The underwater fleet as part of the Crigismarine of the Third Reich was created 1.11.1934 and ceased to exist together with the surrender of Germany in World War II. During its relatively short existence (about nine and a half years old) The German underwater fleet managed to enter himself in military history As the most numerous and deadly underwater fleet of all times and peoples. The German submarines who were horrified by the captains of the sea courts from Cape North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Caribbean to the Malack Strait, thanks to Memoram and movies have long been turned into one of the military myths, for the veil of which they often become imperceptible real facts. Here is some of them.

1. The 1154 submarines built on German shipyards (including underwater were fought as part of Crygsmarine. boat u-awhich was originally built in Germany for Navy Turkey). Of the 1154 submarine 57 submarines were built before the war, and 1097 - in the period after September 1, 1939. The average rate of commissioning of German submarines during World War II was 1 new submarine every two days.

Unfinished German submarines of type XXI on slims number 5 (in the foreground)
and №4 (right away) shipyard Ag Weser in Bremen. In the photo in the second row from left to right:
U-3052, u-3042, u-3048 and u-3056; In the near row from left to right: U-3053, U-3043, U-3049 and U-3057.
Right away - U-3060 and U-3062
Source: http://waralbum.ru/164992/

2. As part of Crygsmarine, 21 type of submarines of the German buildings with the following technical characteristics:

Displacement: from 275 tons (submarines of type XXII) to 2710 tons (type X-B);

Speed \u200b\u200bat an overnight position: from 9.7 node (type XXII) to 19.2 node (type IX - D);

Speed \u200b\u200bin the underwater position: from 6.9 node (type II - A) to 17.2 nodes (type XXI);

Immersion depth: from 150 meters (type II-a) to 280 meters (type XXI).

Kilvater Column of German Submarines (Type II-A) in the sea during maneuvers, 1939
Source: http://waralbum.ru/149250/

3. The crigsmarine included 13 trophy submarines, including:

1 English: "SEAL" (as part of Crygsmarine - U-B);

2 Norwegian: B-5 (as part of CrygSmarine - UC-1), B-6 (as part of Crygsmarine - US-2);

5 Dutch: O-5 (until 1916 - the British submarine H-6, as part of Crygsmarine - UD-1), O-12 (as part of Crygsmarine - UD-2), O-25 (as part of Crygsmarine - UD-3 ), O-26 (in the composition of CrygSmarine - UD-4), O-27 (as part of Crygsmarine - UD-5);

1 French: "La Favorite" (as part of Crymsmarine - UF-1);

4 Italian: "Alpino Bagnolini" (as part of Crymsmarine - UIT-22); "Generale Liuzzi" (as part of Crygsmarine - UIT-23); "Comandante Capellini" (as part of Crygsmarine - UIT-24); "Luigi Torelli" (as part of Crygsmarine - UIT-25).

Chrigsmarine officers inspect the British submarine "Forces" (HMS SEAL, N37),
captured in the strait of Skagerrak
Source: http://waralbum.ru/178129/

4. During World War II, German submarines were dried up 3083 commercial vessels with a total tonnage of 14528570 tons. The most productive captain of the submarine Crygsmarine is Otto Krechmer, sulking 47 ships with a total tonnage of 274333 tons. The most efficient submarine - U-48, sulking 52 vessel with a total tonnage of 307935 tons (lowered on water 22.4.1939, and 2.4.1941 received severe damage and no longer participated in hostilities).

U-48 is the most successful German submarine. In the picture she is
Almost half of the way to its end result,
as shown by white numbers
On the cabin next to the emblem of the boat ("Three times a black cat")
and the personal emblem of Captain submarine Schulza ("White Witch")
Source: http://forum.worldofwarships.ru.

5. During World War II, German submarines were drowned by 2 lincars, 7 aircraft carriers, 9 cruisers and 63 destroying destroyers. The largest of the destroyed ships is the "Royal Oak" battleship (30,200 tons - 31,200 tons, the crew - 994 people) - Skipped U-47 submarine on its own Skap-Flowow database 14.10.1939 (displacement - 1040 tons, crew - 45 people).

ROYAL OAK Linear Ship
Source: http://war-at-sea.narod.ru/photo/s4gb75_4_2p.htm

Commander of the German submarine U-47 Captain Lieutenant
Günther Prien (Günther Prien, 1908-1941) distribute autographs
After the sinking of the British linker "Royal Oak"
Source: http://waralbum.ru/174940/

6. During World War II, German submarines made 3587 combat trips. The record holder in the number of combat trips is the U-565 submarine, which made 21 campaign, during which 6 ships have sumps a total tonnage of 19053 tons.

German submarine (type VII-B) during a combat campaign
Suitable for shipping ship
Source: http://waralbum.ru/169637/

7. In the course of World War II, 721 German submarine is irrevocably lost. The first lost submarine is the submarine U-27, dried by 20.9.1939 by the British destine "Fortune" and "Forester" west of the banks of Scotland. The last loss is the submarine U-287, who broke up on Mine at the mouth of the Elbe after the formal end of World War II (05/16/1945), returning from its first and only combat hike.

British destroyer HMS Forester, 1942

IN The current century, Germany unleashed the world wars twice, and the same time the winners shared the remnants of her military and merchant fleets. So it was in 1918. When the recent allies did not consider it necessary to allocate Russia, the share of trophies except for it. But in 1945 it no longer came out; Although the British Prime Minister W. Herchill and proposed simply to destroy the preserved ships of the Nazi "Crygsmarine". Then the USSR, the United Kingdom and the United States received, except for surface wars and auxiliary vessels, and 10 submarines different types - True, later the British 5 passed the French and 2 Norwegians.
It must be said that the specialists of these countries were very interested in the features of German submarines, which was quite explained. Having joined the second world War With 57 submarines, the Germans until spring 1945 were built 1153. And they were sent to the bottom of 3 thousand courts with a total capacity of more than 15 million tons and over 200 warships. So the experience of using underwater weapons they have accumulated a solid, and a lot was bothering to make it as efficient as possible. Here is the allies and wanted to learn as much as possible about German submarines - the maximum depth of immersion, radio and radar equipment, torpedoes and mines, power plants and many other things. It is not by chance in the war for the Nazi boats arranged uniforms. Thus, in 1941, the British, capturing the surprise overlooking U-570, did not heat her, but tried to capture; In 1944, the Americans were similarly enjoyed by U-505. In the same year, Soviet chatteries, having tripped the U-250 in Vyborg Gulf, sent it to the bottom and hurried to raise. Inside the boat discovered encryption tables and self-equipped torpedoes.
And now the winners without work acquired the latest samples of combat technology -crig-smart. If the British and the Americans were limited to their study, then in the USSR, a number of trophies were commissioned in order to at least partially compensate for the loss of the underwater fleet, mainly Baltic.

Figure 1. Boat series VII. Magazine "Technique-Youth" 1/1996
(By the humble opinion of the author of the site in the figure shows the IX series boat without a nasal gun with a 100 mm caliber, but with two 20-mm machine guns and one 37 mm rainflap gun behind the cut)

According to German sailors, the VII series boats were the most successful from those intended for action in the open ocean. The prototype was the type of type in LLL, whose design worked back in the first world war and improved by 1935. Then the VII series was released in 4 modifications and transferred a record number of ships to the fleet - 674! These boats have almost a silent underwater move, which made it difficult to find their detection with hydroacoustics, the stock of the fuel allowed them to pass without refueling 6,200 - 8,500 miles, they differed good maneuverability, low silhouette made them littleness. Later, the VII series was equipped with electrosuses that were left on the surface of the characteristic bubble trail.
For the first time with the boat of the VII series, the Balti residents met when raised by y-250. Although she was awarded the Soviet designation of TS-14. But they did not restore, too serious destruction caused deep bombs. The same, the same type, which was obtained by the Tropheyev section, was introduced into operation and enrolled in the average. Y-1057 renamed H-22 (n-German), then in C-81; Y-1058 - respectively in H-23 and C-82; U-1064- in H-24 and C-83. U-1305 - in H-25 and C-84. They all completed the service in 1957 - 1958, and C-84 was surfed in 1957 after testing atomic weapons near the new land - it was used as a target. But the C-83 turned out to be a long-liver - converted to the training station, it was finally excluded from the fleet lists only in 1974.
U-1231 referred to the IXC series, such Germans were built 104. She was handed over to the fleet in 1943. And the Soviet sailors accepted in 1947. "The type of boat was pitiful. - recalled Admiral Fleet, the Hero of the Soviet Union G. M.Gorov. The body rusted, the upper deck covered with wooden bars, in some places even failed, no better than the state of instruments and mechanisms, it was straightforwards with depressing. " It is not surprising that the repair has dragged until 1948. After that, "German" was renamed H-26. According to Egorov, in the tactical and technical characteristics, the trophy was not very different from domestic submarines of this class, but noted the features. These include hydrodynamic lag. I measured the speed of the incoming flow of water, the presence of a Schnorhel is a device that served the air to dieselks when the boat was under water, hydraulic, and not pneumatic or electrical, mechanisms management systems, a small supply of buoyancy, providing a quick immersion, and a device for a bluing firing. On - from 1943, the Germans began to commission small boats of the XXIII series, intended for operations in shallow regions of the Northern and Mediterranean seas. Those who fought on them. They found that it was ideal boats for short-term actions near the coast. They are high-speed, possess good maneuverability, easy to manage. Minor sizes make it difficult to detect them and defeat. " Compare U-2353. Renamed in H-31 with domestic "baby", experts found a lot of interesting things that, obviously, was taken into account when creating post-war ships of this class.

Figure 2. Boat series XXIII. Magazine "Technique-Youth" 1/1996
(These boats managed to play, although not very efficiently, in the spring of 1945. None of them was swaming in combat campaigns. Why there is no opportunity to resemble on this ship in the best Simulator SILENTHUNTER2 - it is not clear ...)

But the most valuable were 4 submarines of the XXI series. The Germans intended to take the fleet every month to 30 units, so that in 1945 to replenish "Crymsmarine- 233 ships of this type. They were designed on the basis of more than 4-year-old combat experience, and, it must be said rather successfully, it was quite successful, a traditional diesel-electric structure was significantly improved. First of all, we developed a superbly streamlined body and cutting, to reduce the resistance of water, the horizontal rudders were made by bumping, Schnorhel, antenna devices and artillery settings - retractable. Floating supply reduced, the capacity of new batteries increased. Two rowing electric motors through lower reduction gearboxes are tied with screw shafts. In the underwater position of the XXI boat series for a short time, the speed of over 17 nodes was developed - twice as much as any other submarine. In addition, two more electric motors were introduced for a silent economy stroke in 5 knots - whether the Germans called them "electricians". Under the diesels, Schnorhel and electric motors "twenty-first" could, not popling, passing more than 10 thousand miles. By the way, the Schnorhel head protruding over the surface was covered with synthetic material and the enemy radar radars were not noticed, but submariners showed their radiation from afar, using the search Receiver.

Figure 3. XXI series boat. Magazine "Technique-Youth" 1/1996
(Boats of this type did not have time to make a single fighting volley under the banners of the Reich. And it is good ... Even very)

An interesting thing was that. That boats of this type were built in parts at several enterprises, then 8 sections of the case were collected from the workpiece and the stapel was combined. Such organization of work allowed almost 150 thousand working hours on each ship. "The fighting qualities of new boats promised to comply with the changed conditions of the war in the Atlantic and lead to a change in the situation in favor of Germany. - Noted G. Bush, which served in the Nazi underwater fleet. "The threat, which was represented by German submarines of new types, especially the XXI series, was very reassessing. If the enemy had sent them to the sea in large quantities," the official historian of the British Fleet S. Romkill erected him.
In the USSR, the Trophy submarines of the XXI series assigned their own "project 614", y-3515 was renamed H-27, then in B-27; U-2529, respectively, in the H-28 and B-28, U-3035 - in the H-29 and B-29, U-3041 - in H-30 and B-30. In addition, on the shipyards in Danzig (Gdansk), two more dozen of the construction boats were captured, but it was impractical to finish them, especially since the mass production of Soviet large boats of the 611 project was prepared. Well, said Four safely served until 1957 - 1958, then became a study, and B-27 passed on the layer only in 1973, we note that the technical finds of German designers used not only Soviet, but also English, American, French specialists - With the modernization of its old and design of new submarines.
Back in 1944, in the Romanian port of Constanta, 3 German small boats II series, which began serve in 1935 - 1936 were captured. With surface displacement 279 t, they had three torpedo devices. They were raised, they were examined, but they did not imagine much value. There were also trophies and 4 Italian ultra-long submarines of stations sent by the Nazis to the Nazi ally. Their displacement did not exceed 40 tons, length 15m, the arms consisted of 2 torpedo devices. One. SV-2, renamed TM-5, sent to Leningrad, and there were transferred to the study to the staff of the People's Commissariat of Shipbuilding, the rest did not use in this capacity.
Other fate was waiting for two submarines, which took the Soviet Union in the Fleet of Fascist Italy. "Marea", like "Triton". It was built in 1941 in Trieste, in February 1949 she accepted the Soviet crew. I-41, then C-41, with a displacement of 570 tons (underwater 1068 tons), was close to domestic pre-war medium-sided boats. Until 1956, she stayed in the Black Sea Fleet, then she was turned into a blank, on which the divers worked out the equipment of the shipyard. Nickelio, such as "platino", on tactical and technical characteristics was close to our secondary boats of the IX series. It was completed in 1942 in spices, in the Soviet fleet she was named and-42, later - C-42. It was eliminated from the lists of the Ship composition of the Black Sea Fleet simultaneously with the "countrywoman", turned into a study, and then they were allowed on scrap metal. From military and technical points of view, the Italian ships did not go to any comparison with German. In particular, the Commander-in-chief of Crygsmarine Gross Admiral K. Denitz noted: "They had a very long and high slaughterhouse, which in the afternoon and at night gave a silhouette's noticeable on the horizon ... there was no mine for the influx of air and the output of exhaust gases," Radio and hydroacoustic equipment were also far from excellence. By the way, and this explains the high losses of the Italian submarine fleet.
When in 1944, the Red Army entered the territory of Romania, the Bucharest authorities hurried to renounce the Berlin allies and move on the side of the winners. Nevertheless, the submarines "Sekhinul" and "Marsuin" became trophies and, accordingly, received the names of C-39 and C-40. There was a third. "Dolphin", built in 1931 - it is already in 1945. returned to the former owners. C-40 excluded from lists 5 years later, and S-39 in next year Also gave Romanians.
Although the domestic underwater shipbuilding has long-standing traditions and before the Great Patriotic War, Flota replenished very successful submarines, the study of foreign experience turned out to be useful. Well, and the fact that trophies stayed in about 10 years, explained by those. What began the mass construction of new generation ships, whose projects were developed by Soviet experts.

Original: "Youth Technology", 1/96, Igor Baoechin, Article "Foreigners"

Caught without a small 70 years, as the Second World War, but today, not everything is known to us about some episodes of its final stage. Said again and again in the press and literature, the old plots of the mysterious submarines of the Third Reich, who emerged off the coast of Latin America. Particularly attractive for them was Argentina.

For similar stories, real or fictional, there were grounds. Everyone knows the role of German submarines in the war on the sea: 1,162 of the submarines have gone from the Germans in Germany over the years of World War II. But not only by this record number of boats could rightly be proud of the German Navy.

German submarines of that pores were distinguished by the highest technical characteristics - speed, immersion depth, unsurpassed navigation range. It is no coincidence that the most massive Soviet submarines of the pre-war period (C) series were built under a German license.

And when in July 1944, a German boat U-250 was surfed in the Vyborg Gulf at a small depth, the Soviet command demanded from the fleet at any cost to raise it and deliver it to Kronstadt, which was fulfilled, despite the opponel opposition to the enemy. And although the boats of the VII series, to which the U-250 belonged to the U-250, in 1944 he was no longer considered the last word of German technology, but for the Soviet projectors in its design there were many new products.

Suffice it to say that after her seizure there was a special order of the Commander of the Navy Kuznetsov on the suspension of the work on the project of a new underwater ship to a detailed study of U-250. In the future, many elements of "Germans" switched to Soviet boats of the project 608, and later and the project 613, which was more than a hundred people in the post-war years. Especially high indicators had a boat of the XXI series, one after another walking in the ocean since 1943.

Doubt neutrality

Argentina, choosing neutrality in World War, nevertheless occupied a clearly proormer position. The numerous German diaspora was very influential in this southern country and provided an opportunity for his warring compatriots. The Germans owned in Argentina a variety of industrial enterprises, huge land, fishing courts.

The German PL operating in the Atlantic regularly approached the shores of Argentina, where they were supplied with products, medicines and spare parts. Nazi submariners as heroes took the hosts of German places, in a large number of scattered along the Argentine coast. Eyewitnesses were told that for bearded men in the sea form, real pions were arranged - lambs and piglets were fried, the best wines and barrels with beer were exhibited.

But the local press did not fall into the local press. It is not difficult that it was in this country after the defeat of the Third Reich, they found a refuge and flew from retaliation many prominent Nazis and their minions, such as Eichman, the Sadist, Doctor-Sadist Mengele, the Fascist Dictator of Croatia Pavelich and others.

There were rumors that they all got into South America aboard submarines, a special squadron of which, consisting of 35 pls (the so-called "convoy of the Führera"), had a base on Canar. The dubious versions were not refuted to this day that Adolf Hitler with Eve Brown and Borman and Borman were rescued in the same way, as well as allegedly created with the help of a submarine fleet in Antarctica's secret German colony. New Swabia.

In August 1942, Brazil acceded to the warring countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition, who took part in the battles on land in the air and the sea. She suffered the biggest loss when the war in Europe was already over, and on the quiet Ocean traded. On July 4, 1945, 900 miles from the native shores exploded and almost instantly went to the bottom of the Brazilian cruiser "Bayy". Most experts believe that his death (together with 330 members of the crew) is the work of the hands of German submariners.

Swastika on the cutting?

After having flocked the troubled time, it was not bad for the supply of both warring coalitions on the supply, at the deletion of war, when her end was clear to all, on March 27, 1945, Germany declared war Argentina. But after that, the stream of German boats seems to have grown only. Dozens of inhabitants of coastal villages, as well as fishermen in the sea, according to them, have obviously observed PL at an overnight position, almost in a kilvater building moving in the southern direction.

The most skirtful eyewitnesses even saw the swastika on their cuts, which, by the way, the Germans never applied their boats to cut their boats. Coastal waters and the coast of Argentina are now patrolled by the army and the fleet. An episode is known when in June 1945 in the vicinity of the city of Mardel Plata Patrol stumbled upon a cave, in which various products were in hermetic packaging. To whom they were intended, remained unexplained. It is also difficult to understand where this endless flow of PL comes from, allegedly observed by the population after May 1945.

After all, on April 30, the head of the German Navy Gross Admiral Charles Denitz gave an order to conduct a "Rainbow" operation, during which all the remaining submarines of Reich (several hundreds) were subject to flooding. It is quite realistic that before part of these ships in the ocean or in ports different countries, the Directive of the Glavloma did not reach, and some carriages just refused to perform it.

Historians converge on the fact that in most cases the sink observed in the ocean, various vessels hanging on the waves, including fishing, or eyewitness messages were simply the fruit of their imagination against the background of a general hysteria in anticipation of a retaliatory strike of Germany.

Captain Chinzano

But after all, at least two German pls were not phantoms, but quite real ships with alive crews on board. These were U-530 and U-977, entering the port of Mardel-Plata in the summer of 1945 and surrendered to the authorities of Argentina. When an early morning on July 10, an Argentine officer rose on board the U-530, he saw the crew and his commander built on the deck and his commander - a very young Ober-Lieutenant, who introduced himself as Otto Vermouth (later Argentine sailors called his captain Chinzano) and stated that 530 And her team out of 54 people surrender to the mercy of the Argentine authorities.

After that, the submarine flag was lowered and transferred to the Argentine authorities along with the crew list.

A group of officers of the Naval Base Mardel-fee, who fulfilled the inspection of the U-530, noted that the PL did not have a deck gun and two zenith machine guns (they were reset in the sea before passing), as well as a single torpedo. All ship documentation is destroyed as an encryption machine. It was especially noted the absence of an inflatable rescue bot, which brought to the thought, was not used for landing on the shore of some Nazi figures (perhaps Hitler himself).

During the interrogations, Otto Vermouth reported that the U-530 came out of Kiel in February, 10 days hid in the Norwegian fjords, after which he rushed along the US coast, and on April 24 he moved to South on April 24. There were no clear explanations about the lack of bots of Otto vermouth. The search for the missing bot with the involvement of ships, airplanes and marine infantryHowever, they did not give results. On July 21, ships participating in this operation received an order to return to their bases. From this point on, no one has been looking for German submarines in the waters of Argentina.

Tale about pirate

Completing the story about the adventures of German pl in the southern seas, it is impossible not to mention a certain Corvette-captain Paul's background of the Retatel, which has become well known as the U-2670 commander. He allegedly in May 1945 in the Atlantic, refused to flood his sall or surrender and simply began to pirate off the coast of Africa and Southeast Asia. The newly fledged Flembisther would like a huge state to himself. Fuel for their diesel engines, water and food, he replenished at the expense of his victims.

Weapons practically did not apply, because few who decided to resist his formidable pl. What the story ended, the journalists are unknown. But it is known for certain that the PL for the U-2670 number in the German fleet is not listed, and the background of the Rettel itself in the list of commanders has not flowed. So, to the disappointment of lovers of marine romance, his story turned out to be a newspaper duck.

Konstantin Reshes

More than 70 thousand dead sailors, 3.5 thousand lost civil courts and 175 warships at the allies, 783 sunken submarines with a total crew of 30 thousand people from Nazi Germany - the six-year-old battle for the Atlantic became the largest sea battle in the history of mankind . The "wolf flocks" of German U-Boat went hunting for allied convoys from the grandiose structures, erected in the 1940s on the Atlantic Coast of Europe. Aviation of Great Britain and the USA for years unsuccessfully tried to destroy them, but now these concrete colossi are growing bewilderously in Norway, France and Germany. Onliner.by talks about the creation of bunkers, where the submarines of the Third Reich were hiding from the bombers.

In the Second World War, Germany entered only 57 submarines. A significant part of this fleet was obsolete small boats of type II, calculated on the patrol of only coastal waters. Obviously, at that moment, the command of Crygsmarine (German Navy) and the highest leadership of the country did not plan to deploy a large-scale underwater war against their opponents. However, soon the policy was revised, and the identity of the commander of the submarine fleet of the Third Reich was played in this radical turn.

In October 1918, on the outcome of the First World War, during an attack on a protected British convoy, the German submarine UB-68 was counted and damaged by deep bombs. Seven sailors died, the rest of the crew was captured. His part was the Ober-Lieutenant Karl Denitz. After the liberation from the captivity, he made a brilliant career, who heard by 1939 to the title of counter-admiral and commander of the underwater forces of Crygsmarine. In the 1930s, he focused on developing tactics, which would allow to successfully deal with the convoy, the victim of which he became at the dawn of his service.

In 1939, Denitz sent the commander of the Navy of the Third Reich Gross-Admiral Erich Rerler the Memorandum, in which he suggested using the so-called RudelTaktik for attack on the convoy, "Wolf Stay Tactics." In accordance with it, it was assumed to attack the enemy's marine convoy in advance concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bits passing the maximum possible amount of submarine. At the same time, anti-submarine escort sprayed, and this, in turn, increased the effectiveness of the attack and reduced possible sacrifices from Crymsmarine.

"Wolf Steaks", according to Denitz, should have played a significant role in the war with the UK, the main rival of Germany in Europe. For the implementation of tactics, the counter-admiral suggested, it suffices to form a fleet of 300 new types of type VII capable, as opposed to their predecessors, for distant ocean marchs. In Reich, the grandiose program of the underwater fleet was immediately unfolded.

The situation has fundamentally changed in 1940. First, by the end of the year it became clear that the "Battle of Britain", the purpose of which was to incline the United Kingdom to surrender only by air bombing, was the Nazis. Secondly, in the same 1940, Germany carried out a rapid occupation of Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and, that was the most important, France, having received at their disposal almost all the Atlantic Coast of Continental Europe, and with it and comfortable military bases for raids according to the ocean. Thirdly, the Fleet has become massively introduced by Denida U-Boat type VII. Against this background, they were purchased not just significant, but to put a decisive importance in the desire to put Britain on her knees. In 1940, the Third Reich enters the unlimited underwater war and initially achieves phenomenal successes.

The goal of the campaign, subsequently with the filing of Churchill received the name "Battle for the Atlantic", was the destruction of the ocean communications, which were associated with the UK with the allies over the ocean. Hitler and the Reich Military Guide perfectly understood the degree of dependence of the United Kingdom from imported goods. The breakdown of their supplies rightly seen the most important factor for the withdrawal of Britain from the war, and the main role in this was to play "Wolfs" Admiral Denitz.

To focus their former naval bases, crigsmarine in the territory of Germany, with access to the Baltic and North Sea, were not very comfortable. But the territories of France and Norway allowed to get free access to the operational space of the Atlantic. The main problem was to ensure the safety of submarines on their new bases, because they were within the accessibility of the British (and later American) aviation. Of course, Denitz perfectly understood that his fleet would be immediately subjected to intense air bombardments, the survival in which was the necessary key to success in the "Battle of Atlantic" for the Germans.

Salvation for U-Boat was the experience of German bunker construction, in which Reich engineers knew that. It was clear to them that ordinary bombs, which at the beginning of the second world only possessed the allies, cannot cause significant damage to the building reinforced with a sufficient layer of concrete. The problem with the protection of submarines decided to be costly, but quite simple in the implementation of the method: ground bunkers began to build for them.

Unlike such facilities designed for people, U-Boot-Bunker was built with a Teutonic scope. A typical "Wolf Flame" lair was a huge reinforced concrete parallelepiped with a length of 200-300 meters, inside separated by several (up to 15) parallel compartments. In the latter and the current maintenance and repair of submarines was carried out.

Of particular importance was attached to the design of the roof of the bunker. Its thickness, depending on the specific implementation, reached 8 meters, and the roof was not monolithic: concrete layers were alternating with air to the metal reinforcement. Such a multi-layer "Pie" allowed to better extinguish the energy of the shock wave in the case of a direct hit in the building of the bomb. On the roof there were air defense facilities.

In turn, thick concrete jumpers between the internal bunker compartments were limited to possible destruction even if the bomb still breaks the roof. In each of these isolated "penalties" could be up to four U-boat, and in the case of an explosion inside his victims would only be. Neighbors would have suffered minimally or not affected at all.

At first, relatively small bunkers for submarines began to erect in Germany in the old naval bases of Crymsmarine in Hamburg and Kiel, as well as on the Islands of Helgoland in the North Sea. But the real scope of their construction has acquired in France, which has become the main place of dislocation of the Denitian fleet. From the beginning of 1941 and during the next one and a half years at the Atlantic Coast of the country, gigantic colosses appeared in five ports, of which the "wolf flocks" began to go on the hunt for the conversions of the allies.

The Breton City of Lorient in the north-west of France became the largest advanced base of Crygsmarine in the north-west of France. It was here that Karl Denitian was here, here he personally met each returned submarine, six U-Boot-Bunker for two flotillas - the 2nd and 10th.

Construction continued the year, controlled His "Organization of Todta", and participated in the process of a total of 15 thousand people, mostly French. The concrete complex in Lorient quickly showed its effectiveness: the aviation of the allies could not apply to him as much significant damage. After that, the British and Americans decided to cut communications, with the help of which the supply of the marine base was carried out. For the month, from January to February 1943, the Allies dropped several tens of thousands of bombs actually on the city of Lorient, as a result of which he was 90% destroyed.

However, it did not help. The last U-Boat left Lorient only in September 1944 after the allied landing in Normandy and the opening of the second front in Europe. After graduation, the second world of the Nazi base began to be successfully used by the French Navy.

Similar facilities of a smaller scale also appeared in Saint-Node, Brest and La Rochelle. The Brest housed the 1st and 9th underwater flotillary of Crymsmarine. Total This base was more modest "headquarters" in Lorient, but here the largest single bunker in France was built. It was designed for 15 compartments and had dimensions of 300 × 175 × 18 meters.

The 6th and 7th flotilla were based in the Saint-Node. For them, a 14-penal bunker was built with a length of 300 meters, a width of 130 meters and a height of 18 meters, I spent almost half a million cubic meters of concrete on it. 8 of 14 compartments were part-time dry docks, which made it possible to implement overhaul Submarine.

In La Rochelle placed just one, 3rd, underwater flotilla of Crygsmarine. She turned out to be enough bunker from 10 "penalches" with dimensions of 192 × 165 × 19 meters. The roof of two 3.5-meter concrete layers with an air layer, a wall of at least 2 meters thick - only 425 thousand cubic meters of concrete was spent on the building. It was here that the film Das Boot was filmed - probably the most famous movie about German submariners of the Second World War.

In this row, some mansion is the marine base in Bordeaux. In 1940, a grouping of a submarine was concentrated here, but not Germanic, but the Italian, the main allies of the Nazis in Europe. Nevertheless, and here, by order of Denitz, the program of construction of protective structures carried out the same "Organization of Todta". In particular success, Italian submariners could not boast, and in October 1942 they were supplemented by a specially formed 12th flotilla Crygsmarine. And in September 1943, after the output of Italy, the base called Betasom was completely occupied by the Germans, which remained almost a year.

In parallel with construction in France, the command of the German Navy drew attention to Norway. This Scandinavian country had strategic importance for the Third Reich. First, through the Norwegian port of Narvik, the iron ore from the remaining neutral Sweden was supplied to Germany. Secondly, the organization of naval bases in Norway allowed to control the North Atlantic, which became especially important in 1942 in the conditions of the beginning of the posting by the Allies of Arctic Korvyv with goods on Land Lisa in Soviet Union. In addition, these bases were planned to serve the Tirpitz battleship - the flagship and the pride of Germany.

Norway was given so close attention that Hitler personally ordered to turn the local town of Trondheim to one of the Festungen - "Citales" of Reich, special German quasicolone, with which Germany could additionally control the occupied territories. For 300 thousand expata - immigrants from Reich near Trondheim planned to build new townwho was supposed to get the name of Nordstern ("Northern Star"). Responsibility for its design was entrusted personally on the favorite architect of Fuhrer Albert Spear.

It was in Trondheim that the main North Atlantic base for the dislocation of Crymsmarine, including submarines and Tyrpits, was created. Starting here in the autumn of 1941, the construction of the next bunker, the Germans unexpectedly faced the difficulties that were previously unprecedented in France. Steel had to be brought, concrete on the spot was also not from what. The stretched logistic chain was constantly broken down by the efforts of capricious Norwegian weather. In winter, construction has forced to dyager because of snow drifts on the roads. In addition, it turned out that the local population with a much smaller hunt was working on the Great Construction of the Reich, which, for example, did the French. I had to attract a subaneum labor from specially organized by the concentration camps.

The bunker "Dora" with dimensions of 153 × 105 meters in just five compartments was very difficult for mid-1943, when the success of the "Wolf Steakhi" in the Atlantic began to go to no faster. The 13th Flootilla of Crygsmarine with 16 U-Boat type VII is located here. "DORA-2" remained unfinished, and from "Dara-3" and refused at all.

In 1942, the Allies found another recipe for the fight against Armada Dyotnie. The bombings of bunkers with finished boats did not give results, but shipbuilding plants, unlike naval bases, were protected much weaker. By the end of the year, thanks to this new goal, the pace of construction was significantly slowed down, and artificial decline in U-Boat, all the accelerated allied efforts were no longer replenished. In response, German engineers seemingly offered a way out.

On unprotected enterprises dispersed throughout the country, only individual boats sections were now planned. The final assembly, tests and descent on the water were made at a special factory, which was nothing other than the same familiar bunker for submarines. The first such assembly plant decided to build on the River Weser not far from Bremen.

By the spring of 1945, 10 thousand builders - prisoners of concentration camps (6 thousand of which died in the process) The largest of all U-Boot-Bunker of the Third Reich appeared on the trip. A huge building (426 × 97 × 27 meters) with a thickness of the roof to 7 meters inside was divided into 13 rooms. In 12 of them, a consistent conveyor assembly of a submarine from finished elements was carried out, and in the 13th already completed submarine descended into water.

It was assumed that the plant called Valentin would not produce a new generation u-boat, and the U-Boat of the new generation - type XXI, the next wonder-weapon, which was to save Nazi Germany from an imminent lesion. The more powerful, more high-speed, rubber covered in order to make it difficult to work with the enemy radar, with the newest hydroacoustic complex, allowed to attack the convoys without visual contact with them - it was the first indeed underwater The boat that could spend the whole combat campaign without a single lift to the surface.

Rehih, however, she did not help. Until the end of the war, only 6 out of the 330 construction and in different degrees of the readiness of the submarine were launched, and only two of them managed to reach a combat campaign. The Valentin plant was never completed, in March 1945, undergoing a series of bomb strikes. On the German miracle weapon, the allies appeared his answer, also unprecedented earlier - seismic bombs.

Seismic bombs were the last invention of British engineer Barnes Wallace, which found its application only in 1944. Conventional bombs, blowing around next to the bunker or on his roof, could not cause him a serious damage. Wallace bombs were based on a different principle. The most powerful 8-10-ton shells were reset from the highest possible height. Due to this and the special form of the body in flight, they developed supersonic speed, which allowed them to delve into the ground or piercing even thick concrete roofs of submarine shelters. Once in the depths of the design, the bombs exploded, in the process producing small local earthquakes sufficient to apply significant damage to even the most fortified bunker.

Due to the high height of their discharge from the bombarder, accuracy decreased, but in March 1945, two of these bombs type Grand Slam were pleased with the Valentin plant. Downtown to the roof concrete for four meters, they are tailored and led to the collapse of significant fragments of the building. "Medicine" for the bunkers of Denitz was found, only Germany was already doomed.

In the early 1943th, the "happy time" of the successful hunt "Wolf Steak" on the Allied convoy came end. Development by the Americans and the British of new radar, deciphering "Enigma" - the main German encryption machine installed on each submarine, the strengthening of the convoy escorts led to the strategic fracture in the "Battle of Atlantic". U-boat began to die dozens. Only in May 1943, Crygsmarine lost their 43 pieces.

The "Battle of Atlantic" became the largest and longest sea battle in the history of mankind. For six years, from 1939 to 1945, 3,5 thousand civilian and 175 warships of allies were surrounded by Germany. In turn, the Germans lost 783 submarines and three quarters of all the crews of their underwater fleet.

Only with the bunkers of Denitz Allies could not do anything. The weapon that these structures could have destroyed, appeared only at the end of the war, when almost all of them were already left. But even after the end of the Second World War, it did not work out: too much effort and costs would need for the demolition of these grand structures. They still stand in Lorient and La Rochelle, in Trondheim and on the shore of Weser, in Brest and Saint-Node. Somewhere they abandoned, somewhere turned into museums, and industrial enterprises occupied them somewhere. But for us, the descendants of the soldier of that war, these bunkers are primarily symbolic meaning.

Only by 1944 allies managed to reduce the losses applied by their fleet by German submariners

The German submarines of the Second World War were a real nightmare for English and American sailors. They turned the Atlantic into a real blood pressure, where among the wreckage and flaming fuels were desperately called for the salvation of the victim of torpedo attacks ...

Purpose - Britain

By the fall of 1939, Germany possessed very modest in size, albeit a technically perfect military fleet. Against 22 English and French line ships and cruisers, she was able to put out only two full-fledged Lyncore "Scharhorst" ("Scharnhorst") and "Gneisenau" ("Gneisenau") and three so-called "pocket" - "Doychland" ("Deutschland"), "Graf Spee") and Admiral Scheer ("Admiral Scheer"). The latter carried only six 280 mm caliber guns - despite the fact that at that time new battleships were equipped with 8-12 guns of a 305-406 mm caliber. Two more German linkers, future legends of the Second World Bismarck ("Bismarck") and "Tirpitz" ("Tirpitz") - complete displacement of 50,300 tons, the speed of 30 knots, eight 380-millimeter guns - completed and entered into force after The defeat of the union army at Dunkirk. For a direct battle of the sea with a powerful British fleet of this, of course, little. What was confirmed two years later during the famous Hunt for "Bismarck" when the German battleship with powerful weapons and an excellently prepared team was simply stored numerically superior to the enemy. Therefore, Germany initially made a bet on the marine blockade of the British Islands and took the role of Raiders - Hunters on transport caravans and individual military ships of the enemy.

England directly depended on the supply of food and raw materials from the New World, especially the United States, who were its main "supplier" in both world wars. In addition, the blockade would allow to cut off Britain from reinforcements that mobilized in colonies, as well as prevent disembarking of British landings on the continent. However, the successes of the surface raiders of Germany were short-term. Their enemy was not only superior to the Fleet forces of the United Kingdom, but also British aviation against which mighty ships were almost powerless. Regular air strikes in French bases forced Germany in 1941-42 to evacuate their battleships in the northern ports, where they almost kneadedly died during the raids or stood in repair until the end of the war.

The main force on which the Third Reich was relied in the battle of the sea, became submarines, less vulnerable to aviation and capable of painting even to a very strong enemy. And most importantly, the construction of a submarine accounted for several times cheaper, the submarine demanded less fuel, it served a small crew - despite the fact that she could be no less effective than a powerful raider.

"Wolf flocks" Admiral Sennie

In the second world Germany entered, having only 57 submarines, of which only 26 were suitable for actions in the Atlantic. However, in September 1939, the German underwater fleet (U-BootWaffe) was sumping 41 vessel with a total tonnage of 153,879 tons. Among them is the British liner "Athenium" (who became the first victim of the German submarines in this war) and the Korejda aircraft carrier. Another British aircraft carrier "ARK-ROYYAL" survived only due to the fact that the U-39 torpedoes released into it with magnetic fusers detonated ahead of time. And on the night of October 13-14, 1939, the U-4d boat under the command of Captain-lieutenant Gunter (G? Nther Prien) penetrated the raid of the British military base Skapa Flow (Orkney Islands) and launched a linear ship "Royal Oak" .

It made Britain urgently remove their aircraft carriers from the Atlantic and limit the movement of battleships and other large warships, which now carefully guarded the destroyers and other accompanies ships. Uspekhii focused on Hitler: he changed his initially negative opinion about submarines, and their mass construction unfolded. Over the next 5 years, 1108 submarines entered the German fleet.

True, considering the losses and the need to repair the submarine damaged in the campaign, Germany could put forward a limited number of submarines ready for the campaign - only by the middle of the war their number exceeded the hundred.

The main lobbying of submarines as a type of weapons in the third Reich was the commander of the underwater fleet (Karl D? Nitz, 1891-1981), which served on the submarines in the first world. Versailles forbade Germany to have a submarine fleet, and Dönitsa had to retrain the commander of the torpedo boat, then in an expert on the development of new weapons, the navigator, the commander of the Flootilla of the Ministry of Allown, the captain of the lung cruiser ...

In 1935, when Germany decided to recreate the underwater fleet, Dönitz was appointed simultaneously by the commander of the 1st underwater flotilla and received the strange title of "submarine furera". It was a very successful purpose: the underwater fleet was essentially his brainchild, he created him from scratch and turned into a powerful fist of the Third Reich. Dönitsov personally met every boat returned to the base, attended the releases of the school of submariners, created special sanatoriums for them. For all this, he enjoyed the huge respect of his subordinates who nipped him "Pope Carl" (VATER KARL).

In 1935-38, the "Underwater Führer" has developed a new tactics of the enemy's ships. Up to this point, submarines of all countries of the world actually acted. Dönitsov, served by the commander of the Flotilla of the Mstunostsev, who attacks the enemy by the group, decided to apply group tactics in the underwater war. Initially, he offers the "curtains" method. The boat group went, turning into the sea in the chain. The boat who revealed the enemy sent a report and attacked him, and the rest of the boats hurried to help her.

The next idea was the "circle" tactic, in which the boats were located around a certain section of the ocean. As soon as an enemy convoy or a combat ship was included in him, the boat, who won the enemy who became inside the circle, began to lead a goal, supporting contact with the others, and those started to get close to the doomed targets from all sides.

But the most famous became the "Wolf Steel" method, directly designed for attacks on large transport caravans. The name fully corresponded to its essence - this is how wolves are so hunting for their prey. After the convoy is detected in parallel, the submarine group was concentrated in parallel. After spending the first attack, she then overtook the convoy and unfolded in position for a new strike.

The best of the best

During the Second World War (up to May 1945), German submariners were surrounded by 2603 warships and allies transport vessels with common displacement of 13.5 million tons. Among them, 2 Linkar, 6 aircraft carriers, 5 cruisers, 52 destroyers and more than 70 warships of other classes. At the same time, about 100 thousand sailors of the military and merchant fleet died.

To counteract the allies, over 3,000 combat and auxiliary ships, about 1,400 aircraft, and by the time of the landing in Normandy caused a crushing blow to the underwater fleet of Germany, from which she could no longer recover. Despite the fact that the German industry has increased the release of submarines, fewer crews were returned from the campaign with luck. And someone did not return at all. If twenty-three were lost in 1940, and in 1941 - thirty-six submarines, then in 1943 and 1944 losses increased, respectively, up to two hundred fifty and two hundred and two submarines. In total, during the war, the loss of German submariners amounted to 789 submarines and 32,000 sailors. But it was still three times less than the number of enemy ships across with them, which proved the high efficiency of the underwater fleet.

As in any war, this was also their aces. Günther Pros became the first-famous underwater corsar for the entire Germany. At his account, thirty ships with a total displacement of 164,953 tons, including the aforementioned battleship). For this he became the first officer of Germany, received oak leaves to the Knight's Cross. The Ministry of Propaganda Reich promptly created his cult - and the priest began to receive whole bags of letters from enthusiastic fans. Perhaps he would be able to become the most fortunate German submariners, but on March 8, 1941, his boat died at the convoy attack.

After that, the list of German deep-sea Asov was headed by Otto Krechmer (Otto Kretschmer), which sowed forty-four ships with a total displacement of 266,629 tons. Wolfgang LuTgang Lyut (Wolfgang L? Th) - 43 Ship shared displacement 225 712 tons, Erich Topp (Erich Topp) - 34 vessels with a total displacement of 193,684 tons and notorious Heinrich Lehmann-WillenBrock - 25 ships With displacement of 183,253 tons, which, together with its U-96, became a character of the art film "U-Boot" ("Submarine"). By the way, he did not die during the airline. After the war, Lehmann-Villenbrok served as the captain of the Fleet of the Fleet and distinguished himself during the salvation of the fond of Brazilian dry cargo "Commander Lira" in 1959, and also became the commander of the first German ship with an atomic reactor. His boat, after the ill-fated sump right on the base, was raised, went hiking (but with another crew) and after the war it was turned into a technical museum.

Thus, the German underwater fleet turned out to be the most fortunate, although it did not have such impressive support for the surface strength and sea aviation as British. On account of its Majesty's submariners, only 70 combat and 368 shopping Germans are total tonnage 826,300 tons. Their allies Americans sank at the Pacific Theater of War 1178 ships with a total tonnage of 4.9 million tons. Fortune was not favorably and to two hundred and sixty seven Soviet submarines, which during the war they tormented only 157 warships and enemy vehicles with a total displacement of 462,300 tons.

"Volatile Dutch"

Romantic halo of heroes on one side - and the gloomy reputation of drunks and inhuman killers on the other. Such represented German submariners on the shore. However, they died only once every two or three months, when they returned from the campaign. It was then that they were in front of the "public" making hasty conclusions, after which they left to fool into the barracks or the sanatorium, and then in a completely sober form they prepared for a new campaign. But these rare inspirations were not so much a celebration of victories, how much way to remove the monstrous stress, which submariners were obtained in each campaign. And even though the crew members were among the number of psychological selection, there were cases of nervous disruptions from individual sailors who had to calm down the whole team, and even just tie to bed.

The first thing I encountered submariners, just released into the sea, is terrible close. Especially this was suffering from the crews of the submarine VII series, which, while already closely close in design, were stuffed with all necessary for long-range trips. Sleeping places of the crew and all free corners were used to store the boxes with provisions, so it was necessary to rest and take food by the crew. To take additional tons of fuel, it was pumped into tanks intended for fresh water (drinking and hygienic), thus reducing its diet sharply.

For the same reason, German submariners never saved their victims, desperately flying in the midst of the ocean. After all, it was just nowhere to place - unless to shove in the freed torpedo device. From here, the reputation of inhuman monsters conspired by submariners.

The feeling of mercy was dulled and constant fear for his own life. During the hike, I had to constantly fear with minefields or enemy aviation. But the most terrible were enemy destroyers and anti-submarine courts, or rather, their deep bombs, a close discrete of which could destroy the boat housing. At the same time it was possible only to hope for quick death. It was much more terrible to get heavy damage and permanently fall into the pulley, listening to horror, as the compressible boat body cracks, ready to break inside the water flows under pressure in several dozen atmospheres. Or worse than that - forever lie on the villages and slowly choke, understanding at the same time that there will be no help ...

Submarines. The enemy over us

The film tells about the merciless and cruel war of submarines in the Atlantic and in the Pacific Ocean. Using opponents of the latest achievements of science and technology, rapid progress in electronics (the use of sonars and anti-submarine locators) made the struggle for superiority under water beflash and exciting.

Hitler Military Machine - Submarines

A documentary film from the "Military Machine Hitler" will tell about the submarines - silent weapons of the Third Reich in the battle for the Atlantic. Developing and built secret, they were closer to victory than any other Germany. During the Second World War (down until May 1945), 2603 warships and allies transport vessels were surrounded by German submariners. At the same time, about 100 thousand sailors of the military and merchant fleet died. German submarines were a real nightmare for English and American sailors. They turned the Atlantic into a real blood pressure, where among the debris and flaming fuels were desperately called for the salvation of the victim of torpedo attacks. This time will be fair to name the breakdown period "Wolf Steak" tactics, which was directly designed for attacks on large transport caravans. The name fully corresponded to its essence - just so hunt for her extraction wolves. After detecting the convoy, a group of submarines was concentrated in parallel. After spending the first attack, she then overtook the convoy and unfolded in position for a new strike.