Figure 1.--The principal German U-boat in the Battle of the Atlantic was the Type-IX. Notice the deck gun, it was commonly used to save toropedoes. The Type-IX was a relatively small boat with a limited range. The fall of France and the ability to use the FrenchAtlantic portys made it a formnidable weapon. Here one is bing supplied by a surface ship. The Royal Navy soon made this impossible and they wee supplied by large cargo U-boats-- Milchcows.

No one as the world spiraled toward war in the 1930s realized that the submarine would become one of the most important ship types of the coming war. Submarines, a relatively small vulneable boat, became key weaopn systems during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Hitler had not placed much importance on the Kriegsmarine and go the extent he did he focused on surface ships, especially big gun battleships. The Kriegsmarine primry focus was a instrument to boh cut Britain's lifelines and second to make it impossible for the United States to project power. Erly in the War, however, it became obvious that the Kriegsmarine could not accomplish this with surface ships. And Admiral Dönitz's small U-boat fleet was reporting enormous success. Prime Miniter Churchill wrote after the War that it was the U-boats that caused him the greatest anxiety during the war. Hitler thus approved a major U-boat building program. This was at the time that he was also prepring Barbarossa. The steel and other resources devoted to U-boats affected the production of other arms including tanks and artillery. The resulting Battle of the Atlantic proved to be one of the citical campigns of the War. Unlike the Germans,the Japanese began the War with a substantial submarine force. It would, howver, be the U.S. Navy's Submarine Srvice that would play a key role in the Pacific War. Britain was not the only industrialized island nation that was vulnerable to a sunmarine-based commerce war. Japan was even more dependant on imported food and raw materials than Britain. This was a vulnerability the Japanese for reasons only they can explain did not attach much importance to when they launched the Pacific War. The Japanese had a growing indusrial economy, but only limited natural resources needed to supply it. They went to war to seize the Southern Resource Zone (SRZ) of SoutheastAsia. They succeeded in this effort, but the Japnese marus plying he long sea lanes between the SRZ and ine industry of the Home Islands was vulberable. It would be the United States that would conduct the only successful submarine campaign of the war.

Pre-War Expectations

No one as the world spiraled toward war in the 1930s realized that the submarine would become one of the most important ship types of the coming war. Submarines, a relatively small vulneable boat, which had been defeated in Workd War I. Thus military plnners saw no reason to belief that they would play amajor role in the coming War. Despite all predictions, the became key weaopn systems during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific.

Battle of the Atlantic

Hitler had not placed much importance on the Kriegsmarine and go the extent he did he focused on surface ships, especially big gun battleships. The Kriegsmarine primry focus was a instrument to boh cut Britain's lifelines and second to make it impossible for the United States to project power. Erly in the War, however, it became obvious that the Kriegsmarine could not accomplish this with surface ships. And Admiral Dönitz's small U-boat fleet was reporting enormous success. Prime Miniter Churchill wrote after the War that it was the U-boats that caused him the greatest anxiety during the war. Hitler thus approved a major U-boat building program. This was at the time that he was also prepring Barbarossa. The steel and other resources devoted to U-boats affected the production of other arms including tanks and artillery. The resulting Battle of the Atlantic proved to be one of the citical campigns of the War.

Pacific War

Unlike the Germans, the Japanese began the War with a substantial submarine force. It would, howver, be the U.S. Navy's Submarine Srvice that would play a key role in the Pacific War. Britain was not the only industrialized island nation that was vulnerable to a submarine-based commerce war. Japan was even more dependant on imported food and raw materials than Britain. This was a vulnerability the Japanese for reasons only they can explain did not attach much importance to when they launched the Pacific War. The Japanese had a growing indusrial economy, but only limited natural resources needed to supply it. They went to war to seize the Southern Resource Zone (SRZ) of SoutheastAsia. They succeeded in this effort, but the Japnese marus plying he long sea lanes between the SRZ and ine industry of the Home Islands was vulberable. It would be the United States that would conduct the only successful submarine campaign of the war. A reader writes, "The Japanese had two reasons for their lack of protecting their sea lanes carrying oil and other raw material from the SRZ. They had such a feeling of superiority that they never expected to have to defend these routes were well wihin their inner circle of island defebses. They were convinced that America would not want to fight a Pacific war after Pearl Harbor because they believed that the Pacific fleet so badly mauled that merica would not fight. Military commandrs commonly are conditionsd by the previous war. The Japanese were operating on the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, after the Russian Fleet ws destroyed in the Tsushima Straits, Russia decided to end the war. And the Japanese believed that subs should be used as a weapon to attack other naval ships not merchant ships and never expected the United States to do so. Attacking anerchnt ship was seen as beneth the dignity of a warrior. It is all from a case of being over confident and underestimating your opponent. Two very fatal flaws in any war strategy."

Created: 7:17 AM 10/19/2012
Last updated: 11:26 PM 4/4/2013