21 Mar

German submarine fleet during World War II

In this article you will learn:

The submarine fleet of the Third Reich has its own interesting history.

Germany's defeat in the war of 1914-1918 brought it a ban on the construction of submarines, but after Adolf Hitler came to power, it radically changed the arms situation in Germany.

Creation of the Navy

In 1935, Germany signed a naval agreement with Great Britain, which resulted in the submarines being recognized as obsolete weapons, and thus Germany receiving permission to build them.

All submarines were subordinate to the Kriegsmarine - the Navy of the Third Reich.

Karl Demitz

In the summer of the same 1935, the Fuhrer appointed Karl Dönitz as commander of all submarines of the Reich; he held this post until 1943, when he was appointed commander-in-chief of the German Navy. In 1939, Dönitz received the rank of rear admiral.

He personally developed and planned many operations. A year later, in September, Karl becomes vice-admiral, and after another year and a half he receives the rank of admiral, at the same time he receives the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

It is he who owns most of the strategic developments and ideas used during submarine wars. Dönitz created a new supercaste, the “unsinkable Pinocchios,” from his subordinate submariners, and he himself received the nickname “Papa Carlo.” All submariners passed intensive training, and knew the capabilities of their submarine thoroughly.

Dönitz's submarine combat tactics were so talented that they received the nickname "wolf packs" from the enemy. The tactics of the “wolf packs” were as follows: the submarines lined up in such a way that one of the submarines could detect the approach of an enemy convoy. Having found the enemy, the submarine transmitted an encrypted message to the center, and then it continued its journey in a surface position parallel to the enemy, but quite far behind him. The remaining submarines were centered on the enemy convoy, and they surrounded it like a pack of wolves and attacked, taking advantage of their numerical superiority. Such hunts were usually carried out in the dark.

Construction

The German Navy had 31 combat and training submarine fleets. Each of the flotillas had a clearly organized structure. The number of submarines included in a particular flotilla could vary. Submarines were often withdrawn from one unit and assigned to another. During combat trips to sea, command was occupied by one of the commanders of the operational group of the submarine fleet, and in cases of very important operations The commander of the submarine fleet, Befelshaber der Unterseeboth, took control.

Throughout the war, Germany built and fully equipped 1,153 submarines. During the war, fifteen submarines were seized from the enemy, they were introduced into the “wolf pack”. Turkish and five Dutch submarines took part in the battles, two Norwegian, three Dutch and one French and one English were training, four Italian were transport and one Italian submarine was docked.

As a rule, the main targets of Dönitz's submarines were enemy transport ships, which were responsible for providing the troops with everything they needed. During a meeting with an enemy ship, he acted main principle“wolf pack” - destroy more ships than the enemy can build. Such tactics bore fruit from the first days of the war across vast expanses of water from Antarctica to South Africa.

Requirements

The basis of the Nazi submarine fleet were submarines of the 1,2,7,9,14,23 series. At the end of the 30s, Germany mainly built submarines of three series.

The main requirement for the first submarines was the use of submarines in coastal waters, such were the second class submarines, they were easy to maintain, well maneuverable and could dive in a few seconds, but their drawback was a small ammunition load, so they were discontinued in 1941.

During the battle in the Atlantic, the seventh series of submarines was used, the development of which was originally carried out by Finland; they were considered the most reliable, since they were equipped with snorkels - a device thanks to which the battery could be charged under water. In total, more than seven hundred of them were built. Submarines of the ninth series were used for combat in the ocean, since they had a large radius of action and could sail without refueling even in Pacific Ocean.

Complexes

The construction of a huge submarine flotilla implied the construction of a complex of defense structures. It was planned to build powerful concrete bunkers with fortification structures for minesweepers and torpedo boats, with firing points and shelters for artillery. Special shelters were also built in Hamburg and Kiel at their naval bases. After the fall of Norway, Belgium and Holland, Germany received additional military bases.

So for their submarines the Nazis created bases in Norwegian Bergen and Trondheim and French Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux.

In Bremen, Germany, a plant was installed for the production of series 11 submarines; it was installed in the middle of a huge bunker near the Weser River. Several bases for submarines were provided to the Germans by the Japanese allies, a base in Penang and on the Malay Peninsula, and an additional center for the repair of German submarines was equipped in the Indonesian Jakarta and the Japanese Kobe.

Armament

The main weapons of Dönitz's submarines were torpedoes and mines, the effectiveness of which was constantly increasing. The submarines were also equipped with 88 mm or 105 mm caliber artillery guns, and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could also be installed. However, starting from 1943, the artillery guns were gradually removed, since the effectiveness of the deck guns decreased significantly, but the danger of an air attack, on the contrary, forced the power of anti-aircraft weapons to be strengthened. For the effectiveness of underwater combat German engineers were able to develop a radar radiation detector, which made it possible to avoid British radar stations. Already at the end of the war, the Germans began to equip their submarines big amount batteries, which made it possible to reach speeds of up to seventeen knots, but the end of the war did not allow the fleet to be rearmed.

Fighting

Submarines took part in combat operations in 1939-1945 in 68 operations. During this time, 149 enemy warships were sunk by submarines, two of them battleships, three aircraft carriers, five cruisers, eleven destroyers and many other vessels, with a total tonnage of 14879472 gross register tons.

Sinking of the Coreages

The Wolfpack's first major victory was the sinking of the USS Coreages. This happened in September 1939, the aircraft carrier was sunk by the submarine U-29 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Shewhart. After the aircraft carrier was sunk, the submarine was pursued by accompanying destroyers for four hours, but U-29 was able to escape with almost no damage.

Destruction of Royal Oak

The next brilliant victory was the destruction of the Battleship Royal Oak. This happened after the submarine U-47 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gunther Prien penetrated the English naval base at Scala Flow. After this raid, the British fleet had to be relocated to another location for six months.

Victory over Ark Royal

Another resounding victory of Dönitz's submarines was the torpedoing of the Ark Royal aircraft carrier. In November 1941, the submarines U-81 and U-205, located near Gibraltar, were ordered to attack British ships returning from Malta. During the attack, the Ark Royal aircraft carrier was hit; at first the British hoped that they would be able to tow the stricken aircraft carrier, but this was not possible, and the Ark Royal sank.

From the beginning of 1942, German submariners began to conduct military operations in US territorial waters. The cities of the United States were not dark even at night, cargo ships and tankers moved without military escort, so the number of destroyed American ships was calculated by the supply of torpedoes on the submarine, so the submarine U-552 sank seven American ships in one exit.

Legendary submariners

The most successful submariners of the Third Reich were Otto Kretschmer and Captain Wolfgang Lüth, who managed to sink 47 ships each with a tonnage of over 220 thousand tons. The most effective was the submarine U-48, whose crew sank 51 ships, with a tonnage of about 305 thousand tons. The most long time The submarine U-196 was at sea, under the command of Eitel-Friedrich Kentrath, which was at sea for 225 days.

Equipment

To communicate with submarines, radiograms encrypted on a special Enigma encryption machine were used. Great Britain made every possible effort to obtain this device, since there was no other way to decipher the texts, but as soon as the opportunity arose to steal such a machine from a captured submarine, the Germans first of all destroyed the device and all encryption documents. However, they still succeeded after capturing U-110 and U-505, and a number of encrypted documents also fell into their hands. U-110 was attacked by British depth charges in May 1941, as a result of the damage the submarine was forced to surface, the Germans planned to escape from the submarine and sink it, but they did not have time to sink it, so the boat was captured by the British, and Enigma fell into their hands. and magazines with codes and maps of minefields. In order to keep the secret of the Enigma capture, the entire surviving crew of submariners was rescued from the water, and the boat itself was soon sunk. The resulting ciphers allowed the British to be aware of German radio messages until 1942, until Enigma was complicated. The capture of encrypted documents on board U-559 helped break this code. She was attacked by British destroyers in 1942 and taken into tow, and a new variation of Enigma was also found there, but the submarine quickly began to sink to the bottom and the encryption machine, along with two British sailors, sank.

Victory

During the war, German submarines were captured many times, some of them were also subsequently put into service with the enemy fleet, such as the U-57, which became the British submarine Graf, which carried out combat operations in 1942-1944. The Germans lost several of their submarines due to defects in the design of the submarines themselves. So the submarine U-377 sank to the bottom in 1944 due to the explosion of its own circulating torpedo; the details of the sinking are not known, since the entire crew also died.

Fuhrer's convoy

In the service of Dönitz, there was also another division of submarines, called the “Fuhrer Convoy”. The secret group included thirty-five submarines. The British believed that these submarines were intended to transport minerals from South America. However, it remains a mystery why at the end of the war, when the submarine fleet was almost completely destroyed, Dönitz did not withdraw more than one submarine from the Fuhrer Convoy.

There are versions that these submarines were used to control the secret Nazi Base 211 in Antarctica. However, two of the convoy's submarines were discovered after the war near Argentina, whose captains claimed that they were transporting an unknown secret cargo and two secret passengers in South America. Some of the submarines of this “ghost convoy” were never discovered after the war, and there were almost no mentions of them in military documents, these are U-465, U-209. In total, historians talk about the fate of only 9 out of 35 submarines - U-534, U-530, U-977, U-234, U-209, U-465, U-590, U-662, U863.

Sunset

The beginning of the end for German submarines was 1943, when the first failures of Dönitz’s submariners began. The first failures were due to the improvement of the Allied radar, the next blow to Hitler’s submarines was the growing industrial power of the United States, they managed to build ships faster than the Germans sank them. Even the installation of the latest torpedoes on the 13 series submarines could not tip the scales in favor of the Nazis. During the war, Germany lost almost 80% of its submariners; at the end of the war, only seven thousand were alive.

However, Dönitz's submarines fought for Germany until the last day. Dönitz himself became Hitler's successor, later arrested and sentenced to ten years.

Categories:// from 03/21/2017

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 anti-Hitler coalition. The peak of submarine warfare was 1942, when the Germans sank 6.3 million tons of merchant shipping. And throughout the war, the Allies lost 15 million tons.

The turning point occurred at the end of 1942, which caused panic among the fascist command. Their submarines disappeared without a trace one after another. The commanders of the submarines that miraculously returned said that planes found them when they were on the surface in any weather: in fog, at night. And they hit with bombs.

The reason for the increased German losses was the appearance of radar equipment on aircraft and ships. German submarines had to hide under water, and there they had insufficient voyage time. On the aircraft's radar screen, flying at an altitude of 9,750 feet (3,000 m), the surfaced submarine was visible 80 miles (150 km) away.

After the start of the use of radar, Allied aircraft were able to constantly monitor the area of ​​​​operation of German submarines. England alone had 1,500 anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and the total number of Allied aircraft was more than double this number.

If the plane was flying at a speed of 150 km/h, then it saw the submarine half an hour away from it, and depending on the weather, it was 5-7 miles away under the clear sun and could not even spot it in the clouds and fog. In the best case for her, she managed to dive into the water, but often the dive took place under bombs exploding nearby. The bombs damaged or sank the submarine.

When shore-based aircraft with a flight range of at least 600 miles (1600 km) appeared, British coastal defenses became enemy number one for German submarines.

In response to radar, the Germans invented the radar receiver, which informed German submariners that the submarine had been detected by an 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 aircraft was accelerated naval aviation USA and models for army aviation.

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.

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 boat "Batiray" was built at the Germaniawerft shipyard by order of Turkey, but was requisitioned by German troops and in 1939 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.

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 A similar 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 to his sons characteristic appearance. 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 by a large number of casualties - the Transylvania was overcrowded 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 North Sea Naval Station. 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 big 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 crew of the 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. Interestingly, Wolfgang inherited his father's nickname, given to him during 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 combat trips on U 432 and only once returned from the sea without the triangular pennants on the periscope with 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).

Last moments 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 the U 386 (type VIIC), achieved no success but managed to survive the war. On 19 February 1944, his boat was sunk in the North Atlantic by 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 in the Great 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

1. Gibson R., Prendergast M. German submarine war 1914–1918. Translated from German – Minsk: “Harvest”, 2002
2. Wynn K. U-Boat Operations of the Second World War. Vol.1–2 – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998
3. Busch R., Roll H.-J. German U-boat Commanders of World War II – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999
4. Ritschel H. Kurzfassung Kriegstagesbuecher Deutscher U-Boote 1939–1945. Band 8. Norderstedt
5. Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunters, 1939–1942 – Random House, 1996
6. Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942–1945 – Random House, 1998
7. http://www.uboat.net
8. http://www.uboatarchive.net
9. http://historisches-marinearchiv.de

During the Second World War, fights and duels were fought not only on land and in the air, but also at sea. And what’s noteworthy is that submarines also took part in the duels. Although the bulk of the German Navy was involved in battles on the Atlantic, a significant share of fights between submarines took place on Soviet-German front– in the Baltic, Barents and Kara seas...

The Third Reich entered World War II with not the largest submarine fleet in the world - only 57 submarines. The Soviet Union (211 units), the USA (92 units), and France (77 units) had much more submarines in service. The biggest naval battles The Second World War, in which the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) participated, took place in the Atlantic Ocean, where the main enemy of the German troops was the most powerful navy group of the Western allies of the USSR. However, fierce confrontation took place between the Soviet and German fleets- in the Baltic, Black and North Seas. Submarines took an active part in these battles. Both Soviet and German submariners showed tremendous skill in destroying enemy transport and combat ships. The effectiveness of the use of the submarine fleet was quickly appreciated by the leaders of the Third Reich. In 1939–1945 German shipyards managed to launch 1,100 new submarines - this is more than any country participating in the conflict was able to produce during the war years - and, indeed, all the states that were part of the Anti-Hitler coalition.

The Baltic occupied a special place in military-political plans Third Reich. First of all, it was a vital channel for the supply of raw materials to Germany from Sweden (iron, various ores) and Finland (timber, agricultural products). Sweden alone satisfied 75% of the ore needs of German industry. The Kriegsmarine has many naval bases in the Baltic Sea, and the skerry area Gulf of Finland had a great abundance of convenient anchorages and deep-water fairways. This created excellent conditions for the German submarine fleet for active combat operations in the Baltic. Soviet submariners began carrying out combat missions in the summer of 1941. By the end of 1941, they managed to send 18 German submarines to the bottom transport ships. But submariners also paid a huge price - in 1941. Baltic Navy lost 27 submarines.

In the book by Navy history expert Gennady Drozhzhin “Aces and Propaganda. Myths of Underwater Warfare" contains interesting data. According to the historian, of all nine German submarines operating in all seas and sunk by Allied submarines, four boats were sunk by Soviet submariners. At the same time, German submarine aces were able to destroy 26 enemy submarines (including three Soviet ones). Data from Drozhzhin’s book indicate that during the Second World War duels took place between underwater vessels. The fights between the submarines of the USSR and Germany ended with a result of 4:3 in favor of the Soviet sailors. According to Drozhzhin, only Soviet M-type vehicles - “Malyutka” - took part in fights with German submarines.

“Malyutka” is a small submarine with a length of 45 m (width - 3.5 m) and an underwater displacement of 258 tons. The crew of the submarine consisted of 36 people. “Malyutka” could dive to a limiting depth of 60 meters and remain at sea without replenishing supplies of drinking and technical water, provisions and consumables for 7–10 days. The armament of the M-type submarine included two bow torpedo tubes and a 45-mm gun in the wheelhouse fence. The boats had quick diving systems. If used skillfully, the Malyutka, despite its small dimensions, could destroy any submarine of the Third Reich.

Diagram of the submarine type "M" XII series

The first victory in duels between submarines of the USSR and Germany was won by Kriegsmarine servicemen. This happened on June 23, 1941, when the German submarine U-144 under the command of Lieutenant Friedrich von Hippel was able to send the Soviet submarine M-78 (under the command of Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Shevchenko) to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Already on July 11, U-144 discovered and attempted to destroy another Soviet submarine, the M-97. This attempt ended in failure. U-144, like Malyutka, was a small submarine and was launched on January 10, 1940. The German submarine was heavier than its Soviet counterpart (underwater displacement of 364 tons) and could dive to a depth of more than 120 meters.

Submarine type "M" XII series M-104 "Yaroslavsky Komsomolets", Northern Fleet

In this duel of the “lightweight” representatives, the German submarine won. But U-144 failed to increase its combat list. On August 10, 1941, the German ship was discovered by the Soviet medium diesel submarine Shch-307 “Pike” (under the command of Lieutenant Commander N. Petrov) in the area of ​​the island. Dago in the Soelosund Strait (Baltic). The Pike had a much more powerful torpedo armament (10 533 mm torpedoes and 6 torpedo tubes - four at the bow and two at the stern) than its German opponent. The Pike fired a two-torpedo salvo. Both torpedoes hit the target accurately, and U-144, along with its entire crew (28 people), was destroyed. Drozhzhin claims that the German submarine was destroyed by the Soviet submarine M-94 under the command of Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dyakov. But in fact, Dyakov’s boat became a victim of another German submarine - U-140. This happened on the night of July 21, 1941 near the island of Utö. M-94, along with another submarine M-98, patrolled the island. At first, the submarines were accompanied by three minesweeper boats. But later, at 03:00, the escort left the submarines, and they continued on their own: M-94, trying to quickly charge the batteries, went deep, and M-98 headed under the shore. At the Kõpu lighthouse, the M-94 submarine was hit in the stern. It was a torpedo fired from the German submarine U-140 (commander J. Hellriegel). The torpedoed Soviet submarine rested on the ground, the bow and superstructure of the submarine rose above the water.

The location of the Soviet submarine M-94 after it was hit by German torpedoes
Source – http://ww2history.ru

The crew of the M-98 submarine decided that the “partner” had been blown up by a mine, and began rescuing the M-94 - they began to launch rubber boat. At that moment, the M-94 spotted the periscope of an enemy submarine. The commander of the helmsman squad, S. Kompaniets, began to semaphore the M-98 with pieces of his vest, warning of an attack by a German submarine. M-98 managed to evade the torpedo in time. The crew of U-140 did not re-attack the Soviet submarine, and the German submarine disappeared. M-94 soon sank. 8 crew members of the Malyutka were killed. The rest were rescued by the M-98 crew. Another “Malyutka” that died in a collision with German submarines was the M-99 submarine under the command of Senior Lieutenant Boris Mikhailovich Popov. M-99 was destroyed during combat duty near the island of Utö by the German submarine U-149 (commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Horst Höltring), which attacked a Soviet submarine with two torpedoes. It happened on June 27, 1941.

In addition to the Baltic submariners, their colleagues from the Northern Fleet fought fiercely with the German troops. The first submarine of the Northern Fleet that did not return from the combat campaign of the Great Patriotic War was the M-175 submarine under the command of Lieutenant Commander Mamont Lukich Melkadze. M-175 became a victim of the German ship U-584 (commanded by Lieutenant Commander Joachim Decke). This happened on January 10, 1942 in the area north of the Rybachy Peninsula. The acoustician of a German ship detected the noise of diesel engines of a Soviet submarine from a distance of 1000 meters. The German submarine began pursuing Melkadze's submarine. The M-175 followed a zigzag pattern on the surface, charging its batteries. The German car was moving under water. U-584 overtook the Soviet ship and attacked it, firing 4 torpedoes, two of which hit the target. M-175 sank, taking with it depths of the sea 21 crew members. It is noteworthy that the M-175 has already once become a target for a German submarine. On August 7, 1941, near the Rybachy Peninsula, the M-175 was torpedoed by the German submarine U-81 (commanded by Lieutenant Commander Friedrich Guggenberger). A German torpedo hit the side of a Soviet ship, but the fuse on the torpedo did not go off. As it turned out later, the German submarine fired four torpedoes at the enemy from a distance of 500 meters: two of them did not hit the target, the fuse on the third did not work, and the fourth exploded at the maximum travel distance.

German submarine U-81

Successful for Soviet submariners was the attack of the Soviet medium submarine S-101 on the German submarine U-639, carried out on August 28, 1943 in the Kara Sea. S-101 under the command of Lieutenant Commander E. Trofimov was quite powerful combat vehicle. The submarine had a length of 77.7 m, an underwater displacement of 1090 tons and could navigate autonomously for 30 days. The submarine carried powerful weapons - 6 torpedo tubes (12-533 mm torpedoes) and two guns - 100 mm and 45 mm in caliber. The German submarine U-639, Oberleutnant Wichmann, carried combat mission– installation of mines in the Ob Bay. The German submarine was moving on the surface. Trofimov ordered to attack the enemy ship. S-101 fired three torpedoes and U-639 sank instantly. 47 German submariners were killed in this attack.

Fights between German and Soviet submarines were few in number, one might even say isolated, and occurred, as a rule, in those zones where the Baltic and Northern Navy THE USSR. “Malyutki” became victims of German submariners. The duels between German and Soviet submariners did not affect the overall picture of the confrontation naval forces Germany and the Soviet Union. In a duel between submarines, the winner was the one who quickly figured out the location of the enemy and was able to deliver accurate torpedo strikes.