German U-Boats: Types I, IIA, IIB, IIC, IID

1 German Navy WW2 Capital Ships
1.1 Battleships/Schlachtschiff
1.2 Pre-Dreadnoughts/Linienschiffe
1.3 Heavy cruisers/Schwere Kreuzer
1.4 Light cruisers/Leichte Kreuzer
2 Destroyers and Torpedo boats
2.1 Destroyers/Zerstörer
2.2 Torpedo boats/Flottentorpedoboot
3 Auxiliary cruisers/Hilfskreuzer
4 Mine Warfare Craft
4.1 Minelayers/Minenleger
4.2 Minesweepers/Minensuchboot
4.3 R Boats/Räumboote
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Type I U-boat

The German Type I U-boat was a 1936 attempt by the German Kriegsmarine to produce an oceangoing U-boat. Only two were produced (U-25 and U-26), having been found to have poor stability, slow dive rate, poor maneuverability under water, and mechanical unreliability. Both examples had been sunk by

Type II U-boat

The Type II U-boat was designed as a coastal submarine, too small to undertake sustained operations far away from the home support facilities. Its primary role was found to be in the training schools, preparing new German naval officers for command. It appeared in four sub-types.

Germany was stripped of her U-boats by the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I, but in the late 1920s and early 1930s began to rebuild her armed forces. The pace of program accelerated under Adolf Hitler, and the first Type II U-boat was laid down on February 11, 1935. Knowing that the world would see this step towards rearmament, Hitler reached an agreement with Britain to build a navy up to 35% of the size of the British Royal Navy in surface vessels, but equal to the British in number of submarines. This agreement was signed on June 18, 1935, and U-1 was commissioned 11 days later.

The defining characteristic of the Type II was its tiny size. Known as the Einbaum ("dugout canoe"), it had the advantages over larger boats of the ability to work in shallow water, diving more quickly, and being more difficult to spot due to the low conning tower. However, it had a shallower maximum depth, short range, and cramped living conditions, and could carry few torpedoes.

The boat had a single hull, with no watertight compartments. There were three torpedo tubes forward (none aft), with space for another two torpedoes inside the pressure hull for reloads. A single 20mm gun was provided for defence against aircraft, but no deck gun was mounted.

Space inside was limited. The two spare torpedoes extended from just behind the torpedo tubes to just in front of the control room, and most of the 24-man crew lived in this forward area around the torpedoes, sharing 12 bunks. Four bunks were also provided aft of the engines for the engine room crew. Cooking and sanitary facilities were basic, and in this environment long patrols were very arduous.

Most Type IIs only saw operational service during the early years of the war, thereafter remaining in training bases. Some, however, were stripped down to just a hull, transported by barge and road vehicle to Linz, and reassembled in the Black Sea for use against Russia.

In contrast to other German submarine types, few Type IIs were lost. This, of course, reflects their use as training boats, although accidents accounted for several vessels.

These boats were a first step towards re-armament, intended to provide Germany with experience in submarine construction and operation and lay the foundation for larger boats to build upon. They were very effective within their intended role.

Type IIA

Deutsche Werke AG, of Kiel (Germany) built six Type IIAs in 1934 and 1935.

U-1 -- U-2 -- U-3 -- U-4 -- U-5 -- U-6

General Characteristics

Displacement: surfaced 254 tons, submerged 303 tons, total 381 tons
Length: overall 40.9 meters, pressure hull 27.8 meters
Beam: overall 4.1 meters, pressure hull 4 meters
Draft: 3.8 meters
Height: 8.6 meters
Power: surfaced 700 horsepower, submerged 360 horsepower
Speed: surfaced 13 knots, submerged 6.9 knots
Range: surfaced 2500km (1600 miles) at 8 knots, submerged 55km (35 miles) at 4 knots
Torpedoes: 5 (3 bow tubes)
Deck gun: none
Crew: 22-24 men
Max depth: 150m (500 feet)

Type IIB

Deutsche Werke AG, of Kiel, built four Type IIAs in 1935 and 1936, Germaniawerft AG, of Kiel, built fourteen in 1935 and 1936, and Flender-Werke AG, built two between 1938 and 1940, for a total of twenty built.

U-7 -- U-8 -- U-9 -- U-10 -- U-11 -- U-12 -- U-13 -- U-14 -- U-15 -- U-16 -- U-17 -- U-18 -- U-19 -- U-20 -- U-21 -- U-22 -- U-23 -- U-24 -- U-120 -- U-121

General Characteristics

Displacement: surfaced 279 tons, submerged 328 tons, total 414 tons
Length: overall 42.7 meters, pressure hull 28.2 meters
Beam: overall 4.1 meters, pressure hull 4 meters
Draft: 3.9 meters
Height: 8.6 meters
Power: surfaced 700 horsepower, submerged 360 horsepower
Speed: surfaced 13 knots, submerged 7 knots
Range: surfaced 5000km (3100 miles) at 8 knots, submerged 70km (43 miles) at 4 knots
Torpedoes: 5 (3 bow tubes)
Deck gun: none
Crew: 22-24 men
Max depth: 150m (500 feet)

Type IIC

Deutsche Werke AG, of Kiel built eight Type IICs between 1937 and 1940.

U-56 -- U-57 -- U-58 -- U-59 -- U-60 -- U-61 -- U-62 -- U-63

General Characteristics

Displacement: surfaced 291 tons, submerged 341 tons, total 435 tons
Length: overall 43.9 meters, pressure hull 29.6 meters
Beam: overall 4.1 meters, pressure hull 4 meters
Draft: 3.8 meters
Height: 8.4 meters
Power: surfaced 700 horsepower, submerged 410 horsepower
Speed: surfaced 12 knots, submerged 7 knots
Range: surfaced 6100km (3800 miles) at 8 knots, submerged 67km (42 miles) at 4 knots
Torpedoes: 5 (3 bow tubes)
Deck gun: none
Crew: 22-24 men
Max depth: 150m (500 feet)

Type IID

Deutsche Werke AG, of Kiel built sixteen Type IIDs in 1939 and .

U-137 -- U-138 -- U-139 -- U-140 -- U-141 -- U-142 -- U-143 -- U-144 -- U-145 -- U-146 -- U-147 -- U-148 -- U-149 -- U-150 -- U-151 -- U-152

General Characteristics

Displacement: surfaced 314 tons, submerged 364 tons, total 460 tons
Length: overall 44 meters, pressure hull 29.8 meters
Beam: overall 4.9 meters, pressure hull 4 meters
Draft: 3.9 meters
Height: 8.4 meters
Power: surfaced 700 horsepower, submerged 410 horsepower
Speed: surfaced 12.7 knots, submerged 7.4 knots
Range: surfaced 9000km (5650 miles) at 8 knots, submerged 90km (56 miles) at 4 knots
Torpedoes: 5 (3 bow tubes)
Deck gun: none
Crew: 22-24 men
Max depth: 150m (500 feet)

5 Small craft
5.1 E-Boat (MTB)s/Schnellboot
6 U-boats/Unterseeboote
6.1 Training subs
6.2 Coastal subs
6.3 Ocean-going subs
6.4 Minelaying subs
6.5 Supply subs
6.6 Electric boats
6.7 Midget Submarines
6.8 Human Torpedoes
7 Auxiliary ships
7.1 Troop Ships
7.2 Artillery Training Ships/Artillerieschulschiffe
7.3 Radio-Controlled Targets
7.4 Sail Training Ships/Segelschulschiffe
7.5 Floating AA Batteries/Schwimmende Flakbatterien
7.6 Escorts/Flottenbegleiter
7.7 Gunboats/Leichte Schnellboote

Capital Ships

Battleships/Schlachtschiff

* Bismarck class (42,000 tons, 8 x 380 mm guns)
o Bismarck, 1939
o Tirpitz, 1939
* Scharnhorst class (35,000 tons, 9 x 280 mm guns)
o Gneisenau, 1936
o Scharnhorst, 1936

Pre-Dreadnoughts/Linienschiffe

* Deutschland class battleship (15,000 tons, 4 x 280mm guns)
o Schleswig-Holstein, 1906
o Schlesien, 1906

Heavy cruisers/Schwere Kreuzer

* Deutschland class (12,000 tons, 6 x 280 mm guns)
o Lützow (ex-Deutschland), 1931
o Admiral Graf Spee, 1933
o Admiral Scheer, 1934
* Admiral Hipper class (14,000 tons, 8 x 203 mm guns)
o Admiral Hipper, 1937
o Blücher, 1937
o Prinz Eugen, 1938

Light cruisers/Leichte Kreuzer

* Emden class (6,000 tons, 8 x 150 mm guns)
o Emden, 1925
* K class (7,200 tons, 9 x 150 mm guns)
o Königsberg, 1925
o Karlsruhe, 1927
o Köln, 1928
* Leipzig class (8,000 tons, 9 x 150 mm guns)
o Leipzig, 1929
o Nürnberg, 1934

Destroyers and Torpedo boats

Destroyers/Zerstörer
Main article: German World War II destroyers

* Zerstörer/Typ 1934 (3,155 tons, 5 × 127 mm guns)
o Z1 Leberecht Maas 1937
o Z2 Georg Thiele 1937
o Z3 Max Schultz 1937
o Z4 Richard Beitzen 1937
* Zerstörer/Typ 1934 A
o Z5 Paul Jacobi
o Z6 Theodor Riedel
o Z7 Hermann Schoemann
o Z8 Bruno Heinemann
o Z9 Wolfgang Zenker
o Z10 Hans Lody
o Z11 Bernd von Arnim
o Z12 Erich Giese
o Z13 Erich Koellner
o Z14 Friedrich Ihn
o Z15 Erich Steinbrinck
o Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt
* Zerstörer/Typ 1936
o Z17 Diether von Roeder
o Z18 Hans Lüdemann
o Z19 Hermann Künne
o Z20 Karl Galster
o Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp
o Z22 Anton Schmitt
* Zerstörer/Typ 1936 A(Narvik)
o Z23 through Z30
* Zerstörer/Typ 1936 A (Mob)
o Z31 through Z34
o Z37 through Z39
* Zerstörer/Typ 1936 B
o Z35 through Z36
o Z43 through Z45

Torpedo boats/Flottentorpedoboot

* Torpedoboot 1923 ("Raubvogel") (900 tons, 3 x 105 mm guns)
o Möwe
o Falke
o Greif
o Kondor
o Albatros
o Seeadler
* Torpedoboot 1924 ("Raubtier") (950 tons, 3 x 105 mm guns)
o Wolf
o Iltis
o Jaguar
o Leopard
o Luchs''
o Tiger
* Torpedoboot 1935 (1,090 tons, 1 x 105 mm gun)
o T1 through T12
* Torpedoboot 1937 (1,150 tons, 1 x 105 mm gun)
o T13 through T21
* Flottentorpedoboot 1939 (Elbing) (1,750 tons, 4 x 105 mm guns)
o T22 through T36

Auxiliary cruisers/Hilfskreuzer

* Orion
* Atlantis
* Widder
* Thor
* Pinguin
* Stier
* Komet
* Kormoran
* Michel
* Coronel
* Hansa

Mine Warfare Craft

Minelayers/Minenleger

* Tannenberg 1935 (5,500 tons, 3 x 150mm guns, 460 mines)
* Brandenburg 1936 (3,900 tons, 3 x 105mm guns, 250 mines)
* Lothringen 1941 (2,000 tons, 2 x 88mm guns, 200 mines)
* Niedersachsen 1934 (1,800 tons, 2 x 105mm guns, 260 mines
* Drache 1924 (1,800 tons, 2 x 88mm guns, 120 mines)
* Brummer 1940 (3 × 10.5 cm guns, 2 × 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns, 10 × 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, 4 × 46 cm torpedo tubes, 280 mines)
* Oldenburg 1934 (1,200 tons, 2 x 88mm guns, 145 mines
* Kamerun 1939 (370 tons, 2 x 88mm guns, 100 mines)
* Togo 1939 (370 tons, 2 x 88mm guns, 100 mines)
* Kiebitz 1943

Pathmakers/Sperrbrecher

* Sperrbrecher 1 - Sperrbrecher 100 (5,000 tons, 2 x 88mm guns)

Mine-hunters/Küstenminenleger

* KM1 - KM36

Small craft

E-Boat (MTB)s/Schnellboot

* S-1 class (50 tons, 1 x 20mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S1 - S25
* S-26 class (75 tons, 1 x 20mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S26 - S29
* S-30 class (80 tons, 1 x 20mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S30 - S37
* S-38 class (80 tons, 1 x 20mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S38 - S60
* S-38b class (90 tons, 2 x 20mm guns, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S61 - S99
* S-100 class (100 tons, 1 x 37mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S100 - S150
* S-151 class (100 tons, 1 x 37mm gun, 2 torpedo tubes)
o S151 - S205

U-boats/Unterseeboote

Training subs

* Type I Unterseeboote
o U25 and U26

Coastal subs

* Type IIA Unterseeboote
o U1 through U6
* Type IIB Unterseeboote
o U7 through U24
o U120 and U121
* Type IIC Unterseeboote
o U56 through U63
* Type IID Unterseeboote
o U137 through U152
* Type XVIIB Unterseeboote
o U1405 through U1407

Ocean-going subs

* Type VIIA Unterseeboote
o U27 through U36
* Type VIIB Unterseeboote
o U45 through U55
o U73 through U76
o U83 through U87
o U99 through U102
* Type VIIC Unterseeboote
o U69 through U72
o U77 through U82
o U88 through U98
o U132 through U136
o U201 through U212
o U221 through U232
o U235 through U291
o U301 through U316
o U331 through U394
o U396 through U458
o U465 through U486

Minelaying subs

* Type VIID Unterseeboote
o U213 through U218
* Type XB Unterseeboote
o U116 through U119

Supply subs

* Type VIIF Unterseeboote
o U1059 through U1062
* Type IXD /42 Unterseeboot
o U883 and U884
* Type XB Unterseeboote
o U219 and U220
o U233 and U234
* Type XIV Unterseeboote
o U459 through U464
o U487 through U490

Midget Submarines

* Seehund (17 tons, 2 x torpedoes)
o 138 commissioned
* Hecht (Training)
o 53 commissioned
* Biber (6.5 tons, 2 x torpedoes)
o 324 commissioned
* Molch (11 tons, 2 x torpedoes)
o 393 commissioned
* Delphin (Prototype)
o 3 commissioned
* Seeteufel (Prototype)
o 1 commissioned
* Schwertwal (Prototype)
o 1 commissioned

Human Torpedoes

* Neger (1 x torpedo)
o 200 commissioned
* Marder (3 tons, 1 x torpedo)
o 500 commissioned
* Hai (Prototype)
o 1 commissioned

Auxiliary ships

Troop Ships

* Cap Arcona, 1927
* Deutschland, 1923
* Goya, 1940
* Steuben, 1923
* Wilhelm Gustloff, 1937

Artillery Training Ships/Artillerieschulschiffe

* Bremse 1933 (1,800 tons, 4 x 127mm guns, 280 mines)
* Brummer 1934 (3,000 tons, 8 x 105mm guns, 480 mines)
* Admiral Hugo Zeye, 1942

Radio-Controlled Targets

* Braunschweig class battleship
o Hessen, 1900
* Wittelsbach class battleship
o Zahringen, 1898

Gunboats/Leichte Schnellboote

* LS1 - LS12

Kriegsmarine German Submarines: U-Boats
Type 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D
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