Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980
Coming from the Pacific side of subsim, I will admit my knowledge and library on the Battle of the Atlantic is not on the level of the Pacific. However, enjoy learning more and more. I am curious about how effective allied aircraft were. From what read and watched in documentaries, a lot of U Boats were surprised on surface by Allied planes with radar. Did Germans never develop a radar for detecting aircraft? Along the lines of the SD set fleetboats used?
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Yes and no. The Germans were always a step behind the Allied electronic warfare aspect. Always reacting instead of being proactive, i.e.
They also didn't take serious enough/appreciate the potential of radar in various ways.
Anyway, yes they had radar detectors but:
- As soon as the Germans had a detector for one radar wavelength, the Allies would develop a new radar wavelength making the detector obsolete.
- The Germans erroneously thought the detectors gave off enough emissions of their own to be used as a homing beacon for the Allies.
- Because of the above fear, many commanders didn't use the detectors even when they would have worked/were available.
Very brief and general overview anyway. Allied aircraft were a serious threat to the u-boats, first getting to be "serious" in 1941 and then culminating in the escort carriers later in the war.