A 'Dolittle Raid' on North America, March 1942

A casual assumption that if a type of U-boat was cancelled it must still have been an entirely worthy project and one easily resurrected in short order even after years had passed. Unlike, of course, the other EIGHTEEN classes of U-boats considered by the Kriegsmarine and rejected during the war.

Apparent ignorance that there are no Type XI subs in existance to use as a test bed.

The assumption that this entire weapon system concept, once it is properly designed and produced and test, can be easily and quickly converted from an entirely theoretical submarine with a displacement of 4500 tons to the Type IX submarine displacing barely one fifth that total. After which the Type IX submarines will be somehow converted into Type X subs which displaced 1700 tons.:rolleyes:


So the entire concept depends on a purely theoretical weapons design which the Kriegsmarine never felt any need to produce somehow being designed and produced and properly tested and then successfully transferred from something the size of a light cruiser to something the size of a small destroyer. In a matter of a months.

AGH! No, I forgot the type X was already used. I was simply calling this conversion the type X because it was the middle ground between the Type IX and the Type XI.

5" inch guns of this type have been used on German warships; the difficulty would be making it so that it is water-tight, and fitting it in the ship. I agreed with you, so what I designate the "Type XXVII" would have to undergo testing for at least a month to see if it is possible. If it is not, then the system as a whole is canned, and there is no raid. If it works, conversions are made on other Type IX submarines, allowing for the raid to continue. Also, we are talking about about one to two single gun turrets, not two twin gun turrets.


Edit: As Cal Bear just pointed out, the Gun Captain is going to have a hell of a time trying to mark his targets, not being able to see. Therefore, there must be something similar to an optical periscope on the top of the gun for the idea to work (which would not have to break), maybe something similar to how tanks are able to sight their targets. If it is open, however, then there will need to be hatches capable of covering the elevator system and to cut if off from the U-boat (which should be the case anyway if the turret should ever be damaged).
 
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It is a bad idea. Rockets on a sub could work but trying to bombard a city from a sub while coast gaurd cutters are swarming it from everywhere is not a good idea, particularly since it is going to be inaccurate. The sub is going to be lucky to hit anything of any real importance.
 
It is a bad idea. Rockets on a sub could work but trying to bombard a city from a sub while coast gaurd cutters are swarming it from everywhere is not a good idea, particularly since it is going to be inaccurate. The sub is going to be lucky to hit anything of any real importance.

Sure, rocket artillery isn't too accurate, but the USN certainly thought it worth doing from subs even when its surface fleets were freely ranging up and down the coasts of Japan and B-29s were burning a city a night. We are talking a Doolittle raid equivalent after all, and the Dolittle Raid didn't exactly do tons of damage either. And sure trying it in 1944 is instant death, but in 1942 the risk is limited unless the sub has to stay on the surface for an extended period, which is precisely what rockets are supposed to get around.
 
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