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

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defeats of May 1943, and the devastating losses incurred by the U-boat Arm (U-Bootwaffe, UBW) then, Admiral Dönitz had withdrawn from attacks on the North Atlantic route while awaiting tactical and technical improvements.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 36,442 GRT 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 1943U-238Horst HeppFrederick DouglassUnited States7,176ON 202Damaged
20 September 1943U-645Otto FerroFrederick DouglassUnited States7,176ON 202Sunk
20 September 1943U-305Rudolf BahrHMCS St. CroixRoyal Canadian Navy1,190ON 202Sunk
20 September 1943U-270Paul-Friedrich OttoHMS LaganRoyal Navy1,370ON 202Total loss
20 September 1943U-238Horst HeppTheodore Dwight WeldUnited States7,176ON 202Sunk
21 September 1943U-952Oskar CurioHMS PolyanthusRoyal Navy925ON 202Sunk
23 September 1943U-238Horst HeppFort JemsegUnited Kingdom7,134ON 202Sunk
23 September 1943U-666Herbert EngelHMS ItchenRoyal Navy1,370ON 202Sunk
23 September 1943U-952Oskar CurioJames Gordon BennettUnited States7,176ON 202Damaged
23 September 1943U-238Horst HeppOregon ExpressNorway3,642ON 202Sunk
23 September 1943U-238Horst HeppSkjelbredNorway5,096ON 202Sunk
23 September 1943U-952Oskar CurioSteel VoyagerUnited States6,198ON 202Sunk

U-boats

U-boatCommanderFromToNotes
U-229Robert Schetelig15 September 194323 September 1943Destroyed; depth-charge, gunfire and ramming by HMS Keppel
U-238Horst Hepp15 September 194324 September 1943Returned to base
U-260Hubertus Purkhold15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-270Paul-Friedrich Otto15 September 194323 September 1943Returned to base
U-275Helmut Bork15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-305Rudolf Bahr15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-338Manfred Kinzel15 September 194320 September 1943Destroyed; Liberator F/120Sqdn, HMCS Drumheller
U-341Dietrich Epp15 September 194319 September 1943Destroyed; depth-charge by Liberator A/10Sqdn RCAF
U-377Gerhard Kluth15 September 194322 September 1943Returned to base
U-378Erich Mäder15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-386Fritz Albrecht15 September 194321 September 1943Returned to base
U-402Siegfried von Forstner15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-422Wolfgang Poeschel15 September 194324 September 1943Returned to base; destroyed en route 4 October 1943
U-584Joachim Deecke15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-603Rudolf Baltz15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-641Horst Rendtel15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-645Otto Ferro15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-666Herbert Engel15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-731Werner Techand15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-758Helmut Manseck15 September 194324 September 1943to group Rossbach
U-952Oskar Curio15 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

  • Showell, Jak P M (2002). U-Boat Warfare: The Evolution of the Wolf-Pack. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2887-7.