Wolfpack Leuthen Explained

Unit Name:Wolf pack Leuthen
Dates:15 Sep 1943 - 24 Sep 1943
Branch:Kriegsmarine
Size:20 submarines

Leuthen was the given name to a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic in 1943 from 15 to 24 September 1943[1]

Service history

Leuthen was formed in September 1943 and was established to renew the attack on the North Atlantic route. Following the defeats of May 1943, and the devastating losses incurred by the U-boat Arm (U-Bootwaffe, UBW) then, Admiral Dönitz had withdrawn from attacks on the North Atlantic route while awaiting tactical and technical improvements.By September 1943 these were ready.

Leuthen operated against convoys ONS 18 and ON 202, which were travelling together; U-boats from Leuthen sank 6 ships of and 3 escorts in this battle, but lost 3 boats (U-229, U-338, and U-341) destroyed, and 3 forced to return with damage, in attacks by aircraft and surface vessels.

Leuthen was disbanded after this assault, at the end of September; of the remaining 15 boats, 3 returned to base and 12 formed the core of a new patrol line, code-named Rossbach.

Raiding History

DateU-boatCommanderName of shipNationalityTonsConvoyFate
20 September 1943Horst HeppFrederick Douglass United States7,176ON-202Damaged
20 September 1943Otto Ferro Frederick Douglass United States7,176ON-202Sunk
20 September 1943Rudolf Bahr1,190ON-202Sunk
20 September 1943Paul-Friedrich Otto 1,370ON-202Total loss
20 September 1943Horst HeppTheodore Dwight Weld United States7,176ON-202Sunk
21 September 1943Oskar Curio925ON-202Sunk
23 September 1943Horst HeppFort Jemseg United Kingdom7,134ON-202Sunk
23 September 1943Herbert Engel1,370ON-202Sunk
23 September 1943Oskar CurioJames Gordon Bennett United States7,176ON-202Damaged
23 September 1943Horst HeppOregon Express Norway3,642ON-202Sunk
23 September 1943Horst HeppSkjelbred Norway5,096ON-202Sunk
23 September 1943Oskar CurioSteel Voyager United States6,198ON-202Sunk

U-boats

U-boatCommanderFromToNotes
Robert Schetelig15 September 194323 September 1943Destroyed; depth-charge, gunfire and ramming by HMS Keppel
Horst Hepp[2] 15 September 194324 September 1943Returned to base
Hubertus Purkhold[3] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Paul-Friedrich Otto[4] 15 September 194323 September 1943Returned to base
Helmut Bork[5] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Rudolf Bahr[6] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Manfred Kinzel[7] 15 September 194320 September 1943Destroyed; Liberator F/120Sqdn, HMCS Drumheller
Dietrich Epp[8] 15 September 194319 September 1943Destroyed; depth-charge by Liberator A/10Sqdn RCAF
Gerhard Kluth[9] 15 September 194322 September 1943Returned to base
Erich Mäder[10] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Fritz Albrecht[11] 15 September 194321 September 1943Returned to base
Siegfried von Forstner[12] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Wolfgang Poeschel[13] 15 September 194324 September 1943Returned to base; destroyed en route 4 October 1943
Joachim Deecke[14] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Rudolf Baltz[15] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Horst Rendtel[16] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Otto Ferro[17] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Herbert Engel[18] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Werner Techand[19] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Helmut Manseck[20] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
Oskar Curio[21] 15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach

The name

The name "Leuthen" was a reference to the battle of Leuthen fought by Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wolfpack Leuthen . uboat.net . 31 May 2015.
  2. Web site: Horst Hepp. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  3. Web site: Hubertus Purkhold. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  4. Web site: Paul-Friedrich Otto. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  5. Web site: Helmut Bork. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  6. Web site: Rudolf Bahr. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  7. Web site: Manfred Kinzel. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  8. Web site: Dietrich Epp. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  9. Web site: Gerhard Kluth. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  10. Web site: Erich Mäder. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  11. Web site: Fritz Albrecht. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  12. Web site: Siegfried von Forstner (Knight's Cross). u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  13. Web site: Wolfgang Poeschel. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  14. Web site: Joachim Deecke. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  15. Web site: Rudolf Baltz. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  16. Web site: Horst Rendtel. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  17. Web site: Otto Ferro. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  18. Web site: Herbert Engel. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  19. Web site: Werner Techand. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  20. Web site: Helmut Manseck. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.
  21. Web site: Oskar Curio. u-boat.net. 31 May 2015.

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