What's the biggest failure of the uboat service?

BasilY · 11-03-08, 12:44 AM

Better torpedoes early on could have made a real difference. The Enigma breach happened after the balance of the fight has already turned.

PhantomLord · 11-03-08, 03:27 AM

Biggest fail was to split the boats instead of pushing the trigger in the atlantic. . Guard service around norway, more and more boats into the med...

Murr44 · 11-03-08, 04:03 AM

They made a very serious error in not copying the Long Lance torpedo. The Japanese gave them several examples as part of a technological exchange but from what I've read the Germans never bothered to examine them.

CCIP · 11-03-08, 04:22 AM

Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57.

GOZO · 11-03-08, 04:48 AM

Beleiving they really could pull it off regarding the opposition faced......

/OB

ozzysoldier · 11-03-08, 06:20 AM

hitler in charge of the u-boat arms

ReallyDedPoet · 11-03-08, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57.

Bang on with this one

RDP

BasilY · 11-03-08, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57.

This really wasn't the fault of the uboat service...

The items I have listed were sqaurely the fault of the KM, and quite hard to be blamed on Herr Furher.

"You go to war with the army you have, not the army you want." (Quote from the Brilliant Rumsfeld, no less :-)) I am sure the Heer would like to have more Panzer IV's to start the war with and the Luftwaffe more ME109.

Besides, a study on uboat.net has shown that had the torpedoes been functioning properly at the begining of the war, the tonnage for the first 2 years of the war would have been tripled and at least 2 battleships would have been sunk in the Noregean Campaign alone. That would have been very hard on England to beared when she was bearing the war alone. (no offense to the Canadians et al)

Kapt Z · 11-03-08, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57.

Exactly!

Stealth Hunter · 11-03-08, 10:42 PM

Definitely the enigma. If they had suspected the breaking of the code, they could have switched over to another system in a few months. However, since they didn't, it allowed the Allies to pinpoint the location of u-boats, and thus sink them without little or no trouble. Very costly for the Kriegsmarine.

Red Heat · 11-08-08, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57.

Very well said, Sir!
The true!

BasilY · 11-04-08, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murr44

They made a very serious error in not copying the Long Lance torpedo. The Japanese gave them several examples as part of a technological exchange but from what I've read the Germans never bothered to examine them.

I love to have a long lance copy. Can someone put it in a mod? I will pay 1000 Renown each for 2 fishes per patrol. Keep it for a battleship or a carrier.

I guess the reason the Nazi didn't try to copy the Long Lance is simply cockiness. They just believe they are best in everything. At one point Goering halted development on future fighter aircraft because he believed that the ME109 is the pinnicle of fighter development and any improvement is no longer possible...

Task Force · 11-04-08, 12:47 AM

Those Crazy nazis, I cant believe Goering would think that.

:rotfl:

navy_gunner · 11-04-08, 02:11 AM

Vista...... still cant get my game up and rolling to solve all their problems....

Murr44 · 11-04-08, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Task Force

Those Crazy nazis, I cant believe Goering would think that.

:rotfl:

Off topic but Goering actually had the nerve to accuse Gunther Lutzow (a high scoring ace) of cowardice & threatened to have him shot at one point because Lutzow dared to disagree with him over something; I can't remember what it was now. He (Goering) was a morphine addict so what do you expect.

View Poll Results: What's the biggest mistake?
Fail to test the torpedoes thoroughly before the war.	6	6.74%
Fail to institute un-restricted warfare from the get go.	3	3.37%
Fail to introduce electric Boats earlier (XXI/XXIII)	17	19.10%
Fail to co-operate better with the surface fleet and Luftwaffe	13	14.61%
Fail to discover/suspect a breach of the enigma code	27	30.34%
Fail to institute radio silence	5	5.62%
Continual insistance that uboat should fight aircraft.	0	0%
Fail to copy the "longlance" from Japan (longer, faster, no bubble)	3	3.37%
Continue sending more boats after 1944 when prospects were dim.	3	3.37%
Other	12	13.48%
Voters: 89. You may not vote on this poll

11-03-08, 12:44 AM	#1
BasilY Weps Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 359 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	What's the biggest failure of the uboat service? Better torpedoes early on could have made a real difference. The Enigma breach happened after the balance of the fight has already turned.

11-03-08, 03:27 AM	#2
PhantomLord XO Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 408 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	Biggest fail was to split the boats instead of pushing the trigger in the atlantic. . Guard service around norway, more and more boats into the med... __________________ ~^~ War does not determine who is right - only who is left. ~^~ Last edited by PhantomLord; 11-03-08 at 03:27 AM.

11-03-08, 04:22 AM	#4
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	Well, in all fairness, I think the thing that really failed them is less their decisions and more the fact that the service was not adequately prepared and invested into before the war started. The only way I see things going differently is if they started with Doenitz's planned 300 boats, not 57. __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) Last edited by CCIP; 11-03-08 at 04:22 AM.

11-03-08, 04:48 AM	#5
GOZO Commander Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Linkoping, Sweden Posts: 479 Downloads: 176 Uploads: 0	Beleiving they really could pull it off regarding the opposition faced...... /OB __________________ SHIV:TMo 2.5, RSRD, SCAF OLC, Ralle's modpack SHIV: WDAD, Med Campaign SHIII: GWX3 GOLD, OLCII Gold, ACM-reloaded interface mod, SHIIIcmndr 3.2, Full Realism/DiD SHIII: LSH3 2015 Cold Waters with all bells and whistles Finally SHV but still unmodded and still a noob....

11-03-08, 04:03 AM	#3
Murr44 Grey Wolf Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 913 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 0	They made a very serious error in not copying the Long Lance torpedo. The Japanese gave them several examples as part of a technological exchange but from what I've read the Germans never bothered to examine them.

11-03-08, 06:20 AM	#6
ozzysoldier Bosun Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 64 Downloads: 139 Uploads: 0	hitler in charge of the u-boat arms

11-03-08, 10:42 PM	#10
Stealth Hunter Silent Hunter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Y'ha-Nthlei Posts: 4,262 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	Definitely the enigma. If they had suspected the breaking of the code, they could have switched over to another system in a few months. However, since they didn't, it allowed the Allies to pinpoint the location of u-boats, and thus sink them without little or no trouble. Very costly for the Kriegsmarine.

11-04-08, 12:47 AM	#13
Task Force Rear Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SPACE!!!! Posts: 10,142 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Those Crazy nazis, I cant believe Goering would think that. :rotfl: __________________ Task Force industries "Taking control of the world, one mind at a time"

11-04-08, 02:11 AM	#14
navy_gunner Watch Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 25 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Vista...... still cant get my game up and rolling to solve all their problems....