Post by richard on Jun 22, 2005 14:38:09 GMT
Hello everyone I am interested in the second world war and my main interest is the Eastern Front. Any way what I have read and seen on the u-boat war has been very interesting.
Right from the start of the campaign was going to fail on the out break of war Donitz made the remark "The war had come five years to early" and the basic design of the u-boats had not changed much from the first world war.
And yet they proved to be a real threat the Atlantic war was the longest fought campaign of the war the u-boats were dangerous the famous raid in to scapa Flow told the British navy to watch out the main reason for the first happy times was that Germany had built up her military forces and the rest of the world sat there and watched no wonder the allies fell back and forced to regroup.
But this all changed in 1942 after Japans raid on Pearl Harbor Hitler declared war on the U.S.A this was madness granted for the u-boats this was the second happy times.
England had learned her lesson and America was about to learn the hard way as well by late 1942 the tide was starting to turn against the u-boats the air gap was closing and the allies were leaning to deal with the threat.
In the first half of 1943 the u-boat war had reached the high water mark and the second half of 1943 saw the war against u-boats turn in to the allies favor once and for all.
U-boats being sunk was so high that in early 1944 they were withdrawn from the Atlantic and were a shadow of there former selfs by the end of the war the lucky crews who survived were glad it was all over.
My Reasons why the u-boats lost
1. Design of the u-boats was not upgraded by much before the war
2. Not much money was allocated to the u-boats
3. Long term scientific research was cut back in 1940
4. The XXI class u-boat was bought in to the war far to late it should have been ready by early 1943
5. Hitler decoration of war on America
Just to rap things up here's a list of books I have viewed
IRON COFFINS
DONITZ AND THE WOLF PACKS
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
ADMIRAL KARL DOENITZ MEMOIRS
THE U-BOAT OFFENSIVE 1914-1945
THE LAST YEAR OF THE KRIEGMARINE
GREY WOLF U-BOAT CREWMAN OF WW2
THE SECRET WAR
If any one is interested the BBC did a TV series back in the mid 1970's called The Secret War and one of the programmes was about The Battle of the Atlantic this series was about the scientific war very interesting.
Hope you enjoyed and please do post your comments
Richard
Right from the start of the campaign was going to fail on the out break of war Donitz made the remark "The war had come five years to early" and the basic design of the u-boats had not changed much from the first world war.
And yet they proved to be a real threat the Atlantic war was the longest fought campaign of the war the u-boats were dangerous the famous raid in to scapa Flow told the British navy to watch out the main reason for the first happy times was that Germany had built up her military forces and the rest of the world sat there and watched no wonder the allies fell back and forced to regroup.
But this all changed in 1942 after Japans raid on Pearl Harbor Hitler declared war on the U.S.A this was madness granted for the u-boats this was the second happy times.
England had learned her lesson and America was about to learn the hard way as well by late 1942 the tide was starting to turn against the u-boats the air gap was closing and the allies were leaning to deal with the threat.
In the first half of 1943 the u-boat war had reached the high water mark and the second half of 1943 saw the war against u-boats turn in to the allies favor once and for all.
U-boats being sunk was so high that in early 1944 they were withdrawn from the Atlantic and were a shadow of there former selfs by the end of the war the lucky crews who survived were glad it was all over.
My Reasons why the u-boats lost
1. Design of the u-boats was not upgraded by much before the war
2. Not much money was allocated to the u-boats
3. Long term scientific research was cut back in 1940
4. The XXI class u-boat was bought in to the war far to late it should have been ready by early 1943
5. Hitler decoration of war on America
Just to rap things up here's a list of books I have viewed
IRON COFFINS
DONITZ AND THE WOLF PACKS
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
ADMIRAL KARL DOENITZ MEMOIRS
THE U-BOAT OFFENSIVE 1914-1945
THE LAST YEAR OF THE KRIEGMARINE
GREY WOLF U-BOAT CREWMAN OF WW2
THE SECRET WAR
If any one is interested the BBC did a TV series back in the mid 1970's called The Secret War and one of the programmes was about The Battle of the Atlantic this series was about the scientific war very interesting.
Hope you enjoyed and please do post your comments
Richard
