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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.

WESTOMP.
Western Ocean Meeting Point, east of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

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

The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.

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

Champlain
, 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

alternatives to, xxii-xxiii

Atlantic Convoy Instructions, 115, 178, 191 codes for, 57, 104

corvettes in, 83–84, 147–54, 305

destroyers in, 83–84, 148–49, 150, 288, 305, 311

improvements in, 56–62, 73–77, 87–100, 110–14, 226–30, 350, 353–62

independent sailing versus, xxii-xxiii, 60

losses of ships in, xix-xxi

major routes, 57

in 1942 vs. 1943, xxii

size of convoys, 59, 111–12

value of, 86–87

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