Setzer, Michael Unterseeboot U 17

U-Boote der Klasse 206 A

German submarine construction began in 1906 with the U-boat U1. During the First World War, the submarine developed from a small torpedo carrier into a strategic weapon system, culminating in the controversial unrestricted submarine warfare. In the Second World War, the Kriegsmarine deployed over 1,100 U-boats, which initially achieved great success. From 1943 onwards, however, technical advances by the Allies led to effective countermeasures against German boats. Innovations such as the snorkel and homing torpedoes remained largely ineffective in strategic terms. With the founding of the German Navy in 1956, the reconstruction of a German submarine force began initially by repairing older World War II boats, then by building new ones such as the 201 and 205 classes. From 1965, the 206 class, optimised for Baltic Sea operations, followed. These boats were highly manoeuvrable, had a low magnetic and acoustic signature and were equipped with modern sensor technology. A total of 18 units were built, twelve of which were converted to the more powerful Class 206A in the mid-1980s. The booklet provides a detailed overview of the Class 206. It is divided into the topics of technology and armament, training and deployment, decommissioning and succession including the history of the museum submarine U17. The article is illustrated with 81 colour photos, 15 black-and-white photos and 12 technical graphics and drawings.