Large submarines of the 1st series “U-25” and “U-26” were built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1936. Both boats were lost in 1940. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 862 tons, underwater - 983 t.; length – 72.4 m, width – 6.2 m; height – 9.2 m; draft – 4.3 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants– 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 3.1/1 thousand hp; speed - 18.6 knots; fuel reserve - 96 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 7.9 thousand miles; crew - 43 people. Armament: 1x1 - 105 mm gun; 1x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 4-6– 533 mm torpedo tubes; 14 torpedoes or 42 mines.
The series of large ocean-going submarines of the IX-A type consisted of 8 units (U-37 - U-44), built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1938-1939. All boats were lost during the war. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.2 thousand tons; length – 76.5 m, width – 6.5 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4/1 thousand hp; speed – 18 knots; fuel reserve - 154 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 10.5 thousand miles; crew - 48 people. Armament: 1x1 - 105 mm gun, 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 22 torpedoes or 66 min.
The series of large ocean-going submarines of the "IX-B" type consisted of 14 units ("U-64" - "U-65", "U-103" - "U-124"), built at the Deschimag shipyard and accepted into service. construction in 1939-1940 All boats were lost during the war. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.2 thousand tons; length – 76.5 m, width – 6.8 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4/1 thousand hp; speed – 18 knots; fuel reserve – 165 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 12 thousand miles; crew - 48 people. Armament: 1x1 - 105 mm gun, 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 22 torpedoes or 66 min.
The series of medium-sized submarines of the "IX-C" type consisted of 54 units ("U-66" - "U-68", "U-125" - "U-131", "U-153" - "U-166" , “U-171” - “U-176”, “U-501” - “U-524”), built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1941-1942. 48 boats were lost during the war, 3 were sunk by their crews, the rest capitulated. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.2 thousand tons; length – 76.8 m, width – 6.8 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4/1 thousand hp; speed – 18 knots; fuel reserve - 208 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 13.5 thousand miles; crew - 48 people. Armament: before 1944, 1x1 - 105 mm, 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; after 1944 - 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x4 or 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 22 torpedoes or 66 min.
The series of medium submarines of the IX-C/40 type consisted of 87 units (“U-167” - “U-170”, “U-183” - “U-194”, “U-525” - “U- 550", "U-801" - "U-806", "U-841" - "U-846", "U-853" - "U-858", "U-865" - "U-870" , “U-881” - “U-887”, “U-889”, “U-1221” - “U-1235”), built at the Deschimag and Deutsche Werft shipyards and commissioned in 1942- 1944 During the war, 64 boats were lost, 3 were sunk by their crews, 17 capitulated, the rest were damaged and were not repaired. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.3 thousand tons; length – 76.8 m, width – 6.9 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4/1 thousand hp; speed – 18 knots; fuel reserve - 214 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 13.9 thousand miles; crew - 48 people. Armament: 1x1 - 105 mm gun, 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x1 and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 22 torpedoes or 66 min.
The medium submarines “U-180” and “U-195” belonged to the “IX-D” type - high-speed submarines. They were built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1942. Since 1944, the boats have been converted into underwater transports. They transported 252 tons of diesel fuel. The U-180 boat was lost in 1944, and the U-195 was captured in 1945. Japanese troops and served under the designation “I-506”. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.6 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.8 thousand tons; length – 87.6 m, height – 10.2 m; width – 7.5 m; draft - 5.4 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 6 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 9/1.1 thousand hp; speed - 21 knots; fuel reserve - 390 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 9.5 thousand miles; crew - 57 people. Armament before 1944: 1x1 - 105 mm gun, 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 24 torpedoes or 72 minutes; after 1944 - 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns.
The series of medium-sized submarines of the IXD-2 type consisted of 28 units (“U-177” - “U-179”, “U-181” - “U-182”, “U-196” - “U-200” , "U-847" - "U-852", "U-859" - "U-864", "U-871" - "U-876"), built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1942 -1943 The boats were intended for operation in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. 21 boats were lost during the war, 1 was sunk by the crews, 7 capitulated. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.6 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.8 thousand tons; length – 87.6 m, width – 7.5 m; draft - 5.4 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 main diesel engines, 2 auxiliary diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4+1.2/1 thousand hp; speed - 19 knots; fuel reserve - 390 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 31.5 thousand miles; crew - 57 people. Armament: 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x1 and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 24 torpedoes or 72 mines. In 1943-1944, some boats were equipped with a towed FA-330 gyroplane.
Of the series of large submarines of the IX-D/42 type, only one submarine, U-883, was built at the Deschimag shipyard and commissioned in 1945. In the same year, the boat capitulated. During the construction process, it was repurposed for transport. The boat carried 252 tons of diesel fuel. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.6 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.8 thousand tons; length – 87.6 m, width – 7.5 m; draft - 5.4 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 main diesel engines, 2 auxiliary diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.4+1.2/1 thousand hp; speed - 19 knots; fuel reserve - 390 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 31.5 thousand miles; crew - 57 people. Armament: 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; 2 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 5 torpedoes.
The series of large submarines of type "XXI" consisted of 125 units ("U-2501" - "U-2531", "U-2533" - "U-2548", "U-2551", "U-2552", " U-3001" - "U-3044", "U-3047", "U-3501" - "U-3530") built at the shipyards "Blohm & Voss", "Deschimag" and commissioned in 1944-1945 . During the war, 21 boats were lost, 88 were sunk by their crews, and the rest surrendered to the Allies. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.6 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.8 thousand tons; length – 76.7 m, width – 8 m; draft – 6.3 m; diving depth – 135 m; power plants - 2 diesel engines, 2 main electric motors and 2 silent electric motors; power – 4/4.4 thousand hp + 226 hp; fuel reserve - 253 tons of diesel fuel; speed - 15.6 knots; cruising range - 15.5 thousand miles; crew - 57 people. Armament: 2x2 – 20 mm or 30 mm anti-aircraft gun; 6 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 23 torpedoes or 29 min.
The series of medium submarines of the "VII-A" type consisted of 10 units ("U-27" - "U-36"), built at the Deschimag and Germaniawerf shipyards and commissioned in 1936. During the war, 7 boats were killed, 2 were sunk by their crews, 1 capitulated. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 626 tons, underwater displacement – 915 tons; length – 64.5 m, width – 5.9 m; draft - 4.4 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 2.1-2.3/0.8 thousand hp; speed - 17 knots; fuel reserve - 67 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 6.2 thousand miles; crew - 44 people. Armament: before 1942, 1x1 - 88 mm gun and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; after 1942 - 1x2 and 2x1-20 mm or 37 mm anti-aircraft guns; 5 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 11 torpedoes or 24-36 mines.
The series of medium submarines of the "VII-B" type consisted of 24 units ("U45" - "U55", "U73 - U76", "U-83" - "U-87", "U-99" - "U- 102"), built at the shipyards "Vulcan", "Flenderwerft", "Germaniawerf" and commissioned in 1938-1941. During the war, 22 boats were lost, 2 were sunk by their crews. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 0.8 thousand tons, underwater – 1 thousand tons; length – 66.5 m, width – 6.2 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 2.8-3.2/0.8 thousand hp; speed – 17-18 knots; fuel reserve - 100 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 8.7 thousand miles; crew - 44 people. Armament: before 1942 - 1x1 - 88 mm gun and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; after 1942 - 1x2 and 2x1-20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft guns; 5 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 6 torpedoes or 24-36 mines.
The series of medium submarines of the "VII-C" type consisted of 663 units (the designation was within the framework of "U-69" - "U-1310") and was built in 1940-1945. at the shipyards "Neptun Werft", "Deschimag", "Germaniawerft", "Flender Werke", "Danziger Werft", "Blohm + Voss", "Kriegsmarinewerft", "Nordseewerke", "F. Schichau, Howaldtswerke AG. There are two known modifications of the boat: “VIIC/41” and “U-Flak”. Type "VIIC/41" had an increased body thickness from 18 to 21.5 mm. This made it possible to increase the working depth of immersion from 100 to 120 meters, and the calculated depth of destruction of the hull - from 250 to almost 300 meters. A total of 91 boats were built (“U-292” - “U-300”, “U-317” - “U-328”, “U-410”, “U-455”, “U-827”, “U” -828", "U-929", "U-930", "U-995", "U-997" - "U-1010", "U-1013" - "U-1025", "U-1063" " - "U-1065", "U-1103" - "U-1110", "U-1163" - "U-1172", "U-1271" - "U-1279", "U-1301" - "U-1308"). One of the modifications of the "VII-C" type were air defense boats, which were designated as "U-Flak". 4 boats were converted: “U-441”, “U-256”, “U-621” and “U-951”. The modernization consisted of installing a new wheelhouse with two quad 20 mm and one 37 mm anti-aircraft guns. All boats were returned to their original condition by 1944. In 1944-1945 many boats were equipped with a snorkel. The boats "U-72", "U-78", "U-80", "U-554" and "U-555" have only two bow torpedo tubes, and "U-203", "U-331", " U-35", "U-401", "U-431" and "U-651" did not have feed apparatus. During the war, 478 boats were lost, 12 were damaged and were not repaired; 114 – sunk by crews; 11 boats were transferred to Italy in 1943, the remaining boats capitulated in 1945 and almost all were sunk at the end of the year. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 0.8 thousand tons, underwater – 1.1 thousand tons; length – 67.1 m, width – 6.2 m; draft - 4.7 - 4.8 m; immersion depth – 100 – 120 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 2.8-3.2/0.8 thousand hp; speed - 17 - 18 knots; fuel reserve - 114 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 8.5 thousand miles; crew - 44 - 56 people. Armament: before 1942 - 1x1 - 88 mm gun and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; after 1942 - 1x2 and 2x1-20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft guns; 5 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 6 torpedoes or 14-36 mines.
The series of underwater minelayers of the “X-B” type consisted of 8 units (“U-116” – “U-119”, “U-219”, “U-220”, U-233”, U-234”), built at the Germaniawerf shipyard and commissioned in 1941-1944. To place the mines, 30 vertical pipes were provided. Boats were mostly used as transport. The U-219 and U-234 boats capitulated in 1945, the rest were lost in 1942–1944. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 1.7 thousand tons, underwater – 2.2 thousand tons; length – 89.8 m, width – 9.2 m; draft – 4.7 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power - 4.2-4.8/1.1 thousand hp; speed - 16 - 17 knots; fuel reserve – 338 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 18.5 thousand miles; crew - 52 people. Armament: 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 or 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 15 torpedoes; 66 min.
The series of underwater minelayers of the "VII-D" type consisted of 6 units ("U-213" - "U-218"), built at the Germaniawerf shipyard and put into operation in 1941-1942. The U-218 boat capitulated in 1945, the rest were lost in 1942–1944. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1 thousand tons, underwater displacement - 1.1 thousand tons; length – 77 m, width – 6.4 m; draft – 5 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 2.8-3.2/0.8 thousand hp; speed - 17 knots; fuel reserve - 155 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 11.2 thousand miles; crew - 46 people. Armament: 1x1 – 88 mm gun; 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; 5 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 26 - 39 min.
The series of transport submarines of the "VII-F" type consisted of 4 units ("U-1059" - "U-1062"), built at the Germaniawerf shipyard and commissioned in 1943. The boats were intended to transport 26 torpedoes and transfer them at sea to other submarines. However, the submarines were not used for their intended purpose, but served to transport goods. The U-1061 boat capitulated in 1945, the rest died in 1944. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, underwater - 1.2 thousand tons; length – 77.6 m, width – 7.3 m; draft - 4.9 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 2.8-3.2/0.8 thousand hp; speed - 17 knots; fuel reserve - 198 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 14.7 thousand miles; crew - 46 people. Armament: 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 5 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 14 torpedoes or 36 min.
The XIV type transport submarine series consisted of 10 units (“U-459” - “U-464”, “U-487” - “U-490”), built at the Deutsche Werke shipyard and commissioned in 1941-1943 The boats carried 423 tons of diesel fuel and 4 torpedoes. All boats were lost in 1942–1944. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 1.7 thousand tons, underwater – 1.9 thousand tons; length – 67.1 m, width – 9.4 m; draft – 6.5 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 3.2/0.8 thousand hp; speed – 15 knots; fuel reserve - 203 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 12.4 thousand miles; crew - 53 people. Armament: 2x1 - 37 mm and 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun or 1x1 - 37 mm and 2x2 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
The Batiray boat was built at the Germaniawerft shipyard for Turkey, but was requisitioned German troops and in 1939 it was accepted into the Navy under the designation “UA”. The submarine was lost in 1945. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 1.1 thousand tons, underwater - 1.4 thousand tons; length – 86.7 m, width – 6.8 m; draft – 4.1 m; immersion depth – 100 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 4.6/1.3 thousand hp; speed – 18 knots; fuel reserve – 250 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 13.1 thousand miles; crew - 45 people. Armament: 1x1 - 105 mm guns; 2x1-20 mm anti-aircraft guns; 6 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 12 torpedoes or 36 min.
A series of small (coastal) submarines of type “II-A” consisted of 6 units (“U-1” - “U-6”), built at the Deutsche Werke shipyard and commissioned in 1935. In 1938-1939 . the boats were re-equipped. The boats "U-1" and "U-2" were lost in 1940 and 1944, "U-3", "U-4" and "U6" were sunk by their crews in 1944, and "U-5" - capitulated in 1943. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement - 254 tons, underwater - 303 tons; length – 40.9 m, width – 4.1 m; draft - 3.8 m; immersion depth – 80 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 700/360 hp; fuel reserve - 12 tons of diesel fuel; speed – 13 knots; cruising range - 1.6 thousand miles; crew - 22 people. Armament: 1x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 3 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 5 torpedoes or 18 min.
The series of small (coastal) submarines of type "II-B" consisted of 20 units ("U-7" - "U-24", "U-120", "U-121") built at the Germaniawerft shipyards, " Deutsche Werke", "Flenderwerft" and the system adopted in 1935-1940. During the war, 7 boats were lost, the rest were sunk by their crews. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 279 tons, underwater displacement – 328 tons; length – 42.7 m, width – 4.1 m; draft - 3.9 m; immersion depth – 80 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 700/360 hp; fuel reserve - 21 tons of diesel fuel; speed – 13 knots; cruising range - 3.1 thousand miles; crew - 22 people. Armament: 1x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 3 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 5 torpedoes or 18 min.
The series of small (coastal) submarines of type “II-C” consisted of 8 units (“U-56” - “U-63”) built at the Deutsche Werke shipyard and commissioned in 1938-1940. During the war, 2 boats were lost, the rest were sunk by the crews.
The series of small (coastal) submarines of the II-D type consisted of 16 units (U-137 - U-152) built at the Deutsche Werke shipyard and commissioned in 1940-1941. During the war, 3 boats were lost, 4 capitulated in 1945, the rest were sunk by their crews. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 314 tons, underwater displacement – 364 tons; length – 44 m, width – 4.9 m; draft - 3.9 m; immersion depth – 80 m; power plants – 2 diesel engines and 2 electric motors; power – 700/410 hp; fuel reserve - 38 tons of diesel fuel; speed - 12.7 knots; cruising range - 5.6 thousand miles; crew - 22 people. Armament: 1x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 3 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 5 torpedoes or 18 min.
The series of small submarines of the XXIII type consisted of 60 units (U-2321 - U-2371, U-4701-U-4712), built at the Deutsche Werft, Germaniawerft shipyards and commissioned in 1944 -1945 During the war, 7 boats were lost, 32 were sunk by their crews, and the rest surrendered to the Allies. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 234 tons, underwater displacement – 258 tons; length – 34.7 m, width – 3 m; draft – 3.7 m; immersion depth – 80 m; power plants – diesel engine and electric motor; power – 580-630/35 hp; fuel reserve - 20 tons of diesel fuel; speed – 10 knots; cruising range - 4.5 thousand miles; crew - 14 people. Armament: 2 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 2 torpedoes.
In 1944, at the Deschimag A.G. shipyard. Weser built 324 Biber-class midget submarines. The British boat Welman was taken as the basis for the design. Performance characteristics of the boat: full underwater displacement – 6.5 tons; length – 9 m, width – 1.6 m; draft – 1.4 m; immersion depth – 20 m; power plants – gasoline engine and electric motor; power – 32/13 hp; speed – 6.5 knots; fuel reserve – 110 kg; cruising range - 100 miles; crew – 1 person. Armament: 2 - 533 mm torpedoes or mines.
The series of ultra-small submarines of the Hecht type consisted of 53 units: U-2111 - U-2113, U-2251 - U-2300. The boats were built at the Germaniawerft and CRDA shipyards in 1944 based on the captured British midget submarine Welman. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 11.8 tons, underwater displacement – 17.2 tons; length – 10.5 m, width – 1.3 m; draft – 1.4 m; immersion depth – 50 m; power plants - electric motor; power – 12 hp; speed – 6 knots; cruising range - 78 miles; crew – 2 people. Armament: 533 mm torpedo or mine.
In 1944-1945 At the Deschimag and AG Weser shipyards, 390 single-seater boats were built, representing an enlarged electric torpedo. Boat performance characteristics: surface displacement standard underwater – 11 tons; length – 10.8 m, width – 1.8 m; draft – 1.8 m; immersion depth – 30 m; power plants - electric motor; power – 14 hp; speed – 5 knots; cruising range - 60 miles; crew – 1 person. Armament: 2 – 533 mm torpedoes.
In 1944-1945 At the shipyards Howaldtswerke, Germaniawerft, Schichau, Klöckner and CRDA, 285 midget submarines of the Seehund type (XXVII-B) were assembled, of which 137 units (U-5001 - U- 5003", "U-5004" - "U-5118", "U-5221" - "U-5269") was adopted for service. The boats were equipped with a diesel automobile engine for surface travel. They were assembled at shipyards from three ready-made sections. During the war, 35 boats were lost. Performance characteristics of the boat: total surface displacement – 14.9 tons, underwater displacement – 17 tons; length – 12 m, width – 1.7 m; draft – 1.5 m; immersion depth – 50 m; power plants - diesel engine and electric motor; power – 60/25 hp; speed - 7.7 knots; fuel reserve - 0.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 300 miles; crew – 2 people. Armament: 2 – 533 mm torpedoes.
« Wolf packs"in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich Gromov Alex
Performance characteristics of the most common types of submarines
The armament and equipment of German submarines, which in the first year of the war had many flaws and often malfunctioned, was constantly being improved, in addition to the creation of new, more reliable modifications. This was a “response” to the enemy’s emergence of new anti-submarine defense systems and methods for detecting submarines.
Type II-B boats(“Einbaum” - “canoe”) were put into service in 1935.
20 submarines were built: U-7 - U-24, U-120 and U-121. The crews numbered 25–27 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 42.7 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 283/334 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 13 knots, while submerged - 7 knots.
Surface range - 1800 miles.
It was armed with 5–6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Boats type II-C entered service in 1938
8 submarines were built: U-56 - U-63.
The crew consisted of 25 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 43.9 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 291/341 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 12 knots, while submerged - 7 knots.
Surface range - 3800 miles.
It was armed with torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Type II-D boats commissioned in June 1940
16 submarines were built: U-137 - U-152.
The crew consisted of 25 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 44.0 x 4.9 x 3.9 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 314/364 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 12.7 knots, while submerged - 7.4 knots.
Surface range - 5650 miles.
It was armed with 6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 80/120 m.
Type VII-A boats entered service in 1936. 10 submarines were built: U-27 - U-36. The crew numbered 42–46 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 64 x 8 x 4.4 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 626/745 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17 knots, while submerged - 8 knots.
Surface range - 4300 miles.
It was armed with 11 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 220/250 m.
Boats type VII-B were more advanced compared to Type VII-A boats.
24 submarines were built: U-45 - U-55, U-73, U-74, U-75, U-76, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-86, U-87, U -99, U-100, U-101, U-102, among them the legendary U-47, U-48, U-99, U-100. The crew numbered 44–48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 66.5 x 6.2 x 4 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 753/857 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17.9 knots, while submerged - 8 knots.
It was armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm gun.
Boats type VII-C were the most common.
568 submarines were built, including: U-69 - U-72, U-77 - U-82, U-88 - U-98, U-132 - U-136, U-201 - U-206, U -1057, U-1058, U-1101, U-1102, U-1131, U-1132, U-1161, U-1162, U-1191 - U-1210…
The crew consisted of 44–52 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 67.1 x 6.2 x 4.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 769/871 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17.7 knots, while submerged - 7.6 knots.
Surface range - 12,040 miles.
It was armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88-mm gun, and the number of anti-aircraft guns varied.
Type IX-A boats appeared further development less advanced type of submarine I-A.
8 submarines were built: U-37 - U-44.
The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.6 x 6.51 x 4.7 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1032/1152 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.2 knots, while submerged - 7.7 knots.
Surface range - 10,500 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, a 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type IX-B boats were in many ways identical to Type IX-A submarines, differing primarily b O greater fuel reserve and, accordingly, cruising range on the surface.
14 submarines were built: U-64, U-65, U-103 - U-111, U-122 - U-124.
The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.5 x 6.8 x 4.7 m.
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.2 knots, while submerged - 7.3 knots.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1058/1178 t (or 1054/1159 t).
Surface range - 8,700 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type IX-C boats would have O longer length compared to previous modifications.
54 submarines were built: U-66 - U-68, U-125 - U-131, U-153 - U-166, U-171 - U-176, U-501 - U-524. The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.76 x 6.78 x 4.7 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1138/1232 t (often 1120/1232 t).
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.3 knots, while submerged - 7.3 knots.
Surface range - 11,000 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and one 20 mm gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Boats type IX-D2 had the longest cruising range in the Third Reich fleet.
28 submarines were built: U-177 - U-179, U-181, U-182, U-196 - U-199, U-200, U-847 - U-852, U-859 - U-864, U -871 - U-876.
The crew consisted of 55 people (in long hikes - 61).
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 87.6 x 7.5 x 5.35 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1616/1804 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 19.2 knots, while submerged - 6.9 knots.
Surface range - 23,700 miles.
It was armed with 24 torpedoes or 72 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and two twin 20 mm cannons.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Boats type XIV (“Milchkuh” - “cash cow”) - a further development of the IX-D type, were capable of transporting over 423 tons of additional fuel, as well as 4 torpedoes and a fairly large supply of food, including even their own bakery on board the submarines.
10 submarines were built: U-459 - U-464, U-487 - U-490.
The crew numbered 53–60 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 67.1 x 9.35 x 6.5 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1668/1932 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 14.9 knots, while submerged - 6.2 knots.
Surface range - 12,350 miles.
Only two 37-mm anti-aircraft guns and one 20-mm anti-aircraft gun were in service; they had no torpedoes.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type XXI boats were the first ultra-modern submarines, the mass production of which used ready-made modules. These submarines were equipped with air conditioning and waste removal systems.
118 submarines were built: U-2501 - U-2536, U-2538 - U-2546, U-2548, U-2551, U-2552, U-3001 - U-3035, U-3037 - U-3041, U -3044, U-3501 - U-3530. At the end of the war, there were 4 boats of this type in combat readiness.
The crew numbered 57–58 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.7 x 7.7 x 6.68 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1621/1819 tons, fully loaded - 1621/2114 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 15.6 knots, while submerged - 17.2 knots. For the first time, such a high speed of a boat in a submerged position was achieved.
Surface range - 15,500 miles.
It was armed with 23 torpedoes and two twin 20 mm cannons.
Type XXIII boats(“Elektroboot” - “electric boats”) were focused on constantly being under water, thus becoming the first project of not diving, but truly submarines. They were the last full-size submarines built by the Third Reich during World War II. Their design is as simplified and functional as possible.
61 submarines were launched: U-2321 - U-2371, U-4701 - U-4707, U-4709 - U-4712. Of these, only 6 (U-2321, U-2322, U-2324, U-2326, U-2329 and U-2336) took part in combat operations.
The crew consisted of 14–18 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 34.7 x 3.0 x 3.6 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 258/275 t (or 234/254 t).
Maximum speed on the surface is 9.7 knots, while submerged - 12.5 knots.
Surface range - 2600 miles.
There were 2 torpedoes in service.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 180/220 m.
From the book Portraits of Revolutionaries author Trotsky Lev DavidovichExperience of characterization In 1913 in Vienna, the old Habsburg capital, I was sitting in Skobelev’s apartment at the samovar. The son of a wealthy Baku miller, Skobelev was at that time a student and my political disciple; a few years later he became my opponent and minister
From the book Atomic Underwater Epic. Feats, failures, disasters author Osipenko Leonid GavrilovichTactical and technical data of the US submarine missile carrier Ohio Displacement: underwater 18,700 tons surface 16,600 tons Length 170.7 m Width 12.8 m Draft 10.8 m Nuclear power plant power 60,000 hp Submerged speed 25 knots Dive depth 300
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From the book Steel Coffins of the Reich author Kurushin Mikhail YurievichII Tactical and technical data P/L U-47 (Submarine VII In series) Arrival of U-47 in Kiel. TYPE VIIB Type VIIB boats were a new step in the development of Type VII. They were equipped with a pair of vertical rudder (one feather behind each propeller), which made it possible to reduce the diameter of circulation under water to
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From the book Zodiac author Graysmith Robert From the book “Wolf Packs” in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich author Gromov AlexI. Tactical and technical characteristics of the Tirpitz Displacement: maximum 56,000 tons, typical 42,900 tons. Length: total 251 meters at the waterline 242 meters. Width: 36 meters. Draft depth: from 10.6 to 11.3 meters (depending on depending on workload).Artillery: caliber 380 millimeters - 4 turrets of 2
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From the book Maximalisms [collection] author Armalinsky MikhailThe first victims of German submarines More and more German boats drowned other people's transports. In the world, the Kaiser's Germany acquired the image of a “vicious aggressor”, but was never able to take control of enemy sea communications. 7 May 1915 on the Liverpool - New York line
From the book Universe by Alan Turing by Andrew HodgesGerman spare parts for Soviet submarines It is necessary to clarify that in the 20–30s of the 20th century, Germany not only ordered components for its submarines, but also sold them abroad, in particular to the USSR. Thus, military historian A. B. Shirokorad (“Russia and Germany. History
From the author's bookThe tasks of German submarines They were formulated by K. Dönitz on the eve of his assumption of the post of commander of the first Weddigen submarine flotilla at the end of September 1935. Several years before the start of unrestricted submarine warfare, he foresaw its possibility:
From the author's bookThe role of German submarines in the Norwegian operation This was the first operation of the Reich command in which big role played by all three types of armed forces - army, navy (including submarine) and aviation - therefore, the organization of interaction different kinds troops were assigned
From the author's book From the author's bookCharacteristics
From the author's bookThe Germans are sinking British ships: Decoding the call signs of German submarines The surrender at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for Germany. The course of the war was turned. Although in the south and west, the Allies' successes still did not look convincing enough. In African
In this note, I bring to your attention fire weapons, which the boats had. I again reviewed the topic briefly, without providing details and nuances, since with detailed coverage this issue You will need to write at least a large review article. To begin with, to make it clear how the Germans highlighted the issue of the need to have a gun on board and its use, I will give an excerpt from the “Manual for Submarine Commanders”, where the following is said about this:
"Section V Submarine artillery weapons (submarine as a carrier of artillery)
271. The presence of artillery on a submarine is fraught with contradictions from the very beginning. The submarine is unstable, has a low-lying gun and surveillance platform, and is not equipped to conduct artillery fire.
All artillery installations on a submarine are poorly suited for an artillery duel, and in this respect the submarine is inferior to any surface ship.
In an artillery battle, a submarine, as opposed to a surface ship, must immediately bring all its forces into action, because even one hit in the strong hull of a submarine already makes it impossible for it to dive and leads to death. Therefore, the possibility of an artillery battle between a torpedo submarine and military surface ships is excluded.
272. For submarines used for torpedo attacks, artillery is, as it were, a conditional and auxiliary weapon, because the use of artillery over water contradicts the entire essence of a submarine, i.e., a sudden and covert underwater attack.
Based on this, it can be said that on a torpedo submarine, artillery is used only in the fight against merchant ships, for example, to delay steamships or to destroy unarmed or weakly armed ships (§ 305)."(With)
Deck artillery
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
105 mm SK C/32U - U-boot L C/32U Single 15 35° 12,000 m 6 persons
105 mm SK C/32U - Marine Pivot L Single 15 30° 12,000 m 6 persons
88 mm SK C/30U - U-boot L C/30U Single 15-18 30° 11,000 m 6 people
88 mm SK C/35 - U-boot L C/35U Single 15-18 30° 11,000 m 6 people
Of all types of German submarines designed and built from 1930 to 1945, boats of the I, VII, IX and X series were armed with deck artillery with a caliber of over 88 mm. At the same time, only the VII series carried an 88-mm caliber gun; the rest of the indicated series of boats had a 105-mm gun. The cannon was located directly on the upper deck in front of the wheelhouse; the ammunition was stored partly there in the superstructure of the boat, partly inside the durable hull. Deck artillery was in the department of the second watch officer, who performed the duties of a senior gunner on the boat.
On the "sevens" the gun was installed in the area of frame 54 on a pyramid specially reinforced in the superstructure, which was reinforced with longitudinal and transverse beams. In the area of the gun, the upper deck was expanded to 3.8 meters in length, thereby forming a place for artillery crews. The standard ammunition for the boat was 205 shells - 28 of which were in special containers in the superstructure next to the gun, 20 shells in the wheelhouse, and the rest in the "weapons room" inside the durable hull in the second compartment from the bow.
The 105 mm gun was also mounted on a pyramid, which was welded to the pressure hull. Depending on the type of boat, the ammunition for the gun ranged from 200 to 230 shells, of which 30-32 were stored in the superstructure next to the gun, remaining in the “weapons room” located in the central control room and galley.
The deck gun was protected from water by a waterproof plug on the barrel side, and by a special plug sleeve on the breech side. A well-thought-out lubrication system for the gun made it possible to keep the gun in working condition at different temperatures.
I mentioned various cases of using deck guns
And .
By the end of 1942, the command of the submarine forces came to the conclusion that the deck guns on boats that participated in the fighting in the Atlantic theater of operations should be dismantled. Thus, almost all “sevens” of type B and C lost such artillery. The guns were retained on Type IX submarine cruisers and Type VIID and X mines. But by the end of the war it was already difficult to find a German boat of any type that could carry deck artillery.
88 mm U29 and U95 guns. The waterproof plug is clearly visible.
Elevation angle of the 88 mm gun on the U46. It seems that it still exceeds those 30 and 35 degrees indicated in the technical characteristics. The gun had to be raised with its barrel up when loading torpedoes into the bow compartment. The photo below shows how this happened (U74 preparing to take a torpedo) 
105 mm gun on the U26 "one" 
105 mm guns U103 and U106 
General view of the 105 mm gun with its mounts. 
Gunners U53 and U35 prepare for practical shooting 
Artillery crew U123 is preparing to open fire. A tanker is visible straight ahead. The target will be sunk by artillery fire. Completion of Operation Paukenschlag, February 1942. 
But sometimes the tools were used for other purposes :-)
The pictures below show U107 and U156 
Flak
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
37 mm SK C/30U - Ubts. LC 39 Singles 12 85° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
37 mm M42 U - LM 43U Automatic (8 rounds) 40 80° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
37 mm Zwilling M 42U - LM 42 Automatic (8 charges) 80 80° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
30 mm Flak M 44 - LM 44 Automatic (exact characteristics unknown. For type XXI submarines)
20 mm MG C/30 - L 30 Automatic (20 rounds) 120 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm MG C/30 - L 30/37 Automatic (20 rounds) 120 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak C/38 - L 30/37 Automatic (20 rounds) 220 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak Zwilling C/38 II - M 43U Automatic (20 rounds) 440 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak Vierling C38/43 - M 43U Automatic (20 rounds) 880 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
13.2 mm Breda 1931 Automatic (30 rounds) 400 85° 1,000 m 2/4 persons
Quad units are highlighted in red, dual units are highlighted in blue.
Of the fire weapons that the German submarines had, the most interesting were anti-aircraft weapons. If deck guns were obsolete by the end of the war, then the evolution of anti-aircraft fire among the Germans is clearly visible from the above table.
By the beginning of the war, German submarines had only a minimum of anti-aircraft guns, since it was believed that the threat from the air was clearly underestimated by the fleet command. As a result, the designers in the projects included no more than one anti-aircraft gun on the boat. But during the war the situation changed and reached the point that some submarines were literally studded with anti-aircraft guns, such as “anti-aircraft boats” (flakboats).
The main weapons of the boats were initially recognized as 20-mm 20-round anti-aircraft guns, which were installed on all types of boats with the exception of the II series. On the latter they were also provided, but were not included in the standard armament of the boats.
Initially, on the first "sevens" in pre-war time The 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun type MG C/30 - L 30 was supposed to be installed on the upper deck behind the wheelhouse. This is clearly seen in the example of U49. Behind the open hatch you can see the anti-aircraft gun carriage. 
But already in wartime, the 20-mm anti-aircraft gun was moved to a site located behind the bridge. It is clearly visible in the photo. Alternately, anti-aircraft platforms U25, U38 (Karl Doenitz himself is on the bridge of the boat), U46 
Depending on the type and purpose of the boat, "Dvoyki" received anti-aircraft weapons, both pre-war and during the war. The gun was located in front of the wheelhouse. Either a carriage was installed for it, or it was installed there on a waterproof container (in the form of a barrel) in which the machine gun was stored in a disassembled state).
U23 before the war 
Waterproof "barrel", also known as a carriage on U9 (Black Sea) 
Same thing on U145 
And this is already in finished form. U24 (Black Sea) 
Option for installing an anti-aircraft gun on a carriage. U23 (Black Sea) 
The "Twos" operating in the Black Sea underwent some modification. In particular, the deckhouse was modified towards standard ocean-going boats by adding a platform for installing additional firepower. Boat armament of this type At the World Theater Championship, due to this, it increased to 2-3 barrels per submarine. The photo shows U19 in full armor. Anti-aircraft gun in front of the wheelhouse, twin guns on the platform behind the bridge. By the way, machine guns installed on the sides of the cabin are visible. 
The growing threat from the air forced the Germans to take measures to increase anti-aircraft weapons. The boat received an additional platform for placing fire weapons, on which two pairs of 20-mm machine guns and one (or two) 37-mm machine guns could be placed. This site was nicknamed " Winter Garden"(Wintergarten). Below are photos of boats that surrendered to the Allies U249, U621 and U234 
As the pinnacle of the evolution of anti-aircraft weapons on German boats, the quad anti-aircraft gun Flak Vierling C38/43 - M 43U, which was received by the so-called “anti-aircraft boats”. As an example U441.
In the Mediterranean, the "Sevens" received additional weapons by installing Italian "Breda" machine guns in the form of twin-arms. As an example U81 
A special word worth mentioning is such a “miracle” weapon as the 37 mm SK C/30U - Ubts anti-aircraft gun. LC 39, which fired single shots. This gun was installed on later types submarine cruisers Type IX (B and C) and Type XIV submarine tankers. The "cash cows" carried two guns of this type on either side of the wheelhouse. "Nines" had one installed behind the wheelhouse. Below are examples of such a weapon on the U103. 
Since I did not set myself the task of conducting a complete and detailed description anti-aircraft weapons, I omit such nuances as ammunition and other characteristics of this type of weapon. I once mentioned the training of anti-aircraft gunners on submarines. Examples of confrontation between submarines and aircraft can be found if you look at the topics in my tag.
Firearms and signal weapons
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
7.92 mm MG15 Automatic (50/75 rounds) 800-900 90° 750 m 1-2
7.92 mm MG34 Automatic (50/75 rounds) 600-700 90° 750 m 1-2
7.92 mm MG81Z Automatic (Tape) 2.200 90° 750 m 1-2
In addition, the submarine’s crew had at their disposal 5-10 Mauser 7.65 mm pistols, 5-10 rifles, MP-40 assault rifles, hand grenades and two flare guns.
MG81Z on U33 
In general, I would like to note that German submarines had fire weapons that were quite modern at that time, which had proven themselves well during hostilities. In particular, the British noted after testing the artillery they captured U570 that, compared with the 3-inch gun of the 1917 model mounted on S-type boats, the 88-mm German gun was superior to the British one. The 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun was recognized by them as an excellent and effective weapon, which, to their surprise, did not vibrate when fired and had a good magazine.
Photo resource used to illustrate the note http://www.subsim.com
As usual, Vladimir Nagirnyak pored over the analysis.
The outcome of any war depends on many factors, among which, of course, weapons are of considerable importance. Despite the fact that absolutely all German weapons were very powerful, since Adolf Hitler personally considered them the most important weapon and paid considerable attention to the development of this industry, they failed to inflict damage on their opponents that would significantly influence the course of the war. Why did it happen? Who is at the origins of the creation of a submarine army? Were the German submarines of World War II really that invincible? Why were such prudent Nazis unable to defeat the Red Army? You will find the answer to these and other questions in the review.
general information
Collectively, all equipment in service with the Third Reich during World War II was called the Kriegsmarine, and submarines made up a significant part of the arsenal. IN separate industry underwater equipment was transferred on November 1, 1934, and the fleet was disbanded after the war ended, i.e., having existed for less than a dozen years. In such a short period of time, the German submarines of World War II brought a lot of fear into the souls of their opponents, leaving their huge mark on bloody pages history of the Third Reich. Thousands of dead, hundreds of sunk ships, all this remained on the conscience of the surviving Nazis and their subordinates.
Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine
During World War II, one of the most famous Nazis, Karl Doenitz, was at the helm of the Kriegsmarine. The Germans certainly played an important role in World War II, but without this man this would not have happened. He was personally involved in creating plans to attack opponents, participated in attacks on many ships and achieved success in this path, for which he was awarded one of the most significant awards Nazi Germany. Doenitz was an admirer of Hitler and was his successor, which did a lot of harm to him during Nuremberg trials, because after the death of the Fuhrer he was considered the commander-in-chief of the Third Reich.
Specifications
It is easy to guess that Karl Doenitz was responsible for the condition of the submarine army. German submarines in World War II, photos of which prove their power, had impressive parameters.
In general, the Kriegsmarine was armed with 21 types of submarines. They had the following characteristics:
- displacement: from 275 to 2710 tons;
- surface speed: from 9.7 to 19.2 knots;
- underwater speed: from 6.9 to 17.2;
- diving depth: from 150 to 280 meters.
This proves that the German submarines of World War II were not just powerful, they were the most powerful among the weapons of the countries that fought with Germany.
Composition of the Kriegsmarine
The warships of the German fleet included 1,154 submarines. It is noteworthy that until September 1939 there were only 57 submarines, the rest were built specifically to participate in the war. Some of them were trophies. Thus, there were 5 Dutch, 4 Italian, 2 Norwegian and one English and French submarines. All of them were also in service with the Third Reich.
Achievements of the Navy
The Kriegsmarine inflicted considerable damage on its opponents throughout the war. For example, the most effective captain Otto Kretschmer sank almost fifty enemy ships. There are also record holders among ships. For example, the German submarine U-48 sank 52 ships.
Throughout World War II, 63 destroyers, 9 cruisers, 7 aircraft carriers and even 2 battleships were destroyed. The biggest and most remarkable victory for German army Among them can be considered the sinking of the battleship Royal Oak, whose crew consisted of a thousand people, and its displacement was 31,200 tons.
Plan Z
Since Hitler considered his fleet extremely important for the triumph of Germany over other countries and felt exclusively for it positive feelings, then he paid considerable attention to it and did not limit funding. In 1939, a plan was developed for the development of the Kriegsmarine for the next 10 years, which, fortunately, never came to fruition. According to this plan, several hundred more of the most powerful battleships, cruisers and submarines were to be built.
Powerful German submarines of World War II
Photos of some surviving German submarine technology give an idea of the power of the Third Reich, but only weakly reflect how strong this army was. The majority of the German fleet consisted of Type VII submarines; they had optimal seaworthiness, were of medium size, and most importantly, their construction was relatively inexpensive, which is important in
They could dive to a depth of 320 meters with a displacement of up to 769 tons, the crew ranged from 42 to 52 employees. Despite the fact that the “sevens” were quite high-quality boats, over time, Germany’s enemy countries improved their weapons, so the Germans also had to work on modernizing their brainchild. As a result of this, the boat received several more modifications. The most popular of them was the VIIC model, which became not only the personification military power Germany during the attack on the Atlantic, but it was also much more convenient than previous versions. The impressive dimensions made it possible to install more powerful diesel engines, and subsequent modifications also featured durable hulls, which made it possible to dive deeper.
German submarines of the Second World War were subject to constant, as they would say now, upgrades. One of the most innovative models is considered to be type XXI. This submarine had an air conditioning system and optional equipment, which was intended for a longer stay of the team under water. A total of 118 boats of this type were built.
Kriegsmarine performance results
German submarines of the Second World War, photos of which can often be found in books about military equipment, played a very important role in the offensive of the Third Reich. Their power cannot be underestimated, but it is worth considering that even with such protection from the bloodiest Fuhrer in world history German Navy never managed to bring his power closer to victory. Probably, it is not enough just to have good equipment and strong army, for Germany’s victory, the ingenuity and courage that the brave soldiers of the Soviet Union possessed was not enough. Everyone knows that the Nazis were incredibly bloodthirsty and did not disdain much on their way, but neither an incredibly equipped army nor a lack of principles helped them. Armored vehicles, a huge amount of ammunition and latest developments did not bring the expected results to the Third Reich.
During the First World War, submarines began to be produced with a diesel engine for movement on the surface and an electric engine for movement under water. Even then they were extremely formidable weapons. The German submarine SM UB-110, which cost 3,714,000 marks, however, did not have time to show its power, having lived for only a couple of months.
SM UB-110 of the Type UB III class of coastal torpedo boats was built in the Hamburg docks of Blohm & Voss for the needs of the Kaiserlichmarine and launched on March 23, 1918. Four months later, on July 19, 1918, she was sunk by the British ships HMS Garry, HMS ML 49 and HMS ML 263. 23 crew members were killed. The submarine was later taken ashore to be repaired at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson docks in Wallsend, but the project was not completed and she was sold as scrap.
Perhaps the most unique acquisition of the 20th century in terms of naval weapons were submarines. Before they even appeared, they gave rise to a lot of fulfilled and unfulfilled hopes. It was believed that new combat weapons would revolutionize the war at sea, leveling the “old values” in the form of armadas battleships and armored (battle) cruisers; will nullify general battles as the main means of resolving military confrontation at sea. Now, more than 100 years later, it is interesting to evaluate to what extent such bold predictions were confirmed.
In fact, DPs were most effective in the fight against trafficking, where they achieved truly impressive results. From the standpoint of high strategy, this does not contradict the ideas about achieving the main goals in war. “Trade disruption” hits particularly hard on island, highly developed countries that are traditionally and heavily dependent on exports and imports; in addition, the very concept of “sea supremacy”, which was considered the prerogative of the greats, is discredited sea powers and great fleets. First of all, we are talking about the confrontation between Germany and England and its allies in the world wars and about the United States against Japan. These largest and most instructive examples formed the basis for an extensive and in-depth analysis, search for patterns, up to the development of motivated views on the use of submarines in the future.
As for the capabilities of submarines against military fleets, their main forces, this section is covered in less detail and leaves many questions.
It is noteworthy that even today this is not some routine scholastic question of naval history or application sections development of the combat use of torpedo weapons (BITO). It is relevant in determining the prospects for the construction and development of the fleet. Increased interest in it is aroused by the objectively existing national aspect of the problem. It is no secret that the Navy, especially in post-war period, had a clearly visible underwater orientation. And this despite the fact that both world wars ended with the official defeat of the idea of submarine warfare. After the First World War - with the introduction of the convoy system and Asdikom, in the Second - the introduction of radar and aircraft. In general, following this logic, betting on submarines in the future seemed pointless. Nevertheless, we did it, just as the Germans did before us in World War II. Disputes about the legality of such a step and the actual appearance of the Navy in the years are still raging. cold war: How justified was such a step under the current conditions? The question is not simple, still awaiting its competent researcher.
The most “subtle” point in objective analysis, and therefore in the formation of a specific answer, is the lack of support from combat experience. Fortunately for humanity and inconvenient for specialists, there has been no opportunity to rely on one for 67 years. We are talking about an axiom: only practice is the criterion of truth, in military affairs, in any case. That is why the experience of the 1982 Falklands crisis between Great Britain and Argentina is considered so valuable and unique. But it only strengthens the confidence that, no matter how far submarines go in their development - right up to equipping them with nuclear power plants, space communications and navigation, advanced electronics and nuclear weapons, - they were not able to completely free themselves from the inherent burden of features and limitations of this type of force. The Falklands “underwater experience” turned out to be doubly interesting. This is the experience of combat operations against enemy surface ships (NS). However, we will stick to the chronology and start with the participation of submarines in world wars.
Submarines as a branch of the navy are just over 100 years old. The beginning of a wide combat use and their intensive development dates back to the period of the First World War. Overall this debut can be considered successful. About 600 submarines (372 of them were German submarines, but the Germans also lost the most - 178 submarines), then in service with the warring parties, sent to the bottom more than 55 large warships and hundreds of destroyers with a total displacement of more than 1 million tons and 19 million b.r.t. (gross register ton is a unit of volume equal to 2.83 cubic meters, not currently used) merchant tonnage. The Germans turned out to be the most numerous and productive, chalking up more than 5,860 sunk ships with a total displacement of 13.2 million b.p.t. trade tonnage. The blow mainly fell on English trade and was extremely effective.
The record of sunk tonnage will be repeated, but not surpassed, during the Second World War and, characteristically, much more big amount PL. But the personal record belonging to the German commander Arnaud de la Perriere is more than 440 thousand b.r.t. – not achieved by anyone. The best submariner of the Second World War, also German, Otto Kretschmer, will leave the arena with a score of 244 thousand b.r.t. and 44 sunk ships in the spring of 1941.
If we look at the effectiveness of submarines against the enemy navy, the successes are much more modest even where such actions were specifically planned. This is difficult to reconcile with the hopes and expectations from the first resounding successes of Otto Weddigen, who already in the first days of the war on the primitive U-9 sank three armored cruisers in just over an hour. Other notable achievements are known German submariners in terms of defeating large enemy NKs, but that will come later. In the meantime, “mobilization” of almost all available (about 20 units) submarines for combing North Sea, supposedly swarming with dreadnoughts, did not bring any results. Having learned about the operation in advance, the British removed all valuable oil and gas from the North Sea.
Participation of DPs in Battle of Jutland, which was entrusted big hopes- after all, by 1916, the submarines had already gradually managed to show themselves - they were generally discouraging. They didn't even find anyone there. The main forces of the fleets turned around and converged on the greatest in history naval battle without even being noticed. True, the death of the British Minister of War Field Marshal Lord Kitchener on the cruiser Hampshire, which was blown up by mines, is considered an indirect success of the submarine, but this is nothing more than a consoling “bonus”.
Strictly speaking, the goals in the fight against trade were also unachieved. The blockade of England, hastily declared by the German leadership at the beginning of the war, was not achieved, because it was not backed up by real forces. Then followed a series of bans due to the international scandal over the Lusitania, the accompanying declines in submarine warfare, and a return to the principle of prize law. The belated announcement of unlimited submarine warfare in 1917 did not help either: the enemy had time to prepare.
However, let's return to unfulfilled hopes in terms of the struggle between submarines and NK. It should be noted that in the interwar period (1918-1939) there was no shortage of analysis, researchers and theories on this subject, more profound and interested than in Germany. If in all the variety of reasons and explanations we single out the main ones and discard the particular, biased and secondary ones, which, by the way, are widely used at the “school-cadet” level, the bottom line is that the actions of the German fleet in the First World War were based on the absence of a corresponding to its tasks and material strategy level.
For once, Germany, with a huge effort of all its strength, managed to build the world's second fleet. In combination with recognized the best army this gave rise to hopes of taking a dominant position in Europe, and not only in it. Moreover, such serious military preparations, according to the laws of strategy, are irreversible. But the military-political leadership and naval command There was no Germany. This is recognized primarily by their own specialist researchers. Proceeding from the general to the specific, it is appropriate to extend this problem to the submarine fleet, then a very young branch of the force. This, apparently, is where we have to look for the main reason for the failure to achieve goals in the war. submarine fleet Germany.
One can also see in this quite profound general operational-strategic consequences. Let's not forget that the British Grand Fleet was almost a third stronger than the German Fleet Open sea, and to enter into a general battle with such a balance of forces was, to say the least, reckless. Based on this, the idea of the German naval command was to first weaken the Grand Fleet by luring the British into the sea with part of their forces and catching them there with superior forces, equalizing the forces for a future general battle. After Admiral Hugo von Pohl missed a similar unique opportunity, hopes to equalize forces focused primarily on the successes of submarines. 200 of more than 5,000 transports were lost to mines (1.5 million tons) laid by submarines.
As for other reasons, it is customary to say: the Germans entered World War II with a strategy and a well-developed system for training and using submarine forces. Compared to the Second, the First World War, without exaggeration, was a battle of talented, daring and enterprising single submariners. This is understandable, the young branch of the force had few experienced specialists, the submarines had limited tactical and technical characteristics before the war. The fleet command itself lacked clear and distinct views on the use of submarines. Young submarine commanders with their modest captain-lieutenant stripes and sometimes valuable proposals against the backdrop of brilliant and venerable flagships and ship commanders of the High Seas Fleet were simply lost. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main decisions on the conduct of submarine warfare were made without taking into account and deep knowledge features of the use of submarines. Throughout the war, submarines remained a thing in themselves for naval operators and high command.