Hi Volker, Might this be the correct written protocol for the testimony by Dönitz you were referring to? Thanks, Tony
Forum: General Discussions

Lcdrusnret: first of all, thank you so much for your comments! They're exactly what I was hoping for when I made my original post in this forum. The ”tough” questions are necessary to achieve any form of progress. I'll try to address your points one at a time below: "The factors you are trying to measure changed over time For example Submarine COs aggressiveness changed with the
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks Volker, The first one I've already read, but the second one is one of the very few discussions I've seen where the comparison is actually made. In spite of all the potential pitfalls of this comparative approach (and I'm the first to admit that there are quite a few of those), I still think it's an idea that may produce useful insights. I presented a paper about t
Forum: General Discussions

Thank for your comment. Naturally, any generalization has its limits but since I'm not a historian, they are nevertheless a common entry point into what I consider to be my key objective: theory development. While you are of course correct in pointing out that a gross number cannot hope to achieve complete accuracy, I only need a gross number that is sufficiently accurate to permit comparati
Forum: General Discussions

I checked the description yesterday, and it turns out that it actually refers to U 292 rather than U 212. A bit peculiar considering how short-lived the U 292 was.
Forum: Modeling and schematics

Hi folks, I bought the Revell 1/144 Type VIIC/41 a while back and now I'm almost done painting it. The included paint scheme alternatives caught my interest since it featured a U 212 (if I recall correctly) scheme where the superstructure and tower were supposed to be painted white (the deck being grey though). I assume this was intended to be a winter camouflage pattern since the U 212 s
Forum: Modeling and schematics

Correction: it should of course say 85% in both sentences above, not 86% in the first one.
Forum: General Discussions

So now I'm trying to compare the impact of torpedo failures for the Ubootwaffe and the US Navy during their first years of combat operations (i.e. Sept 1939-Sept 1940 for the Ubootwaffe and Dec 1941 to Dec 1942 for the USN). For the Ubootwaffe, I have an average failure rate of approx. 23.8% and for the USN I will assume 70% until I have found more accurate and detailed data. Right no
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks Volker. After much searching, I found very detailed torpedo statistics in Rössler's "Die Torpedos der deutschen U-boote".
Forum: General Discussions

To be more specific; I don't need detailed figures for each boat but rather a total figure covering all boats/patrols Sept '39 to Sept '40 (monthly or annual figures would be excellent).
Forum: General Discussions

I've been looking around for figures on torpedo expenditure for German u-boats in 1939-1940, does anyone know where such data might be found? I could of course go through the KTB for every single patrol, but it would be nice if there was a simpler way of getting the information in question. Thanks, Tony
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks Hans & Felix, I will look into both your suggestions. The Diamantis story is very welcome since it fits within the time frame of the article I'm currently writing.
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks again, Volker! The conference paper I'm writing right now is limited to the first year only, since it is a comparative analysis of strategic impact including both the US Navy and the Ubootwaffe. However, in the overarching project I will not use the same methodology, which opens up for a longer time frame. The Reuben James makes for an interesting event indeed.
Forum: General Discussions

Volker & Theresa, Thanks for the suggestion re. Dönitz' statements in the Nuremberg trials. I have read them before (along with many other parts of those protocols) and found them very illuminating. I'll be happy to keep you up to date on my research. Right now I'm preparing a conference article which I do not intend to circulate in public, but I'll be happy to discu
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks for the advice, Volker & Ken! The documentary seems interesting, I'll try to get a hold of it. I'm well familiar with Prien's daring raid on Scapa Flow. As a matter of fact, I have photocopy of the war diary (KT kept during the raid here among my files. Bleichrodt is also an interesting character. I've encountered the City of Benares before but never paid
Forum: General Discussions

Hi folks, You have probably seen a few of my posts around from time to time (although they have been scarce). I thought it might be about time I present my project, since it might interest some of you. I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science, currently at the start of my third year. My research is about political and strategic consequences of tactical-level decisions. One of the cas
Forum: General Discussions

I've added all the commanders on patrol I could find for the time period in question, by checking the departures every single day between September 1st 1939 to August 31st 1940. The 1WO who temporarily replaced Kentrat after his accident is omitted since he assumed command at sea and went straight to port after that. Please let me know if there's anything missing or any factual
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks for your comment, Platon. You have a good point, the list only includes commanders who were patrolling the North Atlantic. I'll make sure to add the other patrols (Baltic Sea, etc.) as well.
Forum: General Discussions

New version of the file. Corrected info on von Gossler and Dau.
Forum: General Discussions

Here's a link to the dataset: Please point out any errors, I still haven't verified everything and there may be spelling errors or mis-typed figures. For tonnage sunk or damaged, vessels that were total losses or damaged by mines are included in the totals. Please note that the figures are not patrol totals but totals up to August 31 1940, the total figures for the individual
Forum: General Discussions

I've tried to compile some data on the first year of combat operations for the u-boats, defined as September 1st 1939 to August 31st 1940. I've used a list of patrols from the first volume of the Swedish 2004 edition of Clay Blair's "Hitler's U-boat War", then cross-referenced it with the commander files here at uboat.net, as well as some extra material (the interrog
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks, Felix. Where can I find more information about Zahn? Did he suffer his breakdown while commanding U-56? If so, that's particularly interesting since he later commanded U-69. If he was indeed given a new command after a breakdown, that would be valuable information.
Forum: General Discussions

Thanks John, that's a good example that I'd forgotten since reading about it in Hirschfeld's biography. I also found Peter Zschech from crew 36, who shot himself during a depth-charging, forcing the 1WO to assume command, although that was in 1943. Any other examples that anyone can think of?
Forum: General Discussions

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum, but I've been a big fan of subs/u-boats for quite a few years. Quite recently I've started to read about the US sub campaign against Japan in Clay Blair's "Silent Victory". The thing that struck me was just how many of the American commanders in the first year of the war (esp. the first months) who were found to be unsuited to comma
Forum: General Discussions