Operation Blitz (i)

lightning

'Blitz' (i) was a U-boat wolfpack operation in the Atlantic against the SC.100, ON.131 and RB.1 convoys (22/26 September 1942).

The wolfpack comprised U-216, U-221, U-258, U-259, U-260, U-356, U-310, U-437, U-582, U-595, U-597, U-599, U-607, U-615, U-617, U-618, U-619, U-661 and U-755, and for the loss of none of its own number sank seven ships (31,492 tons).

The successful boats were Kapitänleutnant Albrecht Brandi’s U-617, which sank three ships of the SC.100 convoys (8,882-ton British Athelsultan and 2,342-ton British Tennessee on 23 September, and 3,563-ton Belgian Roumanie on 24 September), Korvettenkapitän Werner Schulte’s U-582 which sank the 2,993-ton Norwegian Vibran independent sailer on 22 September, Oberleutnant Kurt Makowski’s U-619 which sank the 7,176-ton US John Winthrop of the ON.131 convoy on 24 September and the 1,547-ton British Yorktown of the RB.1 convoy on 26 September, and Oberleutnant Karl-Otto Schultz’s U-216 which sank the 4,989-ton British Boston of the RB.1 convoy on 25 September.