U-234?

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IAR80
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U-234?

#1

Post by IAR80 » 30 Mar 2002, 15:20

I just saw a documentary on U-234. Very interesting, so I decided this would be an excelent topic for what ifs.
So, u-234 was a kind of german Noah's Ark. It was a very large sub modified for minelaying.
As the war drew to a close in 1945, Hitler sent a nice present to the Japanese in the form of this U-boat which contained schematics and materials to help the Japanese upgrade their military, including a dismantled Me262, a V-2 rocket and some uranium 235.
All of these to even the odds Japan was facing. On board were also german and japanese military experts.
U-234 surrendered eventually to the americans.
So here is my question: What if somehow U-234 managed to arrive in Japan, how much would the german gadgets on board help?
Could the Japanese build the A-bomb?

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Victor
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#2

Post by Victor » 30 Mar 2002, 16:58

No, the A bomb still needed a lot of research to develop


Rudel&Tiger_fan
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#3

Post by Rudel&Tiger_fan » 06 Apr 2002, 23:16

And the end of war was too close.
The 262 and V2 wouldn't do nothing too.

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Y Ddraig Goch
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U-234

#4

Post by Y Ddraig Goch » 11 Apr 2002, 12:57

I guess you're from the UK? Was it called Samari and the Swastika by any chance?

I foun it very interesting.

The whole idea was that the uranium from the U-boat was to be used in a 'dirty bomb' not an Atom bomb. The effect of a 'dirty bomb' is the same as the effect of the nuclear fallout of an A-bomb.
/ Mike

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"
Friedrich Nietzsche

Pumpkin
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#5

Post by Pumpkin » 20 Apr 2002, 20:54

I saw a documentary about U-234 too. After it surrendered to the US after learning about Dönitz' capitulation, the 500 kg of uranium on board was actually used in the US A-bombs over Japan! So the gift didn't turn out as planned...

The boxes with Uranium were marked U-235, so the crew, who knew nothing about the content, thought it was a misspelling of the sub's number. But U-235 stand for Uranium-isotope 235. :)

MaPen
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#6

Post by MaPen » 20 Apr 2002, 21:54

Another point: it's not enough only to make an A-bomb. You have to have means to deliver it on the target in some way (by rocket or plane). Japanese had neither (capable to deliver something like 8,900 lb. Little Boy).

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#7

Post by Oskar » 23 Apr 2002, 20:33

No way, the war was coming to an end and all the expertise that Hitler sent would be useless. Not enough time to build an A bomb or planes. Even if there was time to build A bomb and Me 262s, there are two problems:

1). the number of planes available to the Japanese would not have been enough to turn the tide of war in their favor.

2). How are they going to deploy the A bomb? They would have needed the six enjine bomber (I can't remember the name), which they were developing but would not be ready before 1946, in order to strike continental US with the bomb.

The help would have come too late.

Oskar

Pumpkin
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#8

Post by Pumpkin » 26 Apr 2002, 14:03

What about putting the bomb in a sub and sneak it into an american city harbour?

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prejo
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#9

Post by prejo » 26 Apr 2002, 17:04

It is hard to believe such a hypothesis.This u-boat sailed for another week - after 8th of May '45, arrested the japaneese officers aboard (these two officers commited suicide eventually) only to surrender to americans. The captain gave false coordinates to canadian boats and sent them in the middle of nowhere and contacted us boats and set a interception course with these. But the uranium transported by this u-boot was used for one of the a-bomb though :)
regards,
prejo

Pumpkin
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#10

Post by Pumpkin » 26 Apr 2002, 18:52

But given that, in the last weeks of war, Germany or Japan had a working A-bomb. How could they have delivered it to London or the USA, given the allied air superiority? V2? (no, an A-bomb is heavier than one tonne, isn't it?) Jet bomber at night maybe? Germany sis bomb London even in April '45. Or a type XXI kamikaze submarine? (Hey, the crew doesn't even need to know...)
Order: "Sneak into New York harbour and press this button..." :roll:

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paddywhack
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#11

Post by paddywhack » 14 May 2002, 14:09

theres actuly a fairly decent film called the last u boast and its quiet good alround,good film but id say if they could have devoloped a a bomb new york horbours would in my opion be the target :)

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col. klink
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U-234

#12

Post by col. klink » 28 Aug 2002, 18:34

In the book "Vengance" by Philip Henshall, the author speculates that U-234 would have arrived in Signapore in late June. The uranium would have been used in a Japenese mission against the west coast of the US or maybe Panama. Four Japanese submarines (I-13, I-14, I-400 and I-401) may have been assigned to the task. The I-400 and I-401were Japan's largest subs of the war and could carry three Seiran float planes and the I-13 and I-14 had been modified to carry two. As stated in a previous post , the paylod would not have been an atomic bomb but what we read in the newspapers today as a radiological weapon. It might of just been as simple as seeding the west coast of the US with the material. To me the plan seems of little strategic or tactical value and would only have a value as a weapon of shock or terror. It might have killed thousands over years or decades and contaminated some areas but it would not have affected the conclusion of the war.

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