Amanda Knapp
Early German U-boat torpedoes suffered from a number of technical defects that led to a series of unsuccessful attacks on Allied ships. These included issues with the torpedoes' internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistols, as well as the fact that they left a visible trail of bubbles on the surface as they moved towards their targets. The G7e torpedo, the standard electric torpedo used by German U-boats during World War II, also required its batteries to be preheated to a temperature of 30°C to operate with maximum speed and range.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Left a trail of bubbles | Visible trail of bubbles on the surface on the way to the target |
| Internal depth-keeping equipment | Problems with internal depth-keeping equipment |
| Firing pistol | Issues with firing pistol |
| Allied countermeasures | Countered by the Allied Foxer noise-making decoy |
| Locking onto the wrong target | Sometimes locked onto the U-boat itself |
| Preheating | Needed to be preheated to a temperature of 30°C to operate with maximum speed and range |
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What You'll Learn
- Early German U-boat torpedoes left a visible trail of bubbles on the surface, giving away their position
- The torpedoes had a short running range, forcing them to attack from a short distance
- The contact pistol of the TII was unreliable, with several torpedoes failing to explode
- The shift to hydraulic power was a serious design error, as the Germans were relatively inexperienced in hydraulic design
- The internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol suffered from early problems
Early German U-boat torpedoes left a visible trail of bubbles on the surface, giving away their position
The G7e torpedo was the standard electric torpedo used by German U-boats during World War II. It came in 20 different versions, with the initial model G7e(TII) in service at the outbreak of the war. However, due to several problems, the improved G7e(TIII) became the standard torpedo used by German U-boats for the rest of the war.
The G7e torpedoes measured 533.4 mm (21.00 in) in diameter and about 7.2 m (24 ft) in length. The warhead contained a main charge of 250-280 kg (550-620 lb) of Schießwolle 36, a mixture of dipicrylamine and TNT. The batteries of these torpedoes needed to be preheated to a temperature of 30 °C (86 °F) to operate with maximum speed and range, although this was generally not an issue as U-boats often had the element of surprise.
Despite these improvements, the German U-boats continued to face challenges with their torpedoes. The T5 torpedo, for example, was designed to lock onto the loudest noise after a run of 400m from its launch. However, this often proved to be the U-boat itself, and two U-boats were almost certainly lost when hit by their own torpedoes in 1943 and 1944.
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The torpedoes had a short running range, forcing them to attack from a short distance
The early German U-boat torpedoes had a short running range, forcing them to attack from a short distance. This was a significant disadvantage, as it meant that the torpedoes could not reach their targets from a safe distance. The type C35/91 torpedoes, which entered service at the end of the 19th century, were used by German U-boats during World War I. Despite their short running range, these torpedoes were successfully used during the years 1915-1916.
The early German U-boat torpedoes also suffered from other technical issues. There were problems with the contact pistol of the TII, which proved to be unreliable. The British battleship HMS Nelson survived almost certain destruction when three torpedoes from U-56 struck her keel, but two broke upon impact and the other failed to explode. These technical defects led to unsuccessful attacks on several ships, including at least one battleship, seven heavy cruisers, seven destroyers, and some cargo ships.
The pre-war issue torpedo also had the disadvantage of leaving a visible trail of bubbles on the surface as it travelled towards its target. The standard torpedo of the war initially suffered from problems with its internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol, but these issues were resolved after the Norwegian Campaign.
The German Navy invested resources into correcting the flaws in the TII torpedoes, and the improved G7e(TIII) model became the standard electric torpedo used by German U-boats for the rest of the war. However, the decision to use hydraulic power in the Type XXI U-boats was possibly the most serious design error. The Germans were relatively inexperienced in hydraulic design, and this untried power source may have been the main reason the Allies never had to fight these U-boats.
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The contact pistol of the TII was unreliable, with several torpedoes failing to explode
The G7e torpedo was the standard torpedo used by German U-boats in World War II. It had several problems, including issues with its internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol. The contact pistol of the TII was unreliable, with several torpedoes failing to explode. This was due to the torpedo's firing pistol, which was prone to malfunction. The German Navy invested resources into solving these issues, and by the end of 1941, an improved version, the G7e(TIII), became the standard torpedo used by German U-boats for the rest of the war.
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The shift to hydraulic power was a serious design error, as the Germans were relatively inexperienced in hydraulic design
The standard torpedo of the war suffered from early problems with its internal depth-keeping equipment and its firing pistol, but these were solved after the Norwegian Campaign. The contact pistol of the TII also proved to be unreliable; the British battleship HMS Nelson survived almost certain destruction when three torpedoes from U-56 struck on her keel, two broke upon hitting and the other failed to explode. These technical defects led to the circumstance that attacks on at least one battleship, seven heavy cruisers, seven destroyers and some cargo ships were not successful.
The Germans invested resources into correcting the TII's flaws, and the improved G7e(TIII) took over as the standard electric torpedo used by German U-boats for the rest of the war.
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The internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol suffered from early problems
The internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol of early German U-boat torpedoes suffered from a number of problems. The contact pistol of the TII was unreliable, and the British battleship HMS Nelson survived almost certain destruction when three torpedoes from U-56 struck her keel, two broke upon hitting and the other failed to explode. These technical defects led to the circumstance that attacks on at least one battleship, seven heavy cruisers, seven destroyers and some cargo ships were not successful. The pre-war issue torpedo also had the disadvantage of leaving a visible trail of bubbles on the surface on its way to the target.
The German Navy invested resources into correcting the TII's flaws, and the problems with the internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol were solved after the Norwegian Campaign. However, the shift to hydraulic power in the Type XXI U-boats was possibly the most serious design error, as the Germans were relatively inexperienced in hydraulic design. This may have been the main reason the Allies never had to fight the Type XXI U-boats.
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Frequently asked questions
Early German U-boat torpedoes suffered from several problems, including issues with their internal depth-keeping equipment and firing pistol.
These technical defects led to the circumstance that attacks on at least one battleship, seven heavy cruisers, seven destroyers and some cargo ships were not successful.
The G7e torpedo was the standard electric torpedo used by the German Kriegsmarine submarines in World War II. It came in 20 different versions, with the initial model G7e(TII) in service at the outbreak of the war. Due to several problems, leading to the German "Torpedokrise" which lasted until the end of 1941, the improved G7e(TIII) took over as the standard torpedo.
Yes, the pre-war torpedoes left a visible trail of bubbles on the surface on their way to the target, and the G7e torpedoes needed to be preheated to a temperature of 30°C to operate with maximum speed and range.
