Depths of Survival: U-Boat Longevity Analysis

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Project Overview

This project analyzes the survival patterns of German U-Boats during World War II using statistical survival analysis techniques. We examine over 1,000 U-Boats to understand what factors contributed to their longevity in combat.

Key Questions Answered

• How did U-Boat survival rates change during the war?
• Which U-Boat types had the best survival rates?
• Did notable commanders improve crew survival chances?

Major Findings

War Period Impact

U-Boats commissioned during WWII had dramatically shorter lifespans than those from the interwar period, reflecting the intensification of anti-submarine warfare.

Type VIIC Advantage

The most common U-Boat type (VIIC) showed the best survival rates, likely due to crew familiarity and easier maintenance.

Interactive Visualizations

Survival curves by war period show the harsh reality of WWII operations

The dramatic impact of notable commanders on U-Boat survival

Technical Approach

This analysis uses survival analysis techniques including:

• Kaplan-Meier survival curves
• Cox Proportional Hazards modeling
• Log-rank statistical tests

Technologies: R, Python, ggplot2, survival package, BeautifulSoup

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AI-Enthusiast/WW2_Analysis.git

# Install R dependencies
R -e "install.packages(c('tidyverse', 'survival', 'survminer'))"

# View the analysis
open u-boat_analysis.rmd

Dataset

• 1,162 German U-Boats from U-1 to U-4712
• Primary Source: Wikipedia comprehensive listings
• Time Period: 1935-1945
• Key Variables: Commissioning date, fate, type, commanders

📥 Download Clean Dataset