Germany (1938-40): 54 boats completed U-66 to U-68, U-125 to U-131, U-153 to U-166, U-171 to U-176, U-501 to 524. 49 lost The Type IXC was a revised Type IXB with essentially a slightly wider outer hull in order to maximize fuel storage, taking an extra 43 tonnes (208 total) for an unprecedented range of … Read more
Germany (1938-40): 14 boats completed, 12 lost: U-64, U-65, U-103, U-104, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-122, U-123, U-124 The Type IXB: The class comprised U-64 to U-124 and this was the most successful of the whole IX series, with 12 out of 14 U-Boat having ace captains, Viktor Schütze in 7 sorties … Read more
Germany (1937-39): 8 boats completed, 6 lost: U-37 to U-44 After detailing the Type VII lineage it was logical to also detail the other main U-Boat Type in service in WW2: The Type IX. Aside the already comprehensive article made back in Dec. 2019, this one will be on the birth of the type, its … Read more
Kriegsmarine (1941), 6 minelayer submarines (U-213 to U-218) from Germaniawerft At the start of World War II, the Kriegsmarine waited for four Type XB minelayers under construction, based on the Type IX long range U-boats for laying the intended anchored SMA mines on the US coast and in Asia. Regular VIIC on the other hands … Read more
Kriegsmarine (1939), 593 submarines. U-69 to U-1210 After the Type VIIA mid-sized oceanic submersible pre-serie in the interwar, the question of fuel oil storage was solved by the next VIIB, with external saddle tanks, and more powerful diesels and being more agile. It seems like the perfect recipe was found, but after twenty-four were built, … Read more
Kriegsmarine (1936), 24 submarines The Type VIIA as a sort of “pre-serie” for an experimental mid-sized oceanic submersible in the interwar was in everything a success. Apart for one aspect. It was soon clear its only real drawback was its fuel oil storage for its role and expected patrol areas. That’s what engineered solved by … Read more
Nazi Germany, 980 planned, 61 completed (1944-45) The true Elektroboot The Type XXI were large scale production Kriegsmarine’s “wunderwaffe” planned by Nazi Germany at the end of the war. Alongside the smaller Type XXIII “Elektobote” and numerous “midgets” at a stage events verged on desperation, the Type XXIII was also supposed to reverse the situation. … Read more
Type XB, the minelayer U-Boats Germany (1939-45): U-116, U-117, U-118, U-119, U-219, U-220, U-233, U-234 The Type X (XB) U-boats were a special type of German submarines of WW2 originally designed as long-range minelayers, but later used as long-range cargo transports as the Type IXD U-Boats, Italian Romolo-class submarines and several Japanese Types. In all, … Read more
Type XIV “Milchkühe” U-Boats, Hitler’s Milk Cows Germany (1941-42): 10 U-boats Maintaining Wolf Packs at sea One aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic was to maintain operating U-Boats at sea as long as possible. It mostly concerned the standard Type VII, which had a limited autonomy. In the massive expanses of the Atlantic, locating … Read more
Nazi Germany, 1,170 planned, 118 completed (1944) The Elektroboot saga: Too late to win The Type XXI were large scale production Kriegsmarine’s “wunderwaffe” planned by Nazi Germany at the end of the war. Alongside the smaller Type XXIII “Elektobote” and numerous “midgets” at a stage events verged on desperation, it was supposed to reverse their … Read more
