Special Sub-Topic: U-Boat: The Silent Hunter Click Here To Play: U-Boat: The Silent Hunter

How many German U-boats where produced and commissioned into active service with the Kriegsmarine between 1935-1945?

1150. From 11 cities and 19 shipyards based along the North Sea and the Baltic, Germany turned out more than 1000 U-Boats. 103 where built between 1935-1940 and a staggering 1050 from 1941 to the end of the war.

Which German city, with its four shipyards, had been responsible for producing over one third of all U-Boats commissioned in World WarII?

Hamburg. The city of Hamburg received a lot of attention from allied bombers due to its very high production levels of the dreaded U-boat. However, given the commitment of the RAF to the policy of area bombing, it was the civilian population that bore the brunt of these air attacks.

Undersea warfare was dangerous business. What percentage of German U-boats from the total commisioned where lost or MIA to ships, aircraft, or scuttled at sea?

70%. Supply convoys became much more organised and submarine tactical counter-measures had improved greatly by 1942. The tide turned against the U-boat. 159 U-boats where lost between 1939-1942 compared with 614 in the two years to the end of the war. The high rate of loss post 1942 can be attributed to code breaking (refer to info on question 5), radar advances and convoy tactics. The loss of German submariners was considerable. Of the 40,000 men who served in U-boats, 30,000 were lost.

Which of the following caused the greatest losses to the U-Boat?

Aircraft. In December 1941 the infamous U-Boat 96 was located and bombed at night with the use of radar near the Straits of Gibraltar by Swordfish Squadron 812. The German Admiralty did not except that the Allies could fit accurate radar sets into their aircraft. This innovation played a key role in giving the Allies the upper hand in the war against German U-Boats.

What was the name of the M3 ciphering machine used by the German Kriegsmarine?

Enigma. The movie 'U-571' told the story of US commandos hijacking a U-boat in dramatic style to capture the vital enigma-ciphering machine. The real story is actually British. 1941: After a forced surface due to depth charging, U-110 was about to be rammed by HMS Bulldog and the crew abandoned ship. A quick thinking Captain aborted the ramming and U-110 was left floating with all its secrets intact, including the enigma machine. In 1942, 3 British sailors swam to a sinking U-559 and recovered vital documents enabling intelligence to break the Enigma's 'Shark' code giving the allies supremacy in the Atlantic and saving an estimated 750,000 tons of shipping and countless lives. Without this information, D-Day would not have taken place until 1945. Sadly, two of the three heroes went down with the sinking U-559.

The first ship to be sunk in WW2 by a U-boat was HMS Indomitable.

f. The first ship to be sunk was the the liner S.S. Athenia on the first day of the war against Britain. It was a controversial strike. The Hague convention forbade attacks on merchant shipping without warning. Germany denied all knowledge of the incident and Hitler was furious. He didn't want the Americans antagonised and restricted U-boat operations for months afterwards.

U-boat is a shortened and translated term for what?

Unterseeboot. Winston Churchill: "Enemy submarines are to be called U-boats. The term 'submarine' is to be reserved for Allied underwater vessels. U-boats are those dastardly villains who sink our ships, while submarines are those gallant and noble craft which sink theirs."

One of the great daring U-Boat raids of the war was the penetration of Scapa Flow by U-47 and the subsequent tragic sinking of which battleship?

HMS Royal Oak. Leading U-Boat Commander and fanatical Nazi Günther Prien gladly accepted the mission to penetrate the heavily defended North Fleet's main harbour at Scapa Flow. He wove his way in against rippling tides, boom nets, mines and on shore anti sub installations to find Royal Oak moored with all hands on deck. She was to sail the following day. Prien fired all forward torpedos, none detonated on the target. In a daring move he swung the boat and fired his aft shots. Both found their target. Prien was the first U-Boat Commander to receive the Knight's Cross.

Very late in the war a new and greatly improved type of U-boat came into service. Its improved feature is prominent in its name. What was the boat called?

Electroboot. The Electroboot, so named for it's greatly improved battery capacity, had many improvements including sonar, radar, hydraulic re-load systems, 6 forward torpedo tubes, schnorchel and to the crews delight a deep freezer. Performance was also considerable. 10 hours submerged at 14 knots and 1.5 hours at 18 knots made the Electroboot a formidable hit and run opponent. The hull design was to be used by navies for the next 20 years.

Reaching the rank of Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine in 1943, which German Admiral was known as the 'Father of the U-boat weapon?'

Karl Donitz. Admiral Dönitz had a very distinguished career in the Kreigsmarine. A WWI U-boat veteran, he reached the rank of 'Führer der Unterseeboote' (FdU) in 1936. He was a well-respected leader of his men and an excellent tactician. Dönitz was convicted of war crimes by the Nuremberg Tribunal and sent to Spandau for 11 years. In later years many thought this was harsh. The U-boats in general fought hard but fair and the conviction was a result of the many years of terror bought upon by the undersea threat. Dönitz lost both his sons in naval action and was the remaining head of the German state until his capture in May, 1945. Dönitz passed away on Christmas Eve 1980, aged 89.