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What was the dreaded German U-boat?
U-boat, German U-boot, abbreviation of Unterseeboot, (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II.
Did German U-boats go underwater?
The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time.
How many of Germany’s U-boat were sunk or destroyed during WWII?
Blair attributes to the German historian Axel Niestle the conclusion that of 859 U-boats that set off on war patrols, 648 were lost — 75 percent. Of these, 429 yielded no survivors.
What did the U-boat do?
The formidable U-boats (unterseeboots) prowled the Atlantic armed with torpedoes. They were Germany’s only weapon of advantage as Britain effectively blocked German ports to supplies. The goal was to starve Britain before the British blockade defeated Germany.
Was the U boat ever found?
The wreck of a German submarine from World War II has been found off the Polish Baltic coast. Specialist divers have identified it as U-boat U-649, which sank after colliding with another German submarine which had been sunk months earlier.
What happened to U-Boats after ww2?
Of the 156 U-boats that surrendered to the allies at the end of the war, 116 were scuttled as part of Operation Deadlight. The Royal Navy carried out the operation, and planned to tow the submarines to three areas about 100 miles (160 km) north-west of Ireland and sink them.
What is the difference between a U boat and a submarine?
A submarine is a submarine. A u-boat is an English word to refer to WWI and WWII German submarines after deciding that the real spelling, u-boot, was too much of an eccentricity. Enemy submarines are to be called U-Boats. The term submarine is to be reserved for Allied under water vessels.