Piening route

The Piening Route

The Piening Route , named after the German submarine commander Adolf Cornelius Piening , was a sea route that had been used by German submarines since 1943 during World War II .

The purpose of the Piening route was to enable the boats to travel safely from the Spanish Atlantic along the French west coast back to the submarine bases in St. Nazaire and Lorient . Boats returning from fighting in the Atlantic , for example , were able to avoid the Allied air forces over the Bay of Biscay , as the enemy aircraft reached the limit of their range and were exposed to German flak overland . Although the route was much longer than the direct route, its short lifespan made it a very safe route for the boats. The Allies subsequently sent out fighter squadrons (consisting of escort carriers and destroyers ) to intercept the submarines and fight; For example, U 119 was sunk on the Piening route . They also urged neutral Spain to expel the German boats from their territorial waters in order to disrupt the use of the route.