German Secrets of World War IIBy Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

German Secrets of World War II

German U-BoatsEnigma MachineGerman Ballistic Missile Program

German U-Boats

“Wolf Packs” Germany’s submarine forces were small, but

well equipped and immediately applied to isolate Britain from overseas resources

Britain replied with heavily escorted convoys The Germans responded by sending U-boats

out in “wolf packs”

“Wolf Packs” cont. Rudeltaktik was the

nick name of U-boats The “wolf packs” were

introduced in June, 1940 and proved immediate success

They were created by Karl Dönitz as a means to defeat the allied convoys

“Shadower” techniques were used to defeat convoys

“Wolf Packs” cont. Reporting convoys heading and speed allowed

other U-boats to form around a convoy and attack The U-boats usually attacked on the surface at

night These tactics of U-boats were meant to overwhelm

the convoys Around 135 such groups were formed from 1940-

1943 The U-boats in each group ranged from 3-4 to

around 20 in the biggest

Types of U-boatsThe type II U-boats were the first

submarines constructed in Germany in late 1935

The type II U-boats were nicknamed “the canoe”

Crews appreciated them for their maneuverability, their rapidity of plunge, and their solidity

Type II specifications The type II carried a crew of 25 men It was 44 meters in length It weighed 314 tons Its maximum speed on the surface was 12 knots or 22.2 km/h The type II was able to carry 6 torpedoes as well as a numerous

number of guns

The type VII U-boat The first boats of the type VII were launched

in June of 1936 No nation constructed more submarines than

Germany and its type VII Its reach and maneuverability had been

improved and the arrangement of torpedoes was more efficient

It was endowed with a thicker steel which enabled it to plunge deeper than the type II

Type VII specifications The crew number was 44 men Its length was 66 meters rather The weight was 769 tons The maximum speed was 17 knots or 31.45 km/h It could carry 14 torpedoes The amount of guns doubled compared to the type II

U-boats missions and objectives (reached or failed)

The German Government sent U-boats across the Atlantic Ocean to come to the United States during a secret operation Prove to the Americans Germany could get

through any boundaries Scare the Americans more and possibly

weaken them

Hitler’s secret mission cont. Germans wanted to show what their Navy

was capable of doing, and that it was better than Great Britain's Navy

Once in the U.S. German soldiers were to set explosives in Jewish areas and key buildings where powerful people were present

Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz created

the “wolf packs” He was a

charismatic leader of his troops as well

His service had the highest mortality rate of any military service for any country throughout all of the war

Karl DönitzKarl Dönitz made tremendous

innovations in U-boats during the warDönitz and the Torpedo Crisis

The solution to this was the developments of new technologies such as the acoustic torpedo

The acoustic torpedo was able to perform “zig-zag” maneuvers inside of convoy formations

Specifications for Entry into the Navy

Well developed for their age Well built Free of weakness or disease that affected their health,

mobility, and endurance Men that wore glasses were not recruited The teeth of any recruit had to be in top condition Particularly qualified included sailors, sea and shore

fishermen, skilled workers from the metal industry, and elsewhere as well

They had to have completed their training as a skilled worker

They had to be German citizens of the German Reich without a criminal record and not married.

U- Boat Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages U- boats could get in close to their targets

undisguised U-boats could get away if being attacked easier

than ships They could get past great amount of boats easily

for secret missions They were fast and efficient

Disadvantages They could easily be sunk if hit with depth

charges There was no escape once it began to sink

Damage done by U-BoatsU-boats did a great amount of

damageThey sunk over 150 boats, cruisers,

destroyers, and many other types of ships

They killed over 2,759 merchantmenDamaged over 30 different boats

The Enigma Machine

“The greatest secret of World War II after the atom bomb”

- Dr. Wladyslaw Kozaczuk

The Enigma MachineDevice used by the German military

command to encode strategic messages before and during World

War IIRevolutionized Cryptography by using a

system of rotors

Arthur Scherbius German electrical

engineer Born October 20,

1878 Devised system of

rotors Inventor of the

Enigma Machine

Arthur Scherbius

The Enigma Reasons Description Proposal to Imperial

Germany Navy

Rotor SystemThe secret of

the EnigmaWired code

wheelDescription

Wiring of the Rotors “The wiring is the heart,

the basic secret, of the Enigma.”

- David Kahn

Electrical impulses sent through rotors represent the original letter

The result is known as the ciphertext

Operation of the Enigma Special codes and rotor

arrangments for each day Clerk put rotor into Enigma

according to codebook specifications

A predetermined code for each day was set before the machine was used

Clerk inputs a letter of message Right rotor moves one of its 26

places Battery sends electrical impulse

through machine, output is displayed with a glowlamp

Advantages and Improvements Willi Korn designed

removeable rotors. Rotors could be placed into

the machine in any order Paul Bernstein designed

moveable rotors with indicator letters on each rotor

Willi Korn also converted the leftmost rotor into a reflector rotor. This rotor send the impulse back through the rotor system toward the rightmost rotor

Rotors avoid repetion – each rotor lengthens period by 26th power

Great variation – difficult to decipher

Use of the Enigma in the German Military Adopted by:

German Navy in 1926 German Army in 1928 German Air Force in

1935 Rules for Use

Only designated radio man and clerk were allowed to use Enigma

Codes were predetermined for each day

One person performed the coding, other person recorded new message

Decryption of the Enigma Alan Turing

Polish Mathematician Began project to

decipher Enigma Turing and his team

worked to decipher the Enigma with stolen Enigmas and codebooks

Turing gave his information to Britain and United States after German invasion of Poland

MI6 – based at Bletchley Park

Worked to decipher Enigma Dubbed ULTRA by

Winstorn Churchill, meaning Ultra Secret

German Ballistic Missile Program

Introduction to German Missiles Vergeltungswaffe (Vengeance

weapon) one and two Wernher von Braun was the

project director These missiles were the first

long range missiles which were not controlled by a person in flight

Mainly used as terror weapons Not very effective at doing

large amounts of physical damage due to technological limitations

A V-2 Rocket (Encarta)

German V-1 Missile

Used a pulse jet for propulsion Also known as the “buzz bomb” Primitive guidance systems

made aiming over long distances difficult

Basic Facts of the…

Due to is technical limitations, the V-2 took over the V-1’s spot in the terrorization of England

How the V-1 Worked Used a gasoline powered engine The missile would be propelled off a ramp at

the launch and then the engine would continue the missile’s forward propulsion

The engine would be cut off mid-fight so the missile would properly descend while following its trajectory

The missile would often reach a top speed of approximately 390 MPH

After descending, the missile would explode upon impact of the target

Limitations of the V-1 Traveled relatively slowly

and could be shot down by enemy fighters

Had very poor guidance systems

Engine vibration would damage 25% of the missiles that took off

Only had an approximate success rate of 23%

Overall Effectiveness6,139 English people were killed from

the use of the V-1 cruise missileSet the foundations for more missiles to

comeThe use of the V-1 as a terror weapon

was definitely successfulAs a strategic mechanism, the V-1 was

really too unreliable to wager any force or local on

German V-2 Missile Could be launched from

almost any site since it was carried by a truck (much like modern ICBMs)

V-2s used rockets, as opposed to jets

Had a high failure rate due to quality control problems

Technically superior to the V-1 cruise missile

Basic facts of the…

A Cross Section of the V-2

(National Air and Space Museum)

How the V-2 WorkedThe V-2 would be launched and controlled

wither by onboard guidance systems or radio signals from the ground

The missile would often reach supersonic speeds during the flight

As the fuel would cut off, the V-2 would begin its return to the ground

The missile would explode upon impact

Limitations of V-2 Missiles Poor quality control in

production would lead to a 35% success rate

Onboard guidance would be damaged often, therefore missing targets more

V-2s could not go unused for very long or the success rate would drop dramatically

Supersonic flight would often damage the missiles greatly

Lasting Effects of the V-2 and Other Interesting Information

Over 2,700 people were killed and 6,500 were hurt as a result of the V-2

More people were killed in the production of the V-2s than the people that were during its intended use

The V-2 laid the foundation for almost all modern ballistic missiles

The use of missiles as a tactical tool were finally realized

German Secrets of World War II

German U-BoatsEnigma MachineGerman Ballistic Missile Program

Thank you for your time

By Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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