Type VII #1 Submarine of top ten!!!!

[Shaffer4]

I always refered to it as The "Hitler" Channel.. cause it used to be that it involved everything ETO...

[Capt.LoneRanger]

Yeah, but that is, what people want to see, Shaffer4.

Us bad German Nazis with our superior engineers and evil minds being smashed by brave Allied troops that overcome the evil.

Sad but true: My wife studied a year in the US, in 2004. As her project was about children, she visited a lot of schools in Alabama, but she was not asked, what she did or about studies. Knowing she was German, she was only asked how Hitler was, if concentration camps still exist in Germany and if she knew Hitler personally. No kidding. She's 27 now.
At the same time, she was warned on 2 schools, to not say a word about native Americans, or something like that, as the children would be "irritated".

And besides that, every single German that enters the US, even for a short trip, has to sign, that he was not part of the Nazi-Regime! Again, no kidding. I had to do this myself and was asked, if my answer was correct, when I was inspected at the airport in Chicago.

When we were in Scotland, somebody said. "The Nazis are coming.", when we got there.

[Capt. D]

Originally Posted by Barkhorn1x

Capt. LoneRanger wrote:
Us bad German Nazis with our superior engineers and evil minds being smashed by brave Allied troops that overcome the evil.

Sad but true: My wife studied a year in the US, in 2004. As her project was about children, she visited a lot of schools in Alabama, but she was not asked, what she did or about studies. Knowing she was German, she was only asked how Hitler was, if concentration camps still exist in Germany and if she knew Hitler personally. No kidding. She's 27 now.
At the same time, she was warned on 2 schools, to not say a word about native Americans, or something like that, as the children would be "irritated".

And besides that, every single German that enters the US, even for a short trip, has to sign, that he was not part of the Nazi-Regime! Again, no kidding. I had to do this myself and was asked, if my answer was correct, when I was inspected at the airport in Chicago.

When we were in Scotland, somebody said. "The Nazis are coming.", when we got there.
__________________
Greets,
Capt.LoneRanger

Barkhorn 1x

This series is on the Military Channel not the Histroy Channel, though I don't know if they are connected in anyway. The History Channel infact did have a series on US WWII boats which was very good. It covered the Boats - the skippers - the campaign etc. I think it's avaliable through their web site on VHS.


Capt LoneRanger - just to add a different light to your wifes experiance.

My wife and I - along with our two boys (now 24 & 18) had the previlage of having a German exchange student live with us 8 years ago. He and my oldest went to high school together for that year. Phillip spoke a very good English and was well received in our neighborhood and wherever he went with us or friends he made. He and my oldest always kidded around together and as my oldest was Capt. of his high school soccer team went to games to cheer him on. Strange though Phillip was really into basketball. Tried out for the highschool team and when he did not make the team we got him involved in a local basketball organization that was connected with Detroit Piston Joe Dumars. I even got tickets for him to go to a Piston game curtousy of a vendor I knew. Had club house seats with all the food etc that went with it. Phillip was in heaven - to top it off the Pistons won in OT!

Rather than Phillip flying home after the year was up his parents flew here (his dad is a teacher) and we meet them of course! Then when my son graduated instead of going on the typical class trip or spring break to Florida or Cancun he flew to Germany and stayed apx. a month with Phillip and his family! We still talk to them every Christmas either they call us or we call them.

Grant it I am first generation born in this country - but I can't say your wifes experiance is the norm. Too bad she could not come away with a better time and memories. I do not know about signing anything - at least Phillip and his parents never mentioned anything about that. If that is the case shame on us. It's well over 60 years since the end of WWII. Maybe we should be asking people to sign a form claiming not to be part of any terroist group? Makes more sense in this day and age I would think!

[Barkhorn1x]

Originally Posted by Capt.LoneRanger

And besides that, every single German that enters the US, even for a short trip, has to sign, that he was not part of the Nazi-Regime! Again, no kidding. I had to do this myself and was asked, if my answer was correct, when I was inspected at the airport in Chicago.

When we were in Scotland, somebody said. "The Nazis are coming.", when we got there.

Hey, what are you complaining about? You guys are BAD A$$ - and oh so sheik in basic black.

[Gildor]

I'm sorry to hear that that kind of crap still goes on Loneranger.

[Iron Budokan]

I saw the program. It wasn't as bad as some on this board are making out. It was a pleasant enough time waster....

[Spray]

Originally Posted by Capt.LoneRanger

Yeah, but that is, what people want to see, Shaffer4.

Us bad German Nazis with our superior engineers and evil minds being smashed by brave Allied troops that overcome the evil.

Sad but true: My wife studied a year in the US, in 2004. As her project was about children, she visited a lot of schools in Alabama, but she was not asked, what she did or about studies. Knowing she was German, she was only asked how Hitler was, if concentration camps still exist in Germany and if she knew Hitler personally. No kidding. She's 27 now.
At the same time, she was warned on 2 schools, to not say a word about native Americans, or something like that, as the children would be "irritated".

And besides that, every single German that enters the US, even for a short trip, has to sign, that he was not part of the Nazi-Regime! Again, no kidding. I had to do this myself and was asked, if my answer was correct, when I was inspected at the airport in Chicago.

When we were in Scotland, somebody said. "The Nazis are coming.", when we got there.

Some people are naturally ignorant leave it at that both sides commited atrocities. Did anyone watch a doco here about WW2 "black" propaganda. They used to air messages from England to German U-Boats where a young woman would talk about sexual stories. Then they also used to air about which houses were bombed etc and the Brits managed to find out personal things about some of the submariners so they would voice fake messages across the radio about family deaths. Along with this also came the posters which were trying to make the soldiers go back home the poster had a man making love to a young german woman while her husband was dying in a war and said that immigrants in Germany were having competitions at who can get the most soldiers wives. The thing with this black propaganda is that they pretended to be patriotic and all that but in a stupid way. They also sent ghost mail to the family of dead soldiers saying that they are still alive and in a neutral country and will return at the end of the war. Totally horrible, my Grandfather was in London during the battle of Britain and across came a story that the germans attempted to invade (forgot from which coastland) but the beach was covered in oil purposely. As soon as all the germans got onto the beach it was lit up along with all the other soldiers.

Then again my grandfather could have recited more and openly talked about the bombings and some of his stories including how the brits used to stick all the prisoners in the bottom of their cargo/merchant ships and talked about when one passenger liner was sunk by a German boat carrying Italian POW's.

War is always horrible no matter what side you are on people always come up with horrible generalizations. Im a Serb my next door neighbours are both Bosnian coincidently. We get along perfectly fine and would risk our own lives to save each other and were fairly close.

I just wish I talked to my grandfather about WW2 more I feel that all the information he had in him was lost. He lived a good life he watched the moon landings was in the battle of britain and lived. Performed the first ever liver transplant (when it happened in Italy (He was one of the main doctors)) Saw the moonlandings along with my father, became a main surgeon at the Hospital of Belgrade. Was a doctor in Berlin during the time of the collapse of the Berlin wall. Got one of the first smaller sized computers created in the world after working as a doctor for some company (way way back). Ended being a specialist regarding the liver and happily retired. He then got multiplied myloma (it was on more then one place on his body) and died of a multiple organ failure Febuary 15th 2007.

I think people who have experienced WW2 are wearing thin and im determined to learn as much about the subject as possible. Sorry I diverted a bit off course but I thought it was important just for his sake to provide a bibliography. The black propaganda was a documentary on SBS (Australia). But ill end with a final statement war is hell its never nice and you always end up looking like a bad guy from someones point of view.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Capt. D

#5 - USS Nautilus - first US nuke boat

I hope that wording is theirs and not yours. While true, it ignores the fact that Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine anywhere.

It's like saying Chuck Yeager was the first American to break the sound barrier.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I hope that wording is theirs and not yours. While true, it ignores the fact that Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine anywhere.

It's like saying Chuck Yeager was the first American to break the sound barrier.

I think I just realized that Steve may well be Bill Nichols' alter-ego :rotfl:

***

Guys, chill out. For all the downfalls of the history channel, focus on Hitler, etc. etc. - keeping politics and sociology out of it, the Type VII did have a serious historical siginificance and was, on all counts, not a failure by design or tactics - it was a failure because it fought on the wrong side and in a fleet supported by completely inadequate resources for its ambitions. Otherwise the total tonnage claims speak for themselves.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by Capt. D

with their WWII VII as the top sub of all time

One hella of a sub

[Capt.LoneRanger]

Well, I didn't mean to say that all Americans are like that, just to make that one perfectly clear. As you might have guessed from the name, I'm indeed a fan of the US.

During her one year of studies in the US, she made friends for live, including her professor and his family, and some other people, who really helped her a lot, especially in the beginning. After the year, we spent over 4 weeks in the southeast, driving around with a car from Alabama to the Mississippi to Florida and back. We had a great time there and met a lot of really nice people. We still are in contact with them and we will definitely visit them again, hopefully before the end of this year.

So, I'm not saying people in the US are like that or people in the UK are like that, but the TV is, here and there.

[XXi]

Capt. LoneRanger -> human ignorance knows no limits. Evenconsidered that, these declarations are stupid, considering how many years have passed. I`m actually surprized you haven`t been asked about Wilhelm II.

It reminds me a history told by a friend of mine. He was travelling through the US and somewhere in mid-Montana was asked where had he come from.
Realising that "Poland" wouldn`t tell them anything, he said "Europe"
The people answered "Wonderful! We had visitors from France, Germany but from Europe - not yet"

As for propaganda - there was a lot of it. As a result, some people still think that Stalin was actually OK although he was by no means better than Hitler.

[Capt.LoneRanger]

:rotfl:

Yeah, when the security personnel asked me, if I answered the part of my participation in the Nazi-Regime correctly, I first thought he was joking, until he looked up at me and I knew he really meant it.


On the really positive side, before I took off from Frankfurt, I had to take an inland-flight there. All Germans and they sat there like grimly looking puppets - nobody talked - just like the living dead.
When I flew from O'Hare to Birmingham, AL, we played a quiz, all together and the personnel tried to get a box full of roasted nuts empty by packing them into our bags and pockets. Completely foreign people started chatting with me and wanted to know places to visit in Germany and stuff.

[AJ!]

Originally Posted by Capt. D

Here goes:


#10 - US George Washington Class

#9 - WWI german U - Boat (did not give a "class")

#8 - Typhoon

#7 - Japanese I400 class (That's the one with the plane hanger for 3 planes to bomb the Panama Canal)

#6 - British X - Class (Their WWII "mini" subs)

#5 - USS Nautilus - first US nuke boat

#4 - British WWII T- Class

#3 - US Gato Class

#2 - US Seawolf class

#1 - German Type VII

All were based on Fear Factor, Stealth Factor, Combat Factors amoung others. They mentioned that the Type VII had over 700 built - most ever - that the fear factor was very high as was the combat factor. Wiston Churchill was said to have said he lay awake at night with fear of the German U-Boats and what they could do to Britain. Also mentioned the quick dive capabilites the VII had or apx 20 sec to submerge.

In another thread we gave our pros and cons Gato vs VII. I think both boats were very good in the role they played. To bad they couldn't have a tie for number one. Seems the top ten had a tie once before regarding military equipment.

The producers were a little low on information though. Listed the Gato as having 10 BOW torpedo tubes as armament . They also indicated they had a compliment of 60 men. More like 75 to 80 that I recall.

They needed to call us!!!!

Happy Hunting

yeah but these are the guys who made a top 10 battleships doc and didnt even have yamato on the list!

[Barkhorn1x]

Originally Posted by AJ!

yeah but these are the guys who made a top 10 battleships doc and didnt even have yamato on the list!

A fun link related to this topic:

http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm