The German U-boat

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the German U-boat, a submarine used very effectively by Germany in WWI and WWII. According to the paper, the U-boat's attribute that most contributed to its success, was its invisibility.

Outline:
Origins of the U-boat
The Significance of the U-Boat
A Brief History of the U-boat the Second World War
The Decline of U-Boats in the Second World War
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In theory the German's felt that the U-boats, with their particular properties, were capable of dealing a severe blow to the enemy, despite Allied sea power. (The U-boat and Allied Naval Communication Intelligence) In the first years of the Second World War this theory proved to be correct and the U-boats inflicted severe damage to the Allied conveys. For instance, in 1941, 432 Allied ships were sunk by U-boats, which amounted to 2,171,754 tons of shipping and supplies lost by the allies. (Kemble, Mike 2001) This was a serious setback for the allies as they could not build ships fast enough to carry on the necessary supplies. The situation was to worsen in 1942 when 1644 Allied ships were sunk. During that year the number of U-boats rose from 91 to 212. (Kemble, Mike 2001) By February of 1943 losses to the allies reached 359,000 tons."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blue Max Militaria. Retrieved September 4, 2006, from http://stevenbaffa.tripod.com/bluemaxmilitaria/id42.html.
• Harbron, J. (1996, June). Fran Josef's Forgotten U-Boat Captains. History Today, 46, 51+. Retrieved September 4, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000361217
• Kemble, Mike. U boat War ( 2001) Retrieved September 1, 2006, from http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/uboat.html
• Kennedy, D. M. (1999, March). Victory at Sea. The Atlantic Monthly, 283, 51.
• Kreyche, G. F. (2005, March). The Secret in Building 26: The Untold Story of America's War against the U-Boat Enigma Codes. USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), 133, 80.

More papers on The German U-boat:

• Research Paper # 2522 : "The Career of U-Boat Ace Erich Topp"
• Essay # 48470 : "The German Navy"
• Essay # 1450 : "Karl Marx's 'The German Ideology'"

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