U-69

Armor Model

Overview

The Type VII submarine project was based on German UB-III and UG submarines, as well as the Finnish Vetehinen type and the Spanish Type E. The latter three types were developed by the German-Dutch firm NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw to circumvent Versailles restrictions, which prohibited Germany from developing submarines. The Type VII became the most mass-produced type of submarine in history: a total of 703 boats were built in various modifications. The most numerous of these was the VIIC series, built in 1940–45. The lead boat of the series, U-69, was built in Kiel. In 1939–43, the boat conducted ten war patrols and participated in seven 'wolf packs'. In February 1943, during the hunt for convoy ONS-165, the submarine was sunk by the British destroyer HMS Fame in the middle of the North Atlantic.