What does German U-boat mean?
undersea boat
U-boat, German U-boot, abbreviation of Unterseeboot, (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II.
What was special about German U-boats?
The Germans’ most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time.
What was the German U-boat campaign?
The U-boat Campaign from 1914 to 1918 was the World War I naval campaign fought by German U-boats against the trade routes of the Allies. It took place largely in the seas around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean.
What was the most successful U-boat?
U-48
The Most Successful U-boats
| U-boat | Successes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | U-48 | 51 ships sunk (306,874 tons) 3 ships damaged (20,480 tons) |
| 2. | U-103 | 45 ships sunk (237,596 tons) 3 ships damaged (28,158 tons) |
| 3. | U-124 | 46 ships sunk (219,862 tons) 4 ships damaged (30,067 tons) |
| 4. | U-123 | 42 ships sunk (218,813 tons) 6 ships damaged (53,568 tons) |
What does U-boat stand for?
U-boat is an anglicised version of the German word U-Boot [ˈuːboːt] (listen), a shortening of Unterseeboot, literally “underseaboat.”.
What is the difference between a U-boat and a submarine?
U-boat is an anglicised version of the German word U-Boot [ˈuːboːt] (listen), a shortening of Unterseeboot, literally “underseaboat”. While the German term refers to any submarine, the English one (in common with several other languages) refers specifically to military submarines operated by Germany,…
What was the significance of the U-boat in WWI and WW2?
The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II. Germany was the first country to employ submarines in war as substitutes for surface commerce raiders.
What are the different classes of U-boats?
Classes 1 Körting kerosene-powered boats Type U 1, Type U 2, Type U 3, Type U 5, Type U 9, Type U 13, Type U 16, Type U 17 2 Mittel-U MAN diesel boats Type U 19, Type U 23, Type U 27, Type U 31, Type U 43, Type U 51, Type U 57, Type U 63, Type U 3 U-Cruisers and Merchant U-boats Type U 139, Type U 142, Type U 151, Type UD 1