Wolfpack Hecht

The first wolfpack code-named Hecht, comprising three U-boats, operated east of Iceland from 27 January to 4 February 1942.{{Cite web|url= http://uboat.net/ops/wolfpacks/212.html|title=Wolfpack Hecht|last=Helgason|first=Guðmundur|website=uboat.net|access-date=28 January 2010}}

During this period one Allied convoy passed through Hecht's patrol area, Arctic convoy PQ 9/10, comprising ten merchant ships bound for the Soviet Union. It departed Reykjavík on 1 February and was undetected, arriving without incident at Murmansk on 10 February.Ruegg, Hague pp.25-26 After this Hecht was disbanded, with U-352 and U-455 continuing to the North Atlantic, while U-435 remained on station for four more days before heading north to join patrol group Umbau in the Barents Sea.

• {{GS|U-352||2}}
• {{GS|U-435||2}}
• {{GS|U-455||2}}

The second operated in the North Atlantic from 8 May to 18 June 1942. During this period Hecht successfully attacked three west-bound convoys, and sank 14 ships for a total of {{GRT|62,709|disp=long}}.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/ops/wolfpacks/31.html

|title=Wolfpack Hecht

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

After forming in the Atlantic on 8 May the Hecht boats headed west, sighting slow convoy ON 92 south of Iceland. They attacked over the next three days and sank seven ships without loss.Blair p.599Edwards pp.62-68

On 20 May Hecht boats sighted slow convoy ON 94 east of the Grand Banks, but lost it in fog.Edwards p.68

On 31 May ON 96 was sighted south of Cape Farewell, but this was also lost in worsening weather.Edwards p.69

On 8 June convoy ON 100 was sighted five days out from the UK; an attack developed which sank five ships and an escort vessel over four days, again without loss.Blair p.600Edwards pp.69-72

On 12 June convoy ON 102 was sighted, but attacks over three days and nights brought little success; one ship was sunk, but two U-boats were damaged so severely they had to return to base.Edwards p.72

At this point BdU brought Hecht’s patrol to an end.

• {{GS|U-404||2}}, Otto von Bülow, 8–11 May
• {{GS|U-94|1940|2}}, Otto Ites, 8 May–16 June
• {{GS|U-124|1940|2}}, Johann Mohr, 8 May–18 June
• {{GS|U-406||2}}, Horst Dieterichs, 8 May–18 June
• {{GS|U-569||2}}, Hans-Peter Hinsch, 8 May–18 June
• {{GS|U-590||2}}, Heinrich Müller-Edzards, 8 May–18 June
• {{GS|U-578||2}}, Ernst-August Rehwinkel, 9–11 May
• {{GS|U-96|1940|2}}, Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel, 11 May–18 June
• {{GS|U-116|1941|2}}, Werner von Schmidt, 26–29 May

Around 02:00 on 12 May 1942, U-124 fired three torpedoes and hit the 7,065-ton British CAM ship {{SS|Empire Dell||2}} and the 4,959-ton British collier Llanover. The Master, 38 crew and seven Royal Air Force personnel from Empire Dell were rescued before she sank. Two crew members were lost.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1634.html

|title=Empire Dell (Catapult armed merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}} The badly damaged Llanover was scuttled by {{HMCS|Arvida|K113|6}}. Her crew of 46; Master, 39 men, and 6 gunners were rescued.

At 03:40 on 12 May the 5,630-ton Panamanian merchant ship Cocle was torpedoed and sunk by U-94. Only 38 survivors from her crew of 42 were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1632.html

|title=Cocle (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 03:55 on 12 May U-124 attacked again, firing two torpedoes and hitting the 5,389-ton British merchant ship Cristales and the 4,371-ton Greek merchant ship Mount Parnes. The crew of Cristales abandoned ship, and all 65, plus 7 gunners and 10 passengers were rescued, while their ship was later sunk by gunfire by {{HMCS|Shediac|K110|6}}.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1631.html

|title=Cristales (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}} After her 33 crew abandoned ship, Mount Parnes was also scuttled by an escort vessel.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1627.html

|title=Mount Parnes (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 03:51 on 13 May, the 4,399-ton British collier Batna was torpedoed and sunk by U-94. One crew member was lost while the master, 34 crewmen and six gunners were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1639.html

|title=Batna (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 06:18 on 13 May, the 4,471-ton Swedish merchant ship Tolken was hit by a single torpedo from U-94. The U-boat was driven off by the convoy escorts, but returned at 09:30. Approaching the damaged ship on the surface, the U-boat was shot by the ship's machine guns. At 10:20 the U-boat attacked again with torpedoes. The first failed to explode, but the second five minutes later hit and sank the ship. There were no losses amongst the ship's crew of 34, and all were picked up by the British rescue ship Bury.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1640.html

|title=Tolken (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 22:10 on 5 June U-94 shelled an unmarked sailing ship. The ship stopped after being hit by two rounds, the U-boat ceased fire, and the crew abandoned ship. Then at 22:50 the schooner was sunk by U-boat's gunfire. She turned out to be the 320-ton neutral Portuguese fishing boat Maria da Gloria, and only 8 from her crew of 44 survived.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1746.html

|title=Maria da Gloria (Sailing ship)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 04:10 on 9 June, the Free French Navy {{sclass2|Flower|corvette}} Mimosa (J6254) was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-124, and sank immediately after the boilers exploded. The commander, 58 French sailors and 6 British sailors, were lost. The four survivors were picked up by {{HMCS|Assiniboine|I18|6}}.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1764.html

|title=FFL Mimosa (J 6254) (Corvette)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 03:40 hours on 10 June, U-94 fired three torpedoes at a group of three ships from the convoy, and hit and sank two British merchant ships; the 6,147-ton {{SS|Empire Clough||2}},{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1778.html

|title=Empire Clough (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}} and the 4,855-ton Ramsay.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1774.html

|title=Ramsay (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 14:46 on 11 June, the 4,458-ton British merchant ship Pontypridd was hit by two torpedoes fired by U-569, seriously damaging her. At 16:06, U-94 fired the coup de grâce at the straggling ship, which sank an hour later. Two crew members were lost, and the master was taken prisoner by U-569, and was confined to the Milag Nord POW camp, while 42 crewmen and three gunners were later picked up by {{HMCS|Chambly|K116|6}}.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1783.html

|title=Pontypridd (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At 06:12 on 12 June the 4,093-ton British merchant ship Dartford was torpedoed and sunk by U-124.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1791.html

|title=Dartford (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

At about 06.20 on 18 June, U-124 fired two spreads of two torpedoes at three ships of Convoy ONS 102, en route from Murmansk to New York. One torpedo struck the 5,627-ton American merchant ship Seattle Spirit, causing flooding and a boiler explosion which killed one officer and two men below. The remaining 9 officers, 28 men, 11 armed guards (the ship was armed with a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} gun, four .50 caliber and four .30 caliber machine guns) and 7 passengers abandoned ship in lifeboats. They were picked up by the corvette {{HMCS|Agassiz|K129|6}}, and Seattle Spirit was shelled and sunk at 20:30 by Agassiz after it was determined she could not be salvaged.{{Cite web

|url= http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1830.html

|title=Seattle Spirit (Steam merchant)

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net

|access-date=28 January 2010

}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last1=Blair |first1=Clay |title=Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942 |date=1996 |publisher=Cassell |isbn=0-304-35260-8|author-link=Clay Blair}}
• Edwards, Bernard (1996) Donitz and the Wolf Packs {{ISBN|1-86019-927-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Ruegg |first1=Bob |last2=Hague |first2=Arnold |title=Convoys to Russia 1941–1945 |year=1992 |location=Kendal, UK |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0-905617-66-5}}

{{use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}

{{Uboat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht}}

Category:Wolfpacks of 1942

Wolfpack Hecht