by Gareth Collins

Neger: Manned torpedo (1 man) seated where the warhead is and operating it with breathing apparatus. It had 12hp with a maximum speed of around 7 nautical miles per hour with a maximum operational time of 3-4 hours. Its weapon was an attached torpedo, fired at the very last moment possible.

Marder: Manned torpedo (1 man), an upgraded version of the Neger. The Marder had built-in compressed air canisters and potassium cartridges so no mask was needed. One other change was that a targeter was inside the dome. Everything else was as the Neger.

Schweine: Manned torpedo (2 men). The riders were 1 frogman and 1 trained technician. The weapon was a 300kg explosive. The torpedo had a range of 10 nautical miles per hour and a maximum depth of 30 metres. They were of Italian development and taken over by German Forces. They were tested but never operationally used.

Haie: Manned double-torpedo (Cornelius-Torpedo) and consisted of 2 centrally placed torpedos. It had improved maneuverability and greater speed than the Marder. It was only operational at the end of the war.

Molche: One man submersible craft of about 11 metres in length with a 35cm tower with a fixed periscope of approximately 1.50 metres in length pivoting 30 degrees either side. It had a speed of 3 nautical miles per hour with a range of 9 hours. Breathing apparatus was used and it was armed with 2 outboard torpedoes.

Hechte: Two-manned submersible of about 10.4 metres in length. It had an operational range of 90 nautical miles at a speed of 5.7-6 nautical miles per hour. It was armed with a limpetmine or torpedo. Trials were aborted in 1944 and it was never used operationally.