german secrets of world war ii by nick covolus, matt meves, stephen miller, and jack...
TRANSCRIPT
German Secrets of World War IIBy Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
German Secrets of World War II
German U-BoatsEnigma MachineGerman Ballistic Missile Program
German U-Boats
“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”
“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
“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
Types of U-boatsThe 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Karl DönitzKarl Dönitz made tremendous
innovations in U-boats during the warDönitz 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
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.
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
Damage done by U-BoatsU-boats did a great amount of
damageThey sunk over 150 boats, cruisers,
destroyers, and many other types of ships
They killed over 2,759 merchantmenDamaged over 30 different boats
The Enigma Machine
“The greatest secret of World War II after the atom bomb”
- Dr. Wladyslaw Kozaczuk
The Enigma MachineDevice used by the German military
command to encode strategic messages before and during World
War IIRevolutionized Cryptography by using a
system of rotors
Arthur Scherbius German electrical
engineer Born October 20,
1878 Devised system of
rotors Inventor of the
Enigma Machine
Arthur Scherbius
The Enigma Reasons Description Proposal to Imperial
Germany Navy
Rotor SystemThe secret of
the EnigmaWired code
wheelDescription
Wiring of the Rotors “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
Operation of the Enigma 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
Advantages and Improvements 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
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
Decryption of the Enigma 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
German Ballistic Missile Program
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)
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
Basic Facts of the…
Due to is technical limitations, the V-2 took over the V-1’s spot in the terrorization of England
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
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%
Overall Effectiveness6,139 English people were killed from
the use of the V-1 cruise missileSet the foundations for more missiles to
comeThe use of the V-1 as a terror weapon
was definitely successfulAs a strategic mechanism, the V-1 was
really too unreliable to wager any force or local on
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
Basic facts of the…
A Cross Section of the V-2
(National Air and Space Museum)
How the V-2 WorkedThe 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
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
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
German Secrets of World War II
German U-BoatsEnigma MachineGerman Ballistic Missile Program
Thank you for your time
By Nick Covolus, Matt Meves, Stephen Miller, and Jack Randazzo
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
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.
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>.