Wolf pack Rossbach
Encyclopedia
Rossbach was a wolfpack of German
U-boat
s that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II
.
It consisted of 12 boats from the disbanded group Leuthen
, plus 9 others from bases in France
and Germany
.
Whilst forming, several boats from Rossbach were found and attacked by air patrols; 4 were sunk (U-221, U-279, U-389,and U-336) and another 4 were damaged (U-260, U-305, U-666 and U-731), forcing them to return to base.
A further 3 were damaged, but were able to continue, while 2 more boats arrived from base as re-inforcement.
On 8/9 October 1943 Rossbach, attacked convoy SC 143
.
They sank one ship of 5,612 GRT
and one warship but lost 3 boats (U-419, U-610 and U-643) in the engagement.
Rossbach was disbanded following this attack; the remaining boats formed the core of a new group, codenamed Schlieffen
.
fought by Frederick the Great during the Seven Years War.
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
Rossbach was formed in October 1943 to operate against the North Atlantic convoy routes and comprised 21 boats.It consisted of 12 boats from the disbanded group Leuthen
Wolf pack Leuthen
Leuthen was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.-Service history:Leuthen was formed in September 1943 and was established to renew the attack on the North Atlantic route....
, plus 9 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...
.
Whilst forming, several boats from Rossbach were found and attacked by air patrols; 4 were sunk (U-221, U-279, U-389,and U-336) and another 4 were damaged (U-260, U-305, U-666 and U-731), forcing them to return to base.
A further 3 were damaged, but were able to continue, while 2 more boats arrived from base as re-inforcement.
On 8/9 October 1943 Rossbach, attacked convoy SC 143
Convoy SC-143
SC 143 was a North Atlantic convoy of the SC series which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II.It was the second battle in the German Navy’s ’s autumn offensive in the North Atlantic.-Background:...
.
They sank one ship of 5,612 GRT
Tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo carrying capacity of a ship. The term derives from the taxation paid on tuns or casks of wine, and was later used in reference to the weight of a ship's cargo; however, in modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a calculation of the volume...
and one warship but lost 3 boats (U-419, U-610 and U-643) in the engagement.
Rossbach was disbanded following this attack; the remaining boats formed the core of a new group, codenamed 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....
.
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-260
- U-275
- U-279
- U-305
- U-309
- U-336
- U-378
- U-389
- U-402German submarine U-402German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
- U-419
- U-448
- U-539
- U-584
- U-603
- U-610
- U-631
- U-641
- U-643
- U-645
- U-666
- U-731
- U-758German submarine U-758German submarine U-758 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. Commissioned on 5 May 1942, she served with the 6th U-boat Flotilla until 1 November as a training boat, and as a front boat until 14 October 1944 mostly under the command of...
- U-762
- U-952
The name
Rossbach was a reference to the battle of RossbachBattle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place during the Seven Years' War near the village of Roßbach, in the Electorate of Saxony. Frederick the Great defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire...
fought by Frederick the Great during the Seven Years War.