Wolfpack Schill
Encyclopedia
Schill was a wolfpack of German
U-boat
s that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
.
, to intercept convoys sailing to and from Gibraltar, Mediterranean and South Atlantic.
Schill comprised ten U-boats, and commenced operations on 25 October. Its first action was against home-bound convoy SL 138/MKS 28
. During this assault the freighter Hallfried was sunk by U-262 on 29 October; however U-306 was sunk by convoy escorts sunk by Whitehall and Geranium on 31 October.
Following this attack, Schill remained on patrol, but had no further success. On 9 December, U-707 was caught and sunk by Allied aircraft, a Fortess of 220 Squadron.
On 16 December Schill was re-inforced and re-organized into three groups. The first, Schill 1, of seven U-boats, was the southernmost rake, running in a line to the west of Lisbon
.
The second, Schill 2, of ten U-boats, was aligned west of Cape Finisterre
in Spain
, while the third, Schill 3, of twelve U-boats, was 150 miles north of this, roughly along the 45 parallel.
On 18 November U-boats of Schill 1 opened the attack on convoy SL 139/MKS 30
; over the next three days the boats of all theree Schill groups were involved that saw three U-boats destroyed. On 18 November U-211 was sunk by a Wellington
, and on the 19th U-536 by Nene and Snowberry. On the 21st U-538, en route from the North Atlantic to join Schill was caught and sunk by escorts Foley and Crane. Two aircraft were shot down on 20 November; a Liberator by U-648 and a Sunderland
by U-618, but no ships were sunk from the convoy.
With the end of the convoy battle on 22 November the Schill groups were disbanded; a number returned to base, while a cadre remained to frorm a new patrol line, code-named Weddigen.
Schill
(16-22 November 1943)
Schill 1
Schill 2
Schill 3
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
Following the resumption of the assault on the Atlantic convoy routes in the Autumn of 1943, U-boat Control (Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote) (BdU) switched the focus of the campaign in October to the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic routes. To this end he established the wolfpack Schill off the coast of PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, to intercept convoys sailing to and from Gibraltar, Mediterranean and South Atlantic.
Schill comprised ten U-boats, and commenced operations on 25 October. Its first action was against home-bound convoy SL 138/MKS 28
Convoy SL 138/MKS 28
Convoys SL 138/MKS 28 were two Allied convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.SL 138 was part of the of the OS/SL series, between Britain and the South Atlantic, and MKS 28 one of the KMS/MKS series between Britain and the Mediterranean.They were sailing together on the...
. During this assault the freighter Hallfried was sunk by U-262 on 29 October; however U-306 was sunk by convoy escorts sunk by Whitehall and Geranium on 31 October.
Following this attack, Schill remained on patrol, but had no further success. On 9 December, U-707 was caught and sunk by Allied aircraft, a Fortess of 220 Squadron.
On 16 December Schill was re-inforced and re-organized into three groups. The first, Schill 1, of seven U-boats, was the southernmost rake, running in a line to the west of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
The second, Schill 2, of ten U-boats, was aligned west of Cape Finisterre
Cape Finisterre
right|thumb|300px|Position of Cape Finisterre on the [[Iberian Peninsula]]Cape Finisterre is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, while the third, Schill 3, of twelve U-boats, was 150 miles north of this, roughly along the 45 parallel.
On 18 November U-boats of Schill 1 opened the attack on convoy SL 139/MKS 30
Convoy SL 139/MKS 30
Convoys SL 139/MKS 30 were two Allied convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.SL 139 was part of the of the OS/SL series, between Britain and the South Atlantic, and MKS 30 one of the KMS/MKS series between Britain and the Mediterranean.They were sailing together on the...
; over the next three days the boats of all theree Schill groups were involved that saw three U-boats destroyed. On 18 November U-211 was sunk by a Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
, and on the 19th U-536 by Nene and Snowberry. On the 21st U-538, en route from the North Atlantic to join Schill was caught and sunk by escorts Foley and Crane. Two aircraft were shot down on 20 November; a Liberator by U-648 and a Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
by U-618, but no ships were sunk from the convoy.
With the end of the convoy battle on 22 November the Schill groups were disbanded; a number returned to base, while a cadre remained to frorm a new patrol line, code-named Weddigen.
U-boats involved
(25 October-16 November 1943)Schill
- U-211
- U-228
- U-262
- U-306
- U-333
- U-358
- U-441
- U-466German submarine U-466German submarine U-466 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.She was scuttled at sea on 19 August 1944....
- U-707
- U-953
(16-22 November 1943)
Schill 1
- U-211
- U-228
- U-262
- U-333
- U-358
- U-426
- U-515
- U-600
Schill 2
- U-86
- U-238
- U-343German submarine U-343German submarine U-343 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 1 April 1942 at the Nordseewerke yard at Emden, launched on 21 December 1942, and commissioned on 18 February 1943 under the command of Leutnant Wolfgang Rahn.After training...
- U-536
- U-586
- U-608
- U-648
- U-709
- U-969
Schill 3
- U-212
- U-391
- U-424
- U-542
- U-618
- U-714German submarine U-714German submarine U-714 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. She was laid down on 29 December 1941 by HC Stulcken at Hamburg and commissioned on 10 February 1943...
- U-764
- U-843
- U-967German submarine U-967German submarine U-967 was a German Type VIIC/41 U-boat of the Kriegsmarine. Her keel was laid down on 16 May 1942 by Blohm + Voss of Hamburg, Germany. She was commissioned on 11 March 1943 with Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Loeder in command...