1944 Schnellboote

November 1944. Generally Schnellboot or S-boot ("fast boat"), is the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy since 1932. In particular it applies to that type of Boat that saw service during World War II. The Schnellboot was then called an E-boat by the Allies; it is commonly held that the "E" stood for "Enemy", but it is possible that it stood for "Eilboot" ("hurry boat").
The S-boote can trace their lineage back to a private motor yacht—a 22-ton-displacement, 34-knot craft called Oheka II, which had been built in 1927 for a wealthy financier and patron of the arts, Otto Kahn, by the German shipbuilding company Lürssen.
This design was chosen because the theatre of operations of such boats was expected to be the North Sea, English Channel and the Western Approaches. The requirement for good performance in rough seas dictated the use of a round-bottomed displacement hull rather than the flat-bottomed planing hull that was more usual for small, high-speed boats. Lürssen overcame many of the disadvantages of such a hull and, with the Oheka II, produced a craft that was fast, strong and seaworthy. This attracted the interest of the German Navy, which in 1929 ordered a similar boat but fitted with two torpedo tubes. This became the S-1, and was the basis for all subsequent S-boote.
After experimenting with the S-1 the Germans made several improvements to the design. Small rudders added on either side of the main rudder could be angled outboard to 30 degrees, creating at high speed what's known as the Lürssen Effect. This drew in an "air pocket slightly behind the three propellers, increasing their efficiency, reducing the stern wave and keeping the boat at a nearly horizontal attitude". This was an important innovation as the horizontal attitude lifted the stern somewhat, allowing even greater speed, and the reduced stern wave made S-boats harder to see, especially at night.
S-boote were often used to patrol the Baltic Sea and the English Channel in order to intercept shipping heading for the English ports in the south and east. As such, they were up against Royal Navy and Commonwealth (particularly Royal Canadian Navy contingents leading up to D-Day), Motor Gun Boats (MGBs), Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs), Motor Launches, frigates and destroyers. They were also transferred in small numbers to the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea by river and land transport. Some small S-Boote were built as longboats for auxiliary cruisers.
During their operational history in World War II, the S-boote sank 101 merchant ships totalling 214,728 tons. In addition, they sank 12 destroyers, 11 minesweepers, eight landing ships, six enemy MTBs, a torpedo boat, a minelayer, one submarine and a number of small merchant craft. They also damaged two cruisers, five destroyers, three landing ships, a repair ship, a naval tug and numerous merchant vessels. Sea mines laid by the 'S-boote' were responsible for the loss of 37 merchant ships totalling 148,535 tons, a destroyer, two minesweepers and four landing ships.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Schnellboote
• Schnellboot
• E-Boat
• Torpedo
• Boat
• Kriegsmarine
• German
• Navy
• World
• War
• II
• Baltic
• Sea
• 1944

[Kaigun06]

Cool color footage. Have any more like this from Germany or another country?

[skoblinI]

if you scroll through my uploads, you will find some other colour film footage, and I will post more in the future.

[salatgesicht]

ja das waren wir

[IustitiaPax]

@eus478 Czechoslovakia just fell apart and certainly never fell due to any military action by the German Empire at all. The 12 March 1939 and preceding Slovak radical independence movement under the Slovak People's Party of Msgr. Jozef Tiso and Prof. Tuka (not Stuka) broke up remaining Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile the (Ukrainophile) Subcarpathian Lands were annexed by Hungary, as was southern Slovakia (ethnic Hungarian majority even until today). Emil Hácha did not want Benes' anti-Nazi adventures.

[eus478]

@eus478 (follow-up) Point of no return was 1939, when Germany realised that a war was inevitably and Czechoslovakia "an aircraft carrier 100 miles away from the capital". The allied reaction to the occupation was : none - except a guarantee for Poland, followed by a hubris over there. The expected help didn't come in '39, even not in '45, so you can call the wardeclaration hypocritical. Germany was miles away from world-domination, it even was unable to defend itself - what nobody will deny.

[eus478]

@tomburley I don't want to argue and I agree that the second worldwar was a result of the first one. But check these facts: Germany wasn't involved in the Washington Navel Treaty from 1922, even not invented. The union of Austria and Germany was required of the majority on both sides (since 1919, but prevented by the allies). The solving of the german speaking parts of Czechoslovakia happened with assistance of France and Great Britain in a conference in Munich in 1938. (to be continued)

[tomburley]

@eus478 ARE YOU SERIOUS?? Britain and France declared war against Germany only after Germany had invaded both Poland and Czechoslovakia - having already annexed parts of Austria. Germany had been building up for war since the early 1930's in total disregard to the Washington Treaty and the conditions set out af the end of the first world war. It was always Germay's intention to take control of all of Western Europe before turning East to Russia and capture the oil fields etc.

[eus478]

@tomburley First of all: my point of view is neither national nor social. Nobody is teaching me, I've got a mind of my own, I can read and form my personal opinion. Fact is, first was the "non aggression pact" in August'39, which was'nt thought for eternity from both sides , to solve the problem in Eastern Europe, then Great Britain and France declared war to Germany, not conversely. From the start to the end Germany was clearly outnumbered. How should I call this? Military suicide or insanity?

[tomburley]

@eus478 Are you suggesting that Germany didn't intend to go to war in 1939 in Western Europe....followed by breaking the "non aggression pact" they signed with Russia whom Gemany then invaded in 1941?

If so then someone has been teaching you a very false set of historical facts!

[tomburley]

@szaki If you discount the Pocket Battleships, Heavy Cruisers that the Germans built up in violation of the Washington Treaty plus the Aircraft carrier they were building.....not to mention the largest Submarine fleet at the start of WWII well then I guess you could say they never had "a big Navy"

[eus478]

@szaki I agree. And that's the reason why Germany had no interest to start a big war in '39,'40 or '41, but GB, US and SU.