English admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham said: “It takes the fleet three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to create a tradition." The German fleet, the enemy of the British at sea during both world wars, was very young and did not have that much time, but German sailors tried to create their traditions in an accelerated version - for example, using the continuity of generations. A striking example of such a dynasty is the family of Admiral General Otto Schulze.
Otto Schultze was born on May 11, 1884 in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony). His naval career began in 1900, when at the age of 16 Schulze was enlisted in the Kaiserlichmarine as a cadet. Having completed his training and practical training, Schulze received the rank of lieutenant zur see in September 1903 - at that time he served on the armored cruiser Prince Heinrich (SMS Prinz Heinrich). Schulze met the First World War already on board the dreadnought SMS König with the rank of lieutenant commander. In May 1915, tempted by the prospect of service on submarines, Schulze transferred from battle fleet to the submarine, took courses at the submariner school in Kiel and received command of the training submarine U 4. At the end of the same year, he was appointed commander of the ocean-going boat U 63, which was under construction, which entered service with the German fleet on March 11, 1916.
Otto Schulze (1884–1966) and his middle son Heinz-Otto Schulze (1915–1943) - it is clear that, in addition to the love of the sea, the father passed on his characteristic appearance to his sons. His father's nickname "The Nose" was inherited by his eldest son, Wolfgang Schulze.
The decision to become a submariner was fateful for Schulze, since service on submarines gave him much more in terms of career and fame than he could have achieved on surface ships. During his command of U 63 (03/11/1916 - 08/27/1917 and 10/15/1917 - 12/24/1917), Schulze achieved impressive successes, sinking the British cruiser HMS Falmouth and 53 ships with a total tonnage of 132,567 tons, and deservedly decorated his uniform with the most prestigious award in Germany - the Prussian Order of Merit (Pour le Mérite).
Among Schulze's victories is the sinking of the ex-liner Transylvania (14,348 tons), which was used by the British Admiralty during the war as a troop transport. On the morning of May 4, 1917, the Transylvania, which was sailing from Marseilles to Alexandria guarded by two Japanese destroyers, was torpedoed by U 63. The first torpedo hit amidships, and ten minutes later Schulze finished it off with a second torpedo. The sinking of the liner was accompanied big amount victims - “Transylvania” was crowded with people. On that day, in addition to the crew, there were 2,860 soldiers, 200 officers and 60 medical personnel on board. The next day, the Italian coast was littered with the bodies of the dead - U 63 torpedoes caused the death of 412 people.
The British cruiser Falmouth was sunk by U 63 under the command of Otto Schulze on August 20, 1916. Before this, the ship was damaged by another German boat U 66 and was taken into tow. This explains the small number of casualties during the sinking - only 11 sailors died
After leaving the bridge of U 63, Schulze headed the 1st Boat Flotilla based at Pola (Austria-Hungary) until May 1918, combining this position with service on the headquarters of the commander of all submarine forces in the Mediterranean. The submarine ace met the end of the war with the rank of corvette captain, becoming a recipient of many awards from Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
Between the wars he held various staff and command positions, continuing to move up career ladder: in April 1925 - frigate captain, in January 1928 - captain zur see, in April 1931 - rear admiral. At the time of Hitler's rise to power, Schulze was commander of the Naval Station North Sea. The arrival of the Nazis did not affect his career in any way - in October 1934, Schulze became a vice admiral, and two years later he received the rank of full admiral of the fleet. In October 1937, Schulze retired, but with the outbreak of World War II he returned to the fleet, and finally left service on September 30, 1942 with the rank of admiral general. The veteran survived the war safely and died on January 22, 1966 in Hamburg at the age of 81.
The ocean liner Transylvania, sunk by Otto Schulze, was the newest ship launched in 1914.
The underwater ace had a large family. In 1909, he married Magda Raben, with whom six children were born - three girls and three boys. Of her daughters, only youngest daughter Rosemary, her two sisters died in infancy. Fate was more favorable to Schulze's sons: Wolfgang, Heinz-Otto and Rudolf, having reached adulthood, followed in their father's footsteps, enlisting in the Navy and becoming submariners. Contrary to Russian fairy tales, in which traditionally “the eldest was smart, the middle one was this and that, the youngest was completely a fool,” the abilities of the sons of Admiral Schulze were distributed quite differently.
Wolfgang Schulze
On October 2, 1942, an American B-18 anti-submarine aircraft spotted a submarine on the surface 15 miles off the coast of French Guiana. The first attack was successful, and the boat, which turned out to be U 512 (type IXC), disappeared under water after the explosion of bombs dropped from the plane, leaving an oil slick on the surface. The place where the submarine lay on the bottom turned out to be shallow, which gave the surviving submariners a chance of salvation - the bow depth gauge showed 42 meters. About 15 people ended up in the bow torpedo compartment, which in such situations could serve as a refuge.
By the beginning of World War II, the main American bomber, the Douglas B-18 Bolo, was outdated and was replaced from bomber units by the four-engine B-17. However, there was also something to do for the B-18 - more than 100 vehicles were equipped with search radars and magnetic anomalous detectors and transferred to anti-submarine service. In this capacity, their service was also short-lived, and the sunk U 512 became one of the Bolo’s few successes.
It was decided to go outside through the torpedo tubes, but there were half as many breathing apparatus as there were people in the compartment. In addition, the room began to fill with chlorine, which was released by the batteries of electric torpedoes. As a result, only one submariner managed to rise to the surface - 24-year-old sailor Franz Machen.
The crew of a B-18 circling over the scene of the sinking noticed the surviving submariner and dropped a life raft. Machen spent ten days on the raft before being picked up by a US Navy ship. During his “solo voyage,” the sailor was attacked by birds, which inflicted significant wounds on him with their beaks, but Machen fought back the aggressors, and two winged predators were caught by him. Having torn the carcasses into pieces and dried them in the sun, the submariner ate bird meat, despite its disgusting taste. On October 12, it was discovered by the American destroyer Ellis. Subsequently, while being interrogated by the US Navy Intelligence Department, Machen gave a description of his deceased commander.
“According to the testimony of the only survivor, the team submarine cruiser U 512 consisted of 49 sailors and officers. Its commander was Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Schulze, the son of an admiral and a member of the "Nose" Schulze family, which left a significant mark on German naval history. However, Wolfgang Schulze was little comparable to his famous ancestors. He did not enjoy the love and respect of his crew, who considered him a narcissistic, incontinent, incompetent person. Schulze drank heavily on board and punished his men very severely for even the most minor violations of discipline. However, in addition to the loss of morale among the crew due to the constant and excessive tightening of the screws by the boat commander, Schulze’s crew was dissatisfied with his professional skills as a submarine commander. Believing that fate had destined him to become the second Prien, Schulze commanded the boat with extreme recklessness. The rescued submariner stated that during U 512 tests and exercises, Schulze was always inclined to remain on the surface during training attacks from the air, repelling aircraft attacks with anti-aircraft fire, while he could give the order to dive without warning his gunners, who after leaving the boats underwater remained in the water until Schulze surfaced and picked them up.”
Of course, one person's opinion may be too subjective, but if Wolfgang Schultze lived up to the description given to him, then he was very different from his father and brother Heinz-Otto. It is especially worth noting that for Wolfgang this was the first military campaign as a boat commander, in which he managed to sink three ships with a total tonnage of 20,619 tons. It is curious that Wolfgang inherited his father’s nickname, given to him during his service in the navy - “Nose” (German: Nase). The origin of the nickname becomes obvious when looking at the photo - the old underwater ace had a large and expressive nose.
Heinz-Otto Schulze
If the father of the Schultze family could be truly proud of anyone, it was his middle son, Heinz-Otto Schultze. He joined the fleet four years later than the elder Wolfgang, but managed to achieve much greater success, comparable to the achievements of his father.
One of the reasons why this happened is the history of the brothers’ service until they were appointed commanders of combat submarines. Wolfgang, after receiving the rank of lieutenant in 1934, served on shore and on surface ships - before joining the submarine in April 1940, he was an officer for two years on the battlecruiser Gneisenau. After eight months of training and practice, the eldest of the Schulze brothers was appointed commander of the training boat U 17, which he commanded for ten months, after which he received the same position on U 512. Based on the fact that Wolfgang Schulze had practically no combat experience and despised caution , his death in the first campaign is quite natural.
Heinz-Otto Schulze returned from his campaign. To his right is the flotilla commander and submarine ace Robert-Richard Zapp ( Robert-Richard Zapp), 1942
Unlike his older brother, Heinz-Otto Schulze deliberately followed in his father's footsteps and, having become a naval lieutenant in April 1937, immediately chose to serve in submarines. After completing his training in March 1938, he was appointed watch officer on the boat U 31 (type VIIA), on which he met the outbreak of World War II. The boat was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Johannes Habekost, with whom Schulze made four military campaigns. As a result of one of them, the British battleship Nelson was blown up and damaged by mines laid by U 31.
In January 1940, Heinz-Otto Schulze was sent to a course for submarine commanders, after which he commanded training U 4, then became the first commander of U 141, and in April 1941 he took delivery of the brand new “seven” U 432 (type VIIC) from the shipyard. Having received his own boat, Schulze showed an excellent result on his first voyage, sinking four ships totaling 10,778 tons during the battle of the Markgraf boat group with convoy SC-42 on September 9–14, 1941. The commander of the submarine forces, Karl Doenitz, gave the following characterization of the actions of the young commander of U 432: "The commander achieved success in his first campaign by persevering in the attack of the convoy."
Subsequently, Heinz-Otto made six more military campaigns on U 432 and only once returned from the sea without the triangular pennants on the periscope, which German submariners celebrated their successes. In July 1942, Dönitz awarded Schulze the Knight's Cross, deeming that he had reached the 100,000-ton mark. This was not entirely true: personal account The commander of U 432 amounted to 20 sunk ships for 67,991 tons, two more ships for 15,666 tons were damaged (according to the website http://uboat.net). However, Heitz-Otto was in good standing with the command, he was brave and decisive, and at the same time acted prudently and calmly, for which he was nicknamed “Mask” by his colleagues (German: Maske).
The last moments of U 849 under the bombs of the American "Liberator" from the naval squadron VB-107
Of course, when he was awarded by Doenitz, the fourth cruise of U 432 in February 1942 was also taken into account, with which Schulze confirmed the hope of the commander of the submarine forces that the boats of the VII series could successfully operate off the east coast of the United States together with the submarine cruisers of the IX series without refueling. On that voyage, Schulze spent 55 days at sea, during which time he sank five ships totaling 25,107 tons.
However, despite his obvious talent as a submariner, Admiral Schulze's second son suffered the same fate as his older brother Wolfgang. Having received command of the new submarine cruiser U 849 type IXD2, Otto-Heinz Schulze died along with the boat on his first voyage. On November 25, 1943, the American Liberator put an end to the fate of the boat and its entire crew off the east coast of Africa with its bombs.
Rudolf Schulze
Admiral Schulze's youngest son began serving in the navy after the war began, in December 1939, and not much is known about the details of his career in the Kriegsmarine. In February 1942, Rudolf Schultze was appointed watch officer of the submarine U 608 under the command of Oberleutnant Rolf Struckmeier. On it, he made four military campaigns in the Atlantic with a result of four sunk ships for 35,539 tons.
Former boat Rudolf Schulze U 2540 on display at the Naval Museum in Bremerhaven, Bremen, Germany
In August 1943, Rudolf was sent to a training course for submarine commanders and a month later became commander of the training submarine U 61. At the end of 1944, Rudolf was appointed commander of the new “electric boat” XXI series U 2540, which he commanded until the end of the war. It is curious that this boat was sunk on May 4, 1945, but in 1957 it was raised, restored and in 1960 included in the German Navy under the name “Wilhelm Bauer”. In 1984, she was transferred to the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, where she is still used as a museum ship.
Rudolf Schulze was the only one of the brothers to survive the war and died in 2000 at the age of 78.
Other "underwater" dynasties
It is worth noting that the Schulze family is no exception for the German fleet and its submarines - history also knows other dynasties when sons followed in the footsteps of their fathers, replacing them on the bridges of submarines.
Family Albrecht gave two submarine commanders in the First World War. Oberleutnant zur See Werner Albrecht led the underwater minelayer UC 10 on his first trip, which turned out to be his last when on August 21, 1916, the minelayer was torpedoed by the British boat E54. There were no survivors. Kurt Albrecht successively commanded four boats and repeated the fate of his brother - he died on U 32 along with the crew northwest of Malta on May 8, 1918 from depth charges of the British sloop HMS Wallflower.
The surviving sailors from the submarines U 386 and U 406 sunk by the British frigate Spray disembark the ship in Liverpool - for them the war is over.
Two submarine commanders from younger generation Albrechtov. Rolf Heinrich Fritz Albrecht, commander of U 386 (Type VIIC), achieved no success but managed to survive the war. On February 19, 1944, his boat was sunk in North Atlantic depth charges from the British frigate HMS Spey. Part of the boat's crew, including the commander, was captured. The commander of the torpedo carrier U 1062 (type VIIF), Karl Albrecht, was much less fortunate - he died on September 30, 1944 in the Atlantic along with the boat during the passage from Penang, Malay to France. Near Cape Verde, the boat was attacked by depth charges and sank by the American destroyer USS Fessenden.
Family Franz was noted by one submarine commander in the First World War: Lieutenant-Commander Adolf Franz commanded the boats U 47 and U 152, surviving safely until the end of the war. Two more boat commanders took part in World War II - Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Franz, commander of U 27 (type VIIA), and Ludwig Franz, commander of U 362 (type VIIC).
The first of them, within a matter of days after the start of the war, managed to establish himself as an aggressive commander with all the makings of an underwater ace, but luck quickly turned away from Johannes Franz. His boat became the second German submarine sunk in World War II. Having unsuccessfully attacked the British destroyers HMS Forester and HMS Fortune west of Scotland on September 20, 1939, she herself became the prey instead of the hunter. The boat commander and his crew spent the entire war in captivity.
Ludwig Franz is interesting primarily because he was the commander of one of the German boats that became a confirmed victim of the USSR Navy during the Great War. Patriotic War. The submarine was sunk by depth charges of the Soviet minesweeper T-116 on September 5, 1944 in the Kara Sea along with the entire crew, without having time to achieve any success.
The armored cruiser Dupetit-Thouars was torpedoed by the U 62 boat under the command of Ernst Hashagen on the evening of August 7, 1918 in the Brest area. The ship sank slowly, which made it possible for the crew to leave it in an orderly manner - only 13 sailors died
Surname Hashagen in the First World War was represented by two successful submarine commanders. Hinrich Hermann Hashagen, commander of U 48 and U 22, survived the war, sinking 28 ships for 24,822 tons. Ernst Hashagen, commander of UB 21 and U 62, achieved truly outstanding successes - 53 ships destroyed for 124,535 tons and two warships (the French armored cruiser Dupetit-Thouars and the British sloop Tulip) (HMS Tulip)) and the well-deserved “Blue Max”, as Pour le Mérite was called, around the neck. He left behind a book of memoirs called “U-Boote Westwarts!”
During World War II, Oberleutnant zur See Berthold Hashagen, commander of the submarine cruiser U 846 (type IXC/40), was less fortunate. He died along with the boat and crew in the Bay of Biscay on May 4, 1944 from bombs dropped by the Canadian Wellington.
Family Walter gave the fleet two submarine commanders in World War I. Lieutenant Commander Hans Walther, commander of U 17 and U 52, sank 39 ships for 84,791 tons and three warships - the British light cruiser HMS Nottingham, the French battleship Suffren and the British submarine C34. Since 1917, Hans Walter commanded the famous Flanders submarine flotilla, in which many German submarine aces of the First World War fought, and ended his naval career in the Kriegsmarine with the rank of rear admiral.
The battleship "Suffren" is a victim of a submarine attack by U 52 under the command of Hans Walter on November 26, 1916, off the coast of Portugal. After the explosion of the ammunition, the ship sank in seconds, killing all 648 crew members.
Oberleutnant zur See Franz Walther, commander of UB 21 and UB 75, sank 20 ships (29,918 tons). He died along with the entire crew of the boat UB 75 on December 10, 1917 at a minefield near Scarborough ( West Coast Great Britain). Lieutenant zur See Herbert Walther, who commanded the boat U 59 at the end of World War II, did not achieve success, but managed to survive until Germany surrendered.
Concluding the story about family dynasties in the German submarine fleet, I would like to note once again that the fleet is, first of all, not ships, but people. This applies not only to the German fleet, but will also apply to military sailors of other countries.
List of sources and literature
- Gibson R., Prendergast M. German submarine war 1914–1918. Translated from German – Minsk: “Harvest”, 2002
- Wynn K. U-Boat Operations of the Second World War. Vol.1–2 – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998
- Busch R., Roll H.-J. German U-boat Commanders of World War II – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999
- Ritschel H. Kurzfassung Kriegstagesbuecher Deutscher U-Boote 1939–1945. Band 8. Norderstedt
- Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunters, 1939–1942 – Random House, 1996
- Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942–1945 – Random House, 1998
- http://www.uboat.net
- http://www.uboatarchive.net
- http://historisches-marinearchiv.de
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 by Japanese troops in 1945 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.
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. Underwater equipment became a separate industry 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. German submarines certainly played a role in World War II important role, but without this person 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 these was the VIIC model, which not only became the personification of Germany's military power during the attack on the Atlantic, but 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. An air conditioning system and additional equipment were created in this submarine, which was intended for a longer stay of the crew under water. A total of 118 boats of this type were built.
Kriegsmarine performance results
Germany 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 patronage from the bloodiest Fuhrer in world history, the German fleet did not manage to bring its power closer to victory. Probably, good equipment and a strong army were not enough; for Germany’s victory, the ingenuity and courage that the brave warriors possessed was not enough Soviet Union. 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.
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 merchant fleet. 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 by various reasons, 224 were sunk by the Nazi crews themselves after the surrender of Germany and 184 capitulated.
Nazi submariners sank 2 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 6 cruisers, 88 other surface ships and about 15 million tons of Allied merchant tonnage during World War II.
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 Type VIIB submarines:
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 overseas design bureaus, in which projects of 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 compressed air cylinders were equipped.
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 |
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Directly on the bridge there were periscope guides and a stand optical device fire control (UZO) used in surface attacks, 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. The maximum speed under water was 8 knots, the range in the 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. The chief mechanic 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. The internal arrangement was aimed at maximizing the use of the boat's tonnage 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. 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 |