The outcome of any war depends on many factors, among which, of course, weapons are of considerable importance. Despite the fact that absolutely all German weapons were very powerful, since Adolf Hitler personally considered them the most important weapon and paid considerable attention to the development of this industry, they failed to inflict damage on their opponents that would significantly influence the course of the war. Why did it happen? Who is at the origins of the creation of a submarine army? Were the German submarines of World War II really that invincible? Why were such prudent Nazis unable to defeat the Red Army? You will find the answer to these and other questions in the review.
general information
Collectively, all equipment in service with the Third Reich during World War II was called the Kriegsmarine, and submarines made up a significant part of the arsenal. Underwater equipment became a separate industry on November 1, 1934, and the fleet was disbanded after the war ended, i.e., having existed for less than a dozen years. In such a short period of time, German submarines of World War II brought a lot of fear into the souls of their opponents, leaving their huge mark on the bloody pages of the history of the Third Reich. Thousands of dead, hundreds of sunk ships, all this remained on the conscience of the surviving Nazis and their subordinates.
Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine
During World War II, one of the most famous Nazis, Karl Doenitz, was at the helm of the Kriegsmarine. German submarines certainly played an important role in World War II, but without this man this would not have happened. He was personally involved in creating plans to attack opponents, participated in attacks on many ships and achieved success in this path, for which he was awarded one of the most significant awards Nazi Germany. Doenitz was an admirer of Hitler and was his successor, which did a lot of harm to him during Nuremberg trials, because after the death of the Fuhrer he was considered the commander-in-chief of the Third Reich.
Specifications
It is easy to guess that Karl Doenitz was responsible for the condition of the submarine army. German submarines in World War II, photos of which prove their power, had impressive parameters.
In general, the Kriegsmarine was armed with 21 types of submarines. They had the following characteristics:
- displacement: from 275 to 2710 tons;
- surface speed: from 9.7 to 19.2 knots;
- underwater speed: from 6.9 to 17.2;
- diving depth: from 150 to 280 meters.
This proves that the German submarines of World War II were not just powerful, they were the most powerful among the weapons of the countries that fought with Germany.
Composition of the Kriegsmarine
The warships of the German fleet included 1,154 submarines. It is noteworthy that until September 1939 there were only 57 submarines, the rest were built specifically to participate in the war. Some of them were trophies. Thus, there were 5 Dutch, 4 Italian, 2 Norwegian and one English and French submarines. All of them were also in service with the Third Reich.
Achievements of the Navy
The Kriegsmarine inflicted considerable damage on its opponents throughout the war. For example, the most effective captain Otto Kretschmer sank almost fifty enemy ships. There are also record holders among ships. For example, the German submarine U-48 sank 52 ships.
Throughout World War II, 63 destroyers, 9 cruisers, 7 aircraft carriers and even 2 battleships were destroyed. The largest and most notable victory for the German army among them can be considered the sinking of the battleship Royal Oak, whose crew consisted of a thousand people and its displacement was 31,200 tons.
Plan Z
Since Hitler considered his fleet extremely important for Germany’s triumph over other countries and had extremely positive feelings towards it, he paid considerable attention to it and did not limit funding. In 1939, a plan was developed for the development of the Kriegsmarine for the next 10 years, which, fortunately, never came to fruition. According to this plan, several hundred more of the most powerful battleships, cruisers and submarines were to be built.
Powerful German submarines of World War II
Photos of some surviving German submarine technology give an idea of the power of the Third Reich, but only weakly reflect how strong this army was. The largest number of submarines in the German fleet was type VII, they had optimal seaworthiness, were of medium size, and most importantly, their construction was relatively inexpensive, which is important in
They could dive to a depth of 320 meters with a displacement of up to 769 tons, the crew ranged from 42 to 52 employees. Despite the fact that the “sevens” were quite high-quality boats, over time, Germany’s enemy countries improved their weapons, so the Germans also had to work on modernizing their brainchild. As a result of this, the boat received several more modifications. The most popular of these was the VIIC model, which not only became the personification of Germany's military power during the attack on the Atlantic, but was also much more convenient than previous versions. The impressive dimensions made it possible to install more powerful diesel engines, and subsequent modifications also featured durable hulls, which made it possible to dive deeper.
German submarines of the Second World War were subject to constant, as they would say now, upgrades. One of the most innovative models It is considered to be type XXI. This submarine had an air conditioning system and optional equipment, which was intended for a longer stay of the team under water. A total of 118 boats of this type were built.
Kriegsmarine performance results
Germany of the Second World War, photos of which can often be found in books about military equipment, played a very important role in the offensive of the Third Reich. Their power cannot be underestimated, but it is worth considering that even with such patronage from the bloodiest Fuhrer in world history, the German fleet did not manage to bring its power closer to victory. Probably, good equipment and a strong army were not enough; for Germany’s victory, the ingenuity and courage that the brave warriors possessed was not enough Soviet Union. Everyone knows that the Nazis were incredibly bloodthirsty and did not disdain much on their way, but neither an incredibly equipped army nor a lack of principles helped them. Armored vehicles, a huge amount of ammunition and the latest developments did not bring the expected results to the Third Reich.
Almost 70 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, but even today we do not know everything about some episodes of its final stage. That is why, again and again, old stories about the mysterious submarines of the Third Reich that surfaced off the coast come to life in the press and literature. Latin America. Argentina turned out to be especially attractive to them.
GET FROM THE BOTTOM!
There was a basis for such stories, real or fictional. Everyone knows the role of German submarines in the war at sea: 1,162 submarines left the stocks of Germany during the Second World War. But it was not only this record number of boats that the German Navy could rightfully be proud of.
German submarines of that time were distinguished by the highest technical characteristics— speed, diving depth, unsurpassed cruising range. It is no coincidence that the most massive Soviet submarines of the pre-war period (Series C) were built under a German license.
And when in July 1944 the German boat U-250 was sunk at a shallow depth in the Vyborg Bay, the Soviet command demanded that the fleet raise it at any cost and deliver it to Kronstadt, which was done despite the stubborn opposition of the enemy. And although the boats of the VII series, to which the U-250 belonged, were no longer considered the last word in German technology in 1944, there were many novelties in its design for Soviet designers.
Suffice it to say that after its capture, a special order was issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Kuznetsov to suspend the work begun on the project of a new submarine until a detailed study of the U-250. Subsequently, many elements of the “German” passed into soviet boats Project 608, and later Project 613, of which more than a hundred were built in the post-war years. The XXI series boats, one after another going into the ocean since 1943, had especially high performance.
DOUBTABLE NEUTRALITY
Argentina, having chosen neutrality in the world war, nevertheless took a clearly pro-German position. The large German diaspora was very influential in this southern country and provided all possible assistance to her warring compatriots. The Germans owned many industrial enterprises, huge lands, fishing vessels.
German submarines operating in the Atlantic regularly approached the shores of Argentina, where they were supplied with food, medicine and spare parts. Nazi submariners were received as heroes by the owners of German estates, scattered in large numbers along the Argentine coast. Eyewitnesses said that real feasts were held for bearded men in naval uniforms - lambs and pigs were roasted, the best wines and kegs of beer were displayed.
But the local press did not report this. It is no wonder that it was in this country that after the defeat of the Third Reich, many prominent Nazis and their minions, such as Eichmann, Priebke, the sadistic doctor Mengele, the fascist dictator of Croatia Pavelic and others, found refuge and escaped from retribution.
There were rumors that they all ended up in South America on board submarines, a special squadron of which, consisting of 35 submarines (the so-called “Fuhrer Convoy”), had a base in the Canaries. To this day, dubious versions have not been refuted that Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and Bormann found salvation in the same way, as well as that it was allegedly created with the help of submarine fleet in Antarctica, the secret German colony of New Swabia.
In August 1942, Brazil joined the warring countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, taking part in battles on land, air and sea. She suffered her greatest loss when the war in Europe had already ended, and Pacific Ocean burning out. On July 4, 1945, 900 miles from its native shores, the Brazilian cruiser Bahia exploded and sank almost instantly. Most experts believe that his death (along with 330 crew members) was the work of German submariners.
SWASTIKA ON THE CONTROLHOUSE?
After waiting Time of Troubles, having made good money on supplies to both warring coalitions, at the very end of the war, when its end was clear to everyone, on March 27, 1945, Argentina declared war on Germany. But after that the flow German boats seems to have only grown. Dozens of residents of coastal villages, as well as fishermen at sea, according to them, have more than once observed submarines on the surface, almost in wake formation, moving in a southerly direction.
The most keen-eyed eyewitnesses even saw a swastika on their deckhouses, which, by the way, the Germans never put on the deckhouses of their boats. The coastal waters and coast of Argentina were now patrolled by the army and navy. There is a known episode when in June 1945, in the vicinity of the city of Mardel Plata, a patrol came across a cave in which various products were contained in sealed packaging. To whom they were intended remains unclear. It is also difficult to understand where this endless stream of submarines allegedly observed by the population after May 1945 came from.
After all, on April 30, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, gave the order to conduct Operation Rainbow, during which all the remaining Reich submarines (several hundred) were subject to flooding. It is quite possible that some of these ships that were in the ocean or in ports different countries, the commander-in-chief’s directive did not reach, and some crews simply refused to carry it out.
Historians agree that in most cases, various boats, including fishing boats, dangling on the waves, were mistaken for submarines observed in the ocean, or the reports of eyewitnesses were simply a figment of their imagination against the background of general hysteria in anticipation of a German retaliatory strike.
CAPTAIN CINZANO
But still, at least two German submarines turned out to be not phantoms, but very real ships with living crews on board. These were U-530 and U-977, which entered the port of Mardel Plata in the summer of 1945 and surrendered to the Argentine authorities. When an Argentine officer boarded U-530 in the early morning of July 10, he saw the crew lined up on the deck and its commander, a very young chief lieutenant, who introduced himself as Otto Wermuth (later Argentine sailors called him Captain Cinzano) and declared that U- 530 and her crew of 54 surrender to the mercy of the Argentine authorities.
After this, the submarine's flag was lowered and handed over to the Argentine authorities, along with a list of the crew.
A group of officers from the Mardel Plata naval base, which inspected U-530, noted that the submarine did not have a deck gun and two anti-aircraft machine guns (they were dropped into the sea before being captured), and not a single torpedo. All ship documentation was destroyed, as was the encryption machine. Particularly noted was the absence of an inflatable rescue boat on the submarine, which suggested that it might have been used to land some Nazi figures (perhaps Hitler himself) ashore.
During interrogations, Otto Wermuth said that U-530 left Kiel in February, hid in the Norwegian fjords for 10 days, after which it cruised along the US coast, and on April 24 moved south. Otto Wermuth could not give any clear explanations regarding the absence of the bot. A search was organized for the missing bot, involving ships, planes and marines, but they did not yield any results. On July 21, the ships participating in this operation were ordered to return to their bases. From that moment on, no one looked for German submarines in Argentine waters.
TALE OF A PIRATE
Concluding the story about the adventures of German submarines in the southern seas, it is impossible not to mention a certain Corvette captain Paul von Rettel, who, thanks to journalists, became widely known as the commander of U-2670. He, allegedly being in the Atlantic in May 1945, refused to sink his submarine or surrender and simply began piracy off the coast of Africa and Southeast Asia. The newly minted filibuster allegedly amassed a huge fortune for himself. He replenished fuel for his diesel engines, water and food from his victims.
He practically did not use weapons, because few people dared to resist his formidable submarine. Journalists do not know how this story ended. But it is known for certain that the submarine number U-2670 was not listed in the German fleet, and von Rettel himself was not on the list of commanders. So, to the disappointment of lovers of sea romance, his story turned out to be a newspaper duck.
Konstantin RISHES
The submarine fleet of the Kriegsmarine of the Third Reich was created on November 1, 1934 and ceased to exist with the surrender of Germany in World War II. During its relatively short existence (about nine and a half years), the German submarine fleet managed to write itself into military history as the most numerous and deadliest submarine fleet of all times. Thanks to memoirs and films, German submarines, which inspired terror in the captains of sea vessels from the North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Caribbean Sea to the Strait of Malacca, have long turned into one of the military myths, behind the veil of which real facts often become invisible. Here are some of them.
1. The Kriegsmarine fought with 1,154 submarines built in German shipyards (including the submarine boat U-A, which was originally built in Germany for the Turkish Navy). Of the 1,154 submarines, 57 submarines were built before the war, and 1,097 were built after September 1, 1939. The average rate of commissioning of German submarines during World War II was 1 new submarine every two days.
Unfinished German submarines of type XXI on slips No. 5 (in the foreground)
and No. 4 (far right) of the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen. In the photo in the second row from left to right:
U-3052, U-3042, U-3048 and U-3056; in the near row from left to right: U-3053, U-3043, U-3049 and U-3057.
On the far right are U-3060 and U-3062
Source: http://waralbum.ru/164992/
2. The Kriegsmarine fought with 21 types of German-built submarines with the following technical characteristics:
Displacement: from 275 tons (type XXII submarines) to 2710 tons (type X-B);
Surface speed: from 9.7 knots (XXII type) to 19.2 knots (IX-D type);
Submerged speed: from 6.9 knots (type II-A) to 17.2 knots (type XXI);
Immersion depth: from 150 meters (type II-A) to 280 meters (type XXI).
The wake of German submarines (Type II-A) at sea during maneuvers, 1939
Source: http://waralbum.ru/149250/
3. The Kriegsmarine included 13 captured submarines, including:
1 English: “Seal” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - U-B);
2 Norwegian: B-5 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UC-1), B-6 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UC-2);
5 Dutch: O-5 (before 1916 - British submarine H-6, in the Kriegsmarine - UD-1), O-12 (in the Kriegsmarine - UD-2), O-25 (in the Kriegsmarine - UD-3 ), O-26 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UD-4), O-27 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UD-5);
1 French: “La Favorite” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UF-1);
4 Italian: “Alpino Bagnolini” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-22); "Generale Liuzzi" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-23); "Comandante Capellini" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-24); "Luigi Torelli" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-25).
Kriegsmarine officers inspect the British submarine Seal (HMS Seal, N37),
captured in the Skagerrak Strait
Source: http://waralbum.ru/178129/
4. During World War II, German submarines sank 3,083 merchant ships with a total tonnage of 14,528,570 tons. The most successful Kriegsmarine submarine captain is Otto Kretschmer, who sank 47 ships with a total tonnage of 274,333 tons. The most successful submarine is U-48, which sank 52 ships with a total tonnage of 307,935 tons (launched on 22 April 1939, and on 2 April 1941 received heavy damage and did not participate in hostilities again).
U-48 is the most successful German submarine. She is in the picture
almost halfway to its final result,
as shown by white numbers
on the wheelhouse next to the boat emblem (“Thrice black cat”)
and the personal emblem of the submarine captain Schulze (“White Witch”)
Source: http://forum.worldofwarships.ru
5. During World War II, German submarines sank 2 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 9 cruisers and 63 destroyers. The largest of the destroyed ships - the battleship Royal Oak (displacement - 31,200 tons, crew - 994 people) - was sunk by the submarine U-47 at its own base at Scapa Flow on 10/14/1939 (displacement - 1040 tons, crew - 45 people).
Battleship Royal Oak
Source: http://war-at-sea.narod.ru/photo/s4gb75_4_2p.htm
Commander of the German submarine U-47 Lieutenant Commander
Günther Prien (1908–1941) signing autographs
after the sinking of the British battleship Royal Oak
Source: http://waralbum.ru/174940/
6. During World War II, German submarines made 3,587 combat missions. The record holder for the number of military cruises is the submarine U-565, which made 21 trips, during which it sank 6 ships with a total tonnage of 19,053 tons.
German submarine (type VII-B) during a combat campaign
approaches the ship to exchange cargo
Source: http://waralbum.ru/169637/
7. During World War II, 721 German submarines were irretrievably lost. The first lost submarine is the submarine U-27, sunk on September 20, 1939 by the British destroyers Fortune and Forester off the coast of Scotland. The latest loss is the submarine U-287, which was blown up by a mine at the mouth of the Elbe after the formal end of World War II (05/16/1945), returning from its first and only combat campaign.
British destroyer HMS Forester, 1942
German submarines made long passages on the surface of the water, plunging only when the enemy appeared. 33 submarines capable of entering the Atlantic Ocean sank 420 thousand tons of merchant tonnage. And this is just in the first four months since the start of the war. They stood in the path of enemy transports and waited for the target to appear, attacked and broke away from the convoy forces pursuing them.
Success in the first months of the war encouraged Germany to build new submarines. And this brought even more losses to the merchant fleet of the anti-Hitler coalition. The peak of submarine warfare was 1942, when the Germans sank 6.3 million tons 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 a radar receiver that informed German submariners that a submarine had been detected by American radar, and in October 1942 they began installing these receivers on their submarines. This German invention reduced the effectiveness of American radars, since in some cases the submarine managed to submerge under water. However, German receiver-detectors (from the Latin “detextor” - “opener”) turned out to be useless when changing the wavelength at which American radars began to operate.
The Harvard Radio Laboratory in the USA has constructed 14 radar installations operating at decimeter waves. They were urgently delivered by plane to the British for installation on British aircraft patrolling the Bay of Biscay. At the same time, production of a similar series for US naval aircraft and a model for army aviation was accelerated.
German location receivers-detectors could not detect exposure to decimeter waves and therefore German submariners were completely unaware of how Anglo-American aircraft detected them. The detector was silent, and air bombs rained down on his head.
Microwave radar allowed Anglo-American patrols in the spring and early summer of 1943 to detect and sink large numbers of German submarines.
Hitler reacted with great irritation to the invention of the microwave radar and, in his New Year's address in 1944 to the German armed forces, pointed to the “invention of our enemy”, which brought such irreparable losses to his submarine fleet.
Even after the Germans discovered a decimeter radar on an American plane shot down over Germany, they were not able to detect the operation of these locators.
British and American convoys received “eyes” and “ears”. The radar became the “eyes” of the fleet, the sonar added “ears,” but this was not enough. There was another way to detect submarines: they were given out by radio. And the allies took advantage of it. The German submarines, having surfaced, talked among themselves, with the headquarters of the submarine fleet, which was located in Paris, and received orders from the commander, Grand Admiral Doenitz. Radiograms were carried on the air from all points where German submarines were located.
If you intercept any radiogram from three points, determining in each direction from where the radio waves are propagating, then, knowing the coordinates of the listening stations, you can find out from which point on the earth the German submarine went on the air, and therefore find out its coordinates: where it is now located.
This method was first used by the British fleet to combat enemy submarines. To do this, high-frequency direction finders were installed along the English coast. It was they who determined the location of the enemy submarine, negotiating with other submarines and superiors. The direction-finding transmission itself revealed the secret of the submarine’s coordinates.
The resulting bearings were sent by coastal stations to the Admiralty, where specialists mapped the location and course of the German submarine located in the Atlantic. Sometimes, while the radio station of a German submarine was operating, up to 30 bearings could be obtained.
The system of direction finders on the African and American coasts, as well as on the British Isles, was called “huff-duff”. How it worked can be seen from the episode of how Lieutenant Schroeder sank a German submarine.
On June 30, 1942, around noon, high-frequency direction finders in Bermuda, Hartland Point, Kingston and Georgetown registered the operation of the submarine's radio station. Officers operating the naval base plotted bearings on a map and found that the submarine was located at latitude 33° north and longitude 67° 30 west, approximately 130 miles from St. George.
Lieutenant Richard Schroeder was on patrol in his Mariner aircraft in the Bermuda area 50 miles (90 km) from the detected submarine. Heading to the location indicated to him, he discovered the submarine U-158 10 miles (18 km) from the indicated coordinates. The boat was on the surface, and its 50 crew members were basking in the sun. Schroeder dropped two high explosive bombs and missed, but two depth charges hit their target. One depth charge fell close to the boat's hull, but the second hit the superstructure and exploded as the submarine began to dive. The boat sank along with the entire crew.
Having convinced themselves of the effectiveness of the “huff-duff” devices, they equipped the convoy ships with them. If the huff-duff high-frequency radio direction finder was on only one ship of the convoy, then it turned into a search ship and walked at the tail of the middle column.
The Germans did not know for a long time, and then ignored the ship’s “huff-duff” instruments. Their submarines continued to “talk” with each other and, when approaching the convoy, exchange information with Grand Admiral Doenitz, thereby revealing their location.
This valuable system, whose name “huff-duff” is untranslatable, served well in the fight against German submarines.
In total, during the Second World War, 1,118 Nazi submarines took part in hostilities. Of these, 725 (61%) were destroyed by the Allies. 53 died for various reasons, 224 were sunk by the Nazi crews themselves after the surrender of Germany and 184 capitulated.
Nazi submariners sank 2 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 6 cruisers, 88 other surface ships and about 15 million tons of Allied merchant tonnage during World War II.
Armament
- 5 × 355 mm torpedo tubes
- 1 × 88 mm SK C/35 gun
- 1 × 20 mm C30 anti-aircraft gun
- 26 TMA or 39 TMB mines
Same type ships
24 Type VIIB submarines:
U-45 - U-55
U-73 - U-76
U-83 - U-87
U-99 - U-102
The German Type VIIB submarine U-48 is the most productive Kriegsmarine submarine in World War II. Manufactured at the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel in 1939, she completed 12 military campaigns, sinking 55 Allied ships with a total displacement of 321,000 tons. In 1941, U-48 was transferred to a training flotilla, where it served until the end of the war. She was scuttled by her crew on May 3, 1945 near Neustadt.
History of creation
Prerequisites for creation
The results of the First World War showed the offensive power of the submarine fleet, which practically “strangled” Great Britain with a naval blockade. Due to attacks by German submarines, the Entente lost 12 million tons of its fleet, not counting 153 warships. Therefore, the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty prohibited the development and construction of submarines in Germany. This circumstance forced the Reichsmarine to look for workarounds to revive its submarine fleet. German shipbuilding companies began to create foreign design bureaus in which designs for new submarines were developed. To implement the ideas being developed, orders were needed, for which the bureaus agreed to set more attractive prices than their competitors. The losses were compensated by the finances of the Reichsmarine. One of the most valuable orders was from Finland, for which they built the small boat Vesikko and the medium Vetehinen, which became the prototype for submarines of the II and VII series.
Design
Description of design
Frame
The submarine U-48, like all boats of the VII series, had a one-and-a-half hull (the light hull was not located along the entire contour of the durable hull). The robust hull was a cylinder with a diameter of 4.7 m in the area of the central post, tapering towards the bow and stern. Also, from the center to the extremities, the thickness of the sheet of the durable body changed (18.5 and 16.0 mm, respectively). The design was designed for operational immersion up to 100-120 m, and it must be taken into account that the safety margin adopted for submarines in the German fleet was a factor of 2.3. In practice, Series VII boats dived to depths of up to 250 m.
The following were welded to the strong hull: bow and stern ends, side bulges, surge tanks, as well as a deck superstructure with a wheelhouse fencing. The space between the strong and light hulls was freely floodable. A ventilation system pipeline was laid under the deck superstructure, storage for the first shots for the deck gun and anti-aircraft gun was equipped, lifeboat, spare torpedoes for bow apparatus, as well as cylinders with compressed air.
The interior of the boat was divided into six compartments that had different purposes. The compartments were separated from each other by light bulkheads designed for the surface position of the submarine in the event of an accident. The exception was the central post, which also served as a rescue compartment. Its bulkheads were made concave and designed for a pressure of 10 atmospheres. The compartments were numbered from stern to bow to clearly determine the location of various mechanisms and equipment relative to the sides of the ship.
| N | Purpose of the compartment | Equipment, devices, mechanisms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stern torpedo and electric motors |
|
| 2 | Diesel |
|
| 3 | Stern residential (“Potsdamer Platz”) |
|
| 4 | Central post and conning tower |
|
| 5 | Bow living compartment |
|
| 6 | Bow torpedo compartment |
|
Directly on the bridge there were periscope guides and a stand for the optical fire control device (UZO), used when attacking from the surface, the main compass binnacle and the hatch leading down to the conning tower. On the wall of the cabin on the starboard side there was a slot for a retractable radio direction finder antenna. The rear part of the bridge was open and overlooked the aft platform, which had a fence in the form of handrails.
Power plant and driving performance
The U-48's power plant consisted of two types of engines: diesel engines for surface navigation and electric motors for submerged navigation.
Two six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines of the F46 brand from Germaniawerft developed a power of 2800 hp, which made it possible to sail on the surface with a maximum speed of 17.9 knots. When pursuing a convoy, both diesel and electric motors were often used simultaneously, which gave an additional 0.5 knots of speed. The maximum fuel supply was 113.5 tons and provided a 10-knot cruising range of up to 9,700 miles. For fuel combustion, air was supplied to the diesel engines through a pipeline laid to the wheelhouse fence between a strong and light hull, and to remove exhaust gases, each diesel engine was equipped with exhaust pipes.
Underwater propulsion was provided by two AEG GU 460/8-276 electric motors with a total power of 750 hp. The engines were powered by a 27-MAK 800W battery, consisting of 124 cells. Maximum speed movement under water was 8 knots, the radius of action in a submerged position was 90 miles at 4 knots and 130 miles at 2 knots. The battery was charged from running diesel engines, so the boat had to be on the surface.
The U-48 was submerged by filling ballast tanks with water, and ascent was accomplished by blowing them with compressed air and diesel exhaust gases. The urgent submersion time of the boat was 25-27 seconds with coordinated work of the crew.
Crew and habitability
The U-48 crew consisted of 44 people: 4 officers, 4 petty officers, 36 non-commissioned officers and sailors.
The officer corps included a boat commander, two watch commanders and a chief engineer. The first watch commander performed the functions of the first mate and replaced the commander in the event of his death or injury. In addition, he was responsible for the operation of all combat systems of the submarine and supervised torpedo firing on the surface. The second watch commander was responsible for the lookouts on the bridge and controlled artillery and anti-aircraft fire. He was also responsible for the work of radio operators. The chief mechanic was responsible for controlling the movement of the submarine and the operation of all its non-combat mechanisms. In addition, he was responsible for installing demolition charges when the boat was flooded.
Four foremen performed the functions of navigator, boatswain, diesel operator and electric motor control.
The personnel of non-commissioned officers and sailors were divided into teams according to various specializations: helmsmen, torpedo operators, engine crew, radio operators, acousticians, etc.
The habitability of the U-48, as well as all VII series submarines, was one of the worst compared to submarines of other navies. The internal structure was aimed at maximizing the use of the boat's tonnage for its combat use. In particular, the number of beds barely exceeded half the number of the crew, one of the two available latrines was almost always used as a food storage, the captain's cabin was a corner separated from the passage by an ordinary screen.
It is characteristic that the aft living compartment, where the non-commissioned officers were located, was nicknamed “Potsdamer Platz” because of the constant noise from working diesel engines, conversations and commands at the central post and the running of the crew.
Armament
Mine and torpedo weapons
The U-48's main weapon was torpedoes. The boat was equipped with 4 bow and 1 stern 533-mm torpedo tubes. The supply of torpedoes was 14: 5 in the tubes, 6 in the bow torpedo compartment, 1 in the aft torpedo compartment and 2 outside the pressure hull in special containers. The TA was fired not with compressed air, but with the help of a pneumatic piston, which did not unmask the boat when launching torpedoes.
The U-48 used two types of torpedoes: the steam-gas G7a and the electric G7e. Both torpedoes carried the same warhead weighing 280 kg. The fundamental difference was in the engine. The steam-gas torpedo was driven by compressed air and left a clearly visible bubble trail on the surface. The electric torpedo was moving battery and was deprived of this disadvantage. In turn, the steam-gas torpedo had better dynamic characteristics. Its maximum range was 5500, 7500 and 12500 m at 44, 40 and 30 knots, respectively. The range of the G7e model was only 5000 m at 30 knots.
Torpedo firing was carried out using a TorpedoVorhalterechner calculating device (SRP) installed in the conning tower. The commander and boatswain entered into the SRP a number of data about the boat and the target being attacked, and within a few seconds the device generated settings for a torpedo shot and transmitted them to the compartments. The torpedo operators entered data into the torpedo, after which the commander fired. In the event of an attack from the surface, a pedestal of surface sighting optics UZO (UberwasserZielOptik) mounted on the bridge of the boat was also used.
The design of the torpedo tubes made it possible to use them for mine laying. The boat could take on board two types of proximity mines: 24 TMC or 36 TMB.
Auxiliary/anti-aircraft artillery
The U-48's artillery armament consisted of an 88 mm SK C35/L45 gun mounted on the deck in front of the wheelhouse fence. First-feed shells were stored under the deck deck; the main ammunition was located in the forward living compartment. The gun's ammunition capacity was 220 shells.
To protect against aircraft, a 20-mm Flak30 anti-aircraft gun was installed on the upper platform of the wheelhouse fence.
Communications, detection, auxiliary equipment
Zeiss binoculars with multiple magnification were used as observation tools on the U-48 when the boat was on the surface or in a positional position. The watch officer's binoculars were also used as part of the UZO during a surface torpedo attack. In a submerged position, commander or anti-aircraft periscopes were used.
To communicate with headquarters and other submarines, radio equipment operating on short, medium and ultra-long waves was used. The main one was shortwave communication, which was provided by the E-437-S receiver, two transmitters, as well as a retractable antenna in the left wing of the bridge fence. The medium-wave equipment intended for communication between boats consisted of an E-381-S receiver, a Spez-2113-S transmitter and a small retractable antenna with a round vibrator in the right wing of the bridge fence. The same antenna played the role of a direction finder.
In addition to optics, the submarine used acoustic equipment and radar to detect the enemy. Noise direction finding was provided by 11 hydrophones installed in the bow of the light hull. Radar reconnaissance was carried out using FuMO 29. Detection range large ship was 6-8 km, for an airplane - 15 km, the accuracy of determining the direction was 5°.
The acoustician and radio operator posts were located next to the captain’s “cabin” so that the commander could be the first to receive information about the changed situation at any time.
Service history
Death
Commanders
- 22 April 1939 - 20 May 1940 Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- 21 May 1940 - 3 September 1940 Korvetten-Kaptain Hans Rudolf Rösing (Knight's Cross)
- 4 September 1940 - 16 December 1940 Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Bleichrodt (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- 17 December 1940 - 27 July 1941 Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schultze (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves)
- August, 1941 - September, 1942 Oberleutnant zur See Siegfried Atzinger
- 26 September 1942 - October 1943 Oberleutnant zur See Diether Todenhagen
see also
Awards
Notes
Literature and sources of information
Image gallery
Kriegsmarine
| Commanders | Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Hans Georg von Friedeburg Walter Warzecha |
| Main forces of the fleet | |
| Battleships | Germany type: Schlesien Schleswig-Holstein Scharnhorst type: Scharnhorst Gneisenau Bismarck type: Bismarck Tirpitz Type H: - Type O: - |
| Aircraft carriers | Graf Zeppelin type: Graf Zeppelin Flugzeugträger B |
| Escort carriers | Jade type: Jade Elbe Hilfsflugzeugträger I Hilfsflugzeugträger II Weser |
| Heavy cruisers | Germany type: Germany Admiral Graf Spee Admiral Scheer Admiral Hipper type: Admiral Hipper Blucher Prinz Eugen Seydlitz Lützow Type D: - Type P: - |
| Light cruisers | Emden Königsberg type: Königsberg Karlsruhe Köln Leipzig type: Leipzig Nürnberg Type M: - Type SP: - |
| Additional fleet forces | |
| Auxiliary cruisers | Orion Atlantis Widder Thor Pinguin Stier Komet Kormoran Michel Coronel Hansa |
| Destroyers | Type 1934: Z-1 Leberecht Maass Z-2 Georg Thiele Z-3 Max Schulz Z-4 Richard Beitzen Type 1934A: Z-5 Paul Jacobi Z-6 Theodor Riedel Z-7 Hermann Schoemann Z-8 Bruno Heinemann Z-9 Wolfgang Zenker Z-10 Hans Lody Z-11 Bernd von Arnim Z-12 Erich Giese Z-13 Erich Koellner Z-15 Erich Steinbrinck Z-16 Friedrich Eckoldt Type 1936: Z-17 Diether von Roeder Z-18 Hans Lüdemann Z-19 Hermann Künne Z-20 Karl Galster Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp Z-22 Anton Schmitt Type 1936A: Z-23 Z-24 Z-25 Z-26 Z-27 Z-28 Z-29 Z-30 |
