Randomizer

My take is that it is futile to compare the 1939 U-Boat waffe with the submarine force of the USN. There only similarities is that both used diesel-electric submersibles designed to perform certain duties.

The former was created specifically for war on commerce and in the North Atlantic. All equipment, doctrines and training focused on that operational goal. When war came, they were ready and subject to politically imposed restrictions that eventually fell away, were generally able to fight the war that they had prepared for. When the U-Boats had to act in conjunction with the surface forces as in Norway during 1940 and in support of the Bismarck sortie and with surface forces in the Arctic, they can be judged an epic failure as is only reasonable to expect.

The USN's submarine force was trained and equipped to act in concert with the Battle Force's aim of fighting and winning a decisive battle using battleships supported by aircraft carriers. Their role was scouting and their targets exclusively enemy warships. Hence the large long-ranged, fast and well armed Fleet Boat had evolved to fill this particular tactical niche. America had totally rejected commerce war using submarines, the U-Boat campaign in 1917 had brought the USA into WW1 and in 1939 acting in a like manner was unthinkable. Pearl Harbor changed all that and over night the US submarine arm had to switch gears and fight the kind of war that was unanticipated and for which they lacked even basic doctrinal and training preparation.

It says a great deal for the overall flexibility of the USN that they were able to become as effective as they were, despite huge and painful errors of which the 1941-43 MkXIV torpedo crisis was only one. The Fleet Boats proved to be superb commerce destroyers in the vastness of the Pacific. Had the USN gone the route of the KM pre-war (and there were some on the Navy General Board who advocated smaller submarines), the story of the only successful unrestricted submarine campaign may have been written differently.

Many people around here like to compare the Type VII with the Fleet Boats but they are similar only in that they represented what their respective navy's considered to be the ideal weapon for their specific tactical role. The only U-Boat that was similar in size and capabilities to the Fleet Boat was the Type IXD2 U-Cruiser and it was inferior in speed, torpedo armament and habitability.

As for pre-war aircraft, it is good to remember that with only a few exceptions, every USAAF aircraft was a pre-war design. Thunderbolt, Mustang, Hellcat, Avenger, Lightning, B17, B-29, B-24, B-25, B-26, Dauntless and others, all pre-war designs and all equal or superior to anything of pre-1941 design flown by the Luftwaffe.

Can already feel the flames approaching for posting this so it's on with the NOMEX and apologies for droning on...