German Secrets of World War II

1. German Secrets of World War II By Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo Monday, October 27, 2014

2. German Secrets of World War II • German U-Boats • Enigma Machine • German Ballistic Missile Program

3. German U-Boats

4. “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”

5. “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

6. “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

7. Types of U-boats • The 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Karl Dönitz • Karl Dönitz made tremendous innovations in U-boats during the war • Dönitz 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Damage done by U-Boats • U-boats did a great amount of damage • They sunk over 150 boats, cruisers, destroyers, and many other types of ships • They killed over 2,759 merchantmen • Damaged over 30 different boats

18. The Enigma Machine “The greatest secret of World War II after the atom bomb” - Dr. WladyslawKozaczuk

19. The Enigma Machine • Device used by the German military command to encode strategic messages before and during World War II • Revolutionized Cryptography by using a system of rotors

20. Arthur Scherbius • German electrical engineer • Born October 20, 1878 • Devised system of rotors • Inventor of the Enigma Machine Arthur Scherbius

21. The Enigma • Reasons • Description • Proposal to Imperial Germany Navy

22. Rotor System • The secret of the Enigma • Wired code wheel • Description

23. “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 Wiring of the Rotors

24. 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 Operation of the Enigma

25. 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 Advantages and Improvements

26. 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

27. 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 Decryption of the Enigma

28. German Ballistic Missile Program

29. 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)

30. Basic Facts of the… 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 • Due to is technical limitations, the V-2 took over the V-1’s spot in the terrorization of England

31. 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

32. 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%

33. Overall Effectiveness • 6,139 English people were killed from the use of the V-1 cruise missile • Set the foundations for more missiles to come • The use of the V-1 as a terror weapon was definitely successful • As a strategic mechanism, the V-1 was really too unreliable to wager any force or local on

34. Basic facts of the… 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

35. A Cross Section of the V-2 (National Air and Space Museum)

36. How the V-2 Worked • The 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. German Secrets of World War II • German U-Boats • Enigma Machine • German Ballistic Missile Program

40. Thank you for your time By Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo Monday, October 27, 2014

41. Work Cited • “History of Rocketry Chapter 4: World War II (Germany),” Cliff Lethbridge. http://www.spaceline.org/history/4.html. Published: 2000, Accessed 3/26/2001. • “V-1 Rockets Launched Against Britain,” The History Net. http://www.militaryhistory.com/picture/0613.htm. Published: 1998, Accessed: 3/26/2001. • “V-2 Rocket," Microsoft Encarta 2001 Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com. 1993-2001. Microsoft Corporation. • “V-2: World’s First Ballistic Missile,” National Air and Space Museum. http://www.nasm.edu/galleries/gal114/SpaceRace/sec200/sec210.htm. Published: 7/2/1997, Accessed: 3/26/2001.

42. Works Cited • Hart, Brian, Chris Savarese. "Cryptography - Enigma Cipher". 1998. 4 Feb 2001. <http://www.trincoll.edu/%7Ecpsc/cryptography/enigma.html>. • Kahn, David. The Race to Break the German U-boat Codes, 1939-1943. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. • Kozaczuk, Wladyslaw. “ORIGINS OF THE ENIGMA / ULTRA OPERATION”. Date of Revision Unknown. 25 Mar 2001. <http://www.msz.gov.pl/english/iv/past/origins.html>. • Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. "MSI - U-505 The ENIGMA Machine". 1999. 14 Feb 2001. <http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/ENIGMA.html>. • Schmidl, Harald. “On Enigma and a Method for its Decryption”. Date of Revision Unknown. 25 Mar 2001. <http://www.cs.miami.edu/~harald/enigma/enigma.html>. • Schwager, Russell. "History of the Enigma Machine". 18 Nov 1998. 14 Feb 2001. <http://hops.cs.jhu.edu/~russell/classes/enigma/history.html>. • WGBH Science Unit. "Decoding Nazi Secrets". November 2000. 14 Feb 2001. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/decoding/enigma.html>.