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Character Profiles
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The Kriegsmarine's
U-Boats
A
German coastal U-boat.
Overhaul on the slipway at the U-boat
base at Lorient on the Biscay coast.
Type II-B: The most numerous
class
Typical Type II-B Specifications
Displacement: 279 to 329 (submerged) tons
Dimensions: 140 x 13 x 13 feet
Propulsion: 700 hp 13 knots (surface) 360 hp 7 knots (submerged)
Range: 1,800 miles at 12 knots (surface)or 43 miles at 4 knots
(submerged)
Depth max: 492 feet
Armament: 1 x 20mm AA gun , 3 x 21 inch torpedo tubes with 6 torpedoes
or 8 mines
Crew: 25
The outbreak of the war had caught the submarine arm - as with all other
branches of the Kreigsmarine - unprepared, in the middle of a major
building programme which was geared to a probable war in 1944 or 1945.
Although the Kreigsmarine saw the U-boats as its vital offensive
arm - as in the First World War it was the weapon most likely to bring
Britain's swift collapse - when the war actually came, it was this coastal
type - the Type II-B - which was still the most numerous class. Of Germany's
57 submarines, 30 were coastal types and 18 were the type shown above,
suitable for operations in confined waters such as the Baltic or the North
Sea, but useless - because of its limited armament and range - for wider
commerce raiding.
Type VII: Germany's
leading sea raider
Typical Type VII-B Specifications
Displacement: 753 to 857 (submerged) tons
Dimensions: 218 x 20.25 x 15.5 feet
Propulsion: 3,200 hp 17.25 knots (surface) 750 hp 8 knots (submerged)
Range: 6,500 miles at 12 knots (surface) or 80 miles at 4 knots
(submerged)
Depth max: 722 feet
Armament: 1 x 3.5 inch gun , 1 x 20mm AA gun , 5 x 21 inch torpedo
tubes (4 x bow , 1 x stern) , with 12 torpedoes or 14 mines
Crew: 44
This was the main sea-going
class of submarine in the Kreigsmarine when the war began, and
the type which played a leading role in the early part of the Battle of
the Atlantic. In 1939 there were only 18 of this type, ten of them the
slightly enlarged VII-B, shown above. This class had been developed from
the Finnish Vetehinen, and the B variant had a greater range and
surface speed.
Type IX-D2: High speed
and heavy armament
Typical Type IX-D2 Specifications
Displacement: 1,616 to 1,804 (submerged) tons
Dimensions: 287.5 x 24.5 x 17.75 feet
Propulsion: 4,400 hp 19.25 knots (surface) 1,000 hp 7 knots (submerged)
Range: 23,700 miles at 12 knots (surface) or 57 miles at 4 knots
(submerged)
Depth max: 755 feet
Armament: 1 x 4.1 inch gun , 1 x 37mm and 1 x 20mm AA gun , 6 x
21 inch torpedo tubes (4 x bow , 2 x stern) , with 24 torpedoes or six
torpedoes and 32 mines
Crew: 57
The tactics used by the U-boats during the early years of the war did
not differ greatly from those of the First World War - patrolling submerged
during the day and on the surface at night, with most attacks being made
on the surface. These methods led to a demand for high surface speed and
heavy armament, which culminated in the Type IX-D2. Endurance was also
increased by storing fuel in the main diving tanks, and reducing accommodation
to a minimum.
The Battle of the Atlantic
The first 'happy time' for
the U-boats was from late 1940 to May 1941, when they wreaked havoc on
the weakly-protected Atlantic convoys and their under-equiped and inexperienced
escorts. But by the summer of 1941 the increasing strength of the escorts,
and the wider spread of air cover, forced the U-boat packs to probe further
afield to find easier targets - the entry of the United States into the
war meant a tempting new source of virtually unescorted victims, and during
a second 'happy time' the U-boats again sank thousands of tons with near
impunity. But the entry of the United States had also meant that the convoy
system would eventually be extended right across the Atlantic, and by
May 1942, the U-boats were again being forced to seek new prey in mid-Atlantic.
The climax of the battle had come, with the U-boats desperately trying
to break the new, tight convoy system and force Britain's surrender before
the vital air cover could be completed across the Atlantic. From July
1942 to May 1943 the battle was fought out - it ended in decisive defeat
for the U-boats, whose offensive equipment had failed to keep pace with
the Allies' defensive capabilities.
Source: Purnell's
History of the Second World War
Link: uboat.net
Extensive U-boat information.
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