Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 135

On the evening of March 3, the German submarine U-6 discovered the OB-47 escort transport convoy from Liverpool to the United States 370 kilometers south of Iceland. It immediately reported to the Submarine Command and prepared to launch an attack, but was intercepted. The British escort warship was discovered and attacked, and was forced underwater, thus losing contact with the convoy.

However, the German Submarine Command quickly reported the situation to nearby submarines. U-70 and U-99 heard the news and launched attacks one after another in the early morning of March 3, sinking two transport ships and damaging three.

U-70 was discovered by a British frigate and was attacked by violent depth charges. It was eventually wounded and forced to surface. After surfacing, it was bombarded by British ship fire. The survivors abandoned the boat and escaped. A few minutes later, U-70 —No. sank into the sea.

At dawn on March 3, U-7 spotted the fleet again and pursued it at full speed in preparation for an attack.

After nightfall, U-47 was attempting to carry out an attack, but was visually spotted by the British destroyer "Wolverine", which was very close at hand, and had to make an emergency dive.

The destroyer "Wolverine" rushed over and dropped a series of shallow water bombs. The submarine was violently shaken, and the main shaft of the propeller was damaged by the shock wave of the explosion. Therefore, it made a lot of noise while sailing. The sound of the destroyer "Wolverine" was heard. Na accurately captured it, and another depth charge attack finally sank it.

Captain Prien, one of the three ace captains of the German army and the legendary figure in the surprise attack on Scapa Flow, was buried at the bottom of the sea together with all the officers and soldiers on the boat.

When the U-47 was sunk, it had a record of sinking 28 ships with a total tonnage of 16 tons, ranking second among the German submarine forces.

The submarine U-95, which had just received the news that day, came at full speed and attacked the convoy twice, sinking two transport ships. However, the U-2 was chased by two British destroyers for several hours and suffered heavy damage. It was only thanks to the excellent command of the captain that the ship escaped the fate of sinking and staggered back to the base.

On March 3, the OB-8 escort transport fleet approached Iceland and received strong cover from the aviation force taking off from Iceland. Only then did Dönitz order a halt to the attack on the fleet. In this battle, the German submarines sank 293 submarines. An oil tanker and three transport ships were attacked, and one oil tanker and one transport ship were damaged in return, and two submarines were lost.

On March 3, German reconnaissance planes discovered the HX-12 escort transport fleet in the waters 550 kilometers south of Greenland. The fleet was bound for the United Kingdom from Canada and consisted of 12 transport ships, including 41 destroyers and 5 destroyers. The frigate acted as escort.

The commander of the escort fleet was Lieutenant Commander Donald McIntyre, captain of the USS Walker, a former fighter pilot and an experienced anti-submarine warfare expert. He graduated from the Portland Naval Anti-Submarine School and received training. Personal teaching from the famous sonar expert Professor York Anderson.

Dönitz immediately informed the five submarines operating in the waters of this situation. At dawn on March 5, these five submarines formed a submarine patrol line with U-3 as the core, preparing to attack the fleet. Based on the frequent telegrams intercepted by German submarines, McIntyre was keenly aware that the Germans had discovered the fleet's whereabouts and were following closely, waiting for opportunities to attack. Therefore, he strictly ordered all ships to be vigilant and ready to fight at any time.

At dawn on March 3, the German submarine U-15 discovered the fleet in waters about 110 kilometers southwest of Iceland. It immediately reported to the Submarine Command and has been tracking the fleet. After noon, the U-370 and U-99 submarines also discovered the fleet one after another and followed closely behind.

After nightfall, U-99, U-100 and U-110 all launched attacks on the fleet, sinking 2 oil tankers and 3 transport ships. The British escort warships conducted a long search and attack, but nothing happened. reward.

3月16日晚，U—99和U—100再次攻击了船队，击沉油船和运输船各1艘，击伤运输船1艘。

In the early morning of March 3, the U-17 first sank an oil tanker that had fallen behind due to damage, and then pursued the fleet at full speed, preparing to continue the attack. Mattel commanded the escort warships to continuously patrol around the transport ship and closely monitor the surrounding sea.

Finally, the "Walker" discovered the U-100's track, rushed over at full speed, and dropped ten depth charges in succession at the place where the submarine sank. A huge water column suddenly rose on the sea, and flames were seen emerging from the bottom of the sea. .

However, McIntyre believed that it could not be concluded that the submarine had been sunk. Conclusive evidence must be found, so he ordered to continue the search with sonar. Sure enough, traces of the submarine were soon discovered again. The "Walker" quickly summoned the "Fano" The destroyer "K" took turns to carry out deep bomb attacks. The U-100 continued to evade and changed the depth from time to time, and finally escaped.

After the battle subsided, the "Walker" quickly seized the opportunity to rescue the crew of the sunken transport ship. At this moment, the "Vannock"'s radar discovered the U-100 that had surfaced, and rushed forward at full power. .

Captain Schepke, the captain of the U-100, one of the three ace captains of the German submarine, was confused by the camouflage coloring of the "Vannock" and misjudged the distance of the British ship. This fatal mistake not only ruined the His own life was ruined, and U-100 was lost—a few seconds later.

"Vannock" hit the U-100 hard, Schepke was killed on the submarine's control tower, and the U-100 was also sunk.

The "Vannock" immediately began to rescue the surviving crew members of the German submarine. The "Walker" took cover while taking the opportunity to take a breather. The sailors seized this opportunity to move the depth charges from the bomb bay to the deck. The fierce battle just now had ended. Exhaust all depth charges on the deck.

At this time, the sonar sergeant major of the "Walker" reported that another German submarine had been discovered. McIntyre initially thought it was a false alarm, but the experienced sonar sergeant major believed it must be a submarine. What was discovered was exactly what was discovered in yesterday's battle. U-99 returned after running out of torpedoes!

McIntyre immediately ordered an attack, and six deep bombs that had just been moved onto the deck were dropped in one breath. Just as the "Walker" was about to turn to continue the attack, U-99 had been severely damaged by the fierce attack and was forced to surface.

The artillery of the "Walker" and the "Vannock" fired at the same time. The U-99, which had exhausted its torpedoes, had no power to fight back and had to use its light to send out a begging signal. The "Walker" put down its small boat and prepared to jump in and capture the submarine. .

At this time, the crew of the German submarine abandoned the boat one after another. The submarine had begun to sink due to its serious injuries. Most of the crew, including the captain Krestschmer, was captured.

It was McIntyre's luck that U-99 was sunk. As soon as U-99 ran out of torpedoes and was about to surface and return, it discovered that the British escort warship was nearby. The submarine's duty officer panicked and ordered it to dive immediately. !

If he continued to sail on the water, he could use the cover of night to escape quietly, and as soon as he dived into the water, he would be immediately discovered by the British sonar!

On March 3, the fleet entered the Minch Channel with aviation cover, and Dönitz was forced to order an end to the attack on the fleet.

In this battle, although the German army sank 4 oil tankers and 5 transport ships, it also lost two ace submarines. The U-99's record was 44 ships sunk, with a total tonnage of 28.2 tons, which was the highest record of the German army at that time. Long Krestschmer was awarded the Iron Cross in the three levels of Oak Leaves, Swords and Knight!

U-100 sank 39 ships with a total tonnage of 15.9 tons, ranking third. In ten days, the German submarine force lost three ace submarines. This was a very heavy blow to Dönitz and his submarine force. Even the high morale of the German submarine force, which it had always been proud of, was severely dampened. .

As the weather conditions in the sea between Ireland and Scotland became increasingly bad, the activities of German reconnaissance aircraft encountered serious obstacles. In addition, due to the active activities of the aviation forces stationed in Ireland, the loss rate of German submarines exceeded 20%, forcing Dönitz to launch the operation on March 3. Japan moved its submarine deployment line about 26 kilometers westward, withdrew it outside the combat radius of the shore-based aviation forces stationed in Ireland, and operated in the waters south and west of Iceland.

Although Dönitz was devastated by the loss of all three of the German ace submarines in March 1941, the German army achieved the result of sinking transport ships with a total tonnage of 3 tons.

从1941年3月起，英军开始使用PBY“卡塔林那”远程水上飞机遂行反潜巡逻使命，由于这种飞机携带两条鱼雷时作战半径高达2000千米，英伦三岛海岸以外1100千米、加拿大海岸以外960千米和冰岛以南640千米范围均受到有效的空中掩护。

Since April, British long-range anti-submarine aircraft have been stationed on the island of Ireland, greatly reducing the scope of unescorted waters. The newly commissioned escort warships have fully considered the need to carry fuel in their design, so their endurance has been greatly increased. In this way, the British escort force has gradually increased, and the escort area has been expanded to 4 degrees west longitude.

At the same time, the strength of the Canadian Navy has gradually increased, and it has begun to assume the escort role in the Western Atlantic.

On April 4, the German submarine U-1 operating in the waters south of Iceland discovered a fleet bound for Canada from the United Kingdom. The Submarine Command immediately organized eight submarines in the nearby waters to form a patrol line, preparing to intercept this fleet. A fleet.

Unexpectedly, on April 4, the SC-2 escort transport fleet bound for the United Kingdom from Canada broke into the submarine patrol line. That night, four submarines, U-26, U-46, U-69 and U-73, attacked the submarine patrol line. The fleet launched an attack, sinking six transport ships, totaling 74 tons, and damaging the escorting auxiliary cruiser "Worcestershire".

During the day on April 4, U-3 went against the norm and boldly carried out a daytime attack, sinking a transport ship.

At dusk on April 4, the U-3 submarine discovered the convoy again, and guided the U-94 submarine to organize an attack together, sinking a total of 98 transport ships, totaling 3 tons.

On April 4, U-4, U-76 and U-98 pursued each other and continued to attack, but encountered strong resistance from the escorting warships. Although U-101 sank a transport ship, it was also attacked Escort warship sunk.

Eleven of the 26 transport ships in the SC-22 escort transport fleet were lost, totaling approximately 11 tons.

This caused great panic in the United Kingdom. The British Navy immediately decided to establish an escort warship base in Vapnarfjordur, Iceland, and move the escort transport fleet's route as far north as possible in order to be covered by the sea and air forces stationed in Iceland.

Since mid-April, according to the destroyer base-replacement agreement, all 4 old destroyers provided by the United Kingdom have arrived in the United Kingdom. At the same time, in view of the severe situation in the Atlantic, the United States has also provided 50 submarine-propelled speedboats to the United Kingdom.

As the escort force increased, the British army divided the North Atlantic into three escort zones: the British zone from the UK to 18 degrees west longitude, the Iceland zone from 18 degrees west longitude to Iceland, and the Canadian zone from 35 degrees west longitude to Canada. In the above three escort areas, the transport fleet was escorted by warships dispatched from the British, Icelandic and Canadian bases respectively.

At this time, there were usually only 10 to 20 German submarines operating on the transatlantic route every day. It was impossible to control the routes passed by all escort fleets. In addition, more and more British escort warships were equipped with radio direction finders and The new radar can timely determine the position of the transmitting submarine and detect submarines on the surface at night, thereby effectively avoiding the patrol lines of German submarines.

On May 5, Dönitz decided to improve the "wolf pack tactics" and abandon the original fixed submarine patrol line. He began to try large-scale search tactics in larger sea areas and dispersed all submarines in Ireland-Iceland-Greenland. —The vast sea between Newfoundland—the Azores—Spain.

Once a convoy is discovered, it will be reported immediately to the Submarine Command, which will then mobilize submarines in nearby waters to carry out a swarm attack.

This tactic can not only protect oneself to the maximum extent, but also organize and implement large-scale mobile operations, and has received very good results.

5月9日，U—110号潜艇发现了从北美开往利物浦的OB—318护航船队，随即与U—201号潜艇协同发起攻击，先后击沉3艘运输船。

However, U-110 was also discovered by the sonar of the British frigate "Oubleti", and was attacked by violent depth charges, and was forced to surface. The nearby British "Big Bulldog" and "Broadway" The destroyer immediately accelerated and the captain of the "Big Bulldog" realized that there was a possibility of capturing the submarine, so he immediately canceled the attack order just issued.

It was not until the crew on the submarine entered the deck gun position and prepared to fight stubbornly that they ordered the gunfire to be fired. The destroyer's gunfire was dense and fierce, and the gunfire on the submarine's deck was immediately suppressed.

The "Big Bulldog" opened fire while approaching the submarine at a speed of 15 knots. About 200 meters away from the submarine, the destroyer sent a jumping team to board the submarine. When the jumping team boarded the submarine, the German submariners had already abandoned the boat in a hurry. The gang-hopping team seized a large number of top-secret documents on the submarine that the Germans had not had time to destroy and a complete set of radio transceivers with "Enigma" cipher machines.

After rescuing the German crew members who fell overboard, the "Big Bulldog" began to tow the U-110 submarine back home. Although the U-110 later sank during the tow, the captured cipher machine brought great help to the intelligence agencies in deciphering the German codes. income.

The Germans had no idea that U-110 had been captured and that the cipher machine had fallen into the hands of the British. From then until the end of the war, the British kept the secrets of the communications of the German submarine force, and even the specific location of each submarine, the name of the captain, etc. Being in charge created extremely favorable conditions for the final victory of anti-submarine warfare in the Atlantic.

In order to combat the increasingly rampant "wolf pack" tactics of German submarines, it provided cover for the transport fleet, especially in the mid-Atlantic waters where shore-based aviation support was unavailable.

The British Navy creatively began to equip some transport ships with one or two aircraft, and installed aircraft take-off platforms and catapults on the ships. In sea areas where shore-based aviation support could not be obtained, once signs of German submarine activity were found, the aircraft would be ejected to take off. The aircraft carried out anti-submarine patrols or carried out anti-submarine attacks, suppressed and forced the submarines to dive, thus covering the convoy fleet's rapid change of course and timely avoiding the attack of German submarines.

After these aircraft ran out of fuel, they could only make an emergency landing on the sea. The escort ships were responsible for rescuing the pilots who fell into the water, and the aircraft had to be allowed to sink into the sea.

This tactic consumes an aircraft every time it is implemented, which is quite costly. However, without such air cover, the fleet will inevitably suffer greater losses. In comparison, it is still cost-effective. The pilots who perform such tasks every time Having to make an emergency landing at sea every time requires not only superb flying skills, but also extraordinary fearless courage!

On May 5, as U.S. and neutral ships continued to be sunk, Rothover declared an indefinite state of emergency across the country and took stronger measures to protect ships sailing in safe waters.

On May 5, the HX-28 escort fleet sailing from Canada to the United Kingdom became the first fleet to be fully protected.

On June 6, Germany began to attack the Soviet Union. Based on the strong request of the Air Force, the German High Command ordered the submarine force to dispatch four submarines to undertake weather reconnaissance missions, and to dispatch six submarines to the Arctic waters and the Baltic Sea to attack Mao Xiong's transport ships.

Although the number of German submarines in the Atlantic has decreased, the German submarine record in June still reached 6 tons. This is mainly due to the six submarines sent to the Freetown area in April.

Since these submarines were constantly supplied with fuel, torpedoes and other materials from supply ships, their time at sea was greatly extended. They not only attacked British ships sailing alone, but also attacked multiple escort transport convoys from Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom. A lot of achievements have been achieved.

In particular, the U-107 submarine achieved the result of sinking 14 ships and more than 8.6 tons in one combat voyage, creating the largest result for a single German submarine in a single combat voyage during the entire war.

These six submarines sank a total of 6 ships and damaged 56 ships in more than two months. Including the ships sunk by the mines they laid, the total was about 2 tons.

The British Navy made up for it and quickly organized ships to search and sweep German supply ships. At the same time, it established a convoy system along the African coast and tried its best to keep the ships sailing in safe sea areas escorted by U.S. troops. These efforts finally led to the gradual decline of the German military's results in the South Atlantic. .

In April 1941, German submarines sank about 4 tons of British ships. In May, the number reached 24 tons. In June, it was 5 tons. Together with the results of other forces' breaking engagements, the tonnage of British ships lost in this quarter was As high as more than 32 million tons, it was called the most difficult quarter of the war by the British.

However, such a powerful wolf pack in Germany ultimately failed. What is the reason?

Uncle Qiu once said in the second station:

"In order to win this war, Mr. He must do one of the following two things, either cross the English Channel to conquer the Island of Great Britain, or cut off the maritime lifeline between the British Islands and North America. The Battle of the Atlantic is to seize this The key to victory in this war."

At that time, Uncle Xi's development focus had always been on the army and air force, and the ultimate goal was in the east of Europe. The German surface fleet had difficulty even breaking through the blockade of the British Royal Navy, let alone sending troops to the British Isles.

To bring Britain to its knees, the only option was to take the second path.

As mentioned earlier, on the night of September 1939, 9, the U-3 submarine sank the cruise ship "Athena" west of the Hebrides, carrying more than 30 passengers and more than 1100 crew members. It was the prelude to the Battle of the Atlantic that lasted for nearly 300 years and lasted throughout World War II.

The UK is an island country with scarce resources and is highly dependent on overseas countries for its means of life and production.

Pound, then Lord of the Admiralty, said:

"If we lose the naval battle, we lose the whole war!"

Under the guidance of the "wolf pack tactics" invented by submarine genius Dönitz, a small number of U-boats caused unimaginable trouble to Britain.

1939年9月至1940年5月期间，德国潜艇击沉商船240余艘，总吨位85万吨，而自身仅损失24艘。至1942年英国进口物资已下降到2850万吨，仅相当于战前的42%。

Uncle Qiu recalled many years later: "The only thing that really scared me during the war was the threat of German submarines...A submarine attack was the most devastating disaster."

Faced with the raging wolves, the Allies continued to improve their escort system, but the most critical thing was how to detect German submarines.

During the First Station, sonar technology, which was born to deal with submarine threats, has developed significantly.

At the beginning of the second station, the British had high hopes for sonar and were generally optimistic about German submarines.

But the sonar equipment at that time had a huge flaw: it could detect underwater targets, but the reconnaissance effect on surface targets was extremely poor, and U-shaped submarines usually surfaced to attack.

The British also tried to install radar on anti-submarine aircraft, but due to limitations in electricity and power, vibration of the aircraft fuselage and other factors, the detection range of airborne radar was limited, the blind zone was large, and the accuracy was not high.

German submarines can even visually detect the opponent's aircraft earlier than radar, and then quickly dive and escape. However, at night and in complex sea conditions, the advantages of radar are still very obvious.

In response, Germany installed a signal receiver on the submarine to provide early warning, and also installed a breather tube so that the submarine could be charged without floating up, greatly reducing the probability of being discovered.

In June 1941, Germany invaded Woolly Bear. Pressure on the Western Front dropped sharply, and the air war over Britain came to an end.

Radars that had previously been heavily invested in homeland air defense began to be used in naval warfare, and the research and development of airborne special radars was put on the agenda.

The new ASV X radar uses centimeter waves to improve detection capabilities while avoiding German signal receivers.

Soon, anti-submarine aircraft equipped with new radars and "Lee" searchlights appeared in large numbers, and the night was no longer the home of the wolves.

British escort ships are also increasingly equipped with radar, and the concealment that the wolves rely on to maintain is being lost.

Allied radio direction finding and communications reconnaissance capabilities are also improving. In the summer of 1942, high-frequency radio line measuring devices began to be installed in large numbers on Allied convoy fleets. They could detect radio waves emitted by German submarines, find their direction in reverse, and avoid attacks by wolves.

The coordination of the wolves required the use of radio communication, and encryption relied on the Enigma cipher machine, which was known as "unbreakable" at the time.

In May 1941, the British captured the U-5 submarine and seized the complete cipher machine and code book.

Two months later, Bletchley Manor was able to quickly decipher the contents of German radio communications and discover the movements and intentions of German submarines as early as possible.

I want to make a digression here. The capture of U-110 is closely related to the deciphering of the Enigma code and even the victory of the second station.

This incident was later remade into the movie "The Hunt for U-571" by Ugly Chinese, and the protagonists were also Ugly Chinese. In fact, this was a British masterpiece and had nothing to do with Ugly Chinese.

Of course, the German deciphering agencies were also in action. They deciphered the codes of the British Navy and Merchant Marine, so that the wolves could ambush and wait in advance.

In the first two months of 1943, 102 Allied ships were sunk by German submarines, and a "little GC" was created for a time, but this was just a flash in the pan before failure.

Like many battlefields in the second station, in the face of overwhelming numbers, the so-called geniuses just last longer than ordinary people.

In the Atlantic submarine war, Germany successively invested 1170 submarines and lost 781, sinking a total of 1500 million tons of Allied transport ships and 175 Allied combat ships.

In contrast, for every time a German submarine was dealt with, the Allies dispatched 1 submarine-hunting ships and more than 24 aircraft. The ratio of Allied anti-submarine personnel to German submarine personnel was 100:100.

The Ugly people on the other side of the ocean have been able to produce 100 million tons of merchant ships every month since joining the war, and the difference in quantity will only get bigger.

1943年的5月，德国有41艘潜艇被击沉，5月19日，邓尼茨21岁的小儿子彼得在北大西洋与U-954艇一起命葬大海。

On the 24th of that month, Dönitz ordered the submarine to withdraw from the Atlantic communication line.

Since then, the "Wolf Pack" has recovered several times, but in the face of the comprehensive superiority of the Allies, no major achievements have been made. The strategy of destroying sea transportation lines to force Britain to surrender completely failed.

However, the advantages of submarines in the ocean are huge. If Lao Chang is willing to raise a submarine force, Zhu Chuanren is definitely willing to help.

The most important thing is that the submarines of potential opponents are not as powerful as imagined. With appropriate tactics, it is possible to play an advantageous game.

In 1905, Xiao Benzi introduced 5 submarines from China.

On this basis, Xiaobenzi absorbed the advanced technology of American-made submarines and independently developed and manufactured a variety of submarines. So far, Xiaobenzi has a large number of submarine forces.

These "chrysanthemum sea wolves" were rampant in the Pacific and Indian Oceans for a while.

However, compared with the achievements of the small ocean-going submarines of the German submarines, which also belonged to the Axis powers, they seemed unremarkable and lackluster. Is it because their skills were inferior or that they were born at the wrong time?

In 1922, five naval powers, including Britain, France, France and Italy, signed the Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Arms in China.

According to the provisions of the treaty, Neon's number of battleships is 60% of that of the United States and Britain. In order to make up for the disadvantage in the number of battleships, Xiao Benzi formulated a large submarine construction plan, intending to use submarines to consume the advantage of the United States and Britain in the number of battleships.

In 1937, Xiaobenzi launched three hybrid submarine designs:

The Type A submarine designed according to flagship standards has a displacement of 4150 tons and can carry a sea reconnaissance aircraft; the Type B submarine with a displacement of 3654 tons can also carry a sea reconnaissance aircraft; the Type C submarine with enhanced weapon system has a displacement of 3561 tons.

Neon also divides submarines into three categories: Level 1 is an ocean-going submarine with a displacement of more than 1000 tons, such as the Yi-type submarine; Level 2 is an offshore submarine with a displacement between 1000 and 500 tons, such as a Lu-type submarine; Level 3 It is a pocket submarine with a displacement of less than 500 tons, such as a wave-type submarine.

In addition, according to different divisions of labor, Neon submarines are also divided into types such as patrol submarines, mine-laying cruises, transport submarines, and aircraft carriers. Neon's subdivision of submarine functions in this way is unique and rare among the belligerents in World War II.

In addition, Neon Navy has also developed the I-400 underwater aircraft carrier.

The boat has a total length of 122 meters, a width of 12 meters, and an underwater displacement of 6560 tons, which is twice the displacement of the destroyer at that time.

潜艇由2台7700马力的舰本式22号10型柴油机提供动力，水面航速18.7节，水下6.5节，续航里程37500海里/14节。

The special feature of the I-400 is that it can carry three "Jinglan" water attack aircraft.

Neon Navy's imaginative design makes the I-400 the world's "submarine PLUS".

During the second station, the Neon Navy had 63 ocean-going submarines, including 3000 submarines with a displacement of more than 52 tons. At that time, there were only 56 submarines of the same size in the world. It can be said that the ocean-going strength of Neon submarines was ranked first in the world. .

During the war, Neon built another 111 ocean-going submarines, bringing the total number to 174.

On the whole, neon submarines sank 2 main aircraft carriers, 1 escort aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, destroyers and 18 other warships in World War II.

In attacks against civilian targets, Neon submarines sank a total of 179 Allied merchant ships with a total tonnage of 90 tons, while German submarines sank 2603 ​​Allied merchant ships with a total tonnage of 1357 million tons. Comparing the two, they are completely different. mud.

There are many reasons for the poor performance of Neon's submarines, and strategic contradiction is one of them.

Xiao Benzi's original intention of establishing the submarine force was to fight a decisive battle with British and American battleships. However, in November 1942, the neon transport fleet known as the "Tokyo Express" was unable to carry out its supply mission. The Japanese army stationed on Guadalcanal fell into the dilemma of insufficient supplies. The local " "Hungry Island".

The commander of the Neon Combined Fleet, Yamamoto Isoroku, ordered that in addition to a small number of pocket submarines performing special attack missions, other submarines should take advantage of their stealth and take on the task of secretly transporting military supplies.

1942年12月26日至1942年1月30日，小本子出动潜艇26艘次，有17艘完成任务，有6艘次基本完成任务，运输补给974吨，仅有伊－1潜艇被击沉。

On the surface, submarines should be praised for performing transportation tasks. In fact, using main combat submarines to transport supplies is contrary to the neon submarine strategy and cannot bring out the true value of submarines.

The poor performance of the submarines also lies in the uneven quality of the Neon Navy's personnel.

In February 1939, the Xiaobenzi I-2 submarine arrived at the exercise area 63 nautical miles north of Bungo Suidoko Island and entered a drifting state. At that time, there were light waves on the sea surface and the visibility was about 6 nautical miles. The companion ship I-5 submarine was ordered to rendezvous with the I-60.

Due to the main engine failure of the I-60 the day before, the repaired I-63 accelerated to the exercise area.

However, the captain and duty officer of I-60 mistakenly recorded the drifting position of I-63 as their own position.

Despite several warnings from the I-63, the I-60 still hit the middle of the starboard side of the I-12 at a 90-degree angle at a speed of 63 knots, causing the latter to sink and 81 officers and men on board died.

The I-60 bears the main responsibility for this accident. The submarine did not follow the prescribed speed when sailing at night. After the I-60 was discovered, the submarine did not take any deceleration and evasive measures.

The I-63 also had a secondary responsibility. After discovering the abnormality of the I-60, it did not take the initiative to avoid it. Instead, it passively asked the other party to avoid it, causing the shipwreck.

The fundamental reason for this accident was that the small-scale military expansion was too fast, resulting in an insufficient number of experienced veterans. When new recruits dealt with emergencies, they generally had unfamiliar operations and slow reactions. For this reason, the Yi-63 paid a heavy price for the destruction of the boat and the loss of lives. The price of death.

Moreover, the technological backwardness of the small submarine itself is closely related to its repeated setbacks.

In the 1930s, senior naval officials were influenced by the idea of ​​"giant ships and cannons" and shifted the focus of naval construction to large warships, ignoring the development of submarine technology, which objectively had a certain impact on the use of submarines.

The self-developed diesel engine of Xiaobenzi pursues power output in a one-sided manner, resulting in a significant increase in noise.

A sonar sergeant from the Chou Kingdom said frankly: "Navigating a submarine with a small book is like marching with a big drum."

The continuous noise attracted great attention from the ugly destroyers and anti-submarine aircraft.

During the Pacific War, 127 ocean-going submarines were sunk in Xiaobenzi, of which 67 were sunk by surface ships and 10 by anti-submarine aircraft, accounting for 60.63%.

Tactical errors worsened the losses of the neon submarine.

Xiao Benzi's use of submarines stayed at the stage of fleet decisive battles, while the Ugly Army's anti-submarine tactics had already undergone rapid changes.

The U.S. Army's B-24 "Liberator" long-range bomber can stay in the air for up to 18 hours. Equipped with a 10-centimeter wavelength H2S radar and depth bombs, its anti-submarine capabilities have been greatly improved.

The anti-submarine capability of one B-24 is equivalent to that of six frigates, making it extremely cost-effective.

In addition, the emergence of the US-made MK24 sound-seeking torpedo can have a fatal effect on submarines.

In the face of the ever-changing anti-submarine technology, the Neon Navy still clings to its old ways and sticks to the old routine. The top brass of the Navy fantasizes about using technologically backward submarines to fight against the Ugly Navy, which has excellent anti-submarine capabilities.

At the same time, the small navy ignored the importance of breaking the engagement, believing that this action was inconsistent with the spirit of bravery.

What is even more ridiculous is that the Neon Navy insisted on requiring submarines to implement a regular floating reporting system, regardless of the actual situation, causing additional submarine losses.

Looking at the second station, the characteristics of neon submarines can be described as "high starting point, various types, many tasks, small achievements, and large losses".

Neon submarines, which started earlier, have become the accomplices of those who are interested, trying to gain profits through sneak attacks and blitz tactics.

Facts have proved that using rigid strategies to command outdated equipment is all a waste of time.

Of course, if you want to not fall behind in this war, you must have a submarine force with excellent quality.

As for the submarine aircraft carrier, before Pearl Harbor, the Navy's anti-Ugliness strategy could be summed up in the words "gradually reduce the invitation to attack."

That is to use cruisers, long-range aviation and ocean-going submarines to continuously harass and weaken the U.S. Navy's strength on its way across the Pacific to Neon.

When the enemy's main force finally breaks through the obstacles and reaches the decisive battle area, the battleships will wait and deal a fatal blow, replicating the brilliant achievements of the combined fleet in the Battle of Tsushima.

In order to cooperate with the implementation of this strategy, the Neon Navy Submarine Department has focused its research and development on large ocean-going submarines, which means that submarines must often find and monitor enemies alone on the vast ocean.

In order to solve this problem, Xiaobenzi equipped ocean-going submarines with reconnaissance aircraft. For example, the "Prowl Submarine Type B", the submarine with the most neon equipment during the Pacific War, could carry a Zero small water reconnaissance aircraft.

Don't underestimate this small aircraft, which weighs only 1.4 tons. It can expand the reconnaissance and surveillance range of submarines to the greatest extent, and can even perform light bombing missions when necessary.

However, Neon Navy’s ambitions don’t stop there.

Combined Fleet Commander Yamamoto Isoroku even hoped that the neon submarine could "quietly" approach the Ugly Kingdom's homeland and then deliver a sudden strike.

Under his promotion, in May 1942, the Military Command issued a mission statement, requiring the construction of an aircraft that can carry two aircraft (later changed to three), has a range of not less than 5 nautical miles, and can reach any place on the earth for combat. And returned to the "submarine aircraft carrier" with a self-sustaining time of more than 3.3 months, that is, the "I-4 submarine".

The I-400 submarine is a watershed in the development of Neon Navy submarines.

Previously, the main mission of the Neon submarine carrier-based aircraft was reconnaissance and surveillance, but the I-400 was equipped with an attack aircraft and was focused on bombing missions from the beginning.

In Yamamoto's vision, these submarines could destroy the Panama Canal locks, prevent British and American warships from passing through, and even bypass the Drake Strait to go north and drop bombs directly to Washington.

Such a "grand" plan is matched by an unprecedented design.

Prior to this, submarines had been purely anti-ship weapons and had no effective means of ground attack.

The I-400 moves a small "airport" onto the submarine, combining the concealment of the submarine with the maneuverability of the fighter plane to achieve ground attack.

The Yi-400 hull has a total length of 122 meters, a width of 12 meters, a draft of 7 meters, and a standing displacement of 5223 tons, which can reach 6560 tons when submerged. Before the emergence of the Type 032 submarine of the Chinese Navy, it was the largest conventional submarine.

The hull is a double-hull structure, consisting of an inner shell and an outer shell.

The inner shell is composed of two side-by-side and partially connected cylinders with a cross-section similar to glasses. The inner shell is also wrapped with an outer shell.

This firstly expands the space inside the ship, and secondly reduces the height of the hull and enhances stability. The safe diving depth reaches about 100 meters, which can avoid attacks from depth bombs commonly used by the US military.

Above the inner shell, there is an integrated bridge composed of a cylindrical watertight garb and a command tower. The diameter of the garb is 4 meters.

It is powered by four ship-based No. 4 diesel engines with a total power of 22 horsepower and a surface speed of 7700 knots.

It is powered by two electric motors when submerged, with a total power of 2400 horsepower, a speed of 6.5 knots, and an endurance of 14 nautical miles when sailing on the surface at 37500 knots, which is the highest among "two-station" submarines.

Such a huge body makes the dive extremely time-consuming, which can last up to 1 minute. During the same period, the dive of German U-boats did not exceed 35 seconds. This will naturally affect the survivability of the I-400.

(End of this chapter)