Wolf pack Hecht
Encyclopedia
Hecht was a "wolfpack" of German
U-boat
s that operated during the World War II
Battle of the Atlantic from 8 May to 18 June 1942. They primarily attacked the Liverpool
to Halifax
convoys ONS-92 and ONS-100, and sank 14 ships for a total of .
It should not to be confused with another wolf pack also code-named Hecht (comprising , , and ) that operated east of Iceland from 27 January to 4 February 1942.
The wolf pack was the theme of the song "Wolfpack" by Swedish power metal band Sabaton
.
, 8–11 May, Otto Ites
, 8 May–16 June, Johann Mohr
, 8 May–18 June, Horst Dieterichs, 8 May–18 June, Hans-Peter Hinsch, 8 May–18 June, Heinrich Müller-Edzards, 8 May–18 June, Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 9–11 May, Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel
, 11 May–18 June, Werner von Schmidt, 26–29 May
and the 4,959 ton British collier
Llanover. The Master, 38 crew and seven RAF personnel from the Empire Dell were rescued before she sank. Two crew members were lost. The badly damaged Llanover was scuttled by . Her crew of 46; Master, 39 men, and 6 gunners were rescued.
Portuguese fishing boat Maria da Gloria, and only 8 from her crew of 44 survived.
Flower class corvette
Mimosa (J6254) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-124, and sank immediately after the boilers exploded. The commander, 58 French sailors and 6 British sailors, were lost. The four survivors were picked up by .
, and the 4,855 ton Ramsay.
at the straggling ship, which sank an hour later. Two crew members were lost, and the Master was taken prisoner by U-569, and was confined to the Milag Nord
POW camp
, while 42 crewmen and three gunners were later picked up by .
. The Master, 25 crewmen and four gunners were lost, while 14 crewmen and three gunners were picked up by the British rescue ship Gothland.
to New York
. One torpedo struck the 5,627 ton American merchant ship Seattle Spirit, causing flooding and a boiler explosion which killed one officer and two men below. The remaining 9 officers, 28 men, 11 armed guards
(the ship was armed with a 4 inches (101.6 mm) gun, four .50 caliber and four .30 caliber machine gun
s) and 7 passengers abandoned ship in lifeboats. They were picked up by the corvette , and the Seattle Spirit was shelled and sunk at 20:30 by the Agassiz after it was determined she could not be salvaged.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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 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...
Battle of the Atlantic from 8 May to 18 June 1942. They primarily attacked the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
convoys ONS-92 and ONS-100, and sank 14 ships for a total of .
It should not to be confused with another wolf pack also code-named Hecht (comprising , , and ) that operated east of Iceland from 27 January to 4 February 1942.
The wolf pack was the theme of the song "Wolfpack" by Swedish power metal band Sabaton
Sabaton (band)
Sabaton is a Grammis-nominated power metal band from Falun, Sweden formed in 1999. The band's main lyrical themes are those of historical wars. This is heard in albums Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus and Coat of Arms where all of the songs, except final tracks, take inspiration from historical...
.
U-boats, commanders and dates
, Otto von BülowOtto von Bülow
Otto von Bülow was a German U-boat commander in World War II, and a captain in the German Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, 8–11 May, Otto Ites
Otto Ites
Otto Ites was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and later a Konteradmiral with the Bundesmarine. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, 8 May–16 June, Johann Mohr
Johann Mohr
Johann Mohr was a Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
, 8 May–18 June, Horst Dieterichs, 8 May–18 June, Hans-Peter Hinsch, 8 May–18 June, Heinrich Müller-Edzards, 8 May–18 June, Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 9–11 May, Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel
Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel
Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He sailed with , and , sinking three ships on seven patrols, for a total of 10.969 tons of Allied shipping....
, 11 May–18 June, Werner von Schmidt, 26–29 May
Empire Dell & Llanover
Around 02:00 on 12 May 1942, U-124 fired three torpedoes and hit the 7,065 ton British CAM shipCAM ship
CAM ships were World War II-era British merchant ships used in convoys as an emergency stop-gap until sufficient escort carriers became available. CAM is an acronym for catapult aircraft merchantman. A CAM ship was equipped with a rocket-propelled catapult launching a single Hawker Sea Hurricane,...
and the 4,959 ton British collier
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
Llanover. The Master, 38 crew and seven RAF personnel from the Empire Dell were rescued before she sank. Two crew members were lost. The badly damaged Llanover was scuttled by . Her crew of 46; Master, 39 men, and 6 gunners were rescued.
Cocle
At 03:40 on 12 May the 5,630 ton Panamanian merchant ship Cocle was torpedoed and sunk by U-94. Only 38 survivors from her crew of 42 were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.Cristales & Mount Parnes
At 03:55 on 12 May U-124 attacked again, firing two torpedoes and hitting the 5,389 ton British merchant ship Cristales and the 4,371 ton Greek merchant ship Mount Parnes. The crew of Cristales abandoned ship, and all 65, plus 7 gunners and 10 passengers were rescued, while their ship was later sunk by gunfire by . After her 33 crew abandoned ship, the Mount Parnes was also scuttled by an escort vessel.Batna
At 03:51 on 13 May, the 4,399 ton British collier Batna was torpedoed and sunk by U-94. One crew member was lost while the Master, 34 crewmen and six gunners were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.Tolken
At 06:18 on 13 May, the 4,471 ton Swedish merchant ship Tolken was hit by a single torpedo from U-94. The U-boat was driven off by the convoy escorts, but returned at 09:30. Approaching the damaged ship on the surface, the U-boat was shot by the ship's machine guns. At 10:20 the U-boat attacked again with torpedoes. The first failed to explode, but the second five minutes later hit and sank the ship. There were no losses amongst the ship's crew of 34, and all were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.Maria da Gloria
At 22:10 on 5 June U-94 shelled an unmarked sailing ship. The ship stopped after being hit by two rounds, the U-boat ceased fire, and the crew abandoned ship. Then at 22:50 the schooner was sunk by U-boat's gunfire. She turned out to be the 320-ton neutralNeutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
Portuguese fishing boat Maria da Gloria, and only 8 from her crew of 44 survived.
FFL Mimosa
At 04:10 on 9 June, the Free French NavyFree French Naval Forces
Les Forces Navales Françaises Libres were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Emile Muselier.- History :...
Flower class corvette
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
Mimosa (J6254) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-124, and sank immediately after the boilers exploded. The commander, 58 French sailors and 6 British sailors, were lost. The four survivors were picked up by .
Empire Clough & Ramsay
At 03:40 hours on 10 June, U-94 fired three torpedoes at a group of three ships from the convoy, and hit and sank two British merchant ships; the 6,147 ton Empire CloughSS Empire Clough
Empire Clough was a 6,147 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields for the Ministry of War Transport . She was torpedoed and sunk on her maiden voyage.-Description:...
, and the 4,855 ton Ramsay.
Pontypridd
At 14:46 on 11 June, the 4,458 ton British merchant ship Pontypridd was hit by two torpedoes fired by U-569, seriously damaging her. At 16:06, U-94 fired the coup de grâceCoup de grâce
The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
at the straggling ship, which sank an hour later. Two crew members were lost, and the Master was taken prisoner by U-569, and was confined to the Milag Nord
Marlag und Milag Nord
Marlag und Milag Nord was a German Prisoner-of-war camp in Military District X, located near Westertimke, Germany.There were over 5,000 Allied Merchant seamen captured by the German forces during World War II...
POW camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
, while 42 crewmen and three gunners were later picked up by .
Dartford
At 06:12 on 12 June the 4,093 ton British merchant ship Dartford was torpedoed and sunk by U-124 south of Cape RaceCape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
. The Master, 25 crewmen and four gunners were lost, while 14 crewmen and three gunners were picked up by the British rescue ship Gothland.
Seattle Spirit
At about 06.20 on 18 June, U-124 fired two spreads of two torpedoes at three ships of Convoy ONS-102, en route from MurmanskMurmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. One torpedo struck the 5,627 ton American merchant ship Seattle Spirit, causing flooding and a boiler explosion which killed one officer and two men below. The remaining 9 officers, 28 men, 11 armed guards
United States Navy Armed Guard
United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War I in an attempt to provide defensive firepower to merchant ships in convoy or merchant ships traveling alone...
(the ship was armed with a 4 inches (101.6 mm) gun, four .50 caliber and four .30 caliber machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s) and 7 passengers abandoned ship in lifeboats. They were picked up by the corvette , and the Seattle Spirit was shelled and sunk at 20:30 by the Agassiz after it was determined she could not be salvaged.