The head of submarine operations, Admiral Karl Dönitz, immediately ordered seven U-boats from the wolfpack Eisbär, which had been gathering to take part in a planned surprise attack on Cape Town to divert to the scene to pick up survivors. Dönitz then informed Berlin of the situation and actions he had taken. Hitler was furious and ordered that the rescue be abandoned. Admiral Erich Raeder ordered Dönitz to disengage the Eisbär boats, which included Hartenstein's "U-156", and send them to Cape Town as per the original plan. Raeder then ordered , commanded by Erich Würdemann, , under "Korvettenkapitän" Harro Schacht, and the Italian submarine to intercept Hartenstein to take on his survivors and then to proceed to the "Laconia" site and rescue any Italians they could find. Raeder also requested the Vichy French to send warships from Dakar and Ivory Coast to collect the Italian survivors from the three submarines.