soc.history.war.world-war-ii

Duwop wrote:

> Not to mention the vastly different importance the submarine fleets
> meant to the two different forces. For the Germans, submarines
> represented their main striking force.

Not in the early war, they didn't. Raeder was still in charge and the
surface navy was the senior branch of the Kriegsmarine. At the time of
the torpedo troubles, U-boats weren't seen as "the main striking
force". It's only with hindsight that we come to associate the
Kriegsmarine with its submarines, because the popular vision is
"surface raiders failed, U-boats were dangerous".

Further note that in 1942 one could make a case that the submarines
also were the main USN striking force...


LC