Talk:Submarine So-Class/@comment-211.124.92.145-20140504163451/@comment-175.142.197.192-20140817050858

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Most WW2 subs carried a deck gun, typically used to sink merchant vessels that are not worth expending a torpedo (since they only carried very limited amount of torpedo and resupplying means days of travel back to base unless if there's a sub tender nearby), this was true until late WW2 when the german electric boat was introduced which was one of the first submarine designed to be operating mostly under water and thus carried no deck gun (which was necessary as by late WW2 it was suicidal for U-boat to be operating on surface with the incredibly powerful ASW weapons, equipment, and technique that the allies have developed).

They also typically carried 1 or 2 anti aircraft autocannons, this was also necessary since WW2 subs could not dive for long (or that quickly) and travel mostly on surface until they establish contact with enemy, as such they often were forced to either crash dive or defend themselves if they are suddenly under attack by air strike...

the german U boats in particular had a formidable anti aircraft autocannons in late model... a testament to their experience (on the receiving end) of how dangerous aircrafts were to WW2 subs, where they've lost a lot of U-boats to such attack.