Chapter 489: The most glorious era of submarines

"The only weapon that kept me awake at night in World War II was the u-boat."-Churchill. Let’s not say whether this is a bit exaggerated, nor what mentality was when Churchill said this. As a traveler, the only thing the prince can be sure of is that World War II is not the most suitable era for U-boats. And there is only one era when the U-boat can truly be used as a strategic weapon comparable to the atomic bomb, and that is World War I, which is about to break out in 12 years! In this era, a large number of u boats are difficult to crack!

If the gross tonnage of the German submarines in World War 1 and 2 were high in a single sinking, it is naturally higher in World War II. The gross tonnage of ships that died on U-boats in World War 2 was about 20 million tons. The total tonnage of the merchant ship sunk by German submarines in World War I was 1,2284,000 tons. In addition to gross tonnage, German submarines in World War I performed far better than submarines in World War II.

In terms of the number of sunken ships, German submarines in World War I sank 5,282 merchant ships, and World War II submarines destroyed about 5,400 ships. In fact, they are almost the same in terms of quantity. The big reason why the submarines in the 2nd World War II performed better was that the ships of the 2nd World War II had a larger tonnage, so if a ship was also sunk, the deadweight loss would be larger....

If you put aside the overall situation and look at the efficiency of submarines, then submarines in World War I have much higher efficiency than those in World War II. First of all, from the analysis of Germany itself, Germany had only 44 submarines before 1915. Note that this is the amount of submarines that are not available for use. In fact, only 29 submarines are in use, 7 from u30 to u36. The submarine has been launched and is being outfitted and is expected to enter service before the end of 1914. The other eight submarines are scheduled to be launched at the end of 1914. And among these submarines, the first 18 are gasoline-powered submarines, and most of them are offshore submarines, which are not suitable for the task of breaking the cross.

During the entire World War I, Germany built a total of 330 submarines, and eventually 176 submarines survived, losing a total of 178 submarines. And these surviving submarines are not equal to the usable state, because the calculation of this number is based on whether the submarine has the ability to exercise, and the German usable submarine has never exceeded 140! Before October 1916, there had never been more than 100 ships!

Simply speaking from the scale of submarine operations, German submarines in World War I and German submarines in World War II are not at the same level. At the beginning of World War II, there were not many submarines, but there were 57 submarines that could be used. Then in March 1941, it exceeded 100 for the first time. Then the number of submarines continued to rise, and in October 1941, the number of submarines on the register reached 200. In just 4 months, the 300-ship mark was surpassed in April 1942, and the 400-ship mark was exceeded after January 1943! Afterwards, although they were repeatedly strangled by the sea and air forces of the Allies, the number of German submarines has always exceeded 400! This amount alone is larger than the construction of all German submarines in World War I!

And if we talk about the amount of construction, since 1942, the monthly number of German submarines under construction has been maintained at around 20 ships per month. Over time, in September 1944, the number of German submarines built this month reached the highest level in history. As many as 29 submarines were built in various shipyards. In the end, the Germans built more than 1,000 submarines, and the total construction volume was several times that of the first battle. The submarine tonnage is generally much higher than that of World War I, but with three times the number of submarines in World War I, the number of merchant ships sunk is almost the same as that of World War I submarines. It must be said that the efficiency of World War II German submarines is much lower.

In fact, for every submarine lost in the First World War, the Allied Powers would lose 30 merchant ships totaling 69,000 tons of registered tonnage. This result is 8 times and 4 times that of German submarines in World War II! In other words, each German submarine in World War II can only be exchanged for about 4 merchant ships and about 17,000 tons of merchant ships. If you use Dunnitz’s theory of tonnage warfare, the efficiency of World War II can be horrified. describe!

And if we talk about the trump card, the German submarine trump card in World War I is still stronger than World War II. Major von Arnault de la Perrier, the most nb in World War 1, can be called the most terrifying captain in the world. A total of 194 merchant ships were sunk! Created an amazing record of 453,716 tons!

The most powerful captain in the 2nd war, Otto Krezimer, sank 47 transport ships before he was captured, and scored 274,386 tons. The number of sunk ships was only a quarter of the former. Less than one, the tonnage is only about 60% of the former. If it weren't for the larger ships of the 2nd World War, this data would be even worse... In fact, even with this buddy's skill, he can only rank fifth in the submarine ace in the first battle, not to mention the other submarine ace in the second battle!

Are German War II submarines technologically advanced? This is natural, whether it is wolf pack tactics, the concept or the effect of using land-based long wave radio and submarine groups to fight. The use of Enig's cipher machine has made the communication of German submarines an almost impossible puzzle for a certain period of time!

However, there is a saying that strengths and weaknesses are relative. The German submarine tactics and technology in World War I can be said to be much worse than those in World War II. However, the anti-submarine technology and anti-submarine effectiveness of the Allied Powers in World War I are even compared to World War II The scum is not as good as ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Let’s not talk about the sonar buoys, radars, acoustic torpedoes, b17 anti-submarine aircraft, and active sonars. Not to mention the ferocious hedgehog bombs, all kinds of sound mines. Don't talk about sonar at the beginning of the 1st battle, there is not even a hydrophone. The probability of successfully hitting a submarine with a naval gun and a hull is greater than the probability of a mine or a submarine.

In fact, for the German submarine officers and soldiers, they did not feel the anti-submarine pressure of the Allies by the end of the war. Compared with the attacks by the hydrophones and **** fleets of the Allies, they were the only ones who were involved in various complicated sea conditions The worst enemy! The monthly loss of German submarines is always less than 10, and the British mines have made the Germans comment that "Don't be afraid, this thing will not explode..." Of course, the British copied it. The situation changed after the Germans’ new-style mines were triggered. When breaking through the minefields, the Germans also invented a ship with concrete injected into the front of the hull as a "demining submarine."

To what extent did the Allied Powers in World War 1 start anti-submarine broilers? More than 90% of the surface navigation time can no longer simply explain the problem. The best weapon for German submarines in the 1st war is not those fish that may have problems with a few shots, but the deck gun on the submarine! Whether it is 88mm or 105mm, it is fatal to almost unarmed merchant ships, and the Germans later specially put 150mm deck guns on submarines, so that they can fight against slightly armed merchant ships. beated.

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