Tag Archives: U-boat

This week in the War, 12–18 January 1942: U-boats begin Operation Drum Roll

This week in the war, on 12 January 1942, the U-123 sank the British steamer Cyclops near Cape Cod. The sinking marked the opening of Doenitz’s U-boat offensive in the western Atlantic—his so-called Operation ‘Drum Roll’ (Paukenschlag). Before the end … Continue reading

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Vignette: Battle of the Atlantic

These sad and dramatic pictures are of the cargo ship SS Geraldine Mary that was torpedoed by a U-boat in the North Atlantic, 2 August 1940. The pictures were taken from a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF 10 Squadron) Sunderland flying … Continue reading

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This week in the War, 3–9 March 1941: Gunther Prien perishes aboard the U-47

U-boat ace Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien perished with his entire crew this week in the war, 8 March 1941, when the U-47 was sunk by the destroyer, HMS Wolverine. Formidable, indomitable, redoubtable were the adjectives that Churchill used to describe Prien, … Continue reading

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