German submarines of the Second World War. For everyone and about everything
Armament
- 5 × 355 mm torpedo tubes
- 1 × 88 mm SK C/35 gun
- 1 × 20 mm C30 anti-aircraft gun
- 26 TMA or 39 TMB mines
Same type ships
24 submarines type VIIB:
U-45 - U-55
U-73 - U-76
U-83 - U-87
U-99 - U-102
The German Type VIIB submarine U-48 is the most productive Kriegsmarine submarine in World War II. Manufactured at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel in 1939, she completed 12 military campaigns, sinking 55 Allied ships with a total displacement of 321,000 tons. In 1941, U-48 was transferred to a training flotilla, where it served until the end of the war. She was scuttled by her crew on May 3, 1945 near Neustadt.
History of creation
Prerequisites for creation
The results of the First World War showed the offensive power of the submarine fleet, which practically “strangled” Great Britain with a naval blockade. Due to attacks by German submarines, the Entente lost 12 million tons of its fleet, not counting 153 warships. Therefore, the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty prohibited the development and construction of submarines in Germany. This circumstance forced the Reichsmarine to look for workarounds to revive its submarine fleet. German shipbuilding companies began to create foreign design bureaus in which designs for new submarines were developed. To implement the ideas being developed, orders were needed, for which the bureaus agreed to set more attractive prices than their competitors. The losses were compensated by the finances of the Reichsmarine. One of the most valuable orders was from Finland, for which they built the small boat Vesikko and the medium Vetehinen, which became the prototype for submarines of the II and VII series.
Design
Description of design
Frame
The submarine U-48, like all boats of the VII series, had a one-and-a-half hull (the light hull was not located along the entire contour of the durable hull). The robust hull was a cylinder with a diameter of 4.7 m in the area of the central post, tapering towards the bow and stern. Also, from the center to the extremities, the thickness of the sheet of the durable body changed (18.5 and 16.0 mm, respectively). The design was designed for operational immersion up to 100-120 m, and it must be taken into account that the safety margin adopted for submarines in the German fleet was a factor of 2.3. In practice, Series VII boats dived to depths of up to 250 m.
The following were welded to the strong hull: bow and stern ends, side bulges, surge tanks, as well as a deck superstructure with a wheelhouse fencing. The space between the strong and light hulls was freely floodable. A ventilation system pipeline was laid under the deck superstructure, storage for the first shots for the deck gun and anti-aircraft gun, a lifeboat, spare torpedoes for the bow apparatus, as well as cylinders with compressed air.
The interior of the boat was divided into six compartments that had different purposes. The compartments were separated from each other by light bulkheads designed for the surface position of the submarine in the event of an accident. The exception was the central post, which also served as a rescue compartment. Its bulkheads were made concave and designed for a pressure of 10 atmospheres. The compartments were numbered from stern to bow to clearly determine the location of various mechanisms and equipment relative to the sides of the ship.
| N | Purpose of the compartment | Equipment, devices, mechanisms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stern torpedo and electric motors |
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| 2 | Diesel |
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| 3 | Stern residential (“Potsdamer Platz”) |
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| 4 | Central post and conning tower |
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| 5 | Bow living compartment |
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| 6 | Bow torpedo compartment |
|
Directly on the bridge there were periscope guides and a stand for the optical fire control device (UZO), used when attacking from the surface, the main compass binnacle and the hatch leading down to the conning tower. On the wall of the cabin on the starboard side there was a slot for a retractable radio direction finder antenna. The rear part of the bridge was open and overlooked the aft platform, which had a fence in the form of handrails.
Power plant and driving performance
The U-48's power plant consisted of two types of engines: diesel engines for surface navigation and electric motors for submerged navigation.
Two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines of the F46 brand from Germaniawerft developed a power of 2800 hp, which made it possible to sail on the surface with a maximum speed of 17.9 knots. When pursuing a convoy, both diesel and electric motors were often used simultaneously, which gave an additional 0.5 knots of speed. The maximum fuel supply was 113.5 tons and provided a 10-knot cruising range of up to 9,700 miles. For fuel combustion, air was supplied to the diesel engines through a pipeline laid to the wheelhouse fence between a strong and light hull, and to remove exhaust gases, each diesel engine was equipped with exhaust pipes.
Underwater propulsion was provided by two AEG GU 460/8-276 electric motors with a total power of 750 hp. The engines were powered by a 27-MAK 800W battery, consisting of 124 cells. Maximum speed movement under water was 8 knots, the radius of action in a submerged position was 90 miles at 4 knots and 130 miles at 2 knots. The battery was charged from running diesel engines, so the boat had to be on the surface.
The U-48 was submerged by filling ballast tanks with water, and ascent was accomplished by blowing them with compressed air and diesel exhaust gases. The urgent submersion time of the boat was 25-27 seconds with coordinated work of the crew.
Crew and habitability
The U-48 crew consisted of 44 people: 4 officers, 4 petty officers, 36 non-commissioned officers and sailors.
The officer corps included a boat commander, two watch commanders and a chief engineer. The first watch commander performed the functions of the first mate and replaced the commander in the event of his death or injury. In addition, he was responsible for the operation of all combat systems of the submarine and supervised torpedo firing on the surface. The second watch commander was responsible for the lookouts on the bridge and controlled artillery and anti-aircraft fire. He was also responsible for the work of radio operators. Chief mechanical engineer was responsible for controlling the movement of the submarine and the operation of all its non-combat mechanisms. In addition, he was responsible for installing demolition charges when the boat was flooded.
Four foremen performed the functions of navigator, boatswain, diesel operator and electric motor control.
The personnel of non-commissioned officers and sailors were divided into teams according to various specializations: helmsmen, torpedo operators, engine crew, radio operators, acousticians, etc.
The habitability of the U-48, as well as all VII series submarines, was one of the worst compared to submarines of other navies. Internal organization was aimed at maximum use tonnage of the boat for its combat use. In particular, the number of beds barely exceeded half the number of the crew, one of the two available latrines was almost always used as a food storage, the captain's cabin was a corner separated from the passage by an ordinary screen.
It is characteristic that the aft living compartment, where the non-commissioned officers were located, was nicknamed “Potsdamer Platz” because of the constant noise from working diesel engines, conversations and commands at the central post and the running of the crew.
Armament
Mine and torpedo weapons
The U-48's main weapon was torpedoes. The boat was equipped with 4 bow and 1 stern 533-mm torpedo tubes. The supply of torpedoes was 14: 5 in the tubes, 6 in the bow torpedo compartment, 1 in the aft torpedo compartment and 2 outside the pressure hull in special containers. The TA was fired not with compressed air, but with the help of a pneumatic piston, which did not unmask the boat when launching torpedoes.
The U-48 used two types of torpedoes: the steam-gas G7a and the electric G7e. Both torpedoes carried the same warhead weighing 280 kg. The fundamental difference was in the engine. The steam-gas torpedo was driven by compressed air and left a clearly visible bubble trail on the surface. The electric torpedo was driven by a battery and was free of this drawback. In turn, the steam-gas torpedo had better dynamic characteristics. Its maximum range was 5500, 7500 and 12500 m at 44, 40 and 30 knots, respectively. The range of the G7e model was only 5000 m at 30 knots.
Torpedo firing was carried out using a TorpedoVorhalterechner calculating device (SRP) installed in the conning tower. The commander and boatswain entered into the SRP a number of data about the boat and the target being attacked, and within a few seconds the device generated settings for a torpedo shot and transmitted them to the compartments. The torpedo operators entered data into the torpedo, after which the commander fired. In the event of an attack from the surface, a pedestal of surface sighting optics UZO (UberwasserZielOptik) mounted on the bridge of the boat was also used.
The design of the torpedo tubes made it possible to use them for mine laying. The boat could take on board two types of proximity mines: 24 TMC or 36 TMB.
Auxiliary/anti-aircraft artillery
The U-48's artillery armament consisted of an 88 mm SK C35/L45 gun mounted on the deck in front of the wheelhouse fence. First-feed shells were stored under the deck deck; the main ammunition was located in the forward living compartment. The gun's ammunition capacity was 220 shells.
To protect against aircraft, a 20-mm Flak30 anti-aircraft gun was installed on the upper platform of the wheelhouse fence.
Communications, detection, auxiliary equipment
Zeiss binoculars with multiple magnification were used as observation tools on the U-48 when the boat was on the surface or in a positional position. The watch officer's binoculars were also used as part of the UZO during a surface torpedo attack. In a submerged position, commander or anti-aircraft periscopes were used.
To communicate with headquarters and other submarines, radio equipment operating on short, medium and ultra-long waves was used. The main one was shortwave communication, which was provided by the E-437-S receiver, two transmitters, as well as a retractable antenna in the left wing of the bridge fence. The medium-wave equipment intended for communication between boats consisted of an E-381-S receiver, a Spez-2113-S transmitter and a small retractable antenna with a round vibrator in the right wing of the bridge fence. The same antenna played the role of a direction finder.
In addition to optics, the submarine used acoustic equipment and radar to detect the enemy. Noise direction finding was provided by 11 hydrophones installed in the bow of the light hull. Radar reconnaissance was carried out using FuMO 29. The detection range of a large ship was 6-8 km, an aircraft - 15 km, direction determination accuracy - 5°.
The acoustician and radio operator posts were located next to the captain’s “cabin” so that the commander could be the first to receive information about the changed situation at any time.
Service history
Death
Commanders
- 22 April 1939 - 20 May 1940 Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- 21 May 1940 - 3 September 1940 Korvetten-Kaptain Hans Rudolf Rösing (Knight's Cross)
- 4 September 1940 - 16 December 1940 Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Bleichrodt (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- 17 December 1940 - 27 July 1941 Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- August, 1941 - September, 1942 Oberleutnant zur See Siegfried Atzinger
- 26 September 1942 - October 1943 Oberleutnant zur See Diether Todenhagen
see also
Awards
Notes
Literature and sources of information
Image gallery
Kriegsmarine
| Commanders | Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Hans Georg von Friedeburg Walter Warzecha |
| Main forces of the fleet | |
| Battleships | Germany type: Schlesien Schleswig-Holstein Scharnhorst type: Scharnhorst Gneisenau Bismarck type: Bismarck Tirpitz Type H: - Type O: - |
| Aircraft carriers | Graf Zeppelin type: Graf Zeppelin Flugzeugträger B |
| Escort carriers | Jade type: Jade Elbe Hilfsflugzeugträger I Hilfsflugzeugträger II Weser |
| Heavy cruisers | Germany type: Germany Admiral Graf Spee Admiral Scheer Admiral Hipper type: Admiral Hipper Blucher Prinz Eugen Seydlitz Lützow Type D: - Type P: - |
| Light cruisers | Emden Königsberg type: Königsberg Karlsruhe Köln Leipzig type: Leipzig Nürnberg Type M: - Type SP: - |
| Additional fleet forces | |
| Auxiliary cruisers | Orion Atlantis Widder Thor Pinguin Stier Komet Kormoran Michel Coronel Hansa |
| Destroyers | Type 1934: Z-1 Leberecht Maass Z-2 Georg Thiele Z-3 Max Schulz Z-4 Richard Beitzen Type 1934A: Z-5 Paul Jacobi Z-6 Theodor Riedel Z-7 Hermann Schoemann Z-8 Bruno Heinemann Z-9 Wolfgang Zenker Z-10 Hans Lody Z-11 Bernd von Arnim Z-12 Erich Giese Z-13 Erich Koellner Z-15 Erich Steinbrinck Z-16 Friedrich Eckoldt Type 1936: Z-17 Diether von Roeder Z-18 Hans Lüdemann Z-19 Hermann Künne Z-20 Karl Galster Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp Z-22 Anton Schmitt Type 1936A: Z-23 Z-24 Z-25 Z-26 Z-27 Z-28 Z-29 Z-30 |
Submarines dictate the rules in naval warfare and force everyone to meekly follow the routine.
Those stubborn people who dare to ignore the rules of the game will face a quick and painful death in the cold water, among floating debris and oil stains. Boats, regardless of flag, remain the most dangerous combat vehicles, capable of crushing any enemy.
I bring to your attention a short story about the seven most successful projects submarines of the war years.
Boats type T (Triton-class), UK
The number of submarines built is 53.
Surface displacement - 1290 tons; underwater - 1560 tons.
Crew - 59...61 people.
Working immersion depth - 90 m (riveted hull), 106 m (welded hull).
Full speed on the surface - 15.5 knots; in underwater - 9 knots.
A fuel reserve of 131 tons provided a surface cruising range of 8,000 miles.
Weapons:
- 11 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber (on boats of subseries II and III), ammunition - 17 torpedoes;
- 1 x 102 mm universal gun, 1 x 20 mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon".
HMS Traveler
A British underwater Terminator capable of knocking the crap out of any enemy's head with a bow-launched 8-torpedo salvo. The T-type boats had no equal in destructive power among all the submarines of the WWII period - this explains their ferocious appearance with a bizarre bow superstructure that housed additional torpedo tubes.
The notorious British conservatism is a thing of the past - the British were among the first to equip their boats with ASDIC sonars. Alas, despite its powerful weapons and modern means detection, the T-type open sea boats did not become the most effective among the British submarines of World War II. Nevertheless, they went through an exciting battle path and achieved a number of remarkable victories. "Tritons" were actively used in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean Sea, they destroyed Japanese communications on Pacific Ocean, have been spotted several times in the frozen waters of the Arctic.
In August 1941, the submarines "Tygris" and "Trident" arrived in Murmansk. British submariners demonstrated a master class to their Soviet colleagues: in two trips, 4 enemy ships were sunk, incl. "Bahia Laura" and "Donau II" with thousands of soldiers of the 6th Mountain Division. Thus, the sailors prevented the third German attack on Murmansk.
Other famous T-boat trophies include the German light cruiser Karlsruhe and the Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara. The samurai were “lucky” to get acquainted with a full 8-torpedo salvo of the Trenchant submarine - having received 4 torpedoes on board (+ another from the stern tube), the cruiser quickly capsized and sank.
After the war, the powerful and sophisticated Tritons remained in service with the Royal Navy for another quarter of a century.
It is noteworthy that three boats of this type were acquired by Israel in the late 1960s - one of them, INS Dakar (formerly HMS Totem), was lost in 1968 in the Mediterranean Sea under unclear circumstances.
Boats of the "Cruising" type XIV series, Soviet Union
The number of submarines built is 11.
Surface displacement - 1500 tons; underwater - 2100 tons.
Crew - 62...65 people.
Full surface speed - 22.5 knots; in underwater - 10 knots.
Surface cruising range 16,500 miles (9 knots)
Submerged cruising range: 175 miles (3 knots)
Weapons:
— 2 x 100 mm universal guns, 2 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic guns;
- up to 20 minutes of barrage.
...On December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombed a Soviet boat that tried to attack a convoy at Bustad Sund.
- Hans, can you hear this creature?
- Nain. After a series of explosions, the Russians lay low - I detected three impacts on the ground...
-Can you determine where they are now?
- Donnerwetter! They are blown away. They probably decided to surface and surrender.
The German sailors were wrong. From the depths of the sea, a MONSTER rose to the surface - the cruising submarine K-3 series XIV, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire on the enemy. With the fifth salvo, Soviet sailors managed to sink U-1708. The second hunter, having received two direct hits, began to smoke and turned to the side - his 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could not compete with the “hundreds” of the secular submarine cruiser. Scattering the Germans like puppies, K-3 quickly disappeared over the horizon at 20 knots.
The Soviet Katyusha was a phenomenal boat for its time. Welded hull, powerful artillery and mine-torpedo weapons, powerful diesel engines (2 x 4200 hp!), high surface speed of 22-23 knots. Huge autonomy in terms of fuel reserves. Remote control ballast tank valves. Radio station capable of transmitting signals from the Baltic to Far East. An exceptional level of comfort: shower cabins, refrigerated tanks, two seawater desalinators, an electric galley... Two boats (K-3 and K-22) were equipped with Lend-Lease ASDIC sonars.
But, strangely enough, neither high performance, nor the most powerful weapons made the Katyusha an effective weapon - in addition to the dark story of the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years the XIV series boats accounted for only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand brigades. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of the victories were achieved with the help of mines. Moreover, its own losses amounted to five cruising boats.
K-21, Severomorsk, today
The reasons for the failures lie in the tactics of using Katyushas - the powerful submarine cruisers, created for the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, had to “tread water” in the shallow Baltic “puddle”. When operating at depths of 30-40 meters, a huge 97-meter boat could hit the ground with its bow while its stern was still sticking out on the surface. It was not much easier for the North Sea sailors - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of Katyushas was complicated by the poor training of personnel and the lack of initiative of the command.
It's a pity. These boats were designed for more.
“Baby”, Soviet Union
Series VI and VI bis - 50 built.
Series XII - 46 built.
Series XV - 57 built (4 took part in combat operations).
Performance characteristics of boats type M series XII:
Surface displacement - 206 tons; underwater - 258 tons.
Autonomy - 10 days.
The working depth of immersion is 50 m, the maximum depth is 60 m.
Full surface speed - 14 knots; in underwater - 8 knots.
Cruising range on the surface is 3,380 miles (8.6 knots).
Submerged cruising range is 108 miles (3 knots).
Weapons:
— 2 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition — 2 torpedoes;
— 1 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic.
Baby!
The project of mini-submarines for the rapid strengthening of the Pacific Fleet - the main feature of the M-type boats was the ability to be transported by rail in a fully assembled form.
In the pursuit of compactness, many had to be sacrificed - service on the Malyutka turned into a grueling and dangerous undertaking. Heavy living conditions, a strong “bumpiness” - the waves mercilessly threw the 200-ton “float”, risking breaking it into pieces. Shallow diving depth and weak weapons. But the main concern of the sailors was the reliability of the submarine - one shaft, one diesel engine, one electric motor - the tiny “Malyutka” left no chance for the careless crew, the slightest malfunction on board threatened death for the submarine.
The little ones quickly evolved - the performance characteristics of each new series were several times different from the previous project: the contours were improved, the electrical equipment and detection equipment were updated, the dive time was reduced, and the autonomy increased. The “babies” of the XV series no longer resembled their predecessors of the VI and XII series: one-and-a-half-hull design - the ballast tanks were moved outside the durable hull; The power plant received a standard two-shaft layout with two diesel engines and underwater electric motors. The number of torpedo tubes increased to four. Alas, Series XV appeared too late - the “Little Ones” of Series VI and XII bore the brunt of the war.
Despite their modest size and only 2 torpedoes on board, the tiny fish were simply distinguished by their terrifying “gluttony”: in just the years of World War II, Soviet M-type submarines sank 61 enemy ships with a total tonnage of 135.5 thousand gross tons, destroyed 10 warships, and also damaged 8 transports.
The little ones, originally intended only for operations in the coastal zone, have learned to fight effectively in open sea areas. They, along with larger boats, cut enemy communications, patrolled at the exits of enemy bases and fjords, deftly overcame anti-submarine barriers and blew up transports right at the piers inside protected enemy harbors. It’s simply amazing how the Red Navy were able to fight on these flimsy ships! But they fought. And we won!
Boats of the “Medium” type, series IX-bis, Soviet Union
The number of submarines built is 41.
Surface displacement - 840 tons; underwater - 1070 tons.
Crew - 36...46 people.
The working depth of immersion is 80 m, the maximum depth is 100 m.
Full speed on the surface - 19.5 knots; submerged - 8.8 knots.
Surface cruising range 8,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 148 miles (3 knots).
“Six torpedo tubes and the same number of spare torpedoes on racks convenient for reloading. Two cannons with large ammunition, machine guns, explosive equipment... In a word, there is something to fight with. And 20 knots surface speed! It allows you to overtake almost any convoy and attack it again. The technique is good...”
- opinion of the S-56 commander, Hero Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin
The Eskis were distinguished by their rational layout and balanced design, powerful armament, and excellent performance and seaworthiness. Initially a German project from the Deshimag company, modified to meet Soviet requirements. But don’t rush to clap your hands and remember the Mistral. After the start of serial construction of the IX series at Soviet shipyards, the German project was revised with the aim of a complete transition to Soviet equipment: 1D diesel engines, weapons, radio stations, a noise direction finder, a gyrocompass... - there was not a single one in the boats designated “series IX-bis”. foreign made bolt!
The problems with the combat use of "Medium" type boats, in general, were similar to the K-type cruising boats - locked in mine-infested shallow water, they were never able to realize their high combat qualities. Things were much better in the Northern Fleet - during the war, the S-56 boat under the command of G.I. Shchedrina crossed the Tikhy and Atlantic Ocean s, moving from Vladivostok to Polyarny, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the USSR Navy.
An equally fantastic story is connected with the S-101 “bomb catcher” - during the war years, the Germans and Allies dropped over 1000 depth charges on the boat, but each time the S-101 returned safely to Polyarny.
Finally, it was on the S-13 that Alexander Marinesko achieved his famous victories.
S-56 torpedo compartment
“Cruel alterations in which the ship found itself, bombings and explosions, depths far exceeding the official limit. The boat protected us from everything..."
- from the memoirs of G.I. Shchedrin
Gato type boats, USA
The number of submarines built is 77.
Surface displacement - 1525 tons; underwater - 2420 tons.
Crew - 60 people.
Working depth of immersion - 90 m.
Full surface speed - 21 knots; submerged - 9 knots.
Cruising range on the surface is 11,000 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 96 miles (2 knots).
Weapons:
— 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition — 24 torpedoes;
— 1 x 76 mm universal gun, 1 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon;
- one of the boats, USS Barb, was equipped with a multiple launch rocket system for shelling the coast.
Ocean-going submarine cruisers of the Getou class appeared at the height of the war in the Pacific Ocean and became one of the most effective tools of the US Navy. They tightly blocked all strategic straits and approaches to the atolls, cut all supply lines, leaving Japanese garrisons without reinforcements, and Japanese industry without raw materials and oil. In battles with the Gatow, the Imperial Navy lost two heavy aircraft carriers, lost four cruisers and a damn dozen destroyers.
High speed, lethal torpedo weapons, the most modern radio equipment for detecting the enemy - radar, direction finder, sonar. The cruising range allows for combat patrols off the coast of Japan when operating from a base in Hawaii. Increased comfort on board. But the main thing is the excellent training of the crews and the weakness of Japanese anti-submarine weapons. As a result, the "Getow" mercilessly destroyed everything - it was they who brought victory in the Pacific Ocean from the blue depths of the sea.
...One of the main achievements of the Getow boats, which changed the whole world, is considered to be the event of September 2, 1944. On that day, the Finback submarine detected a distress signal from a falling plane and, after many hours of searching, found a frightened and already desperate pilot in the ocean . The one who was saved was one George Herbert Bush.
The cabin of the submarine "Flasher", memorial in Groton.
The list of Flasher trophies sounds like a naval joke: 9 tankers, 10 transports, 2 patrol ships with a total tonnage of 100,231 GRT! And for a snack, the boat grabbed a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. Lucky damn thing!
Electric robots type XXI, Germany
By April 1945, the Germans managed to launch 118 submarines of the XXI series. However, only two of them were able to achieve operational readiness and go to sea in last days war.
Surface displacement - 1620 tons; underwater - 1820 tons.
Crew - 57 people.
Working depth of immersion is 135 m, maximum depth is 200+ meters.
Full speed in the surface position is 15.6 knots, in the submerged position - 17 knots.
Cruising range on the surface is 15,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 340 miles (5 knots).
Weapons:
— 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition — 17 torpedoes;
— 2 Flak anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber.
U-2540 "Wilhelm Bauer" permanently moored in Bremerhaven, present day
Our allies were very lucky that all German forces were thrown at Eastern front— the Krauts did not have enough resources to release a flock of fantastic “Electric Boats” into the sea. If they appeared a year earlier, that would be it! Another turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The Germans were the first to guess: everything that shipbuilders in other countries are proud of - large ammunition, powerful artillery, high surface speed of 20+ knots - is of little importance. The key parameters that determine the combat effectiveness of a submarine are its speed and range while submerged.
Unlike its peers, “Electrobot” was focused on being constantly under water: a maximally streamlined body without heavy artillery, fences and platforms - all for the sake of minimizing underwater resistance. Snorkel, six groups of batteries (3 times more than on conventional boats!), powerful electric. Full speed engines, quiet and economical electric. "sneak" engines.
The stern of U-2511, sunk at a depth of 68 meters
The Germans calculated everything - the entire Elektrobot campaign moved at periscope depth under the RDP, remaining difficult to detect for enemy anti-submarine weapons. At great depths, its advantage became even more shocking: 2-3 times greater range, at twice the speed of any wartime submarine! High stealth and impressive underwater skills, homing torpedoes, a set of the most advanced detection means... “Electrobots” opened a new milestone in the history of the submarine fleet, defining the vector of development of submarines in the post-war years.
The Allies were not prepared to face such a threat - as post-war tests showed, the “Electrobots” were several times superior in mutual hydroacoustic detection range to the American and British destroyers guarding the convoys.
Type VII boats, Germany
The number of submarines built is 703.
Surface displacement - 769 tons; underwater - 871 tons.
Crew - 45 people.
Working depth of immersion - 100 m, maximum - 220 meters
Full speed on the surface - 17.7 knots; submerged - 7.6 knots.
Cruising range on the surface is 8,500 miles (10 knots).
Submerged cruising range 80 miles (4 knots).
Weapons:
— 5 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition — 14 torpedoes;
— 1 x 88 mm universal gun (until 1942), eight options for superstructures with 20 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.
* the given performance characteristics correspond to boats of the VIIC subseries
The most effective warships ever to roam the world's oceans.
A relatively simple, cheap, mass-produced, but at the same time well-armed and deadly weapon for total underwater terror.
703 submarines. 10 MILLION tons of sunk tonnage! Enemy battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes and submarines, oil tankers, transports with aircraft, tanks, cars, rubber, ore, machine tools, ammunition, uniforms and food... The damage from the actions of German submariners exceeded all reasonable limits - if not for the inexhaustible industrial potential of the United States, capable of compensating for any losses of the allies, German U- bots had every chance to “strangle” Great Britain and change the course of world history.
U-995. Graceful underwater killer
The successes of the Sevens are often associated with the “prosperous times” of 1939-41. — supposedly, when the Allies acquired the convoy system and Asdik sonars, the successes of the German submariners ended. A completely populist statement based on a misinterpretation of “prosperous times.”
The situation was simple: at the beginning of the war, when for every German boat there was one Allied anti-submarine ship, the “sevens” felt like invulnerable masters of the Atlantic. It was then that the legendary aces appeared, sinking 40 enemy ships. The Germans already held victory in their hands when the Allies suddenly deployed 10 anti-submarine ships and 10 aircraft for each active Kriegsmarine boat!
Beginning in the spring of 1943, the Yankees and British began to methodically overwhelm the Kriegsmarine with anti-submarine equipment and soon achieved an excellent loss ratio of 1:1. They fought like that until the end of the war. The Germans ran out of ships faster than their opponents.
The whole history of the German “sevens” is a formidable warning from the past: what threat does the submarine pose and how high are the costs of creating effective system countering the underwater threat.
A funny American poster of those years. "Hit the weak points! Come serve in the submarine fleet - we account for 77% of the sunk tonnage!" Comments, as they say, are unnecessary
Almost 70 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, but even today we do not know everything about some episodes of its final stage. That is why, again and again, old stories about the mysterious submarines of the Third Reich that surfaced off the coast come to life in the press and literature. Latin America. Argentina turned out to be especially attractive to them.
GET FROM THE BOTTOM!
For similar stories, real or fictional, there were reasons. Everyone knows the role of German submarines in the war at sea: 1,162 submarines left the stocks of Germany during the Second World War. But it was not only this record number of boats that the German Navy could rightfully be proud of.
German submarines of that time were distinguished by the highest technical characteristics - speed, diving depth, unsurpassed cruising range. It is no coincidence that the most massive Soviet submarines of the pre-war period (Series C) were built under a German license.
And when in July 1944 the German boat U-250 was sunk at a shallow depth in the Vyborg Bay, the Soviet command demanded that the fleet raise it at any cost and deliver it to Kronstadt, which was done despite the stubborn opposition of the enemy. And although the boats of the VII series, to which the U-250 belonged, were no longer considered the last word in German technology in 1944, there were many novelties in its design for Soviet designers.
Suffice it to say that after its capture, a special order was issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Kuznetsov to suspend the work begun on the project of a new submarine until a detailed study of the U-250. Subsequently, many elements of the “German” passed into soviet boats Project 608, and later Project 613, of which more than a hundred were built in the post-war years. The XXI series boats, one after another going into the ocean since 1943, had especially high performance.
DOUBTABLE NEUTRALITY
Argentina, having chosen neutrality in the world war, nevertheless took a clearly pro-German position. The large German diaspora was very influential in this southern country and provided all possible assistance to her warring compatriots. The Germans owned many industrial enterprises, huge lands, fishing vessels.
German submarines operating in the Atlantic regularly approached the shores of Argentina, where they were supplied with food, medicine and spare parts. Nazi submariners were received as heroes by the owners of German estates, scattered in large numbers along the Argentine coast. Eyewitnesses said that real feasts were held for bearded men in naval uniforms - lambs and pigs were roasted, the best wines and kegs of beer were displayed.
But the local press did not report this. It is no wonder that it was in this country that after the defeat of the Third Reich, many prominent Nazis and their minions, such as Eichmann, Priebke, the sadistic doctor Mengele, the fascist dictator of Croatia Pavelic and others, found refuge and escaped from retribution.
There were rumors that they all ended up in South America on board submarines, a special squadron of which, consisting of 35 submarines (the so-called “Fuhrer Convoy”), had a base in the Canaries. To this day, dubious versions have not been refuted that Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and Bormann found salvation in the same way, as well as about the secret German colony of New Swabia allegedly created with the help of a submarine fleet in Antarctica.
In August 1942, Brazil joined the warring countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, taking part in battles on land, air and sea. She suffered her greatest loss when the war in Europe had already ended and was burning out in the Pacific. On July 4, 1945, 900 miles from its native shores, the Brazilian cruiser Bahia exploded and sank almost instantly. Most experts believe that his death (along with 330 crew members) was the work of German submariners.
SWASTIKA ON THE CONTROLHOUSE?
After waiting out the troubled times, making good money on supplies to both warring coalitions, at the very end of the war, when its end was clear to everyone, on March 27, 1945, Argentina declared war on Germany. But after this the flow of German boats seemed to only increase. Dozens of residents of coastal villages, as well as fishermen at sea, according to them, have more than once observed submarines on the surface, almost in wake formation, moving in a southerly direction.
The most keen-eyed eyewitnesses even saw a swastika on their deckhouses, which, by the way, the Germans never put on the deckhouses of their boats. The coastal waters and coast of Argentina were now patrolled by the army and navy. There is a known episode when in June 1945, in the vicinity of the city of Mardel Plata, a patrol came across a cave in which various products were contained in sealed packaging. To whom they were intended remains unclear. It is also difficult to understand where this endless stream of submarines allegedly observed by the population after May 1945 came from.
After all, on April 30, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, gave the order to conduct Operation Rainbow, during which all the remaining Reich submarines (several hundred) were subject to flooding. It is quite possible that some of these ships that were in the ocean or in ports different countries, the commander-in-chief’s directive did not reach, and some crews simply refused to carry it out.
Historians agree that in most cases, various boats, including fishing boats, dangling on the waves, were mistaken for submarines observed in the ocean, or the reports of eyewitnesses were simply a figment of their imagination against the background of general hysteria in anticipation of a German retaliatory strike.
CAPTAIN CINZANO
But still, at least two German submarines turned out to be not phantoms, but very real ships with living crews on board. These were U-530 and U-977, which entered the port of Mardel Plata in the summer of 1945 and surrendered to the Argentine authorities. When an Argentine officer boarded U-530 in the early morning of July 10, he saw the crew lined up on the deck and its commander, a very young chief lieutenant, who introduced himself as Otto Wermuth (later Argentine sailors called him Captain Cinzano) and declared that U- 530 and her crew of 54 surrender to the mercy of the Argentine authorities.
After this, the submarine's flag was lowered and handed over to the Argentine authorities, along with a list of the crew.
A group of officers from the Mardel Plata naval base, which inspected U-530, noted that the submarine did not have a deck gun and two anti-aircraft machine guns (they were dropped into the sea before being captured), and not a single torpedo. All ship documentation was destroyed, as was the encryption machine. Particularly noted was the absence of an inflatable rescue boat on the submarine, which suggested that it might have been used to land some Nazi figures (perhaps Hitler himself) ashore.
During interrogations, Otto Wermuth said that U-530 left Kiel in February, hid in the Norwegian fjords for 10 days, after which it cruised along the US coast, and on April 24 moved south. Otto Wermuth could not give any clear explanations regarding the absence of the bot. A search was organized for the missing bot, involving ships, planes and marines, but they did not yield any results. On July 21, the ships participating in this operation were ordered to return to their bases. From that moment on, no one looked for German submarines in Argentine waters.
TALE OF A PIRATE
Concluding the story about the adventures of German submarines in southern seas, one cannot fail to mention a certain Corvette captain Paul von Rettel, who, thanks to journalists, became widely known as the commander of U-2670. He, allegedly being in the Atlantic in May 1945, refused to sink his submarine or surrender and simply began piracy off the coast of Africa and Southeast Asia. The newly minted filibuster allegedly amassed a huge fortune for himself. He replenished fuel for his diesel engines, water and food from his victims.
He practically did not use weapons, because few people dared to resist his formidable submarine. Journalists do not know how this story ended. But it is known for certain that the submarine number U-2670 was not listed in the German fleet, and von Rettel himself was not on the list of commanders. So, to the disappointment of the lovers sea romance, his story turned out to be a newspaper duck.
Konstantin RISHES
In December 1941, German submarines went to sea on a secret mission - they crossed the Atlantic undetected and took up positions a few miles off the east coast of the United States. Their target was the United States of America. The German command's plan was code-named "Drumbeat", which consisted of delivering a surprise attack on American merchant shipping.
In America, no one expected the appearance of German submarines. The first attack took place on January 13, 1942, and America was completely unprepared. January turned into a real carnage. Shipwrecks and corpses washed ashore, and oil covered the waters off the coast of Florida. During this period, the US Navy did not sink a single German submarine - the enemy was invisible. At the very height of the operation, it seemed that the Germans could no longer be stopped, but an unusual reversal occurred - the hunters turned into prey. Two years after the start of Operation Drumbeat, the Germans began to suffer significant losses.
One of these lost German submarines was U869. It belonged to the German submarines of the 9th series, which were marked as IX-C. It was these submarines with a long range that were used to patrol the remote coasts of Africa and America. The project was developed in the 1930s during the rearmament of Germany. It was on these boats that Admiral Karl Dönnitz relied big hopes with their new group tactics.
IX-C class submarines
In total, more than 110 IX-C class submarines were built in Germany. And only one of them remained intact after the war, and is exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The submarine U-505 was captured by US Navy ships in 1944.
Technical data of the IX-C class submarine:
Displacement - 1152 tons;
Length - 76 m;
Width - 6.7 m;
Draft - 4.5 m;
Weapons:
Torpedo tubes 530 mm - 6;
105 mm gun - 1;
37 mm machine gun - 1;
20 mm machine gun - 2;
Crew - 30 people;
The only purpose of this submarine is to destroy. A glance from the outside gives little insight into how she operated. Inside the submarine is a cramped tube filled with weapons and technical devices. Torpedoes weighing 500 kg, aimed at the target, were the main weapon of submarines. About 30 submariners lived in cramped conditions, sometimes for three months. In the surface position, thanks to two 9-cylinder diesel engines the submarine developed a speed of 18 knots. The range was 7,552 miles. Underwater, the German submarine was heading towards electric motors, which powered the batteries located under the floor of the compartments. Their power was enough to travel about 70 miles at a speed of 3 knots. In the middle of the German submarine there was a conning tower, below it a central control room with many different instruments and control panels for movement, diving and ascent. The only means of defense for a German submarine was the depths of the world's oceans.
The commander of the submarine fleet, Karl Dönnitz, planned a war only against Britain, but could not imagine that he would have to confront the United States at the same time. By the end of 1943, the presence of Allied aircraft over the ocean completely changed the situation. Now it was dangerous even at night in thick fog, because an aircraft equipped with a radar could detect a German submarine on the surface of the water.
German submarine U869
After several months of preparation, U869 was ready to go to sea. Its commander, 26-year-old Helmut Noverburg, was appointed captain for the first time. On December 8, 1944, U869 left Norway for the Atlantic. This was her first patrol. Three weeks later, the fleet command sent a radiogram with a combat mission - to patrol the approaches to New York Bay. The submarine U869 had to acknowledge receipt of the order. Several days passed, and the command knew nothing about the fate of the submarine. In fact, the submarine U869 responded, but was not heard. The headquarters began to realize that the boat was most likely running out of fuel, and it was assigned a new patrol area of Gibraltar - it was almost a return home. The German command expected the return of the boat U869 by February 1, but it never received new order. The encryption department assumed that U869 had not received the radio and was continuing on its previous course towards New York. Throughout February, the command was at a loss as to where the submarine U869 was patrolling. But no matter where the submarine went, the decryption department decided that the German submarine was heading home.
On May 8, 1945, the war in Europe ended. The German command signed an act of surrender, and German submarines at sea were ordered to surface and surrender.
Hundreds of German boats were never able to return to their home base. And U869 has been considered lost since February 20, 1945. The cause of the submarine's death could have been the explosion of its own torpedo, which described a circle and returned. This information was communicated to the families of the crew members.
diagram of the location on the bottom of the lost submarine U869
But in 1991, while fishing 50 km from New Jersey, a local fisherman lost his net, which got caught on something on the bottom. When divers examined the place, they discovered the missing submarine, which turned out to be the German submarine U869.
There is also another amazing fact about this submarine. One of the submariners who was part of the U869 team survived and lives in Canada. Of the 59 people on the submarine's crew, he survived thanks to an unexpected turn of fate. Shortly before going to sea, Herbert Dishevsky was hospitalized with pneumonia and was unable to participate in the campaign. Like the families of the dead submariners, he was sure that his submarine sank off the coast of Africa until he learned of the true facts.
For most of us, World War II is photographs and newsreels. Very distant events in time and space, but the war continues to present scores today, for those who survived, for the relatives of the victims, for those who were still children and even for those who had not yet been born when the monstrous hurricane raged. World War II scars like U869 are still hidden beneath the surface, but are much closer than we think.
German submarines made long passages on the surface of the water, plunging only when the enemy appeared. 33 submarines capable of entering the Atlantic Ocean sank 420 thousand tons of merchant tonnage. And this is just in the first four months since the start of the war. They stood in the path of enemy transports and waited for the target to appear, attacked and broke away from the convoy forces pursuing them.
Success in the first months of the war encouraged Germany to build new submarines. And this brought even more losses to the merchant fleet of the anti-Hitler coalition. The peak of submarine warfare was 1942, when the Germans sank 6.3 million tons of merchant shipping. And throughout the war, the Allies lost 15 million tons.
The turning point occurred at the end of 1942, which caused panic among the fascist command. Their submarines disappeared without a trace one after another. The commanders of the submarines that miraculously returned said that planes found them when they were on the surface in any weather: in fog, at night. And they hit with bombs.
The reason for the increased German losses was the appearance of radar equipment on aircraft and ships. German submarines had to hide under water, and there they had insufficient voyage time. On the aircraft's radar screen, flying at an altitude of 9,750 feet (3,000 m), the surfaced submarine was visible 80 miles (150 km) away.
After the start of the use of radar, Allied aircraft were able to constantly monitor the area of operation of German submarines. England alone had 1,500 anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and the total number of Allied aircraft was more than double this number.
If the plane was flying at a speed of 150 km/h, then it saw the submarine half an hour away from it, and depending on the weather, it was 5-7 miles away under the clear sun and could not even spot it in the clouds and fog. In the best case for her, she managed to dive into the water, but often the dive took place under bombs exploding nearby. The bombs damaged or sank the submarine.
When shore-based aircraft with a flight range of at least 600 miles (1600 km) appeared, British coastal defenses became enemy number one for German submarines.
In response to radar, the Germans invented a radar receiver that informed German submariners that a submarine had been detected by American radar, and in October 1942 they began installing these receivers on their submarines. This German invention reduced the effectiveness of American radars, since in some cases the submarine managed to submerge under water. However, German receiver-detectors (from the Latin “detextor” - “opener”) turned out to be useless when changing the wavelength at which American radars began to operate.
The Harvard Radio Laboratory in the USA has constructed 14 radar installations operating at decimeter waves. They were urgently delivered by plane to the British for installation on British aircraft patrolling the Bay of Biscay. At the same time, production of a similar series for US naval aircraft and a model for army aviation was accelerated.
German location receivers-detectors could not detect exposure to decimeter waves and therefore German submariners were completely unaware of how Anglo-American aircraft detected them. The detector was silent, and air bombs rained down on his head.
Microwave radar allowed Anglo-American patrols in the spring and early summer of 1943 to detect and sink large numbers of German submarines.
Hitler reacted with great irritation to the invention of the microwave radar and, in his New Year's address in 1944 to the German armed forces, pointed to the “invention of our enemy”, which brought such irreparable losses to his submarine fleet.
Even after the Germans discovered a decimeter radar on an American plane shot down over Germany, they were not able to detect the operation of these locators.
British and American convoys received “eyes” and “ears”. The radar became the “eyes” of the fleet, the sonar added “ears,” but this was not enough. There was another way to detect submarines: they were given out by radio. And the allies took advantage of it. The German submarines, having surfaced, talked among themselves, with the headquarters of the submarine fleet, which was located in Paris, and received orders from the commander, Grand Admiral Doenitz. Radiograms were carried on the air from all points where German submarines were located.
If you intercept any radiogram from three points, determining in each direction from where the radio waves are propagating, then, knowing the coordinates of the listening stations, you can find out from which point on the earth the German submarine went on the air, and therefore find out its coordinates: where it is now located.
This method was first used by the British fleet to combat enemy submarines. To do this, high-frequency direction finders were installed along the English coast. It was they who determined the location of the enemy submarine, negotiating with other submarines and superiors. The direction-finding transmission itself revealed the secret of the submarine’s coordinates.
The resulting bearings were sent by coastal stations to the Admiralty, where specialists mapped the location and course of the German submarine located in the Atlantic. Sometimes, while the radio station of a German submarine was operating, up to 30 bearings could be obtained.
The system of direction finders on the African and American coasts, as well as on the British Isles, was called “huff-duff”. How it worked can be seen from the episode of how Lieutenant Schroeder sank a German submarine.
On June 30, 1942, around noon, high-frequency direction finders in Bermuda, Hartland Point, Kingston and Georgetown registered the operation of the submarine's radio station. Officers operating the naval base plotted bearings on a map and found that the submarine was located at latitude 33° north and longitude 67° 30 west, approximately 130 miles from St. George.
Lieutenant Richard Schroeder was on patrol in his Mariner aircraft in the Bermuda area 50 miles (90 km) from the detected submarine. Heading to the location indicated to him, he discovered the submarine U-158 10 miles (18 km) from the indicated coordinates. The boat was on the surface, and its 50 crew members were basking in the sun. Schroeder dropped two high explosive bombs and missed, but two depth charges hit their target. One depth charge fell close to the boat's hull, but the second hit the superstructure and exploded as the submarine began to dive. The boat sank along with the entire crew.
Having convinced themselves of the effectiveness of the “huff-duff” devices, they equipped the convoy ships with them. If the huff-duff high-frequency radio direction finder was on only one ship of the convoy, then it turned into a search ship and walked at the tail of the middle column.
The Germans did not know for a long time, and then ignored the ship’s “huff-duff” instruments. Their submarines continued to “talk” with each other and, when approaching the convoy, exchange information with Grand Admiral Doenitz, thereby revealing their location.
This valuable system, whose name “huff-duff” is untranslatable, served well in the fight against German submarines.
In total, during the Second World War, 1,118 Nazi submarines took part in hostilities. Of these, 725 (61%) were destroyed by the Allies. 53 died for various reasons, 224 were sunk by the Nazi crews themselves after the surrender of Germany and 184 capitulated.
Fascist submariners for the Second world war sank 2 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 6 cruisers, 88 other surface ships and approximately 15 million tons of Allied merchant tonnage.