“How are the sea trials of the Type VII submarine going?”
“They’ve been exceptionally well received in the fleet.
The crews consider it an outstanding boat—easy to handle and highly maneuverable.”
Donitz answered with unmistakable pride.
“Our current plan is to continue improving the Type VII and make it the backbone of the submarine force.
That said, there are officers within the Navy who are concerned about its operational range.
Is that what concerns you as well, my Fuhrer?”
Earlier that year, the first Type VII U-boats had entered service one after another.
At around 700 tons, they were remarkably small for oceangoing submarines—designed not for coastal defense, but for commerce raiding across the open Atlantic.
Compared to submarines from other major navies, many of which displaced well over 2,000 tons, the Type VII’s compact size was striking.
That compact design made it inexpensive to build, quick to produce, and exceptionally agile.
Historically, it would go on to become Germany’s principal submarine.
…At the cost of catastrophic losses.
The fault wasn’t really with the Type VII itself.
The real problem was that, within only a few years, advances in electronics would render the very concept on which these submarines had been built obsolete.
Despite their name, submarines of this era were never intended to spend most of their time underwater.
In 1936, aircraft were still relatively primitive, and radar was barely beyond the experimental stage.
Every navy in the world shared roughly the same assumptions.
That was why submarines were shaped for efficient surface cruising.
Every nation armed them with deck guns ranging from roughly 80 to 140 millimeters.
Early in the coming war, lone merchant ships would often be sunk with gunfire alone.
Before unrestricted submarine warfare was declared, torpedoing merchant vessels without warning was considered unacceptable, so carrying a large gun served as both a practical weapon and an unmistakable means of intimidation.
But I knew where submarine warfare was headed.
And because I knew, I couldn’t let Germany continue down the same path.
The Reich didn’t have the manpower or industrial capacity to accept submarines suffering massive casualty rates.
“You’re half right,” I replied.
“For operations around the North Sea and the waters surrounding Britain, the Type VII is adequate.
But beyond that, it begins to show its limits.”
I paused.
“More importantly, there’s one crucial factor the Type VII completely fails to account for.”
“…And what would that be?”
Raeder, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
“The rapid advancement of aircraft…
and radar.
The Navy successfully tested radar last year, did it not?”
“…I’m impressed you know that, my Fuhrer.
Although it’s still far from practical.
At present, it can only reliably detect ships the size of cruisers.”
The tests had been conducted internally within the Navy.
Raeder clearly hadn’t expected me to know anything about them.
“That’s exactly where you’re mistaken.”
I looked around the room.
“Think of radar the same way you think of aircraft.
Both technologies are about to improve at an astonishing pace.”
“Aircraft will fly faster, farther, and carry heavier loads with every passing year.
Radar will become smaller, more accurate, capable of detecting smaller targets at greater distances, all with increasingly compact equipment.”
“When those two technologies converge…”
I let the words hang for a moment.
“…every submarine currently in service—including the Type VII—will go from being the hunter to becoming the hunted.”
The room fell silent.
“And yet,” Schacht finally said, still unconvinced after being ordered to finance three hundred submarines, “you still intend to stake Germany’s future on submarines?”
“I do.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Because it isn’t submarines themselves that will become obsolete—only the way we build and use them.”
“In fact, submarines will retain their strategic value better than almost any other warship.
Destroyers and cruisers will eventually be reduced to escorting aircraft carriers.
Submarines, on the other hand, will remain decisive.”
Donitz’s earlier confidence had vanished, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
“And how,” he asked quietly, “do you believe we can prevent submarines from becoming obsolete?”
I smiled.
“By designing them for the future.”
Then I began explaining to the two admirals the principles behind the postwar generation of submarines.