![]() ![]() ![]() The G7e torpedo was the standard torpedo for the German Kriegsmarine during world war two. The recommended depth for the U Boat was 40 meters, with a maximum around 60 meters.Ĭonfiscated after the war these German Molch midget submarines on carts were gathered at the Frederikskazerne in The Hague, the Netherlands on May 1945 – collection NIMH G7e Torpedo In action it was used in K-verbande, these are small battle units of Molch mini submarines sometimes mixed with the Biber midget submarine. The first were delivered on the 12th of June 1944 and weighed 11000 kilograms. Heinrich Drager and was taken in production by AG Wesser in Bremen, they produced 393 of these midget submarines. Without it the operator would not last longer than an hour, or just a part of it. This is why the operator wore an oxygen mask and breathed from six oxygen tanks which the Molch carried on board. Even though the operational range of the mini submarine was limited it was designed to stay underwater for 24 hours, which endangered the operator with a strong build up of carbon dioxide in his cramped compartment. The U-boat had two speeds slow, somewhere between 5,5 and 7,5 km/h, and faster, between 9 and 13,5 km/h. The front of the Molch was filled with batteries, then came the pilot and behind him was the electrical engine. It carried two torpedo’s on its lower side of the G7e type which were fired by pedals inside the submarine. Molch U-Boat midget Submarine with a view on the torpdo racks Specifications On top of the Molch was a cupola with Plexiglas windows. It had a longer range than its predecessors and it had a periscope. It was a huge step forward in midget submarine design. ![]() With its operational distance of only 64 kilometers just above 9 km/h, the Molch was designed for coastal missions. Unlike a standard U-boot the Molch could not operate above water level, its engine was designed to function exclusively under water. It was based on torpedo technology and powered only by electrical propulsion. ![]() This submarine basically looked like a big torpedo. The Molch, or Salamander, was the first one man U-boat of the Kriegsmarine. Nether the less, from 1944 till the end of the Second World War, the Kriegsmarine took delivery and placed in operation more then 300 Bibers.Molch or Salamander a mini U-boat The Molch Both due to it’s technical and design defects and for the crew trained, for war needs, excessively fast and without necessary formation. Anyhow, the Biber was never a serious threat for the Allied. The deployment of the Biber, within the Kriegsmarine strategy, was very simple: supply an efficient defence of the cost shore as protection to a possible, further more probable, Allied invasion. The Biber could have been equipped with two 530mm torpedoes mounted externally or with two mines. Able to reach a merged maximum speed of 6,5 knots and 5,3 knots submerged. With only 9 meters length, it was capable of a 240 kilometres range. The design began in February 1944 and first examples were set to sea only 6 months later. The development of the Biber was extremely rapid. “Biber” was the most notorious “poket size” submarine deployed by the Kriegsmarine, German’s third Reich marine during the end of Second World War. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |