was re-configured after these actions to form three sub-groups (Siegfried 1-3) and spread a wider net; further re-arrangements followed throughout November and December. None of these were successful, as the Allies were able to divert convoys around the patrol lines or steer through the gaps.
Re-fueling group
whose story is told in the Nibelungenlied
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...
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 that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Service history
Siegfried was formed in October 1943to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 18 boats.
It consisted of 7 boats from the disbanded group
Schlieffen
Wolf pack Schlieffen
Schlieffen was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.-Service history:Schlieffen was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 14 boats....
, plus 11 others from bases in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and 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...
. All the reinforcements were commanded by new skippers; 6 from Norway were also new boats, while the 5 from France were experienced boats with new commanders.
The Siegfried boats had fuel problems, so a re-fueling group was established north of the Azores, of 3 tankers and a flak boat as escort.
Siegfried was deployed to intercept east-bound convoys in mid-Atlantic, planning to attack while travelling towards the re-fueling group and home bases in France. However the Allies became aware of Seigfrieds position, and diverted their east-bound HX and SC convoys out of harm's way, leaving a massively re-inforced west-bound convoy, ON 207
Convoy ON 207
ON 207 was a North Atlantic convoy of the ONS/ON series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.It was the subject of a major U-boat attack in October 1943, the fourth battle in the German Navy’s autumn offensive....
to run into Siegfried as bait.
Three Siegfried boats were destroyed in engagements with ON 207’s escorts (U-274, U-420, and U-282), while the re-fueling group was attacked by USN hunter-killer groups centred on the escort carriers Block Island
USS Block Island (CVE-21)
USS Block Island was a for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first of two escort carriers named after Block Island Sound off Rhode Island. Block Island was launched on 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Seattle, Washington, under a Maritime Commission...
and Card
USS Card (CVE-11)
USS Card was a Bogue-class escort aircraft carrier. Her hull was laid down on 27 October 1941 as a C-3 cargo ship but it was acquired from the Maritime Commission while under construction and was converted into an escort carrier.She was launched as AVG 11 on 27 February 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma...
.
Two Siegfried boats (U-405 and U-584) and one tanker (U-220) were destroyed and the flak boat (U-256) was damaged and forced to return to base.
Siegfried was re-configured after these actions to form three sub-groups (Siegfried 1-3) and spread a wider net; further re-arrangements followed throughout November and December. None of these were successful, as the Allies were able to divert convoys around the patrol lines or steer through the gaps.
U-boats involved
- U-91German submarine U-91 (1941)German submarine U-91 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine that saw service during World War II. The U-boat completed six wartime patrols and sank one warship totalling , and damaged four for a total of ....
- U-274
- U-282
- U-405
- U-420
- U-584
Re-fueling group
- U-488German submarine U-488German submarine U-488 was a Type XIV supply and replenishment U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II....
(U-tankerGerman Type XIV submarineThe Type XIV U-boat was a modification of the Type IXD, designed to resupply other U-boats. They were nicknamed "Milchkuh/Milchkühe " . They had no torpedo tubes or deck guns, only anti-aircraft guns. Due to its large size, the Type XIV could resupply other boats with 400 tons of fuel, four...
) - U-219 (Type XB provisional tanker)
- U-220 (Type XB provisional tanker)
- U-256 (Flak boat)
The name
Siegfried was named for the legendary German hero SiegfriedSiegfried
Siegfried is a German language male given name, meaning "victory peace".Siegfried may also refer to:-People:* Sigfrid of Sweden , English missionary to Sweden and patron saint of Växjö...
whose story is told in the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....