The first victims of German submarines More and more German boats sank other people's transports. In the world, the Kaiser's Germany acquired the image of a “vicious aggressor”, but was never able to take control of enemy sea communications. 7 May 1915 on the Liverpool - New York line

German spare parts for Soviet submarines It is necessary to clarify that in the 20–30s of the 20th century, Germany not only ordered components for its submarines, but also sold them abroad, in particular to the USSR. Thus, military historian A. B. Shirokorad (“Russia and Germany. History

The tasks of German submarines They were formulated by K. Dönitz on the eve of his assumption of the post of commander of the first Weddigen submarine flotilla at the end of September 1935. Several years before the start of unrestricted submarine warfare, he foresaw its possibility:

The role of German submarines in the Norwegian operation This was the first operation of the Reich command, in which all three types of armed forces played a major role - the army, the navy (including the submarine) and the aviation - therefore, the organization of interaction between different types of troops was given

Characteristics

The Germans are sinking British ships: Decoding the call signs of German submarines The surrender at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for Germany. The course of the war was turned. Although in the south and west, the Allies' successes still did not look convincing enough. In African

Photo 1. U 995 - German museum submarine

This locality for the installation of the museum was chosen for a reason - the fact is that in Laboe there is a naval memorial, which at first was dedicated to the fallen German sailors on the battlefields of the First World War, then began to be considered a memorial dedicated to all German sailors who died during the First and Second World Wars, and eventually the German Maritime Union reclassified it as a monument to all fallen sailors of all nations and is a call for peace at sea.

Photo 2. Naval Memorial

History of the U 995

Let's return to the submarine.

Photo 3. Entrance to the submarine

Historical reference:
At the end of 1942, the Hamburg shipyard began production of a new Type VII submarine, which was launched in the middle of 1943.
The new submarine was based in Kiel, not far from Laboe, where the crew underwent training, and then went to the naval base in Trondheim, Norway, where it began serving in the summer-autumn of 1944. During the remaining time of the war, U 995 made 9 combat missions, the main target of which was Allied convoys. At the end of the war, the submarine was in disrepair, which was the reason why the Allied forces did not destroy it during Operation Deadlight. After the end of the war, she came under the jurisdiction of Norway, was repaired and served for about 10 more years, and then was given free of charge to the German authorities, who towed her to Kiel and carried out repair work to turn her into a museum. In the early 70s, the grand opening of the museum took place, where the first visitor was the well-known Admiral Dönitz. Today, tens of thousands of people visit the submarine every year.

This is the information that was presented in the information booklet on English language, which can be taken when purchasing a ticket.

Inside the submarine

We go inside and see the aft torpedo compartment and the electric motor control room.

Photo 4. Aft torpedo compartment

Electric motors were used during the ascent. Thanks to them, the submarine continued to move without immersing in water, but this noticeably affected its speed.

Photo 5. Electric motor control room

In the room with electric engines you can see instruments and a control center with a communications point, where orders from senior officers were sent from the bridge.

Electric motor control room

The diesel engine room is the heart of the submarine. There is a diesel engine located here, which is monitored by a mechanical engineer (usually 1-2 people). These sailors enjoyed greater privileges and were given more time to rest.

The heart of the submarine

Are you still complaining about the size? own kitchen? Then sympathize with the local “chef” who had to cook lunch for a team of 40-50 people on a low-power electric stove of two burners. It is very difficult to expand in this space. In addition, the lighting is still poor. The pan is secured with a chain with a lock - apparently there were precedents for taking it out.

Photo 6. Lunch from the chef

Photo 7. Private rest room

The number of beds was always less than the number of crew and often two people shared one bed. This did not cause any inconvenience due to the fact that there was a rotation method, according to which it turned out that one of the sailors was on duty, and the second rested, slept, had lunch and was engaged in other personal matters.

Photo 8. Regiment of an ordinary soldier

The largest room on the submarine is the control center and control room.

Photo 9. Hatch to the submarine control center

From here orders were given, the route was laid out and active life was in full swing. In addition to following orders from above, each officer was aware that he must save the lives of his team. Navigation charts, a periscope, a radio room and other devices for monitoring the movement of the submarine are located here.

Immediately after the control center there is a radio room and a receiving point, they are located parallel to the sleeping places of the submarine officers - thus it turns out that even during rest they must be the first to receive information about the situation in the given area, or orders from above, plus interception of allied radio signals. Interception is a responsible task, which, as a rule, was performed by people with excellent hearing and good reaction in order to catch the enemy's signal as early as possible. Largely thanks to the deciphering of the Enigma code by the Allies, German superiority in the Atlantic was lost.

Radio room - in addition to communication with the shore and other submarines, much attention was paid to intercepting enemy signals

The officers were the only ones who had their own regiment, plus some personal space. Personal space was expressed in a locker and turnkey compartments where they could store dress uniforms, personal belongings, and letters from home.

Personal space of officers

I seem to have told you everything, but one more main question remains - what about the latrine? Of course, there is a latrine. The officers have their own, with a washbasin, while the rest of the crew have a shared one. I provide a photo of the officer’s amenities, it’s a pity that it’s through glass.

Photo 10. Officer's restroom

The last room, and perhaps the most combat-ready part of the submarine, is the torpedo compartment.

Photo 11. Torpedo room

One of the most important tasks was assigned to the maintenance personnel of the torpedo compartment. Basically, the submarine had 5 torpedoes - 4 were loaded into the torpedo compartments, and one was for reloading.

Torpedo compartment

The torpedoes for U 995 weighed about 300 kg, had an electric motor and, when fired, reached a speed of about 30 km per hour. Reloading the torpedo compartment was perhaps the most important job of the rank and file.

The torpedo room was the last one in the U 995 museum. At the exit you can find a machine, as in many places in Europe, which can turn your 5-cent coin into a medallion with the image of a landmark for 1 euro. Not being a particular fan of this setting, I still made a medallion for myself as a souvenir.

At the exit from the museum

Afterword

The trip to the museum is over. Visiting such places has always been a priority for me, because I have always been interested in how life was carried out during one of the largest and bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century. The U 995 submarine museum is not the largest, but it is unique. Unique in that here you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere that reigns at a depth of hundreds of meters under water - when you cannot know for sure whether you will float up tomorrow or remain at the bottom of the sea depths: without the exact coordinates of the place of your death and without a grave, which Relatives could visit.

How to get there:

From the city of Kiel by bus number 100 to Laboe - we get off at the harbor stop and walk along the coast to the monument.
The cost of visiting the museum is 4.5 Euro.

If you happen to travel to the north of Germany, be sure to visit these places and get inspired by the spirit of history.

Goodbye Laboe!

I bring to your attention a short story about the seven most successful projects submarines of the war years.

T-type boats (Triton-class), Great Britain Number of submarines built - 53. Surface displacement - 1290 tons; underwater - 1560 tons. Crew - 59…61 people. Working immersion depth - 90 m (riveted hull), 106 m (welded hull). Full surface speed - 15.5 knots; in underwater - 9 knots. A fuel reserve of 131 tons provided a surface cruising range of 8,000 miles. Armament: - 11 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber (on boats of subseries II and III), ammunition - 17 torpedoes; - 1 x 102 mm universal gun, 1 x 20 mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon".

HMS Traveler British submarine Terminator, capable of “knocking the crap out” of any enemy with the help of a bow 8-torpedo salvo. The T-type boats had no equal in destructive power among all the submarines of the WWII period - this explains their ferocious appearance with a bizarre bow superstructure, where additional torpedo tubes were located. The notorious British conservatism is a thing of the past - the British were among the first to equip their boats with ASDIC sonars. Alas, despite its powerful weapons and modern means detection, the T-type open sea boats did not become the most effective among the British submarines of World War II. Nevertheless, they went through an exciting battle path and achieved a number of remarkable victories. "Tritons" were actively used in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean Sea, they destroyed Japanese communications on Pacific Ocean, have been spotted several times in the frozen waters of the Arctic. In August 1941, the submarines "Tygris" and "Trident" arrived in Murmansk. British submariners demonstrated a master class to their Soviet colleagues: in two trips, 4 enemy ships were sunk, incl. "Bahia Laura" and "Donau II" with thousands of soldiers of the 6th Mountain Division. Thus, the sailors prevented the third German attack on Murmansk. Other famous T-boat trophies include the German light cruiser Karlsruhe and the Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara. The samurai were “lucky” to get acquainted with a full 8-torpedo salvo of the Trenchant submarine - having received 4 torpedoes on board (+ another one from the stern tube), the cruiser quickly capsized and sank. After the war, the powerful and sophisticated Tritons remained in service with the Royal Navy for another quarter of a century. It is noteworthy that three boats of this type were acquired by Israel in the late 1960s - one of them, INS Dakar (formerly HMS Totem) was lost in 1968 in the Mediterranean Sea under unclear circumstances.

Boats of the "Cruising" type, series XIV, Soviet Union Number of submarines built - 11. Surface displacement - 1500 tons; underwater - 2100 tons. Crew - 62…65 people. Working diving depth - 80 m, maximum - 100 m. Full surface speed - 22.5 knots; in underwater - 10 knots. Cruising range on the surface 16,500 miles (9 knots) Cruising range underwater - 175 miles (3 knots) Armament: - 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 24 torpedoes; - 2 x 100 mm universal guns, 2 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic guns; - up to 20 minutes of barrage.

...December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombed Soviet boat, which attempted to attack the convoy at Bustad Sund. - Hans, can you hear this creature? - Nain. After a series of explosions, the Russians lay low - I detected three impacts on the ground... - Can you determine where they are now? - Donnerwetter! They are blown away. They probably decided to surface and surrender. The German sailors were wrong. From the depths of the sea, a MONSTER rose to the surface - the cruising submarine K-3 series XIV, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire on the enemy. With the fifth salvo, Soviet sailors managed to sink U-1708. The second hunter, having received two direct hits, began to smoke and turned to the side - his 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could not compete with the “hundreds” of the secular submarine cruiser. Scattering the Germans like puppies, K-3 quickly disappeared over the horizon at 20 knots. The Soviet Katyusha was a phenomenal boat for its time. Welded hull, powerful artillery and mine-torpedo weapons, powerful diesel engines (2 x 4200 hp!), high surface speed of 22-23 knots. Huge autonomy in terms of fuel reserves. Remote control of ballast tank valves. A radio station capable of transmitting signals from the Baltic to the Far East. An exceptional level of comfort: shower cabins, refrigerated tanks, two seawater desalinators, an electric galley... Two boats (K-3 and K-22) were equipped with Lend-Lease ASDIC sonars.

But, oddly enough, neither the high characteristics nor the most powerful weapons made the Katyusha an effective weapon - in addition to the dark story of the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years the XIV series boats accounted for only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand br. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of the victories were achieved with the help of mines. Moreover, its own losses amounted to five cruising boats. K-21, Severomorsk, our days The reasons for the failures lie in the tactics of using Katyushas - the powerful submarine cruisers, created for the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, had to “tread water” in the shallow Baltic “puddle”. When operating at depths of 30-40 meters, a huge 97-meter boat could hit the ground with its bow while its stern was still sticking out on the surface. It was not much easier for the North Sea sailors - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of Katyushas was complicated by the poor training of personnel and the lack of initiative of the command. It's a pity. These boats were designed for more.

“Malyutki”, Soviet Union Series VI and VI-bis - 50 built. Series XII - 46 built. Series XV - 57 built (4 took part in hostilities). Performance characteristics of boats of type M series XII: Surface displacement - 206 tons; underwater - 258 tons. Autonomy - 10 days. Working diving depth - 50 m, maximum - 60 m. Full surface speed - 14 knots; in underwater - 8 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 3,380 miles (8.6 knots). Submerged cruising range is 108 miles (3 knots). Armament: - 2 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 2 torpedoes; - 1 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic.

Baby! Mini-submarine project to quickly strengthen the Pacific Fleet - main feature M-type boats now have the ability to be transported by rail in a fully assembled form. In the pursuit of compactness, many had to be sacrificed - service on the Malyutka turned into a grueling and dangerous undertaking. Difficult living conditions, strong roughness - the waves mercilessly tossed the 200-ton “float”, risking breaking it into pieces. Shallow diving depth and weak weapons. But the main concern of the sailors was the reliability of the submarine - one shaft, one diesel engine, one electric motor - the tiny “Malyutka” left no chance for the careless crew, the slightest malfunction on board threatened death for the submarine. The little ones quickly evolved - the performance characteristics of each new series were several times different from the previous project: the contours were improved, the electrical equipment and detection equipment were updated, the dive time was reduced, and the autonomy increased. The “babies” of the XV series no longer resembled their predecessors of the VI and XII series: one-and-a-half-hull design - the ballast tanks were moved outside the durable hull; The power plant received a standard two-shaft layout with two diesel engines and underwater electric motors. The number of torpedo tubes increased to four. Alas, Series XV appeared too late - the “Little Ones” of Series VI and XII bore the brunt of the war.

Despite their modest size and only 2 torpedoes on board, the tiny fish were simply distinguished by their terrifying “gluttony”: in just the years of World War II, Soviet M-type submarines sank 61 enemy ships with a total tonnage of 135.5 thousand gross tons, destroyed 10 warships, and also damaged 8 transports. The little ones, originally intended only for operations in the coastal zone, have learned to fight effectively in open sea areas. They, along with larger boats, cut enemy communications, patrolled at the exits of enemy bases and fjords, deftly overcame anti-submarine barriers and blew up transports right at the piers inside protected enemy harbors. It’s simply amazing how the Red Navy were able to fight on these flimsy ships! But they fought. And we won!

Boats of the “Medium” type, series IX-bis, Soviet Union Number of submarines built - 41. Surface displacement - 840 tons; underwater - 1070 tons. Crew - 36…46 people. Working diving depth - 80 m, maximum - 100 m. Full surface speed - 19.5 knots; submerged - 8.8 knots. Surface cruising range 8,000 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 148 miles (3 knots). “Six torpedo tubes and the same number of spare torpedoes on racks convenient for reloading. Two cannons with large ammunition, machine guns, explosive equipment... In a word, there is something to fight with. And 20 knots surface speed! It allows you to overtake almost any convoy and attack it again. The technology is good...” - opinion of the S-56 commander, Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin

The Eskis were distinguished by their rational layout and balanced design, powerful armament, and excellent performance and seaworthiness. Initially German project company "Deshimag", modified to Soviet requirements. But don’t rush to clap your hands and remember the Mistral. After the start of serial construction of the IX series in Soviet shipyards, the German project was revised with the goal of a complete transition to Soviet equipment: 1D diesel engines, weapons, radio stations, a noise direction finder, a gyrocompass... - there were none in the boats designated “series IX-bis”. foreign made bolt! The problems with the combat use of the "Medium" type boats, in general, were similar to the K-type cruising boats - locked in mine-infested shallow water, they were never able to realize their high combat qualities. Things were much better in the Northern Fleet - during the war, the S-56 boat under the command of G.I. Shchedrina made the transition through the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, moving from Vladivostok to Polyarny, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the USSR Navy. An equally fantastic story is connected with the S-101 “bomb catcher” - during the war years, the Germans and Allies dropped over 1000 depth charges on the boat, but each time the S-101 returned safely to Polyarny. Finally, it was on the S-13 that Alexander Marinesko achieved his famous victories.

Gato class boats, USA Number of submarines built - 77. Surface displacement - 1525 tons; underwater - 2420 tons. Crew - 60 people. Working diving depth - 90 m. Full surface speed - 21 knots; submerged - 9 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 11,000 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 96 miles (2 knots). Armament: - 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 24 torpedoes; - 1 x 76 mm universal gun, 1 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon; - one of the boats, USS Barb, was equipped with a multiple launch rocket system for shelling the coast.

Ocean-going submarine cruisers of the Getou class appeared at the height of the war in the Pacific Ocean and became one of the most effective tools of the US Navy. They tightly blocked all strategic straits and approaches to the atolls, cut all supply lines, leaving Japanese garrisons without reinforcements, and Japanese industry without raw materials and oil. In battles with the Gatow, the Imperial Navy lost two heavy aircraft carriers, lost four cruisers and a damn dozen destroyers. High speed, lethal torpedo weapons, the most modern radio equipment for detecting the enemy - radar, direction finder, sonar. The cruising range allows for combat patrols off the coast of Japan when operating from a base in Hawaii. Increased comfort on board. But the main thing is the excellent training of the crews and the weakness of Japanese anti-submarine weapons. As a result, the "Getow" mercilessly destroyed everything - it was they who brought victory in the Pacific Ocean from the blue depths of the sea.

...One of the main achievements of the Getow boats, which changed the whole world, is considered to be the event of September 2, 1944. On that day, the Finback submarine detected a distress signal from a falling plane and, after many hours of searching, found a frightened and already desperate pilot in the ocean . The one who was saved was one George Herbert Bush. The list of Flasher trophies sounds like a naval joke: 9 tankers, 10 transports, 2 patrol ships with a total tonnage of 100,231 GRT! And for a snack, the boat grabbed a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. Lucky damn thing!

Electric boats of type XXI, Germany By April 1945, the Germans managed to launch 118 submarines of the XXI series. However, only two of them were able to achieve operational readiness and go to sea in the last days of the war. Surface displacement - 1620 tons; underwater - 1820 tons. Crew - 57 people. Working depth of immersion is 135 m, maximum depth is 200+ meters. Full speed in the surface position is 15.6 knots, in the submerged position - 17 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 15,500 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 340 miles (5 knots). Armament: - 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 17 torpedoes; - 2 Flak anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber.

Our allies were very lucky that all the forces of Germany were sent to the Eastern Front - the Krauts did not have enough resources to release a flock of fantastic “Electric Boats” into the sea. If they appeared a year earlier, that would be it! Another turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Germans were the first to guess: everything that shipbuilders in other countries are proud of - large ammunition, powerful artillery, high surface speed of 20+ knots - is of little importance. The key parameters that determine the combat effectiveness of a submarine are its speed and cruising range when submerged. Unlike its peers, “Electrobot” was focused on being constantly under water: a maximally streamlined body without heavy artillery, fences and platforms - all for the sake of minimizing underwater resistance. Snorkel, six groups batteries(3 times more than on conventional boats!), powerful electric. Full speed engines, quiet and economical electric. "sneak" engines.

The stern of U-2511, sunk at a depth of 68 meters. The Germans calculated everything - the entire “Electrobot” campaign moved at periscope depth under the RDP, remaining difficult to detect for enemy anti-submarine weapons. At great depths, its advantage became even more shocking: 2-3 times greater range, at twice the speed of any wartime submarine! High stealth and impressive underwater skills, homing torpedoes, a set of the most advanced detection means... “Electrobots” opened a new milestone in the history of the submarine fleet, defining the vector of development of submarines in the post-war years. The Allies were not prepared to face such a threat - as post-war tests showed, the “Electrobots” were several times superior in mutual hydroacoustic detection range to the American and British destroyers guarding the convoys.

Type VII boats, Germany Number of submarines built - 703. Surface displacement - 769 tons; underwater - 871 tons. Crew - 45 people. Working diving depth - 100 m, maximum - 220 meters Full speed in the surface position - 17.7 knots; submerged - 7.6 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 8,500 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 80 miles (4 knots). Armament: - 5 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 14 torpedoes; - 1 x 88 mm universal gun (until 1942), eight options for superstructures with 20 and 37 mm anti-aircraft mounts. * the given performance characteristics correspond to boats of the VIIC subseries

The most effective warships ever to roam the world's oceans. A relatively simple, cheap, mass-produced, but at the same time well-armed and deadly weapon for total underwater terror. 703 submarines. 10 MILLION tons of sunk tonnage! Battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes and enemy submarines, oil tankers, transports with aircraft, tanks, cars, rubber, ore, machine tools, ammunition, uniforms and food... The damage from the actions of German submariners exceeded all reasonable limits - if only Without the inexhaustible industrial potential of the United States, capable of compensating for any losses of the allies, German U-bots had every chance to “strangle” Great Britain and change the course of world history.

U-995. Graceful underwater killer The successes of the “sevens” are often associated with the “prosperous times” of 1939-41. - allegedly, when the Allies appeared the convoy system and Asdik sonars, the successes of the German submariners ended. A completely populist statement based on a misinterpretation of “prosperous times.” The situation was simple: at the beginning of the war, when for every German boat there was one Allied anti-submarine ship each, the “sevens” felt like invulnerable masters of the Atlantic. It was then that the legendary aces appeared, sinking 40 enemy ships. The Germans already held victory in their hands when the Allies suddenly deployed 10 anti-submarine ships and 10 aircraft for each active Kriegsmarine boat! Beginning in the spring of 1943, the Yankees and British began to methodically overwhelm the Kriegsmarine with anti-submarine equipment and soon achieved an excellent loss ratio of 1:1. They fought like that until the end of the war. The Germans ran out of ships faster than their opponents. The whole history of the German “sevens” is a formidable warning from the past: what threat does the submarine pose and how high are the costs of creating effective system countering the underwater threat.

A funny American poster of those years. "Hit the weak points! Come serve in the submarine fleet - we account for 77% of the sunk tonnage!" Comments, as they say, are unnecessary.