West was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic from 8 May 1941 to 20 June 1941.
This wolfpack was responsible for sinking 33 ships () and damaging a further four ships (), making it one of the most successful wolfpacks of World War II.
Raiding Summary
DateU-boatName of shipNationalityTonsConvoyComments8 May 1941Ramillies4,553OB 317Sunk9 May 1941Bengore Head2,609OB 318Sunk9 May 1941Empire Cloud5,969OB 318Damaged9 May 1941Esmond4,976OB 318Sunk9 May 1941Gregalia5,802OB 318Sunk10 May 1941Aelybryn4,986OB 318Damaged10 May 1941Empire Caribou4,861OB 318Sunk10 May 1941Gand5,086OB 318Sunk13 May 1941HMS Salopian10,549SC 30Sunk13 May 1941Somersby5,170SC 30Sunk20 May 1941British Security8,470HX 126Sunk20 May 1941Cockaponset5,995HX 126Sunk20 May 1941Darlington Court4,974HX 126Sunk20 May 1941Harpagus5,173HX 126Sunk20 May 1941John P. Pedersen6,128HX 126Sunk20 May 1941Norman Monarch4,718HX 126Sunk20 May 1941Rothermere5,356HX 126Sunk20 May 1941San Felix13,037OB 322Damaged21 May 1941Elusa6,235HX 126Sunk21 May 1941Marconi7,402OB 322Sunk22 May 1941Barnby4,813HX 126Sunk29 May 1941Empire Storm7,290HX 128Sunk2 June 1941Michael E. 7,628OB 327Sunk3 June 1941Eibergen4,801OB 327Sunk3 June 1941Inversuir9,456OB 327Damaged3 June 1941Inversuir9,456OB 327Sunk4 June 1941Trecarrell5,271OB 327Sunk5 June 1941Wellfield6,054OB 328Sunk6 June 1941Tregarthen5,201OB 329Sunk6 June 1941Yselhaven4,802OB 328Sunk8 June 1941Baron Nairn3,164OB 328Sunk8 June 1941Dirphys4,240Sunk8 June 1941Pendrecht10,746OB 329Sunk9 June 1941Trevarrack5,270OB 329Sunk10 June 1941Christian Krohg1,992OB 329Sunk10 June 1941Mercier7,886OB 330Sunk13 June 1941Tresillian4,743OB 330Sunk
U-Boats
Of the 23 U-boat commanders, 19 were either, or went on to become, recipients of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
U-boatCommanderFromToNotesWolfgang Lüth17 May 194116 June 1941Engelbert Endrass19 May 19416 June 1941Herbert Schultze2 June 19418 June 1941Robert-Richard Zapp24 May 19415 June 1941Helmut Rosenbaum31 May 194116 June 1941Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat13 May 194122 May 1941Helmuth Ringelmann2 June 194120 June 1941Heinrich Schonder6 June 194120 June 1941Claus Korth8 May 194126 May 1941Herbert Kuppisch8 May 194129 May 1941Udo Heilmann8 May 194127 May 1941Robert Gysae8 May 194127 May 1941Ernst Mengersen2 June 194120 June 1941Klaus Scholtz2 June 194120 June 1941Hans-Georg Fischer13 May 194123 May 1941Fritz-Julius Lemp9 May 19419 May 1941U-boat was lostWilhelm Kleinschmidt13 May 19415 June 1941Adalbert Schnee8 May 194113 May 1941Walter Kell5 June 194116 June 1941Karl Thurmann13 June 194120 June 1941Herbert Wohlfarth10 May 194120 May 1941Ottokar Arnold Paulssen25 May 194120 June 1941Gerhard Bigalk16 June 194120 June 1941
References