SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Did the pacific war subs really do allot??

dean_acheson · 03-16-07, 10:21 AM

I would say that this post comes close to trolling.

Now I don't want to start a flame war, but I would argue... well, maybe not argue, but postulate, that the U.S. fleet boats did more than the German boats did.

The U.S. boats cleared the sea of Japan's merchant traffic, something the German boats failed to do (clear the seas of Allied merchant traffic.) Now, there are alot of reasons for this, largely building capacity of the allies, and the efforts they pumped into ASW.

Now Japan worked on their ASW tech. a great deal, but they did not seem to approach the problem of killing subs like the U.S. did. It almost seems like Japan took a mystical approach to fighting that war. Before folks go flaming me, read Bearugard's Fire in the Sky about the way the IJN and the IJA approached the air war, or Shattered Sword on the battle of Midway. Then read about the U.S. approach in Robert Gannon's Hellions of the Deep. The U.S. approached the war in a very systematic way after 1942ish.

The USN didn't go around spending money and resources like the Germans did on making quantum leaps in technology. So, while the US didn't end up with anything quite as cool at a Type XXI, they did come up with a PPI scope, which is cool as all get out, and alot more useful, when the XXI and the Walthers didn't really help the war effort out at all, esp. given the time and money pumped into them.

The German U-Boat effort was relentlessly pounded into the ground, esp. after May 1943. The U.S. effort was just getting into stride at that time.

But, as the History Channel specials on the fleet boats points out, no other single weapon did more to being the Japanese war effort to a halt. (You have to remember, Japan doesn't produce my domestic oil or steel....)

03-16-07, 10:21 AM	#3
dean_acheson Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Midwest - USA Posts: 1,057 Downloads: 42 Uploads: 0	I would say that this post comes close to trolling. Now I don't want to start a flame war, but I would argue... well, maybe not argue, but postulate, that the U.S. fleet boats did more than the German boats did. The U.S. boats cleared the sea of Japan's merchant traffic, something the German boats failed to do (clear the seas of Allied merchant traffic.) Now, there are alot of reasons for this, largely building capacity of the allies, and the efforts they pumped into ASW. Now Japan worked on their ASW tech. a great deal, but they did not seem to approach the problem of killing subs like the U.S. did. It almost seems like Japan took a mystical approach to fighting that war. Before folks go flaming me, read Bearugard's Fire in the Sky about the way the IJN and the IJA approached the air war, or Shattered Sword on the battle of Midway. Then read about the U.S. approach in Robert Gannon's Hellions of the Deep. The U.S. approached the war in a very systematic way after 1942ish. The USN didn't go around spending money and resources like the Germans did on making quantum leaps in technology. So, while the US didn't end up with anything quite as cool at a Type XXI, they did come up with a PPI scope, which is cool as all get out, and alot more useful, when the XXI and the Walthers didn't really help the war effort out at all, esp. given the time and money pumped into them. The German U-Boat effort was relentlessly pounded into the ground, esp. after May 1943. The U.S. effort was just getting into stride at that time. But, as the History Channel specials on the fleet boats points out, no other single weapon did more to being the Japanese war effort to a halt. (You have to remember, Japan doesn't produce my domestic oil or steel....)