Please subscribe to our newsletter to gain access. More information on How U-Boats Conduct Replenishment at Sea is available in the first issue of our newsletter. The Allies, particularly the Americans used this to their fullest advantage which resulted in the complete destruction of the supply boats. The replenishing boats were especially vulnerable as it could not dive to evade enemy attacks. Second, the replenishment exercise was time consuming and had to be done on the surface. By mid 1943, virtually all planned rendezvous were known well in advance by the Allies. These messages were frequently intercepted using either HFDF or by decrypting their communications. First, a great deal of radio traffic was required to set up a rendezvous.
Replenishment at sea suffered from two major shortcomings. By necessity, the large Type IX was pressed into service as supply boats.
The Allies knew the threat posed by these supply boats and made a determined effort to wipe them out. Eleven were cancelled and a further three were nearly complete when their orders too were cancelled in mid-1944. In effect, the Type XIVs enabled operational boats to remain much longer in their patrol zones, significantly increasing their presence.Ī total of ten Type XIVs were built from an original order of 24 boats. They also carried a doctor onboard and a bakery which could provide freshly baked bread. They acted as force multipliers wherein a network of supply U-Boats would replenish operational boats with the much needed torpedoes, food, fuel, and other provisions. The Type XIV shared many components with the Type VIIC and the bridge was identical to the Type IX.īecause of their role as supply U-Boats, the Type XIV was nicknamed "milk-cows" (milchkuh). Two 37mm cannons were fitted, one forward and one aft of the bridge and a single 20mm on a platform aft. To maximize storage capacity, it had no torpedo attack capability but was fitted with anti-aircraft weapons for self-defense. The hull was also deeper and constructed of thicker pressure hull, giving it deeper diving capabilities than the Type VII and IX. The engineers based their design on the existing much larger Type IXD, but shortened it and gave it a much wider upper deck. The supply boat was required to have good storage capacity and a suitable upper deck for the transfer of stores. It was not until Septemthat the project was revived when Donitz raised a request to construct three supply U-boats with a tonnage of 2,000 tons each. For modelers, researchers, and u-boat fans. U-995 German Type VIIC U-Boat Illustrated GalleryĮxplore the last surviving German Type VIIC U-boat with over 600 Walkaround photos, videos, schematic plans, authentic sounds and a virtual tour. Since operational U-boats were the priority, the Type IV design was dropped. This led to the Type IV design, a 2,500 ton supply U-boat, but tonnage restrictions of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement restricted Germany’s submarine tonnage to 45 percent of the Royal Navy. As a result, a supply U-tanker design was proposed in 1934, which role was to conduct U-boat replenishment at sea. Except for a handful of friendly ports, the Axis powers did not share the privilege as the Allied forces in having friendly foreign bases in which they could re-supply and replenish. German strategic naval planners knew that in order to sustain any U-boat offense in distant shores, the operational boats would need to re-supplied and replenished.
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