Allied Warships
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The Wolfpack Names
Around 250 Wolfpacks were formed during WW II and most of them were given German names. The following list explains what these names mean.
| Wolfpack | English title / description |
|---|---|
| Adler | Eagle |
| Amsel | Blackbird This group was split into 'Amsel I' and 'Amsel II' on May 4. |
| Amsel 1 | Blackbird 1 |
| Amsel 2 | Blackbird 2 |
| Amsel 3 | Blackbird 3 |
| Amsel 4 | Blackbird 4 |
| Dachs | Badger |
| Delphin | Dolphin |
| Delphin | Dolphin |
| Donau 1 | Danube River in central Europe. |
| Donau 2 | Danube River in central Europe. |
| Donner | Thunder |
| Drachen | Kites |
| Dragoner | Dragon |
| Draufgänger | Daredevil |
| Drossel | Thrush The pack was formed on 30 April to operate against convoy SL-128 and then against HX-237. |
| Dränger | Pusher |
| Eisbär | Polar Bear This group was formed to operate in the South Atlantic off Cape Town which was considered by U-boat Command to be "virgin waters". This group included some of the most experienced commanders available such as Gelhaus (U-107), Harteinstein (U-156) and Emmermann (U-172). |
| Eisbär | Polar Bear |
| Falke | Falcon |
| Faust | Fist |
| Fink | Finch Several boats from this pack are sunk during the night of 5/6 May. |
| Geier 1 | Vulture 1 Formed out of Trutz boats operating in the central Atlantic. |
| Geier 2 | Vulture 2 Formed out of Trutz boats operating in the central Atlantic. |
| Geier 3 | Vulture 3 Formed out of Trutz boats operating in the central Atlantic. |
| Greif | Bird of prey |
| Greif | Bird of prey |
| Grimm | Grim |
| Grimm | Grim |
| Hai | Shark |
| Hai 1 | Shark 1 |
| Hai 2 | Shark 2 |
| Hartherz | Hard hearted |
| Haudegen | War horse On 15 Feb 5 U-boats leave the pack and form wolfpack Nordsturm to attack convoy SG-19. Some of those boats rejoin the pack afterwards. On 9 Feb the pack is reformed as some boats leave for port while others leave for the attack against SC-118. |
| Hecht | Pike |
| Hecht | Pike |
| Hinein | Let's go! |
| Igel 1 | Hedgehog |
| Igel 2 | Hedgehog |
| Iltis | Polecat |
| Isegrim | Wolf Isegrim is an old fashioned German lyrical word for "Wolf". |
| Jaguar | Jaguar |
| Keil | Wedge |
| Knappen | Shield Bearer, Squire |
| Kreuzotter | Common viper |
| Kurfürst | Elector |
| Kurfürst | Elector |
| Landsknecht | Soldier, Mercenary |
| Leopard | Leopard |
| Lerche | Lark |
| Letzte Ritter | Last Knight |
| Letzte Ritter | Last Knight |
| Luchs | Lynx |
| Löwenherz | Lion heart |
| Markgraf | Markgrave |
| Meise | Tit (mouse) Already on 11 April this group had been formed with 7 boats and until the 20th 13 more boats joined the pack. |
| Mordbrenner | Arsonist |
| Neptun | Neptune |
| Neuland | New Territory 8 boats leave to join group Ostmark on 8 March but on the same day Neuland is reforced with another 8 boats. |
| Ostmark | Austria Ostmark was the name for Austria in the Third Reich. |
| Panther | Panther |
| Panzer | Tank |
| Pfadfinder | Pathfinder |
| Pfeil | Arrow |
| Pfeil | Arrow Several boats are damaged and probably abort and leave the pack sooner than its disbandment. |
| Pirat | Pirate |
| Preussen | Prussia |
| Puma | Puma |
| Rasmus | God of wind (also known as Erasmus) |
| Raubgraf | Robber Baron After operations against convoy ON-170 on 14 March many boats leave the group. |
| Raubritter | Robber Baron |
| Raufbold | Brawler, Rowdy |
| Reissewolf | Tearing wolf |
| Ritter | Knight |
| Robbe | Seal U-437 leaves the group on 20 Feb in order to escort the prize tanker Herborg and U-569 and U-382 leave the group in order to attack convoy UC-1 along with wolfpack Rochen. |
| Robbe | Seal |
| Rochen | Ray The pack was formed on Jan 22 and was gradually strengthened. The pack was replenished after Feb 10 by U-118 and disbanded after operations against convoy UC-1. |
| Schlagetot | Hooligan |
| Schlagetot | Hooligan |
| Schlei | Fish or bight in the Baltic |
| Seeteufel | Sea Devil 8 boats form the group on 21 March and 7 more boats join it after that. |
| Seewolf | Sea wolf |
| Seewolf | Sea wolf |
| Seewolf | Sea wolf |
| Spitz | Pomeranian |
| Stier | Bull |
| Stier | Bull |
| Stosstrupp | Assault Team |
| Streitaxt | Battle Axe |
| Stürmer | Forward |
| Stürmer | Forward |
| Taifun | Typhoon This group was formed from wolfpack Haudegen of boats who did not need replenishment from U-460. |
| Taifun | Typhoon |
| Taifun | Typhoon |
| Trutz | Defiance Formed out of boats withdrawing from the North Atlantic and deployed against convoy GUS-7A, replenished by U-488 between 7 and 13 june and then split up in 3 smaller packs (Trutz I, Trutz I and Trutz III). |
| Trutz | Defiance |
| Trutz | Defiance |
| Trutz 1 | Defiance Formed out of replenished Trutz boats in order to operate against convoy GUS-8. |
| Trutz 2 | Defiance Formed out of replenished Trutz boats and the newly arrived U-135 in order to operate against convoy GUS-8. |
| Trutz 3 | Defiance Formed out of replenished Trutz boats and the newly arrived U-193 in order to operate against convoy GUS-8. |
| Tümmler | Dolphin Tümmler was a group that was sent into the Mediterranean from their French bases, all of them got through the Straits of Gibraltar safely during 10-11th October 1942. |
| Tümmler | Dolphin On 4 March some boats replenish from tanker U-461. |
| Ulan | Lancer |
| Ungestüm | Vehemence |
| Veilchen | Violet |
| Vorwärts | Let's go! |
| Werwolf | Warewolf |
| Wiking | Viking |
| Wildfang | Brat |
| Wotan | A German God |
| Zorn | Fury |
111 Wolfpacks
| Adler | Eagle |
| Amrum | Small German island in the North Sea |
| Amsel | Blackbird |
| Arnauld | Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (1886 - 1941) (Most succesful U-boat commander in WW I on U-35 and U-139. Sank 194 ships with a total of 453,716 tons.) |
| Benecke | We supposed that Benecke was a camerade of Störtebecker |
| Borkum | Small German island in the North Sea |
| Bosemüller | Gruppe Bosemüller (Platoon Bosemüller) (Title of a poular novel about a WWI infantry platoon, written by Werner Beumelburg and published 1930) |
| Blitz | Lightning |
| Blücher | Gebhardt Leberecht von Blücher (1742 - 1819) (German Cavalry General in the wars against Napoleon) |
| Boreas | Cold North wind, also the Greek God of wind |
| Brandenburg | German territory |
| Breslau | German town in Silesia, since 1945 Polish (Wroclaw) |
| Büffel | Buffalo |
| Burggraf | Earl, Count |
| Coronel | Chilean town, south of Valparaiso (Here the Sea Battle of Coronel took place in November 1914, where the German Far East Squadron commanded by Vize-Admiral Maximilian Reichsgraf von Spee sank the British cruisers HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth.) |
| Dachs | Badger |
| Delphin | Dolphin |
| Donau | Danube (river in Middle Europe) |
| Donner | Thunder |
| Dragoner | Dragoon |
| Draufgänger | Daredevil |
| Dränger | Pusher |
| Drossel | Thrush |
| Eisbär | Polar Bear |
| Eisenbart | Johann Andreas Eisenbarth (1661 - 1727) (In his time a popular wandering surgeon) |
| Elbe | River in Germany |
| Endraß | Engelbert Endraß (1911 - 1941) |
| Falke | Falcon |
| Faust | Fist |
| Fink | Finch |
| Föhr | Small German island in the North Sea |
| Geier | Vulture |
| Goeben | SMS Goeben (German battlecruiser in WW I, operating in the Mediterranean under the command of Admiral von Souchon and later sold to Turkey. The Goeben (then Yavuz Sultan Selim) was the only (ex-)German cruiser ever to have received a NATO-signation number. Efforts to prevail it as museum ship failed and it was scrapped in the 1970's.) |
| Gödeke | Gödeke Michels (Second-in-Command and Quartermaster of Klaus Störtebeker (see below)) |
| Greif | Bird of prey |
| Grimm | Grim |
| Grube | Pit |
| Habicht | Hawk |
| Hagen | Character from a German myth |
| Hai | Shark |
| Hammer | Hammer |
| Hartherz | Hard Hearted |
| Hartmut | German prename meaning "he got courage" |
| Haudegen | Warhorse |
| Hecht | Pike |
| Hinein | Let's go! |
| Igel | Hedgehog |
| Iltis | Polecat |
| Inn | German River |
| Isar | German River |
| Isegrimm | On old fashioned lyrical word for "Wolf" |
| Jaguar | Jaguar |
| Jahn | Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778 - 1852) (well known as the Turnvater) |
| Keil | Wedge |
| Knappen | Shield Bearer, Squire |
| Körner | Theodor Körner (1791 - 1813) (German poet, fought against Napoleon) |
| Kreuzotter | Common viper |
| Kurf?rst | Elector |
| Landsknecht | Soldier, Mercenary |
| Landwirt | Farmer |
| Lech | German river |
| Letzte Ritter | Last Knights |
| Leopard | Leopard |
| Lerche | Lark |
| Leuthen | Silesian small town. (Here the Battle of Leuthen took place in 1757, where Frederick the Great won over the Austrians.) |
| Löwenherz | Lionheart |
| Lohs | Johannes Lohs (1889 - 1918) (German U-boat commander in WW I on UC-75 and UB-57. Sank 76 ships with a total of 148,677 tons.) |
| Luchs | Lynx |
| Markgraf | Markgrave |
| Meise | Tit(mouse) |
| Mordbrenner | Arsonist |
| Mosel | German river |
| Neptun | Neptune |
| Neuland | New Territory |
| Oder | German river |
| Ostmark | The name for Austria in the Third Reich |
| Panther | Panther |
| Panzer | Tank |
| Pfeil | Arrow |
| Pirat | Pirate |
| Preußen | Prussia |
| Puma | Puma |
| Raufbold | Brawler, Rowdy |
| Rasmus | God of wind (also known as Erasmus) |
| Raubgraf | Robber Baron |
| Raubritter | Robber Baron |
| Reißewolf | Tearing Wolf |
| Rhein | German river |
| Ritter | Knight |
| Robbe | Seal |
| Rochen | Ray |
| Roßbach | German town in Saxonia (Here the Battle of Roßbach took place in 1757, where Frederick the Great won over French and Imperial German Troops.) |
| Rügen | German island in the Baltic Sea |
| Schill | Ferdinand von Schill (1776 - 1809) (German cavalry officer, led in 1807 a rebellion against Napoleon. Highly decorated for the successful defence of the town of Kolberg, Prussia against the advancing French armies.) |
| Schlagetot | Hooligan |
| Schlei | Fish or bight in the Baltic |
| Schlieffen | Alfred Graf von Schlieffen (1833 - 1913) (Chief of the German General Staff before WW I and inventor of the "Schlieffen Plan" which should have had assured Germany winning a two front war against France and Russia. The plan, however, was not put into action as it should have been, resulting finally in the entrenched war and the defeat of Germany in WWI.) |
| Seeräuber | Pirate |
| Seeteufel | Sea Devil |
| Seewolf | Sea Wolf |
| Seydlitz | Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz (1721 - 1773) (German Cavalry General under Frederick the Great) |
| Siegfried | Character from a German myth |
| Specht | Woodpecker |
| Spitz | Pomeranian |
| Star | Starling |
| Steinbrinck | Otto Steinbrinck (1888 - 1949) (German U-boat commander in WW I on U-6, UB-10, UB-18 and UC-65. Sank 204 ships with a total of 243,424 tons.) |
| Steuben | Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730 - 1794) (Former German officer, Major General and Inspecting General of General Washington's Army. Contributed to the victory of the Americans over the British in the War of Indepence. Still held in high esteem by the Americans as he is considered in having a great share of the victory as he was the organizer of the American Army, directly responsible for training.) |
| Stier | Bull |
| Stock | Stick |
| Störtebeker | Klaus Störtebeker (~1360 - 1401) (German privateer and pirate, operated in the Baltic and North Sea, mainly fought against the German Hanse Trading Organisation. Executed in Hamburg 1401 under spectacular circumstances.) |
| Stoßtrupp | Assault Team |
| Streitaxt | Battle Axe |
| Stürmer | Forward |
| Sylt | German island in the North Sea |
| Taifun | Typhoon |
| Thor | German God |
| Tiger | Tiger |
| Tirpitz | Alfred von Tirpitz (1849 - 1930) (Organisator of the German High Seas Fleet before WW I, Großadmiral) |
| Trutz | Defiance |
| Tümmler | Dolphin |
| Ungestüm | Vehemence |
| Ulan | Lancer |
| Veilchen | Violet |
| Vorwärts | Let's go! |
| Weddigen | Otto Weddigen (1880 - 1915) (German U-boat commander in WW I on U-9 and U-29. Sank in Sep 1914 the three British cruisers HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy. This was the first major U-boat success in military history.) |
| Werwolf | Werewolf |
| Westgruppe | Westgroup |
| Westmark | Name for the Saar-Pfalz territory in the Third Reich since 1940. |
| Wiking | Viking |
| Wildfang | Brat |
| Wolf | Wolf |
| Wotan | German God |
| Ziethen | Hans-Joachim von Ziethen (1699 - 1786)
(German cavalry officer under Frederick the Great) |
| Zorn | Fury |