Total Undersea War (eBook)

The Evolutionary Role of the Snorkel in Donitz's U-Boat Fleet, 1944-1945

Aaron S. Hamilton (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2020
508 Seiten
Seaforth Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-5267-7881-9 (ISBN)

Infos

An analysis of the air mast-equipped German U-boats in World War II and Allied countermeasures.During the last year of World War II, the once surface-bound diesel-electric U-boat ushered in the age of "e;total undersea war."e; This was due to the introduction of an air mast, or "e;snorkel"e; as it became known among the men who served in Doenitz's submarine fleet. U-boats no longer needed to surface to charge batteries or refresh air; they rarely communicated with their command, operating silently and alone among the shallow coastal waters of the United Kingdom and across to North America. At first, U-boats could remain submerged continuously for a few days, then a few weeks, and finally for months at a time, and they set underwater endurance records not broken for nearly a quarter of a century. The introduction of the snorkel was of paramount concern to the Allies, who strived to frustrate the impact of the device before war's end. Every subsequent wartime U-boat innovation was subordinated to the snorkel, including the new Type XXI Electro-boat wonder weapon. The snorkel's introduction foreshadowed the nearly un-trackable weapon and instrument of intelligence that the submarine became in the postwar world.Total Undersea War answers many long-standing questions about the last year of the war: How and why did U-boats patrol so close inshore? How effective was acoustic and anti-radar camouflage? Why was U-boat wireless communication so problematic? How did U-boats navigate so effectively submerged? What were the health implications of staying submerged for a month or more? What does an accurate snorkel-configuration look like?This previously unpublished historical data is applied to a maritime archaeological case study about how the snorkel-equipped U-869 likely met its demise off the United States' east coast in February, 1945. The theory that emerges based on a precise understanding of late-war snorkel operations is new and compelling. This exhaustive study, the first of its kind, draws upon wartime documents from archives around the world to re-evaluate the last year of the U-boat's deployment, all its key technological innovations, the evolving operations and tactics, and Allied countermeasures. It is destined to become an authoritative reference on late-war U-boat development for historians and maritime archaeologists alike for years to come.Praise for Total Undersea War"e;The snorkel's powerful influence during the Battle of the Atlantic is reflected in this riveting book that is filled with action photographs, schematics, and page-turning accounts of the great advantage given to the German navy by this revolutionary piece of equipment."e; -Maritime Engineering Journal

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 30.5.2020
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Militärfahrzeuge / -flugzeuge / -schiffe
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• ISBN-10: 1-5267-7881-5 / 1526778815
• ISBN-13: 978-1-5267-7881-9 / 9781526778819