Duels of Soviet and German submarines. Mysterious Nazi submarines

During the Second World War, fights and duels were fought not only on land and in the air, but also at sea. And what is remarkable - the participants in the duels were also submarines. Although the bulk of the German Navy was involved in the battles in the Atlantic, a significant proportion of fights between submarines took place on the Soviet-German front - in the Baltic, Barents and Kara Seas ...

The Third Reich entered the Second World War with not the largest submarine fleet in the world - only 57 submarines. Much more submarines were in service with Soviet Union(211 units), USA (92 units), France (77 units). The biggest naval battles World War II, in which the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) participated, took place in Atlantic Ocean, where the main enemy of the German troops was the most powerful naval grouping of the Western allies of the USSR. Nevertheless, a fierce confrontation also took place between the Soviet and German fleets - in the Baltic, in the Black and North Seas. Submarines took an active part in these battles. Both Soviet and German submariners showed tremendous skill in destroying enemy transport and combat ships. The effectiveness of the use of the submarine fleet was quickly appreciated by the leaders of the Third Reich. In 1939–1945 German shipyards managed to launch 1,100 new submarines - this is more than any country participating in the conflict could launch during the war years - and, by the way, all the states that were part of the Anti-Hitler coalition.

Baltic occupied special place in the military-political plans of the Third Reich. First of all, it was a vital channel for the supply of raw materials to Germany from Sweden (iron, various ores) and Finland (timber, agricultural products). Sweden alone met 75% of the needs of the German industry in ore. In the water area Baltic Sea The Kriegsmarine had many naval bases, and the skerry region of the Gulf of Finland had a great abundance of convenient anchorages and deep-water fairways. This created excellent conditions for the German submarine fleet for active combat operations in the Baltic. Soviet submariners began to carry out combat missions in the summer of 1941. Until the end of 1941, they managed to send 18 German transport ships to the bottom. But the submariners also paid a huge price - in 1941 the Baltic Navy lost 27 submarines.

In the book of an expert on the history of the Navy Gennady Drozhzhin “Aces and propaganda. Myths of submarine warfare” has interesting data. According to the historian, of all nine German submarines operating on all seas and sunk by Allied submarines, four were sunk by Soviet submariners. At the same time, German submarine aces were able to destroy 26 enemy submarines (including three Soviet ones). Data from Drozhzhin's book indicates that duels between submarines took place during the Second World War. Fights between the submarines of the USSR and Germany ended with a score of 4:3 in favor of the Soviet sailors. According to Drozhzhin, only Soviet M-type vehicles, the Malyutka, took part in the duels with German submarines.

"Malyutka" is a small submarine with a length of 45 m (width - 3.5 m) and an underwater displacement of 258 tons. The crew of the submarine consisted of 36 people. "Baby" could dive to a limiting depth of 60 meters and be at sea without replenishment of drinking and technical water, provisions and consumables for 7-10 days. The armament of the "M" type submarine included two bow torpedo tubes and a 45-mm gun in the wheelhouse fence. The boats had fast sinking systems. With skillful use, the "Baby", despite its small size, could destroy any submarine of the Third Reich.

Scheme of a submarine type "M" XII series

The first victory in the duels between the submarines of the USSR and Germany was won by the military personnel of the Kriegsmarine. It happened on June 23, 1941, when the German submarine U-144 under the command of Lieutenant Friedrich von Hippel was able to send the Soviet submarine M-78 (under the command of Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Shevchenko) to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Already on July 11, U-144 discovered and tried to destroy another Soviet submarine, the M-97. This attempt ended in failure. U-144, like Malyutka, belonged to small submarines and was launched on January 10, 1940. The German submarine was heavier than the Soviet counterpart (underwater displacement of 364 tons) and could dive to a depth of more than 120 meters.

Submarine type "M" XII series M-104 "Yaroslavsky Komsomolets", Northern Fleet

In this duel of representatives of the “light weight”, the German submarine won. But U-144 failed to increase its combat list. On August 10, 1941, a German ship was discovered by the Soviet medium diesel submarine Shch-307 "Pike" (under the command of Lieutenant Commander N. Petrov) in the area of ​​\u200b\u200babout. Dago in the Soelosund Strait (Baltic). The Pike had much more powerful torpedo armament (10 533 mm torpedoes and 6 torpedo tubes - four at the bow and two at the stern) than her German opponent. "Pike" fired a two-torpedo volley. Both torpedoes accurately hit the target, and U-144, along with the entire crew (28 people), was destroyed. Drozhzhin claims that the Soviet submarine M-94 under the command of Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dyakov destroyed the German submarine. But in fact, Dyakov's boat became a victim of another German submarine - U-140. It happened on the night of July 21, 1941 near Ute Island. M-94, along with another M-98 submarine, patrolled off the island. At first, the submarines were escorted by three minesweeper boats. But later, at 03:00, the escort left the submarines, and they continued on their own: the M-94, trying to charge the batteries faster, went to great depths, and the M-98 headed under the coast. At the Kõpu lighthouse, the M-94 submarine was hit in the stern. It was a torpedo fired from the German submarine U-140 (Commander J. Hellrigel). The torpedoed Soviet submarine rested on the ground, the bow and superstructure of the submarine towered above the water.

The location of the Soviet submarine M-94 after being hit by German torpedoes
Source - http://ww2history.ru

The crew of the M-98 submarine decided that the "partner" was blown up by a mine, and started saving the M-94 - they began to launch a rubber boat. At that moment, the periscope of an enemy submarine was noticed from the M-94. The commander of the helmsman's department, S. Kompaniets, began to semaphore on the M-98 with pieces of a vest, warning of an attack by a German submarine. M-98 managed to dodge the torpedo in time. The crew of the U-140 did not re-attack the Soviet submarine, and the German submarine fled. M-94 soon sank. 8 crew members of the Malyutka were killed. The rest were rescued by the M-98 crew. Another "Baby" that died in a collision with German submarines was the M-99 submarine under the command of Senior Lieutenant Popov Boris Mikhailovich. M-99 was destroyed during combat duty near Ute Island by the German submarine U-149 (commander Lieutenant-Commander Horst Höltring), which attacked a Soviet submarine with two torpedoes. It happened on June 27, 1941.

In addition to the Baltic submariners, they fiercely fought with German troops and their colleagues from Northern Fleet. The first submarine of the Northern Fleet that did not return from combat campaign Great Patriotic War, became the M-175 submarine under the command of Lieutenant Commander Mammoth Lukich Melkadze. M-175 became a victim of the German ship U-584 (commander Lieutenant Commander Joachim Decke). It happened on January 10, 1942 in the area north of the Rybachy Peninsula. The acoustics of a German ship from a distance of 1000 meters detected the noise of diesel engines of a Soviet submarine. The German submarine began pursuing the Melkadze submarine. M-175 followed a zigzag on the surface, charging batteries. The German car was moving under water. U-584 overtook the Soviet ship and attacked it, firing 4 torpedoes, two of which hit the target. M-175 sank, taking with her sea ​​depths 21 crew members. It is noteworthy that the M-175 has already once become a target for a German submarine. On August 7, 1941, near the Rybachy Peninsula, the M-175 was torpedoed by the German submarine U-81 (commander Lieutenant Commander Friedrich Guggenberger). A German torpedo hit the side of the Soviet ship, but the fuse did not work on the torpedo. As it turned out later, a German submarine fired four torpedoes at the enemy from a distance of 500 meters: two of them did not hit the target, the fuse did not work on the third, and the fourth exploded on limit distance move.

German submarine U-81

Successful for Soviet submariners was the attack of the Soviet medium submarine S-101 of the German submarine U-639, carried out on August 28, 1943 in the Kara Sea. S-101 under the command of Lieutenant Commander E. Trofimov was a fairly powerful combat vehicle. The submarine had a length of 77.7 m, an underwater displacement of 1090 tons and could be in autonomous navigation for 30 days. The submarine carried powerful weapons - 6 torpedo tubes (12-533 mm torpedoes) and two guns - 100 mm and 45 mm caliber. German submarine U-639 Lieutenant Wichmann carried combat mission- installation of mines in the Gulf of Ob. The German submarine was moving on the surface. Trofimov ordered to attack the enemy ship. C-101 fired three torpedoes and U-639 sank instantly. 47 German submariners were killed in this attack.

Fights between German and Soviet submarines were not numerous, one might even say isolated, and took place, as a rule, in those zones where the Baltic and Northern Navy of the USSR operated. "Babies" became victims of German submariners. Duels between German and Soviet submariners did not affect the overall picture of the confrontation naval forces Germany and the Soviet Union. In a duel between submarines, the winner was the one who quickly calculated the location of the enemy and was able to deliver accurate torpedo strikes.

In December 1941, German submarines set out to sea on a secret mission - undetected they crossed the Atlantic and took up positions a few miles from the east coast of the United States. Their target was the United States of America. The plan of the German command received the code name "Drumbeat", which consisted in delivering a surprise attack on American merchant shipping.

In America, no one expected the appearance of German submarines. The first attack took place on January 13, 1942, and America was completely unprepared. January turned into a real massacre. The wreckage of ships and the corpses of people washed ashore, oil covered the water off the coast of Florida. In this period Navy The United States did not sink a single German submarine - the enemy was invisible. In the midst of the operation, it seemed that the Germans could no longer be stopped, but an unusual reversal occurred - the hunters turned into prey. Two years after the start of Operation Drumbeat, the Germans began to suffer significant losses.

One such lost German submarine was U869. She belonged to the German submarines of the 9th series, which were marked as IX-C. It was these submarines with a long range that were used to patrol the remote coasts of Africa and America. The project was developed in the 1930s during the rearmament of Germany. It was on these boats that Admiral Karl Dönnitz had high hopes with their new group tactics.

IX-C class submarines

In total, more than 110 IX-C class submarines were built in Germany. And only one of them remained intact after the war, and is exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry (Museum of Science and Industry) in Chicago. The submarine U-505 was captured by the US Navy in 1944.

Technical data of the IX-C class submarine:

Displacement - 1152 tons;

Length - 76 m;

Width - 6.7 m;

Draft - 4.5 m;

Armament:

Torpedo tubes 530 mm - 6;

Gun 105 mm - 1;

Machine gun 37 mm - 1;

Machine gun 20 mm - 2;

Crew - 30 people;

The only purpose of this submarine is to destroy. A look from the outside gives little idea of ​​how she acted. Inside the submarine is a cramped tube filled with weapons and technical devices. Torpedoes weighing 500 kg, aimed at the target, were the main weapons of submarines. About 30 submariners lived in close quarters, sometimes for three months. On the surface, thanks to two 9-cylinder diesel engines the submarine developed a speed of 18 knots. The power reserve was 7552 miles. Under water, the German submarine was on electric motors that fed batteries located under the floor of the compartments. Their power was enough to cover about 70 miles at a speed of 3 knots. In the middle of the German submarine was a conning tower, below it was a central post with many different instruments and control panels for movement, diving and ascent. The only way to protect the German submarine was the depths of the oceans.

The commander of the submarine fleet, Karl Dönnitz, planned a war only against Britain, but could not imagine that the United States would have to be confronted at the same time. By the end of 1943, the presence of Allied aircraft over the ocean completely changed the situation. Now it was dangerous even at night in thick fog, because an aircraft equipped with a radar could detect a German submarine on the surface of the water.

German submarine U869

After several months of preparation, U869 was ready to go to sea. Her commander, 26-year-old Helmut Noverburg, was appointed captain for the first time. On December 8, 1944, U869 left Norway for the Atlantic. This was her first patrol. Three weeks later, the fleet command sent a radiogram with a combat mission - to patrol the approaches in New York Bay. The submarine U869 had to acknowledge receipt of the order. Several days passed, and the command did not know anything about the fate of the submarine. In fact, the submarine U869 answered, but she was not heard. At headquarters, they began to realize that the boat was most likely running out of fuel, and she was assigned new area patrolling Gibraltar - it was almost a homecoming. The German command expected the return of the boat U869 by February 1, but she never received a new order. The encryption department assumed that U869 did not receive the radio and continues to follow the same course for New York. Throughout February, the command was at a loss as to where the submarine U869 was patrolling. But wherever the submarine went, the decryption department decided that the German submarine was heading home.

On May 8, 1945, the war in Europe ended. The German command signed the act of surrender, and the German submarines at sea were ordered to surface and surrender.

hundreds German boats never returned to their home base. And U869 has been considered lost since February 20, 1945. The reason for the death of the submarine could be the explosion of its own torpedo, which described the circle and returned. This information was reported to the families of the crew members.

layout at the bottom of the sunken submarine U869

But in 1991, while fishing 50 km from New Jersey, a local fisherman lost his net, which caught on something at the bottom. When divers explored this place, they discovered the missing submarine, which turned out to be the German submarine U869.

There is also another amazing fact about this submarine. One of the submariners who were in the U869 team survived and lives in Canada. Of the 59 people who were part of the crew of the submarine, he survived thanks to an unexpected twist of fate. Shortly before going to sea, Herbert Dishevsky was hospitalized with pneumonia and could not participate in the campaign. Like the families of the dead submariners, he was sure that his submarine had sunk off the coast of Africa until he learned about the true facts.

For most of us, the second World War These are photographs and newsreels. Very distant events in time and space, but the war continues to present scores today, to those who survived, to the relatives of the dead, to those who were still children then, and even to those who were not yet born when the monstrous hurricane raged. World War II scars such as U869 are still hidden under the surface, but much closer than we think.

« wolf packs» in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich Gromov Alex

Tactical and technical characteristics the most common types of submarines

The armament and equipment of German submarines, which had many flaws and often malfunctioned in the first year of the war, was constantly improved, in addition to creating new, more reliable modifications. This was a "response" to the advent of the enemy's new anti-submarine defense and methods of detecting submarines.

Boats type II-B("Einbaum" - "canoe") were adopted in 1935.

20 submarines were built: U-7 - U-24, U-120 and U-121. Crews consisted of 25-27 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 42.7 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 283/334 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 13 knots, underwater - 7 knots.

Surface range - 1800 miles.

They were armed with 5–6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.

Boats type II-C entered service in 1938.

8 submarines were built: U-56 - U-63.

The crew consisted of 25 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 43.9 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 291/341 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 12 knots, underwater - 7 knots.

Surface range - 3800 miles.

They were armed with torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.

Boats type II-D commissioned in June 1940

16 submarines were built: U-137 - U-152.

The crew consisted of 25 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 44.0 x 4.9 x 3.9 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 314/364 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 12.7 knots, in the underwater position - 7.4 knots.

Surface range - 5650 miles.

They were armed with 6 torpedoes and one 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 80/120 m.

boats type VII-A entered service in 1936. 10 submarines were built: U-27 - U-36. The crew consisted of 42-46 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 64 x 8 x 4.4 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 626/745 tons

Maximum speed on the surface - 17 knots, underwater - 8 knots.

Surface range - 4300 miles.

They were armed with 11 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one anti-aircraft 20 mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 220/250 m.

Type VII-B boats were more advanced than type VII-A boats.

24 submarines were built: U-45 - U-55, U-73, U-74, U-75, U-76, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-86, U-87, U -99, U-100, U-101, U-102, among them the legendary U-47, U-48, U-99, U-100. The crew consisted of 44-48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 66.5 x 6.2 x 4 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 753/857 tons

Maximum surface speed - 17.9 knots, underwater - 8 knots.

They were armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm gun.

Type VII-C boats were the most common.

568 submarines were built, including: U-69 - U-72, U-77 - U-82, U-88 - U-98, U-132 - U-136, U-201 - U-206, U -1057, U-1058, U-1101, U-1102, U-1131, U-1132, U-1161, U-1162, U-1191 - U-1210…

The crew consisted of 44-52 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 67.1 x 6.2 x 4.8 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 769/871 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 17.7 knots, in the underwater position - 7.6 knots.

Surface range - 12,040 miles.

They were armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88-mm gun, the number of anti-aircraft guns varied.

Boats type IX-A came further development less advanced type of submarine I-A.

8 submarines were built: U-37 - U-44.

The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.6 x 6.51 x 4.7 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1032/1152 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.2 knots, in the underwater position - 7.7 knots.

Surface range - 10,500 miles.

They were armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, a 105-mm deck gun, one 37-mm anti-aircraft gun, one 20-mm anti-aircraft gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-B were in many respects identical to the type IX-A submarines, differing primarily in b about a large supply of fuel and, accordingly, a cruising range on the surface.

14 submarines were built: U-64, U-65, U-103 - U-111, U-122 - U-124.

The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.5 x 6.8 x 4.7 m.

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.2 knots, in the underwater position - 7.3 knots.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1058/1178 tons (or 1054/1159 tons).

Surface range - 8700 miles.

In service were 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one deck 105-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 37-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-C would have about Longer length compared to previous modifications.

54 submarines were built: U-66 - U-68, U-125 - U-131, U-153 - U-166, U-171 - U-176, U-501 - U-524. The crew consisted of 48 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.76 x 6.78 x 4.7 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1138/1232 tons (often 1120/1232 tons).

The maximum speed in the surface position is 18.3 knots, in the underwater position - 7.3 knots.

Surface range - 11,000 miles.

They were armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one deck 105-mm gun, one anti-aircraft 37-mm gun, one 20-mm gun.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type IX-D2 possessed the largest cruising range in the fleet of the Third Reich.

28 submarines were built: U-177 - U-179, U-181, U-182, U-196 - U-199, U-200, U-847 - U-852, U-859 - U-864, U -871 - U-876.

The crew consisted of 55 people (on long trips - 61).

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 87.6 x 7.5 x 5.35 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1616/1804 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 19.2 knots, in the underwater position - 6.9 knots.

Surface range - 23,700 miles.

It was armed with 24 torpedoes or 72 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and two twin 20 mm guns.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Boats type XIV(“Milchkuh” - “cash cow”) - a further development of the IX-D type, were able to carry over 423 tons of additional fuel, as well as 4 torpedoes and a fairly large supply of food, including even a bakery on board the submarines.

10 submarines were built: U-459 - U-464, U-487 - U-490.

The crew consisted of 53-60 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 67.1 x 9.35 x 6.5 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1668/1932 tons

The maximum speed in the surface position is 14.9 knots, in the underwater position - 6.2 knots.

Surface range - 12,350 miles.

Only two 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun were in service, they did not have torpedoes.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 230/295 m.

Type XXI boats were the first ultra-modern submarines, in the serial production of which ready-made modules were used. These submarines were equipped with air conditioning and waste disposal systems.

118 submarines were built: U-2501 - U-2536, U-2538 - U-2546, U-2548, U-2551, U-2552, U-3001 - U-3035, U-3037 - U-3041, U -3044, U-3501 - U-3530. At the end of the war, there were 4 boats of this type in combat readiness.

The crew consisted of 57-58 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 76.7 x 7.7 x 6.68 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 1621/1819 tons, s fully loaded- 1621/2114 t.

The maximum speed in the surface position is 15.6 knots, in the underwater position - 17.2 knots. For the first time such a high speed boats underwater.

Surface range - 15,500 miles.

It was armed with 23 torpedoes and two twin 20mm cannons.

Type XXIII boats(“Elektroboot” - “electric boats”) were focused on being constantly under water, thus becoming the first project of not diving, but really submarines. They were the last full-size submarines built by the Third Reich during World War II. Their design is maximally simplified and functional.

Launched 61 submarines: U-2321 - U-2371, U-4701 - U-4707, U-4709 - U-4712. Of these, only 6 (U-2321, U-2322, U-2324, U-2326, U-2329 and U-2336) took part in the hostilities.

The crew consisted of 14-18 people.

Boat dimensions (length / maximum width / draft): 34.7 x 3.0 x 3.6 m.

Displacement (surface/submerged): 258/275 tons (or 234/254 tons).

The maximum speed in the surface position is 9.7 knots, in the underwater position - 12.5 knots.

Surface range - 2600 miles.

Armed with 2 torpedoes.

Immersion depth (maximum operating / limit): 180/220 m.