German U-Boats and The Battle of The Atlantic

U-boats: A Perilous Job

German submarines in World War II were simply called U-Boats. This meant "Unterseeboat." Neither the Germans nor the British were fully prepared for what would be the largest battle of the war, the war at sea, in the Atlantic. In 1939, when hostilites broke out, the U-Boat construction program was well on its way and Germany had completed 98 submarines. Admiral Karl Donitz had also accomplished much in the training of his crews and in developing the WolfPack tactics.

During five and a half years of war, Germany produced 1157 submarines and re-commissioned 15 from other countries. Out of that total of 1172 boats, 789 were lost. The total of 632 lost at sea was for the most part the result of action involving British or British controlled forces. They accounted for 500 out of that number.

Between the Germans, Italians, and Japanese, 2,828 ships were sunk in World War II, totalling 15 million tons. The largest proportion by far, being attributed to the menace of the U-Boats. These same U-Boats also sank 175 Allied warships. The most successful U-Boat in World War II was the U-48. It alone was responsible for the sinking of 51 enemy ships, totalling 310,407 tons and that incredible score was run up between September 1939 and June 1941. Here are the specifications on the U-48:

• Type: V11B
• Displacement: 753 tons
• Length: 218 ft. 3 in.
• Beam: 20 ft. 3 in.
• Speed Surface: 17.25 knots (19.83 MPH)
• Speed Submerged: 7.25 knots
• Range: 6,500 miles at 12 knots
• Armament: 3.5 in. gun (1), 20mm anti-aircraft gun (1), 21 in. torpedo tubes (5)

Following her great success on the Atlantic, U-48 was transferred to training duties and was later settled at the end of the war. The introduction of new U-Boats with more speed and longer range was begun, but before many were built, the balance in the Atlantic had shifted to the Allies. By mid 1943 U-Boat losses were unsustainable and the fight in the Atlantic had to be abandoned. German subs continued to operate against Allied shipping but never again mounted a serious challenge.

The reasons for the shift in fortunes are believed to be better air cover on the side of the Allies, along with faster escort ships and superior detection methods for tracking and attacking the U-Boats. To really experience life on a World War II German U-Boat, I highly recommend the motion picture "Das Boot". It is authentic in every way and is in German with English sub-titles.

Erich Raeder >>

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