That seems like a reasonable response, Tater.
Let's say Naval Intelligence wasn't a factor (since obviously it gaves the allies a tremendous advantage) and it was the technology/tactics of the nations' submarines and skippers that was decisive? For example:
US- US boats had torpedo issues up till '43, which puts them at a disadvantage. They could fire at the enemy sub, and have it detonate prematurely. If they had initially detected the sub first, the detonation would give away their presence. Then again, some US sub skippers were pretty gutsy (the whole premise behind the 'down the throat' shots for example). They also had radar on their boats earlier on and better, which would make acquiring a surfaced submarine (or even its periscope) easier. Later developments, though, don't seem to lend well to sub-vs sub combat, since they later were build for more surface engagements (more deck guns/AA)
KM- Their boats were smaller, dived quickly and could dive deep. A U-boat, even though not primarily designed for sub-vs-sub combat, seems like a good platform because of its underwater characteristics. They had pretty reliable torpedoes as well, having some glitches earlier on but at the same time having pretty good electric torpedoes (I know they were wakeless, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they were quieter as well :hmm: )
UK- I don't know that much about their boats. They had interesting surface gun arrangements, but other than that I don't know anything remarkable about them. They sank a number of U-boats, but like I mentioned in the beginning of this message outside of decrypts I wouldn't know anything special about their sub's tech or their skippers.
IJN- A mixed bag. Their subs were big, dived slowly and couldn't dive as deeply as those from other navies, putting them at a disadvantage. They did, however, have several classes of boats that had SCOUT PLANES which seems like it would give them an advantage in spotting an enemy sub first in our hypothetical sub vs sub scenario. They had Long Lance torpedoes, which had great range (I imagine that could theroetically translate into fast speeds at short ranges, more ideal in a sub vs sub knifefight) and Kaiten which would definitely be useful if they could be deployed against a submarine target.
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