U BOAT TYPE VII C 41 SERIES

Designations covered U-45 through U-55, U-73 through U-87 and U-99 through U-102.© The Type VIIB group produced some of the most famous U-boats of the war in this class. Power was a pair of MAN supercharged diesel engines (some fitted with Germaniawerft engines) along with twin AEG or BBC electric motors. This directly increased the types range and other improvements included a second rudder for better steering control, an increase to overall speed, and an increase in torpedo carrying to 14. This system appeared throughout 19 and featured external tanks holding some 33 tons of extra fuel. The Type VIIB followed the Type VIIA and tried to fix the fuel capacity limitation.

Performance was good (though fuel capacity was limited) and construction was primarily handled at Deschimag AG Weser at Bremen. Power was derived from two MAN AG 6-cylinder diesel engines (surfaced) and 2 x BBC GG UB 720/8 type electric motors (submerged). These systems replaced the Type II vessels, featured four bow-facing torpedo tubes, a single stern-facing tube and 11 total torpedoes. Commissioned Type VIIA systems covered U-27 through U-36.

U BOAT TYPE VII C 41 SERIES

The Type VIIA series was designed and constructed during 1935-1937 and represented the new generation of German assault boats. The ground-work was laid for a line of submarines that would eventually give control of the seas to Germany for an extended length of time. As was the case with other naval treaty limitations in the post-World War 1 world, Germany sought to construct weapons of war with optimized firepower and performance whenever possible while still (somewhat) adhering to the global terms, eventually giving birth to the Type VIIA, of which 10 were produced that weight in between 626 and 745 tons. The Type VII had its early origins in a 1918 design of the UB III, which was then followed the Finnish-inspired Vetehinen class during the early 1930's. In all, some 700 Type VII's were known to be commissioned from 1936 through 1945. The Type VII covered six major variants, each improving upon the limitations of the previous design.

This class of fighting ship helped the German Navy reign the high seas between America and England for years and became the face of the U-boat Scourge in general, so much so that its legacy was solidified in Hollywood lore through the motion picture 'Das Boot'. Type VII u-boats made up a large part of the u-boat fighting force in the Atlantic.

U boat type vii c 41