Type VII U-Boats

After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and devised new theories and plans for a future conflict. The principal result of this study was the development of the daring concept of Radeltaktik, which involved coordinated pack attacks on the Allied convoy systems that had proved so successful in defense. Donitz was one of the architects of this new scheme, and his favored method was the surfaced night attack, the U-boats shadowing the convoys for some time, communicating the position of their quarry and then converging from the surrounding ocean areas for 'the kill'. The perfect boat to implement this doctrine had to have certain characteristics it required an effective operational range and the levels of speed and armament usually associated with large boats; and it had to be highly maneuverable with a fast dive - a factor normally exhibited by smaller boats. It needed excellent communications and, above all, it had to be easy to build because a great many were needed. Armed with such a weapon, Donitz was convinced that, given the will, Germany could win any tonnageschlact (tonnage battle) in the Atlantic. It was the Type VII U-boat that largely fulfilled this role. Over 700 examples of this superb submarine were built, making it by far the most numerous types of U-boat and fully deserving of this study. Robert C. Stern looks in detail at how the various technological elements of this advanced weapons system worked and how the crewmen operated to maximize its effectiveness in action. He traces the development and design of the class together with the crucial offensive and defensive components it took to sea: torpedo and gun types; radio, hydrophones, radar decoys and sonar countermeasures; mines; and a host of other innovative items....