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Operation Regenbogen (German: Regenbogen-Befehl, "Rainbow Order") was the code name for the planned mass scuttling of the German U-boat fleet, to avoid surrender, at the end of World War II. Background
Convoy JW 51B was opposed by four U-boats in a patrol line in the Norwegian Sea and the aircraft of Luftflotte 5 based in Norway. A surface force comprising the heavy cruisers Admiral Hipper , Lützow and the destroyers Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt , Z4 Richard Beitzen , Z6 Theodor Riedel , Z29 , Z30 , Z31 was stationed at Altenfjord .
During the night of 4/5 May 1945, 47 U-boats of the Kriegsmarine were scuttled in Gelting Bay by their crews in accordance with long-standing orders, known as Operation Regenbogen, in order to prevent them falling into the hands of their enemies, the Allies.
This category is for U-boats scuttled during Operation Regenbogen in early May 1945. Pages in category "Operation Regenbogen (U-boat)" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 219 total.
U-3503 was scuttled on 8 May 1945, west of Gothenburg, Sweden, in the Kattegat, as part of Operation Regenbogen. The U-boat had earlier been sailing on the surface with U-534 and U-3523 just north of the cease-fire line when they had been attacked by allied B-24 Liberator planes. The wreck was raised in 1946 and broken up in Sweden (which first ...
Regenbogen was based on a plan to intercept the next Allied convoy to Murmansk. A patrol line of four U-boats was established off Bear Island and a surface force consisting of the cruisers Admiral Hipper and Lützow with six destroyers was assembled at Altafjord. When a convoy was spotted, the fleet would sail as two battle groups; one to ...
Operation Regenbogen may refer to: In 1942 Operation Regenbogen (Arctic) was an unsuccessful sortie against Arctic convoy JW 51B, which led to the Battle of the Barents Sea; In 1945 Operation Regenbogen (U-boat) was the codename for the plan by Admiral Karl Dönitz to scuttle Kriegsmarine warships, particularly U-boats, at the end of the war
This failure nearly made Hitler enforce a decision to scrap the surface fleet and order the German Navy to concentrate on U-boat warfare. Admiral Erich Raeder, commander in chief of the Kriegsmarine, offered his resignation, which Hitler accepted. Raeder was replaced by Admiral Karl Dönitz, the commander of the U-boat fleet. [14]