Wolf pack Pfadfinder
Encyclopedia
Pfadfinder was a "wolfpack" of German
U-boat
s that operated from 21 to 27 May 1942, in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. Operating off the North American coast between New England
and Newfoundland they sank two ships for a total of .
, 21–27 May, Hans-Heinrich Giessler, 21–27 May, Dietrich Borchert, 21–27 May, Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 21–27 May, Gerhard Feiler, 21–27 May, Otto von Bülow
, 23–27 May
to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
, the unescorted 4,455 ton British merchant ship Zurichmoor was torpedoed and sunk by U-432 east of Philadelphia. The master, 38 crewmen, and six gunners were lost.
to Liverpool
, was hit by two torpedoes from U-578 about 340 miles north of Bermuda
and sank within 45 minutes, with the loss of 15 of the crew. The survivors, including 14 men previously picked up from the Norland, sunk five days before by , abandoned ship in five lifeboats. The U-boat surfaced and questioned the first officer before giving them cigarettes and the heading for New York. Three of the lifeboats landed at Nantucket Island
, Massachusetts
, while the other two were rescued by a Portuguese ship.
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 from 21 to 27 May 1942, in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. Operating off the North American coast between New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Newfoundland they sank two ships for a total of .
U-boats, commanders and dates
, Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius, 21–27 May, Amelung von Varendorff, 21–27 May, Heinz-Otto SchultzeHeinz-Otto Schultze
Heinz-Otto Schultze was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
, 21–27 May, Hans-Heinrich Giessler, 21–27 May, Dietrich Borchert, 21–27 May, Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 21–27 May, Gerhard Feiler, 21–27 May, Otto von Bülow
Otto 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...
, 23–27 May
Zurichmoor
At 00:24 on 23 May, while en route from HalifaxCity 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...
to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, the unescorted 4,455 ton British merchant ship Zurichmoor was torpedoed and sunk by U-432 east of Philadelphia. The master, 38 crewmen, and six gunners were lost.
Polyphemus
At 00:18 hours on 27 May the unescorted 6,269 ton Dutch merchantman Polyphemus, en route from HalifaxCity 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...
to 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...
, was hit by two torpedoes from U-578 about 340 miles north of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and sank within 45 minutes, with the loss of 15 of the crew. The survivors, including 14 men previously picked up from the Norland, sunk five days before by , abandoned ship in five lifeboats. The U-boat surfaced and questioned the first officer before giving them cigarettes and the heading for New York. Three of the lifeboats landed at Nantucket Island
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, while the other two were rescued by a Portuguese ship.