This is an experimental hybrid meeting which will be 'live' and 'online' at the same time. It will be streamed live into zoom from the branch event which will be taking place in York on Saturday 14 August at 2.30pm UK time.
This presentation by Graham Kemp begins with essential differences between U-boats and Submarines, as different conceptions of submersibles, and examines different kinds of U Boats used in the war. Then it looks at how Germany first planned to use them and how they almost by accident developed them into a deadly raider. The talk will then cover the U boat Commerce campaign of 1917-18, its aims, hopes and intentions, before explaining why it was doomed to inevitable failure, and the huge cost Germany paid for that failure.
The second part of the presentation will examine the actual experiences of the crews serving in the boats, what it was like to serve in them, the danger, the humour, and is drawn from the very few accounts ever written by their crews.
Members wishing to watch this online rather than attend in person will need to register: details of how to register will be circulated via The Western Front Association's newsletter 'Trench Lines'. If you are not a subscriber to 'Trench Lines' please subscribe now.
To subscribe to Trench Lines, go to the home page of the WFA web site and complete your details in the 'Newsletter signup' box.
It is also possible to register by clicking this link: The U-Boat campaign 1914-18
The talk will be undertaken using the 'Zoom' software which is freely available. It may not be necessary to load the software to your PC / iPad etc: but we would recommend doing so if you wish to participate in this event.
The event will NOT be streamed live into Facebook on this occasion. It is also contingent on the venue being open and available. If further Covid are restrictions imposed then this event may have to be cancelled.