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Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980
Dropped in to see the progress. Looks amazing, really look forward to loading this up someday. More reading on WW I sub warfare I do, more interested I become. Such crude technology then but effective.
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I agree. The interesting thing is, even the Germans had an incorrect submarine doctrine at the start of WWI. And contrary to popular belief, Germany did NOT have the biggest fleet of submarines when the war started. The British had more. Initially, the German navy thought of U-Boats as coastal defense units for destroying enemy warships if they tried to blockade or invade Germany.
However, after several amazing victories in 1914 (Pathfinder, Aboukir, Cressy, Hogue, & Hawke sinkings) they gradually realized that taking the battle to the enemy was a feasible strategy - especially through an anti-commerce campaign in distant waters.
The Germans had several important advantages over other submarine fleets:
-Reliable diesel propulsion. MAN & Germaniawerft diesel engines were quite good, and improved during the war. Other navies like the French wasted time with petrol boats and struggled to build good diesels.
-Good weapons. The G6 and G7 torpedoes and mines used by K.M. submarines were excellent - in fact, German WWII torpedoes were close relatives of the WWI G7. British torpedoes, on the other hand, often ran deep or failed to explode.
-Aggressive officers. Germany doesn't seem to have had a problem with overly-cautious or timid commanders like other navies. U-Boat Kaleuns showed great tenacity in the field; the records of Hersing, Rose, de la Periere, and others with over 100,000 tons sunk speak for themselves.