Country Nazi Germany Type U-boat flotilla Nickname(s) Wegener Flotilla | Branch Kriegsmarine Garrison/HQ Kiel, St. Nazaire | |
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Active Raised 1938, Dissolved 1944 | ||
The 7th U-boat Flotilla (German 7. Unterseebootsflottille), also known as Wegener Flotilla, was the seventh operational U-boat combat unit in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Founded on June 25, 1938 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Werner Sobe, it was named in honour of Kapitänleutnant Bernd Wegener. Wegener, a U-boat commander during World War I, died on August 19, 1915 after his submarine U-27 was sunk by British Q-ship HMS Baralong, which was an atrocity and war crime itself.
The flotilla, under the name "Wegener Flotilla", was founded in Kiel in June 1938. In September 1940, the flotilla left its base in Kiel and moved to St. Nazaire in France. After the change in location, the flotilla was renamed "7th U-boat Flotilla".
This flotilla had one of the most famous emblems from World War II. The "snorting bull" emblem was first used by U-47, which is famous for sinking the British battleship HMS Royal Oak in October 1939. The emblem, based on a picture seen in a comic book, was adopted by the flotilla while based in St. Nazaire.