Though the wolf packs proved the most dangerous weapon against Allied shipping, individual boats striking at individual targets also proved highly effective…
Arguably the most famous incident in the U-boat war unfolded during early October 1939, when U-47 ghosted into the British anchorage at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. The boat slipped unnoticed through the tightly packed blockships that barred the entrance to the harbour — even though she made contact with one of the ship’s anchor chains — and at just gone midnight on the morning of October 14 launched her attack. U-47’s first two torpedoes failed to cause any significant damage with one failing to detonate at all. Unperturbed U-47 fired again and was rewarded with a furious explosion on board HMS Royal Oak, a 29,000 ton Dreadnought battleship. More than 830 British sailors lost their lives in this single strike. The war was only six weeks old but the U-boat Waffe had already made its mark…
To discover more about how the deadly German U-Boats during WWII pick up a copy of All About History issue 19.