| Wolf pack Seewolf | |
|---|---|
| Active | 12–23 April 1945 |
| Country |
 Germany |
| Branch | Kriegsmarine |
| Size | Seven submarines |
| Engagements |
Operation Teardrop Actions of 5/6 May 1945 |
Seewolf was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.
Service history[]
Seewolf was formed in March 1945 in an effort to re-establish the U-boat offensive in American waters; it was the last wolfpack of the Atlantic campaign. 7 of the 9 boats that sailed to Americas were in Seewolf; another 2 sailed independently.
Coincidentally, Allied Intelligence formed the view that the Germans were planning to mount a missile attack on the United States, using V-1 or V-2 missiles adapted for launch at sea by submarines. This led to a vigorous response by the United States Navy, code-named Operation Teardrop, to find and destroy the Seewolf boats. This was successful; Of the 5 boats in American waters by April ( 2 boats had returned to base for repairs, and were still in transit at the end of April) 4 boats were sunk during the month:
Seewolf boats had one success; U-546 sank USS Frederick C. Davis, shortly before she herself was sunk.
The fifth boat U-881 was detected and destroyed on 6 May 1945, the last boat in American waters to be destroyed. The 2 boats in transit when Germany surrendered were given up to the USN on 8 May 1945.
U-boats involved[]
References[]
- Clay Blair : Hitler's U-Boat War [Volume 2]: The Hunted 1942-1945 (1998) ISBN 0-304-35261-6 (2000 UK paperback ed.)
- "Wolfpack Seewolf". Uboat.net. http://uboat.net/ops/wolfpacks/202.html. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
The original article can be found at Wolf pack Seewolf and the edit history here.