General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
Posted by:
kurt
()
Date: May 21, 2001 02:52AM
<HTML>The Germans shared a small amount of technical information with Japan in a variety of areas, ranging from jet aircraft design (a Me-262 type aircraft was slated to go into production in early \'46), and radar to sub technology, such as schnorkels. Japanese sub experts came to study in Germany, and one U-boat was sailed away with a Japanese crew as a gift from Germany. Germany tried to help Japan technically to help keep the americans more occupied in the Pacific, but the aid was too small and difuse to have any real effect. The \'alliance\' between Germany and Japan was very casual, with virtually no cooperation or sharing, and a lot of mutual contempt.
But the main problem with technical interchange between these axis partners was that Japan and Germany were physically isolated from eachother. At first there were a trickle of German surface ships, but soon allied air and naval power forced this link underwater. A number of Japanese and German subs attempted the transit, and a large portion of them never made it. Sub transport was most unsatisfactory, but by the last stage of the war it was all there was.
Earlier there was also the possibility of going thru the Soviet Union, as the Soviets were carefully neutral with Japan during most of the war. Diplomatic envoys travelled from Japan thru Russia, then thru another neutral, such as Turkey, into German territory. This route was gradually closed by the Russians as their war position improved.
The Japanese had such a different view about the strategic view of subs that naturally their subs were totally different than German subs. The Japanese borrowed from German U-boat design after WWI, but went their own way by the 20\'s, building large, long range boats to help in classic Mahan style decisive ocean battles - a role for which US fleet boats were also made. Since merchant raiding was felt to detract from this more important role, merchant raiding was not pusued extensively by the Japanese. Sub based aircraft were envisioned for fleet reconnasiance.
The giant 400 class boats were designed during the war, and were going to be used for a raid on the Panama Canal locks when the war ended.
And yes, the classic reference for Japanese sub operations in WWII is Boyd and Yoshida\'s \"The Japanese Submarine Force and World War Two\".
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But the main problem with technical interchange between these axis partners was that Japan and Germany were physically isolated from eachother. At first there were a trickle of German surface ships, but soon allied air and naval power forced this link underwater. A number of Japanese and German subs attempted the transit, and a large portion of them never made it. Sub transport was most unsatisfactory, but by the last stage of the war it was all there was.
Earlier there was also the possibility of going thru the Soviet Union, as the Soviets were carefully neutral with Japan during most of the war. Diplomatic envoys travelled from Japan thru Russia, then thru another neutral, such as Turkey, into German territory. This route was gradually closed by the Russians as their war position improved.
The Japanese had such a different view about the strategic view of subs that naturally their subs were totally different than German subs. The Japanese borrowed from German U-boat design after WWI, but went their own way by the 20\'s, building large, long range boats to help in classic Mahan style decisive ocean battles - a role for which US fleet boats were also made. Since merchant raiding was felt to detract from this more important role, merchant raiding was not pusued extensively by the Japanese. Sub based aircraft were envisioned for fleet reconnasiance.
The giant 400 class boats were designed during the war, and were going to be used for a raid on the Panama Canal locks when the war ended.
And yes, the classic reference for Japanese sub operations in WWII is Boyd and Yoshida\'s \"The Japanese Submarine Force and World War Two\".
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| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
|
Frank Blazich | 05/19/2001 07:33PM |
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RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
|
Rich Mickle | 05/20/2001 12:06AM |
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RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
|
Yuri IL\'IN | 05/20/2001 08:38PM |
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RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
|
yorktr | 05/20/2001 11:13PM |
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RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
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Rich Mickle | 05/26/2001 10:49AM |
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RE: German U-boat Designs and Japanese Subs
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kurt | 05/21/2001 02:52AM |