Weapons and Technologies - Technical pages - Fighting the U-boats

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Weapons and Technologies - Technical pages - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/media/layout/2014_06/main2017-10.css" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/media/layout/2014_06/print.css" type="text/css" media="print" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /> <meta name="description" content="The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. 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<a href="/allies/">Fighting the U-boats</a> - <a href="/allies/technical/"><strong>Weapons & Technologies</strong></a> </span> </div>  <div id="sidebar-a"> <div id="submenu"> <h4><a href="/allies/">Allies in WWII</a></h4> <ul id="submenulist"> <li><a href="/allies/merchants/">Ships hit by U-boats</a></li> <li><a href="/allies/warships/">Allied Warships</a></li> <li><a href="/allies/commanders/">Allied Commanders</a></li> <li><a href="/allies/ships/">Ships & Navies</a></li> <li><a href="/allies/aircraft/">Aircraft & Air Forces</a></li> <li><a href="/allies/technical/">Weapons & Techn.</a></li></ul></div> <div class="item_box center center"> <h4>Allied events</h4> <p><a href="/allies/warships/events.html">What happened on<br>9 April?</a></p><p class="small"><a href="/today.html">See main event page</a></p> </div><p><br>Follow us on Twitter<br><a href="http://twitter.com/uboatnet" class="noborder"><img src="/media/layout/images/twitter_newbird_18.gif" alt="Twitter" /></a> <a href="http://twitter.com/uboatnet">@uboatnet</a></p> <br> </div>  <div id="content">  <div id="sidebar-b"> <div class="item_box center"> <h4><a href="/gallery/">From the Gallery</a></h4> <div align="center" class="caption"> <a href="/gallery/U505E/photo/4"><img src="/media/gallery/u505/set_e/50914_s.jpg" class="width100" alt="" /></a> <br><a href="/gallery/U505E/">U-505 being moved in 2004</a> </div> </div>  <form method="get" action="//www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <table> <tr><td height="32"> <img src="//www.google.com/logos/Logo_25wht.gif" alt="Google"> <br/> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="uboat.net" /> <label for="sbi" style="display: none">Enter your search terms</label> <input type="text" name="q" size="8" maxlength="255" value="" id="sbi" /> </td></tr> <tr> <td> <table> <tr> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="uboat.net" checked="checked" id="ss1" /> <label for="ss1" title="Search uboat.net" class="small">uboat.net</label></td> <td> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" id="ss0" /> <label for="ss0" title="Search the Web" class="small">Web</label></td> </tr> </table> <label for="sbb" style="display: none">Submit search form</label> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" id="sbb" /> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-1101670507446460" /> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="safe" value="active" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1" /> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /> </td></tr></table> </form>  <div class="item_box center"> <h4>Selected Book</h4> <a href="/books/item/1963"><img src="/media/books/covers/english/something_in_the_water.jpg" class="width100" alt="" /> <br><strong>Something in the Water</strong></a> <br><strong>Scott, Peter</strong><p><a href="/about/scripts/amazon_com.php?book=0892725176&path=/allies/technical/index.html">$16.31 at amazon</a></p><div align="center"><a href="/books/">More books</a></div> </div> <div class="item_box center"> <h4><a href="/allies/warships/">Allied Warships</a></h4> <a href="/allies/warships/">Check out</a> our new extensive section on all the Allied Warships during WWII in all theatres of the war. <br><strong>Over 21,000 ships</strong> </div></div> <div align="center"> <h2><a href="/allies/">Fighting the U-boats</a></h2> </div> <div align="center"> <h1>Weapons and Technologies</h1> </div> <h2>Detection and Tactics</h2> <h3><a href="/technical/enigma.htm">Code breaking</a></h3> <p>Probably the biggest and most deadly secret of the allies was the incredibly successful code-breaking at Bletchley Park, England.</p> <h3><a href="uk_radars.htm">British radars</a></h3> <p>One of the biggest threats to the U-boat force was the allied radar. Here you can find a good overview on those.</p> <h3><a href="hfdf.htm">HF/DF</a></h3> <p>The High Frequency Direction Finder ("Huff Duff") was without doubt one of the most dangerous aces the allies had up their sleeve.</p> <h3><a href="asdic.htm">ASDIC / Sonar</a></h3> <p>This was the main detection device used on a submerged U-boat in World War Two and has been dramatized in numerous movies through its distintive "ping" sound.</p> <h3><a href="leigh_light.htm">The Leigh Light</a></h3> <p>Huge search lights that were fitted to medium and large bombers on U-boat patrols in the Atlantic.</p> <h3><a href="sonobuoys.htm">Sonobuoys</a></h3> <p>Device to detect submarines underwater, alternative to hydrophones.</p> <h3><a href="mad.htm">Magnetic Anomaly Detection</a></h3> <p>Another clever device to detect submerged U-boats - heavily used by allied aircraft later in the war.</p> <h2>Weapons</h2> <h3><a href="depth_charges.htm">Depth Charges</a></h3> <p>The most common anti-submarine weapon of World War Two.</p> <h3><a href="hedgehogs.htm">Hedgehogs</a></h3> <p>These was a forward-throwing device which cast 24 projectiles into the water ahead of the ship. These only exploded on contact.</p> <h3><a href="rockets.htm">Rockets</a></h3> <p>Small rockets that were fitted to aircraft and used by fighters and bombers to attack U-boats.</p> <h3><a href="fido.htm">Mk. 24 Fido torpedo</a></h3> <p>Air launched acoustic-searching torpedo that was very successful in hunting U-boats.</p> <p align="center">Read about the American <a href="torpedo_problems.htm">torpedo problems</a> early in the war </p>  <div class="adSeperator"></div> <div id="ga_contentFooter728" align="center"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1101670507446460" data-ad-slot="7580936821"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div><br> </div>  <div id="footer"> <div id="footer_navcontainer"> <ul id="footer_navlist"> <li><a href="/" title="Front page">Front page</a></li> <li><a href="/about/" title="About uboat.net">About</a></li> <li><a href="/about/contact.htm" title="Contact us">Contact us</a></li> <li><a href="/special/faq.htm" title="Frequently Asked Questions">FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/glossary.htm" title="Glossary pages">Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="/new.htm" title="What's new at uboat.net">What's new</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="footer_copyright">  © 1995 - 2025 Guðmundur Helgason </div> </div>  </div>  </body></html>

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Weapons and Technologies - Technical pages - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net