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RE: type xxi
Posted by: kurt ()
Date: December 18, 2000 05:55PM

<HTML>Answering the direct question, the answer is probably that the BOA would have been much more difficult, but eventually mastered again. The huge industrial capacity and technological capability the US had was hard to beat. Remember during much of the beginning of the war ASW got a low priority.

But the XXI had some awesome capability. High underwater speed and deep diving capability (over 1000ft) meant it would be almost impossible to sink with normal depth charges, and too fast to sink with a \'Fido\' type weapon if the XXI was alerted and running.

On the other hand, as long as Germany did not have good radars and radar warning receivers that actually detected allied radars any sub, even a XXI, would have been vulnerable to surprise attack on or near the surface while charging batteries. Many U-boats were sunk in the act of diving when surprised on the surface.

Add to that the chatty, close command style of Doenitz that aided allied Huff-Duff, and the compromise of German codes, giving the allies pricesless information on location, even the XXI boats would have had some serious handicaps.

If the XXI, instead of the VII, was the \'standard\' U-boat at the start of WWII (there was no fundamental technology in the type XXI that was not available before the war) the BOA might have gone against Britian. But by 1943 the US was fuly engaged and energized, convoys were heavily escorted, massive airpower was deployed, and radar and cryptological capabilities were in full swing. \'43 was probably too late to reverse the tide of the defeat of the U-boats.




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Subject Written By Posted
type xxi phil 12/17/2000 12:41PM
RE: type xxi David W 12/18/2000 06:36AM
RE: type xxi Dietzsch 12/18/2000 09:12AM
RE: type xxi Rainer Bruns 12/18/2000 01:35PM
RE: type xxi Nannia 12/18/2000 02:37PM
RE: type xxi Takeo 12/18/2000 03:16PM
fallout? Tom Iwanski 12/18/2000 03:39PM
RE: type xxi kurt 12/18/2000 05:43PM
RE: type xxi Rainer Bruns 12/18/2000 03:40PM
RE: type xxi Steve Cooper 12/18/2000 04:54PM
RE: garbage? Antonio Veiga 12/18/2000 08:16PM
RE: garbage? Rick Mann 12/19/2000 07:58PM
RE: gaijin kurt 12/19/2000 11:47PM
XXI and the 300 U-boats SuperKraut 12/18/2000 09:41PM
Scary thought J-E 12/19/2000 01:27PM
RE: type xxi kurt 12/18/2000 05:41PM
RE: type xxi MCE 12/18/2000 06:00PM
RE: type xxi kurt 12/18/2000 05:55PM
You have missed the point SuperKraut 12/18/2000 09:30PM
invisible snorkels at the XXI Kurt 12/18/2000 11:23PM
XXI capabilities SuperKraut 12/19/2000 08:27PM
RE: invisible snorkels at the XXI Craig McLean 12/20/2000 03:19AM
Underwater speed and range SuperKraut 12/20/2000 09:39AM
Snorkels and The Bismarck Add On Fin Bonset 12/20/2000 01:07PM
Bismarck Fleet Add On Fin Bonset 12/20/2000 01:09PM
RE: Bismarck Fleet Add On Fin Bonset 12/20/2000 01:10PM
RE: type xxi Steve Cooper 12/19/2000 06:20PM
RE: type xxi Stewart 12/19/2000 07:29PM
Blair SuperKraut 12/19/2000 08:49PM
RE: Blair kurt 12/19/2000 11:40PM
RE: I meant 1950\'s kurt 12/19/2000 11:48PM
RE: Blair Jim, 12/20/2000 01:35AM
RE: mystery radar kurt 12/20/2000 10:10PM
Radar and snorkels SuperKraut 12/20/2000 09:09AM
Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI Rick Mann 12/20/2000 05:06PM
RE: Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI SuperKraut 12/21/2000 10:08AM
RE: Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI Rick Mann 12/25/2000 05:01PM
RE: Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI SuperKraut 12/28/2000 12:41AM


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