GRT. See gross register tonnage.
Gruppe. Literally, “group”; a patrol line of U-boats with a specific mission, usually given a code name, for example, Gruppe Star (Starling).
GSR. German search receiver designed to detect Allied radar.
GST. German Summer Time.
guerre de course. French term meaning a war on seaborne trade or commerce.
H.E.. High explosive. The term is used both for a gun firing high explosive rounds (shells) and for the rounds themselves.
head. Toilet (WC).
Heimische Gewasser (Home Waters). A German naval cipher, called DOLPHIN at Bletchley Park.
HF/DF (“Huff-Duff”). High-frequency/direction finding.
H.H.. Hedgehog, a code name for mortar spigot-fired contact-fused projectiles employed by escort vessels against U-boats.
Huff-Duff. Nickname for HF/DF (q.v.).
hull. The primary hollow, floatable structure of a boat or ship.
hydrophone. Underwater sound detection device employed by both U-boats and surface warships. In German, Gruppenhorchgerät, or GHG.
hydrophone effect. Underwater sound, for example, propeller cavitation of a surface ship or U-boat, detected and shown on instruments as having a certain bearing and range.
hydroplanes. Extended surfaces fore and aft on a U-boat’s outboard hull that directed the pitch of the boat underwater.
Kaleu. Diminutive form of the rank Kapitanleutnant.
Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.). Rank corresponding to Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.
Kapitän zur See. Rank corresponding to Captain in the U.S. Navy.
keel. The central structural member of a ship’s hull that runs fore and aft along the bottom of the hull for the full distance from stem to sternpost.
Kernével. Residential district bordering the port of Lorient where Admiral Dönitz had his headquarters (BdU) from the fall of France until March 1942.
knot. A unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile (1.1516 statute miles) per hour.
Konteradmiral. Rear Admiral.
Korvettenkapitän. Commander.
Kriegsmarine. The World War II German Navy, so named from 1935 to 1945.
Kriegstagebuch (KTB). German war diary kept by ships and U-boats at sea, also by shore-based headquarters staffs.
KTB. See Kriegstagebuch.
Kurzsignale. Short radio (wireless) messages, often to give positions at sea.
Leitender Ingenieur (L.I.)Chief Engineering Officer.
Leutnant zur See. Ensign.
L.I.. See Leitender Ingenieur.
L/L. Leigh Light, the powerful searchlight mounted on certain RAF Coastal Command aircraft.
Marinequadrat (qu). Naval square, an arbitrarily drawn rectangular region of the ocean drafted to Mercator’s projection permitting the organization of the ocean surface into a grid chart where the many individual naval squares were identified by letter digraphs and numbered zones.
Mehrfach. A multiple, though not simultaneous, launch of torpedoes.
meter. 39.37 inches.
Metox. See FuMB.
MOMP. Mid-ocean meeting point south of Iceland, where U.S. and British naval escorts exchanged responsibility for guarding Atlantic convoys. Also called chopline (change of operational control).
Morse code. A message system of dots and dashes, clicks and spaces, or flashes of light that represent letters of the alphabet.
nautical mile. 1.1516 statute miles.
Naxos-U. Code name for FUMB7 German search receiver (GSR) capable of detecting centimetric radar.
NHB/MOD. Naval Historical Branch, Ministry of Defence, London.
Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S). Lieutenant (Junior Grade).
O.I.C. Operational Intelligence Centre of the Admiralty.
O.R.S. Operational Research Section of RAF Coastal Command.
periscope. An extendable tubelike optical device containing an arrangement of prisms, mirrors, and lenses that permitted a U-boat to view the surface of the sea or the sky from a submerged position.
PLE. Prudent Limit of Endurance.
port. The left-hand side of a vessel as one faces forward.
pressure hull. The U-boat cylinder containing personnel and essential operating systems that was designed to withstand many atmospheres of water pressure when submerged.
quarter. The arc of 45 degrees to either side horizontally from the stern of a vessel.
RAF. (British) Royal Air Force.
RAAF. Royal Australian Air Force.
RDF. Radio Direction Finding, a British cover name for radar.
RCAF. Royal Canadian Air Force.
RCN. Royal Canadian Navy.
R.C.N.V.R.. Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve.
red. Port (Backbord)-, that is, left.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
RN. (British) Royal Navy.
RNR. Royal Naval Reserve.
RNVR. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
Rohr. Torpedo tube.
R.P. Rocket Projectile.
Rudeltaktik. The nighttime “wolf pack” technique of massing U-boats in a patrol line across a convoy’s course and of engaging the convoy’s formations in a radio-coordinated attack.
Schlüssel-M (Marine-Funkschlüssel-Machine M). Kriegsmarine version of the electromechanical cipher machine used by the German armed forces for telex and wireless (radio) communication. See Enigma.
Schnellboote (S-boats). 105-foot fast German torpedo boats, called E-boats by the Allies.
Schnorchel. A valved air pipe that protruded above the water’s surface and allowed a U-boat to proceed underwater on diesel power.
Schussmeldung. A U-boat’s required “shooting report” on each torpedo or gun action.
sea force (sea state). Seas were recorded in a U-boat’s KTB on an ascending scale from zero to ten.
II.W.O. Second Watch Officer on a U-boat.
Special Intelligence. Decrypted German wireless (radio) traffic from Bletchley Park. Also called Z and, when transmitted as information to operational commanders, Ultra.
starboard. The right-hand side of a vessel as one faces forward.
stern. The after (rear) part of a vessel.
Tonnageschlacht. Tonnage battle.
Torpex. A high explosive mix of Cyclonite, TNT, and aluminum flakes.
trim. The balancing of a submarine’s weight and equilibrium underwater.
TRITON. A U-boat’s cipher key employing four Enigma rotors instead of three, introduced first in October 1941, then fleet-wide in February 1942. It was not solved by cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park (where it was called “SHARK”) until December 1942.
U-bootiuaffe. The German submarine (U-boat) fleet.
Uboot-Zieloptik (UZO). Surface target-aiming binoculars with luminous graticule. It was attached to a bridge post that automatically fed target line-of-sight bearing and range to the Vorhaltrechner (q.v.).
U.K. United Kingdom.
Ultra. The source-disguising form in which the information provided by Special Intelligence (“Z”) was conveyed to operational commanders.
USN. United States Navy.
Unterseeboot. Literally, “undersea boat,” or submarine, abbreviated as U-boat in English.
USAAF. United States Army Air Forces.
USCG. United States Coast Guard.
USNR. United States Naval Reserve.
UZO. See Uboot-Zieloptik.
V.L.R. Very Long Range, a term used to describe certain models and modifications of the B-24 Liberator bomber.
Vorhaltrechner. A Siemens-made electromechanical deflection calculator in a U-boat’s conning tower that fed attack headings into the gyrocompass steering mechanism of the torpedoes in their tubes.
Wabo. German nickname for Wasserbombe (q.v.).
Wasserbombe. German term for depth charge.
WATU. Western Approaches Tactical Unit.
way. The motion or speed of a ship or boat through the water.
Wintergarten. The open, railed platform on the after part of a U-boat bridge.
WLEF. Canadian Western Local Escort Force.
WRNS. Women’s Royal Naval Services.
W/T. Wireless Telegraphy (radio).
X-B-Bericht. Cryptographic service report from B-Dienst (q.v.).
Zaunkönig (Wren). An acoustic torpedo designed to home in on the propeller cavitation noise of a convoy escort (warship).
Zentrale. U-boat control room, directly below the conning tower and bridge, containing all diving controls.
INDEX
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Abel-Smith, E. M. C, 334
Admiral Scheer, II
Adventure, H.M.S, 32
Agios Georgios, 116
Aircraft, anti-submarine, 6–7, 161–64, 389–93. See also Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Command.
Alexander, A. V, 250, 252
Amatol, 61, 349
Anderson, John A, 141
Anglo-American Convoy Cipher, 52
Apel, Herbert, 42–43, 288–92, 305
Aphrodite, 386
Aquila, S.S., 152
Archer, H.M.S, 302, 332, 336–37, 363–64, 366, 372–75
Arendt, Bruno, 43–44, 292, 328
Argon, U.S.S, 116,121,123,145–46, 186,198
Arran, H.M.T, 25, 26
Asdic echo contact, 62–64, 67, 72
Athenia, 206
Atkinson, Robert, 132–33, 142–43, 150, 152, 189–93, 196
Atlantic Convoy Conference, 255–58
Atlantic Convoy Instructions, 115, 178, 191
Audacity, H.M.S, 336
Aufferman, Hans-Jürgen, 176, 185
Aymeric, 351–52
Bahr, Rudolf, 271, 368
Baker-Creswell, A.J, 106
Baltz, Rudolf, 270, 346
Bamako, 3, 12
Bandar Shahpour, 18–20
Baron Graham, 140, 188, 200
Barrie, 231
Bate, H. A, 264
Battle for Convoy ONS.5, 56, 69, 72, 115–240
after-action reports on, 232–38
air escorts, 141–42, 144, 161–64, 201–2, 225, 228–29, 240
Allied ships attacked in, 165–75, 179–85, 187–88, 198–201
collision of boats in, 124–25
components of, 115–16, 147–54
Battle for Convoy ONS.5 (cont.)
cryptographic intelligence and, 52, 127–28, 129, 158
Escort Group B7, 118–23, 160, 232, 240
First Escort (Support) Group, 146, 203, 232, 234, 237
German communications monitoring and, 122–23
Gretton as commander of, 117–23, 128–31, 133, 136–37, 139–45, 147
Gruppe Amsel and, 155–58, 220, 224
Gruppe Fink and, 155–60, 166, 175, 185, 201–4, 220, 224–27, 229
Gruppe Specht and, 154–56, 159–61
Gruppe Star and, 128–38, 143–44, 154–56, 159–61
Iceland contingent, 123–25
McKeesport hit, 139–41
Sherwood as commander of, 145–47.158–59, 175,177.–185–86, 188–89, 198, 199, 201–4, 214, 230–31, 234–35, 239, 240
significance of, 393–96
surviving U-boats from, 331–32
Third Escort (Support) Group (EG3), 129–30, 132, 144–46, 160, 232, 234, 237, 240
U-boats attacked by, 124, 141–42, 162–64, 175–80, 191–95, 197, 205–32, 238–40
vengeance for, 354–62
Battle of Britain, 72
Battle of the Atlantic
Bay Offensive in. See Bay Offensive,
convoys and. See Convoy system; specific convoys.
importance of, xviii
scale of, xvii-xviii
turn in direction of, 393–94
Baughan, E. C., 91, 254
Baumann, Arend, 336
Baxter, James Phinney III, 72
Bay Offensive, 93–100, 110, 113
A.U. Committee and, 249, 250–57
Bay of Biscay described, 93–94
Blackett/Williams Plan, 248–53, 259–60
champions of, 252, 254–55
choke points and, 93–94
First Bay Offensive, 95–100
Operation Derange, 257–81, 389
Operation Enclose I, 257, 281
Operation Enclose II, 257, 258, 259
Operation Gondola, 248–50
Raushenbush Plan (Stark Plan), 241–52, 254, 255–56, 259–60, 280, 281
B-Dienst (Funkbeobachtungsdienst), 52–54, 66, 122
BdU (U-Boat Headquarters; Befehlshaber der Untersseboote), xxiv, xxvi, 7, 8, 27, 51–54, 58, 59, 86, 107–8, 122–24, 129–30, 132, 139
Beesly, Patrick, xxi, 51, 100, 128, 129
Belknap, U.S.S, 365
Bell, J. N. F, 357
Bell Laboratories, 340–42
Bellwort, H.M.S., 14, 17
Bengkalis, 116
Berkel, 116, 124–25, 231–32
Bigalk, Gerhard, 336
Birch, A. J. W. “Tony,” 273
Bird, W, 18–19
Birdlip, H.M. Trawler, 18–19, 21–23,
Bismarck, 190
Biter, H.M.S., 334–40, 347, 349, 363–64
Black, J. R.,19
Blackett, Patrick M. S., 71, 78, 87–92, 95–96, 110–14, 226, 243, 247, 248, 251, 254, 281, 394
Blair, Clay, 75–76
Bleichrodt, Heinrich, 79
Block Island, U.S.S., 392
Bluebell, H.M.S., 147
Bluestrife, 183–84
Blum, Otto Erich, 356
Bogue, U.S.S., 67–68, 362, 363–71, 392
Bonde, 116, 198–201, 225
Boot, Henry, 71
Borchardt, Gustav, 278
Bornholm, 116, 124–25, 231–32
Bosworth, 116, 125
Bowhill, Frederick, 87, 96–97
BoysSmith, L. G., 223–24
Brand, 334–35
Bredow, Horst, 284–85
Brewer, Godfrey N., 146, 220–22, 230–31, 237
Bridges, Edward, 251
Bristol City, 181–84, 193, 195, 210
British Admiralty
Anti-U-Boat Division, xx, xxi, xxii, 78
Naval Intelligence Division, 325–29
OIC Submarine Tracking Room, xxi, xxv, xxvi, 51–56, 65, 74, 86, 126, 127–28, 155, 219, 229–30, 239, 354–55
Operational Intelligence Centre (OIC), xxi, xxv, xxvi
U-Boat Assessment Committee, 93, 162, 193, 212, 219, 221, 224, 278
British Lady, 117,123, 125, 142, 144, 145, 186, 187, 230, 231–32, 233
Broadway, H.M.S., 334, 335, 339
Broddel, Heinrich, 163
Bromet, Geoffrey, 110, 258–60, 390
Brook, J. Kenneth, 115–17, 121–22, 124–25, 142, 144, 165–66, 185, 201–3, 230, 232, 234
Brooks, Earl E., 172–73
Brown, David K., 150
Brown, J. David, 21, 60
Büchel, Paul, 287–88, 371
Buchheim, Lothar-Günther, 36
Buctouche, 231
Bulldog, H.M.S., 50
Bulloch, Terence M., 98, 261, 263
Bülow, Otto von, 287
Busignies, Henri, 65–66
Byatt, Stuart, 21
California Star, 3, 9
Camouflage, 150–51
Campion, H.M.S., 152
Canada, xviii
Canadian Western Local Escort Force (WLEF), 231
Card, U.S.S., 68, 392
Carlowitz, Dietrich von, 124
Carlsen, Klaus-Peter, 177, 185
Carnelly, Stuart, 21
Casablanca Conference, 78, 109
Chamberlain, Neville, 317
Chamberlain, William F. “Champ,” 368–70, 371
Champl
ain, 222
Chappell, W. A., 19–20
Chavasse, E. H., 334
Cheetham, G. R., 188, 219
Cherwell, Lord, 87–88, 247, 251
Chesterman, Harold G., 137–38, 151–53. 177–79, 212–16
Churchill, Winston S., xvii, 1, 27, 75, 77, 88, 101, 107, 109, 175, 238, 244, 247, 250, 319, 391–92, 394
City of Singapore, 24–25
Clan McPherson (freighter), 25–26
Clark, Donald L., 369
Clausen, Hans, 335, 345
Clausen, Nicolai, 287, 376
Clematis, H.M.S., 349
Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (Latimer House)
described, 282–83
transcripts of German POWs, 282–329
Communications technology
asdic echo contact, 62–64, 67, 72
Enigma machines, 49–53, 55, 56, 65, 86, 100, 127, 129, 219, 227, 229, 334. 339
G.S.R. (German Search Receiver), 99–100, 310–11, 313–14, 391
high-frequency direction-finding, 64–70, 72, 86, 103, 127, 128
hydrophone effect, 72
radar, 15, 64, 69, 70–73, 76, 95, 97, 99–100, 103, 227–28, 244–45, 249, 258–60, 288, 311–13, 387
Sonar, 62
TBS (Talk Between Ships), 72
Composite Squadron Nine (CV-9), 363–71
Convoy HG.76, 102, 336
Convoy HX.229, xx. 47, 53, 54, 56, 75
Convoy HX.229A, xix, xx
Convoy HX.231, 112, 113, 119–20, 209, 235–36
Convoy HX.234, xxvi, 113, 126
Convoy HX.235, 126, 365
Convoy HX.236, 126, 375
Convoy HX.237, 220, 333, 334–40, 345–47, 350
Convoy HX.239, 366, 369–70, 372, 374. 375
Convoy ON.178, 113, 128
Convoy ON.180, 126, 156
Convoy ON.184, 149, 366, 372
Convoy ONS.3, 113, 128
Convoy ONS.4, 126, 128, 336
Convoy ONS.5. See Battle for Convoy ONS.5
Convoy ONS.6, 331–32, 337
Convoy ONS.7, 351–52, 361
Convoy OS.47, 136, 375
Convoy SC.122, xix, xx, 47, 53, 54, 56, 75, 116
Convoy SC.127, 126, 127, 130–31, 132
Convoy SC.128, 126, 154–55, 159–60
Convoy SC.129, 220, 333–34, 337, 347–51
Convoy SC.130, 69, 353–62, 366–67, 377
Convoy TS.37, 14–27
Convoy system
Allied communications technology and, 49–56, 62–72
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