Curious

[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?

[les green01]

they did to a certian degree would emit a single when they found allied radar in use but for a while allies planes could home in on the single without using their radar iron coffins goes in detail highly effective if i remember like in one month they lost 43 u-boats so after march 43 it is a one sided fight also by d-day they wasn't many boats left according to iron coffins they was only 6 boats that had The Schnorchel by d-day although uboat net said over 214 were equip with it so if you think about what we lost in the whole world war 2 52-54 boats they almost lost that number in month

[John Pancoast]

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?

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.