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The Grey Wolves of Eriboll
First detailed investigation which reveals Loch Eriboll's pivotal role in the surrender of German U-boats to northern Scotland in May, 1945
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2019
Some of war’s interesting stories occur not in the heat of combat but in the triumph and shame of surrender. The Grey Wolves of Eriboll is the story of the internment of the German U-boat at the end of World War II.
Loch Eriboll is an isolated, deep water harbor in northern Scotland. Little used during the war it was largely unknown, isolated from land centers and shipping lanes and lacked targets to temp a rouge U-boat commander. It accepted 33 boats in May 1945. Others were received in German, Norwegian, Canadian ports and Gibraltar.
U-boats were ordered to: 1) surface immediately and remain surfaced; 2) report their position immediately to the nearest Allied station; 3) fly a large back or blue flag by day; 4) burn navigation lights by night; 5) jettison all ammunition, remove breach blocks from guns and render torpedoes and mines safe; 6) make all signals in plain language; 7) follow instructions to proceed to Allied ports; 8) refrain from scuttling or damaging the boat.
Not everything went flawlessly. Officers debated whether the messages were legitimate while others contemplated making a run for Argentina or some other friendly port. At least one crew wondered who won. A Gestapo agent who had reported his captain for treason was ordered forward to check that a gun was just before the boat submerged. The despairing scuttled their boats or proclaimed that they were not glad the War was over “not under these circumstances” while the enthusiastic expected to join the Allies to fight the Russians.
This book consists of writings of both Allied and German sailors, newspaper accounts, photographs and many maps and tables. Names of the U-boats escorted to Loch Eriboll include the chronology of its construction, circumstances of capture and the fates of the boats and crews along with and drawing of the boat’s emblem. I found the emblems and their explanations to be among the most interesting facts. Biographies of the captains relating both their wartime and post-war experiences place the War in a human context. Narrations of life aboard a U-boat and comparison of U-boats to Royal Navy submarines acquaint the reader with how onerous U-boat service was. The distinction between smaller submersibles and larger submarines clarified their definitions in my mind. The legend of the King of Norway’s and Hitler’s yacht were tales I had never heard before. I was surprised to read of how U-boats were used to ship crucial raw materials to Germany.
Most U-boats were used for target practice but 30 were divided between the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. The list of surviving boats and their locations may be helpful for war tourists.
I recommend this work primarily for serious students of the German U-boat service or topics focusing on the subjects it addresses. While a general reader of World War II histories may learn new things, few need to know about individual boats. I think this book goes into too much detail for most readers.
I did receive a free copy of this book without an obligation to post a review.
Loch Eriboll is an isolated, deep water harbor in northern Scotland. Little used during the war it was largely unknown, isolated from land centers and shipping lanes and lacked targets to temp a rouge U-boat commander. It accepted 33 boats in May 1945. Others were received in German, Norwegian, Canadian ports and Gibraltar.
U-boats were ordered to: 1) surface immediately and remain surfaced; 2) report their position immediately to the nearest Allied station; 3) fly a large back or blue flag by day; 4) burn navigation lights by night; 5) jettison all ammunition, remove breach blocks from guns and render torpedoes and mines safe; 6) make all signals in plain language; 7) follow instructions to proceed to Allied ports; 8) refrain from scuttling or damaging the boat.
Not everything went flawlessly. Officers debated whether the messages were legitimate while others contemplated making a run for Argentina or some other friendly port. At least one crew wondered who won. A Gestapo agent who had reported his captain for treason was ordered forward to check that a gun was just before the boat submerged. The despairing scuttled their boats or proclaimed that they were not glad the War was over “not under these circumstances” while the enthusiastic expected to join the Allies to fight the Russians.
This book consists of writings of both Allied and German sailors, newspaper accounts, photographs and many maps and tables. Names of the U-boats escorted to Loch Eriboll include the chronology of its construction, circumstances of capture and the fates of the boats and crews along with and drawing of the boat’s emblem. I found the emblems and their explanations to be among the most interesting facts. Biographies of the captains relating both their wartime and post-war experiences place the War in a human context. Narrations of life aboard a U-boat and comparison of U-boats to Royal Navy submarines acquaint the reader with how onerous U-boat service was. The distinction between smaller submersibles and larger submarines clarified their definitions in my mind. The legend of the King of Norway’s and Hitler’s yacht were tales I had never heard before. I was surprised to read of how U-boats were used to ship crucial raw materials to Germany.
Most U-boats were used for target practice but 30 were divided between the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. The list of surviving boats and their locations may be helpful for war tourists.
I recommend this work primarily for serious students of the German U-boat service or topics focusing on the subjects it addresses. While a general reader of World War II histories may learn new things, few need to know about individual boats. I think this book goes into too much detail for most readers.
I did receive a free copy of this book without an obligation to post a review.
January 30, 2020
This has detailed first hand accounts of the events surrounding the surrender of the German U boats in 1945, from both allied and German sources. For anyone interested in the naval history of the area.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews