Type VII Class Submarine |
| Ship/ Class | Length | Beam | Disp. | Main Arm. | Speed | # | Date |
| Type VII U-Boat | 66.6 m | 6.2 m | 769 t | 4x TT | 17.7 kts. | 709 | 1936 |
| Type IX Class Submarine |
| Ship/ Class | Length | Beam | Disp. | Main Arm. | Speed | # | Date |
| Type IX U-Boat | 76.76 m | 6.84 m | 1,120 t | 4x TT | 18.2 kts. | 283 | 1937-1944 |
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Type VII Class Submarine
ID: Plastic submarine gaming piece:
The Story of the Type VII & Type IX Submarine Classes: The official Axis & Allies Operations Manual labels the German submarine piece as the Type VII, but its long and lean shape really looks more like the more advanced Type IX design. This would make a bit more sense, as the Type IX’s capabilities more closely match those of the rival submarine pieces in the game, the US Gato class (referred to incorrectly as the “Ray†class in the manual.) When the war started, however, Germany had relatively few of the Type IX, then its premier type, and had to make the best possible use of what it had, which was primarily the significantly smaller and less capable Type VII. With both types, however, bold German U-boat captains made skillful use of what they had. No threat to Britain, land, air, or sea, frightened Winston Churchill, Britain’s courageous leader, quite so much as the U-boat menace, the the amazing building program of escorts and escort carriers by both Britain and the US illustrates how seriously they took this threat. These new escorts and escort carriers did much to turn the tide, though, along with several other new technologies in anti-submarine warfare and excellent allied code-breaking. By the end of the war, the Battle of the Atlantic had become more dangerous for German U-boat captains than for allied freighter captains, and the allies were building new ships faster than the Germans could sink them!
Usage Notes: Use this piece for “Global 1939†and “Invasion of Italy†Variants as a submarine unit. Other German warships of interest may be: the Hipper class cruiser, the Bismark class battleship, & the Graf Zeppelin class aircraft carrier.
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