Failed Japanese 'Drumbeat'

[varjag]

Mars and Simon - we basically agree! The main claim to high rank in the IJN appears to have been an ensign/sub-lt. at Tsushima able to 'tell your mates that your balls still hung slack' when the Russian hits came in. If you haven't already read it, required reading about the Japanese submarine-war is "SUNK" by Mochitshura Hashimoto (c:a 1948-49). He was the man that sank the INDIANAPOLIS and one of the very few survivor commanders of the IJN submarine arm. Yes - in early 1945 they did get a radar. Of sorts. But technicians to operate it were jealously kept back home at base. Hashimoto managed press-gang one for his ship and that had a lot to do with his survival. As for the Germans Zaunkönig (Nightingale) torpedo - as noted above - it promised much but delivered little. The U-boats and their Japanese counterparts used their underdeveloped radar to EVADE detection (Biskaya-Kreuz) and - as I said before, were forced under water - which, compared to the surface attacks of the early war years - made them almost impotent.

[Tiornu]

The IJN was not a very Plan-B sort of group. The enemy was expected to follow the script. Take a look at Japanese plans for the Decisive Battle, and you'll see how obedient the Americans were supposed to be.

[varjag]

The IJN was not a very Plan-B sort of group. The enemy was expected to follow the script. Take a look at Japanese plans for the Decisive Battle, and you'll see how obedient the Americans were supposed to be.

Tiornu - EXACTLY what I mean't by 'crusty old admirals' in a previous post.

[Simon Gunson]

Yeah Varjag, I did read a "crusty old" copy of Motchitshura's book "Sunk".
I blew the cobwebs off the book and then he blew the cobwebs off my brain. That's why I said their sub commanders didn't lack for guts.

Thanks for the chat. It got me thinking when you pointed out the difference between surfaced and submerged attacks. This FAT torpedo that the Germans had ment they could trail a ship on a parallel course and fire the torpedo without turning the whole boat to face the quarry.

The clockwork rangefinding computer "UZO" on U-boats turned a relatively dumb torpedo without an accoustic homing head into a smart weapon.

The poor old Japanese commander had to ping away with Long Lance from an ambush ahead of their quarry. U-boats as you said could actively chase their targets. Radar was not much use where air patrols were active.

Incidentally Germans developed the FuMO85 radar for type XXI U-boats which could be raised from a submerged boat on a periscope mast. The
U-boat war was lost by May 1943 anyway. Only the atomic bomb would have saved Japan or Germany by 1945. Mochitsura even mentioned the Japanese nuclear project in his book.

[Tiornu]

No Japanese submarines carried Long Lance torpedoes, which were huge weapons far too massive for submarine use.

[Simon Gunson]

Thanks Tiornu

Thanks for that. I did not realise Long Lance weren't carried in subs.
Can you tell us more about Japanese torpedo types and their different characteristics please ?

I do Know that fairly late in the war Japan was tring to get a hold of U-boat rangefinders. I also know that U-234 was carrying T-5 Zaunkoneig accoustic torpedoes for Japan when she surrendered in 1945.

Were the diameters different ?

I know that German technician helped Japan develop the ST boats which had fast underwater speeds and snorkels etc.