The origins and development of the wonder U-boat
In the very last moments of the Second World War new U-boats, based on a completely new concept, saw action. Had they arrived earlier, they might have changed the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic and more. The concept itself inspired the submarine design for the next two decades. Even more, the hull design of one of the Electroboats was adopted and used in the development of the first nuclear submarine.
The pages below try to explain what led to the revolutionary design, what was the development progress and why Electroboats arrived so late.
Written by Marcin Jedrzejewski
The origins of the design and their links to the development of Walter U-boats.
Without a prototype the design went into mass-production and proved its quality.
The process of preparing Electroboats for combat and the reasons for delays.
What happened to Electroboats after the war and what could have happened, had the war finished later ...