DEUTSCHE UNTERSEEBOOTE OPERATIONEN IM ZWEITEN WELTKRIEG

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

U-BOOT OPERATIONS

U-BOOT TACTICS

ENIGMA

“ACES OF THE DEEP”

LIFE ONBOARD

U-156

LEGACY

QUESTIONS

INTRODUCTION Submarines used be Germany during WW I (1914-1918)

“Unrestricted Submarine Warfare”

Sinking of the LUSITANIA

Germany has a limited coastline – easily blockaded

During WW II (1939 – 1945) established based in conquered countries – France and Norway

Primary mission to disrupt Allied shipping and control sea lanes

German Navy (Kriegsmarine) not fanatic supporters of Nazi regime (unlike the Army and Air Force – Luftwaffe)

BEFEHLSHABER der UNTERSEEBOOTE ( BdU )

Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz

Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz

1891 - 1980

U-BOOT SHIPYARDS U-BOOT construction in Northern Germany

North Sea & Baltic Sea

1153 U-boats commissioned into the Kriegsmarine during 1935-1945

Largest builder was Blohm + Voss

AG Weser, Bremen

U-BOOT OPERATIONS

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German U-Boats operated WORLDWIDE

PRIMARILY in the ATLANTIC

Mediterranean

Caribbean

Black Sea

MONSON U-Boats in the Far East (Penang Malaysia, Jakarta & Sabang Indonesia)

Assisted Imperial Japanese Navy

Primary mission to disrupt merchant shipping, allied naval convoys and navy escorts

U-BOOT TACTICS

Primary tactic developed by Donitz was the “Wolfpack” (Rudeltaktik)

Enough U-boats and facilities available after the fall of France in 1940

Simple concept: gather U-boats in patrol lines to scout for convoys

“WOLFPACKS”

Once a convoy was spotted the first boat was designated "shadower" and would chase the convoy and report its heading and speed to BdU

This would allow other boats to form around it and attack, more or less all at once, usually on the surface at night

OPERATION “DRUMBEAT”, 1942 Largest U-Boat offensive against America

Commenced after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Germany declared war on US on Dec 11, 1941

U.S. Navy had already been countering German U-Boats through work with Royal Navy

Operation DRUMBEAT (Paulkenschlag)

Attacks on U.S. merchant shipping on East Coast

Massive damage inflicted – over 3,000 nm away

“Die Glückliche Zeit” (The Happy Time)

Sunk 2 million tons (600 ships); 5000 killed

Only 7 U-Boats lost

Operations commenced from bases in France

U-BOOT BASES IN OCCUPIED FRANCE

U-BOOT BUNKERS AT LA ROCHELLE (Modern Day)

“BLACK MAY” - 1943 Turning point in May, 1943

U.S. Navy established effective convoys

By Late 1942, shifted focus back to North Atlantic

Remained spread out across Atlantic

By Spring, 1943, Allies were able to defeat the Wolf Packs

Primary reasons for reversal:

“Hunter-Killer” Groups

Improved Detection capabilities

Aircraft Coverage

Breaking of Enigma Code

U-Boats being attacked leaving port

By end of 1943, majority of U-Boat fleet would be sunk

Most would be lost with ALL HANDS

SPIES & SABOTEURS Saboteur Landings in 1942 & 1944

German Military Intelligence (Abwehr) directed by Hitler to conduct sabotage operations inside American borders

Abwehr sabotage school located in Berlin

Teams delivered by U-Boats

Operational failure

Arrested by FBI

6 of 10 captured saboeurs executed

Intended targets included power plants, infrastructure, industry, canals, etc.

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris

1887 - 1945

ENIGMA

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ULTRA INTELLIGENCE

Enigma was a portable cipher machine

Used to encrypt and decrypt secret messages

Enigma utilized very sophisticated cryptanalysis techniques by changing the substitution alphabet

Allied codebreakers were able to decrypt a large number of messages that had been enciphered on the machine

The intelligence gained through this source — codenamed “ULTRA” — was a significant aid to the Allied war effort

By 1945, almost all German Enigma traffic (Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Abwehr, SD, etc.) could be decrypted within a day or two

“ACES OF THE DEEP”The Aces of the Deep were the ten U-Boat commanders during World War II who sunk the most enemy merchant ships during their naval services

Ranked according to the total tonnage of the ships they sunk

The term is related to flying ace, a World War I name for a pilot who shot down five or more enemy planes

The currently accepted list is as follows:

1 Otto Kretschmer 2 Wolfgang Lüth

3 Erich Topp 4 Heinrich Liebe 5 Victor Schütze

6 Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock 7 Karl-Friedrich Merten

8 Herbert Schultze 9 Günther Prien 10 Georg Lassen

Otto Kretschmer1912 - 1998

Fregattenkapitän (Crew 30)

Successes40 ships sunk for a total of 208.954 GRT

3 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 46.440 GRT1 warship sunk for a total of 1.375 tons

5 ships damaged for a total of 37.965 GRT1 ship taken as prize for a total of 2.136 GRT2 ships a total loss for a total of 15.513 GRT

Wolfgang Lüth1913 - 1945

Kapitän zur See (Crew 33)

Successes46 ships sunk for a total of 225.204 GRT

1 warship sunk for a total of 552 tons2 ships damaged for a total of 17.343 GRT

Erich Topp1914 - 2005

Fregattenkapitän (Crew 34)

Successes34 ships sunk for a total of 197.233 GRT

1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 227 GRT1 warship sunk for a total of 1.190 tons

4 ships damaged for a total of 32.317 GRT

Günther Prien 1908 – 1941

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 33)

Successes30 ships sunk for a total of 162.769 GRT1 warship sunk for a total of 29.150 tons

8 ships damaged for a total of 62.751 GRT

Joachim Schepke1912 - 1941

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 30)

Successes36 ships sunk for a total of 153.677 GRT

4 ships damaged for a total of 17.229 GRT1 ship a total loss for a total of 2.205 GRT

U - 156

Kapitänleutnant Werner Harten

LACONIA INCIDENT On 12 September, 1942 U-156 sank the Allied liner LANCONIA west of Africa

136-man crew, some 80 civilians, military material and personnel (268 men)

Approx. 1800 Italian prisoners of war onboard

In the next days U-156 rescued some 400 survivors - 200 on board and the other 200 in lifeboats

On Sept 15, at 1130 hours U-506 under Kptlt Erich Würdemann arrived at the scene and continued to rescue the survivors

U.S. B-24 spotted and attacked U-156, forcing her to submerge

LACONIA ORDER Resulting rescue attempt infuriated German High Command

Prompted one of the most controversial order Dönitz ever issued

Known as the Laconia order:

No U-boats were to take part in any rescue operations

Leave any survivors in the sea

Up until that time U-boats had on very many occasions helped the survivors of their victims with supplies, water, directions to nearest land

MARK VII DEPTH CHARGES

LIFE ONBOARD

U-BOAT LEGACY

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During WW II, over 40,000 sailors served on U- BOATS…

….Fewer than 10,000 returned home….

….A 75% Fatality Rate….

U-505 Museum in Chicago, Ill

BOOKS ABOUT U-BOATS

WEBSITES ABOUT U-BOATS

http://www.uboat.net/index.htmlhttp://www.u-boot-archiv.de/index.php