Royal navy historical patrol

[Bleu]

Did the RN patrolled to the cost of France during the war? like in the game? especially english canal

[emilkant]

Yes, Royal Navy submarines conducted many patrols off the coasts of France and Germany in an effort to sink U-boats leaving their bases. This was a threat that BdU took seriously, and for much of the war U-boats had to coordinate with BdU for an escort when entering and leaving ports.

A few examples:

HMS Tuna torpedoed and sank U-644 leaving France in 1943. She also unsuccessfully attacked several other U-boats or Italian submarines over her career.

HMS Venturer famously sank U-864 in 1945 while both submarines were submerged.

There are several instances in U-boat KTBs where returning U-boats have to take evasive action after spotting torpedo tracks from Royal Navy submarines.

As for the English Channel: after December 1939, U-boats were banned from operating in the Channel, as the British minefields made it too risky. Plus, the availability of French bases made a Channel crossing mostly irrelevant. There was a brief period in 1944 around the Normandy invasion when they returned to the Channel.

[Bleu]

Thanks friend, I Know a lots of thing about the sea war, but i was just like "its this really what they did? so close to the cost? where the luftwaffe"

[emilkant]

Originally posted by Sacrebleu:

where the luftwaffe"

Funny, there were a lot of U-boat captains who said exactly the same thing.

Göring was never keen to cooperate with the Kriegsmarine. The Luftwaffe was deployed almost everywhere except in support of the Kriegsmarine: most were in the Eastern Front, some were in North Africa, and many fighter units were (increasingly, as time went on) protecting the Ruhr and industrial heartland.

KG 40 did operate with the Kriegsmarine at times, but it was a small-scale effort and was never really supported by the Luftwaffe brass.

[El Rushbo]

A big part of the Royal Navy sub operations were in the Mediterranean largely to intercept Italian troops and war material from reaching North Africa. A reversal of the Battle of the Atlantic. RN boats at Malta had to deal with almost constant air attacks and dire supply shortages, bad enough that they'd take some boats out of service so they could strip them for parts to keep other boats going. A pretty exciting but largely unsung chapter in submarine warfare in WWII.

[wolf310ii]

Originally posted by emilkant:

This was a threat that BdU took seriously, and for much of the war U-boats had to coordinate with BdU for an escort when entering and leaving ports.

The escort were more for protection against air attacks and mines, not to protect against submarines.
The escort were mostly mine sweeper or old freighters filled with empty barrels or cork, equiped with a VES device, to trigger magnetic mines and as many AA Guns as the ship could carry, but no ASW equipment.

[emilkant]

Originally posted by wolf310ii:

Originally posted by emilkant:

This was a threat that BdU took seriously, and for much of the war U-boats had to coordinate with BdU for an escort when entering and leaving ports.

The escort were more for protection against air attacks and mines, not to protect against submarines.
The escort were mostly mine sweeper or old freighters filled with empty barrels or cork, equiped with a VES device, to trigger magnetic mines and as many AA Guns as the ship could carry, but no ASW equipment.

Yes, you are right. Air attack and mines were both bigger threats, and this is what the "Vorposten" boats were designed to deal with. But there was a real threat from RN subs as well. They show up several times in the BdU/SKL KTBs and individual U-boat KTBs.

[Urfisch]

The biscay became a death trap after 1942. Especially RAF units with radar looked for leaving or homing uboats. Was quite effective. Many uboats where sunk this way.