Kriegsmarine U-boats
1939-45 (1) by Gordon Williamson. This, the first of two volumes on
Germanys World War
II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaisers Navy, through the prohibition on German submarines following the
Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, their secret
development through a cover-firm in Holland, culminating in the
formation of the 1st U-boat Flotilla in 1935 with the modern Type
II. The operational history section includes examples from the Type
VIIA, Type VIIB, VIID, VIIE and VIIF Classes before concentrating on the
mainstay of the U-boat arm, the Type VIIC. Comparisons are also made
with the standard allied submarines, their strengths, weaknesses and
U-boat tactics.
Kriegsmarine U-boats
1939-45 (2) by Gordon Williamson. This title follows the New Vanguard 51:
Kriegsmarine
U-boats 1939-45 (1) and charts the continuing development of the
U-boat in German service, including the evolution of the Type IX as a long
range cruiser intended for solo operations in distant waters. Also
covered is the revolutionary Type XXI, conceived in 1942 and launched in
April 1944. The first true submarine rather than submersible, the
Type XXIs arrival was just too late to influence the war. Other
vessels featured are the Type XXIII, a technically advanced small vessel
armed with only two torpedoes, and the Type X minelayers, which were more
often used as supply boats than in their intended role.
Type VII U-Boats by
Robert C. Stern. After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in
the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and
devised new theories and plans for a future conflict. The principal
result of this study was the development of the daring concept of
Rudeltaktik, which involved co-ordinated pack attacks on the Allied convoy systems
that had proved so successful in defence.
Donitz was one of the architects of this new scheme,
and his favoured method was the surfaced night attack, the U-boats
shadowing the convoys for some time, communicating the position of their
quarry and then converging from the surrounding ocean areas for the kill.
The perfect boat to implement this doctrine had to have
certain characteristics; it required an effective operational range and
the levels of speed and armament usually associated with large boats; and
it had to be highly maneuverable with a fast dive - a factor normally
exhibited by smaller boats. It needed excellent communications and,
above all, it had to be easy to build because a great many were
needed. Armed with such a weapon, Donitz was convinced that, given
the will, Germany could win any tonnageschlact (tonnage battle) in
the Atlantic.
