Military boats of World War 2. Torpedo boats of the Second World War
Giant aircraft carriers and submarines, roaring forties and ocean storms, but there is another fleet no less important - the river fleet. These small ships appeared in the First World War in the English and Italian navies and were intended to carry out patrol service near bases and combat enemy torpedo boats. In World War II gun boats assisted landings and covered coastal communications, ensured the operations of torpedo boats against enemy convoys.
The development of this class of warships proceeded in two directions. Fast, small-tonnage ships, armed with rapid-fire machine guns of 20 to 40 mm caliber and machine guns, were in most cases created on the basis of torpedo boats and differed from them by replacing torpedo tubes with additional small arms. “Little ones,” as the sailors affectionately called them, had armored hulls and fairly large-caliber artillery from 76 to 100 mm in the turrets.
artillery boats (armored boats) photos and illustrations
Soviet armored boats near the city of Yalta
foreign analogue of the armored boat T-811 (USA)
Armored boats, despite their small size, fought important and fierce battles as part of the Baltic Fleet, Volga, Azov, Dnieper and Danube flotillas.
Gunboats The Danube flotilla provided the offensive and even operated behind enemy lines. It is no coincidence that these small ships were also called " amphibious tanks" In the summer of 1944, at the main headquarters of the High Command, a plan was developed for the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation, in which the Danube Flotilla was assigned a special role. Under enemy fire, the armored boats were supposed to remove many soldiers, thousands of tons of cargo, ensure landings and storm fortified areas. Armored boats entered service with the Soviet army in the pre-war years and turned out to be an extremely successful weapon for warfare on rivers. Low-sided, flat-bottomed boats had excellent maneuverability and fairly high speed, while they were not poorly protected and armed. The main caliber of the armored boats was a tank gun in the turret of the legendary T-34 tank.
The main task artillery boats It was necessary to land troops, as a rule, this happened at night. Under the cover of darkness with the engines switched to exhaust underwater " small battleships“passed unnoticed past enemy patrols and appeared in the most unexpected place for the enemy. To ensure the surprise of the attack, it was necessary to get as close to the shore as possible, and it was very important not to get lost, you would go a little off course and the operation would fail. The ability of flat-bottomed boats to jump ashore was used very often. The paratroopers could not jump into the water, but directly onto the ground, there were no splashes, and the operation itself took a matter of minutes, then gun boats were leaving. Some for reinforcements and ammunition, others to start artillery and machine-gun duels with the German coastal fortifications. Thereby armored boat distracted attention and gave the landing force time to gain a foothold on the enemy shore. During battles, almost everything gun boats were damaged, often seriously. Armor-piercing shells pierced right through the sides. In war as in war, every raid of armored boats was deadly, no one knew whether he would return from a combat mission.
His last combat operation gun boats The Danube flotilla carried out in April 1945. Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Vienna had already been going on for several days; in order to cross to the main right-bank part of the city, the troops had to cross the only surviving bridge across the Danube. The Germans mined it, but did not blow it up yet, since they themselves needed the bridge. Strike Force armored boats burst into the center of Vienna at full speed in broad daylight. The Germans were simply taken aback by such impudence and their batteries were silent for several minutes, but then they still opened heavy fire. But the armored boat completed its task - the troops were landed and the bridge was taken.
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Dear Colleagues! While looking through materials on German WWII torpedo boats, I accidentally saw this material. I don’t remember if any of you posted this material earlier, and in case I repeat this material, I apologize. Enjoy watching.
German torpedo boats of the Second World War were called S-Boot (Schnell Boot) or E-Boat (Enemy Boat). Schnellbot combat areas: the English Channel, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, as well as the Mediterranean and Black Seas (where they were transported by rivers and land transport).
As you may have guessed, we are talking about torpedo boats. Namely about Schnellboot. Let's start from afar. The topic is very specific, and among such creations of maritime affairs as the Bismarck, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, some “boats” were not even close to them. Let us cast aside these thoughts and plunge with them into their native element, learning their path to war and in war.
Four years after the proclamation of the German Empire on July 23, 1875, Fr. Lurssen founded a company in Bremen, which later became the most famous shipyard in the city of Lurssen. Already in 1890, the first speedboat was built.
By 1910, about 700 boats rolled off the shipyard's slipways, showing unusual speed for that time. In 1917, at the shipyard "Fr. Lurssen Bootswerft received an order to manufacture the first offshore boat for the navy. In the same year it was launched and began service. After the end of the First World War and the defeat that led to the fall of the Kaiser's regime, promising developments had to be curtailed. Meanwhile, the superpowers began an arms race. Military shipbuilding developed at a rapid pace, ahead of all previously drawn up plans. The restrictions of the Washington Treaty and the disarmament agreement adopted in 1922 made it possible to stop the race. After long and difficult negotiations, a control system for the navies of the participating countries was developed. All measures taken to limit fleets did not apply to surface ships with a displacement of up to 600 tons. They could be developed and launched in any quantities at their own discretion. Neither the Washington Treaty of 1922, nor the London Conference of 1930, nor even the Versailles Agreement regarding Germany covered ships with a displacement of up to 600 tons. During the First World War, for some reason, the successes of torpedo boats were completely ignored. Their role was underestimated by most powers with naval forces. The idea of using high-speed boats for combat operations in coastal waters was gradually forgotten.
After the Treaty of Versailles, until the end of the war in 1919, the Imperial German Navy was left with a minimal number of battleships and cruisers built at the turn of the century. These outdated warships were not ready for combat or even combat service. But it was they who were destined to become the basis for the new German fleet. That's what the winners wanted. The victorious powers often behaved defiantly, making decisions that were beneficial to themselves.
Despite everything, the German Navy managed to create an effective training system. It was superior to everything that the victors had at their disposal. In 1925, under the leadership of Admiral Fortlotter, construction of high-speed torpedo boats began again. At first, these works were carefully hidden. The first attempts were carried out on the basis of six old boats, since no new ones were built after the end of the war. After modernization and bringing them to a state of readiness, systematic testing began. Then the first flotilla was organized. Exercises were held in 1925, the purpose of which was to use these weapons. In 1928, the Wehrmacht leadership began to show interest in the Fr. Lurssen Bootswerft”, where high-speed boats were built. And already in 1929, the first torpedo boat was built at the shipyard after a long break. The initiative belonged to Admiral Roeder. On July 7, 1930, the first torpedo boat entered the fleet under the code UZ (S) 16 U-BOOT "Zerstorer", and on March 16, 1932, the boat received the new designation "S1". The warship had a displacement of 40 tons, was armed with two 533-mm torpedo tubes and had a speed of 32 knots. Now this class of ships has its own designation “Schnellboote S-type”.
Schnellboot - one of the early examples
The German Navy allowed itself the opportunity to build the maximum number of warships without going beyond the limits of the treaty. The construction of high-speed torpedo boats was not limited in any way, but the leadership of the navy was worried about the possible reaction of the victorious countries to the emergence and development of a new class of warships. Unsuccessful experience in other areas only increased anxiety, so development and testing were carried out in the strictest secrecy under the guise of civilian shipbuilding. There was an urgent need to replace old boats with new ships. High-speed torpedo boats were required. In 1932, four more torpedo boats were built: “S2”, “S3”, “S4”, “S5”. In 1933, the torpedo boat “S6” appeared in the German fleet. Until 1937, they were subordinate to the commander of the reconnaissance units.
From the point of view of combat use, the appearance of torpedo boats was a decisive step forward. The German fleet was the first to use powerful diesel engines. They made it possible to increase the cruising range and increase the speed underway to 36 knots, while fuel consumption decreased.
Between 1934 and 1935, seven more torpedo boats, designated "S7" through "S13", were added to the fleet. In July 1935, the first flotilla of torpedo boats was organized. Over time, orders were received for the construction of torpedo boats "S14" to "S17". Light warships were equipped with three 2000 hp diesel engines. every. The displacement increased to 92 tons, and the speed was already 39.8 knots. All ships entered service with the first torpedo boat flotilla. Now the formation consisted of twelve combat-ready warships. In the period from 1936 to 1938, tactical and technical conditions for their use were developed. They were followed by new parameters for their weapons. The torpedo boats were assigned areas up to 700 miles outlining the coastline of the western coast of Germany along the North Sea, as well as a section of the Baltic Sea to the islands.
Over time, diesel engines were improved, thanks to which torpedo boats could reach speeds of up to 45 knots. The best industrial developments were used to build torpedo boats. Being the commander of a combat boat, which had deadly weapons and lightning speed at its disposal, was considered prestigious. Sailors for service on boats were trained in special courses, which included mechanics and navigators. Torpedo boats had offensive and attack missions, so they were armed with appropriate offensive weapons. Their functions included attacks on large ships, infiltration of harbors and bases and attacks on the forces there, attacks on merchant ships traveling along sea routes, and raids on installations along the coast. Along with these tasks, torpedo boats could be used for defensive operations - attacking submarines and escorting coastal convoys, conducting reconnaissance and clearing minefields of enemy mines. Taking into account their small size, high speed and maneuverability, it became clear that torpedo boats had many advantages over other classes of warships. A torpedo boat could go out, launch a torpedo attack and disappear into a calm sea. They have a minimal need for people and supplies. Torpedo boats have become formidable weapons.
Schnellboot at sea
Hundred-ton torpedo boats with improved seaworthiness appeared in 1940. The warships received designations starting with "S38". They became the main weapon of the German fleet in the Second World War. They were armed with two torpedo tubes and two to four torpedoes, as well as two 30 mm anti-aircraft guns. The maximum speed reached 42 knots. There is no doubt that the German designers managed to create an excellent warship with the Schnellbot. Oddly enough, this was facilitated by the abandonment of high speed indicators, and, as a result, the opportunity to equip boats with diesel engines.
Diesel engine of torpedo boat "S1"
Data on the engines of German torpedo boats can be found in this material:
This decision had a positive effect on improving the survivability of the mosquitoes. None of them died from an accidental fire, which often happened in the English and American navies. The increased displacement made it possible to make the design of the boats very resistant to combat damage. A glancing ramming strike from a destroyer, a mine explosion, or being hit by 2-3 shells of a caliber over 100 mm did not, as a rule, lead to the inevitable death of the boat (for example, on March 15, 1942, the S-105 arrived at the base under its own power, having received about 80 holes from shrapnel , bullets and shells of small-caliber guns), although often the Schnellbots had to be destroyed due to the conditions of the tactical situation.
Another feature that sharply distinguished the “schnellboats” from a number of torpedo boats of other countries was the enormous cruising range for those times - up to 800-900 miles at a 30-knot speed (M. Whitley in his work “Deutsche Seestreitkraefte 1939-1945” calls even greater the figure is -870 miles at 39 knots, which, however, is difficult to believe). In fact, the German command could not even fully implement it due to the great risk of using boats during daylight hours, especially from the second half of the war.
A significant range of action, elongated round-billed contours unusual for boats of that time and impressive dimensions, in the opinion of many, put German torpedo boats on a par with destroyers. We can agree with this with the only caveat that, after all, the “schnellboats” remained torpedo ships, and not torpedo-artillery ships. The range of tasks they solved was much narrower than that of the destroyers of World War II. Drawing an analogy with the modern classification “missile boat” - “small rocket ship”, “schnellboats” are more correctly considered small torpedo ships.
The design of the case was also successful. The forecastle with built-in torpedo tubes improved seaworthiness - the “schnell boats” retained the ability to use weapons in seas up to 4-5 points, and the low height of the side and deckhouse very significantly reduced the silhouette. In comparative tests of German and British boats carried out by the British after the war, it turned out that in night conditions the “German” visually noticed the enemy earlier. The weapon of self-defense - artillery - caused great criticism. Not being able to build their artillery counterparts in parallel with torpedo boats, as the British did, the Germans began to lose to the enemy’s “mosquitoes” from the end of 1941. Later attempts to increase the firepower of the Schnellbots reduced this gap to some extent, but they could not completely eliminate it. In terms of equipment with technical detection equipment, German boats also seriously lagged behind their opponents. During the entire war they never received a more or less satisfactory small-sized radar. With the advent of the Naxos electronic intelligence station, the Germans deprived the enemy of the advantage of surprise, but did not solve the problem of target detection.
Along with the “schnellboats”, quite serious attention was paid to R-type boats (“raumboats”). Originally conceived as boat minesweepers, the “raumbots” became truly universal ships for the German fleet. They operated in coastal waters, accompanying convoys, carried out patrol duty, were used for minesweeping and mine-laying, to combat submarines and even to rescue pilots from downed aircraft. But we're not talking about them.
Technical characteristics and types of Schnellbots
Table about characteristics using the example of some boats.
Mini Schnellbots
Boats of the LS (Leicht-Schnellboot) type were created with the aim of realizing a brilliant idea - boats transported on large ships. It was even proposed to use a Type III U-boat submarine to transport two of these, but it didn’t work out. A small number of them were placed on auxiliary cruisers. Of the 34 planned, 15 were built. All were assigned to 21 Bootsflotille.
The displacement was 13 tons and the length was 12.6 meters. Engines: two diesel Daimler Benz MB507. Crew 7 people. Armament: two torpedo tubes and one 2-cm cannon. Is it true. some were used as minelayers. KM-Boats with a displacement of 18 tons and a length of 15.6 meters. Engines - two petrol BMWs accelerated to 30 knots. Armament - either two torpedo tubes or 4 mines. Auxiliary armament is a 7.92 mm machine gun. A total of 36 pieces were made.
A little about the action in the English Channel
The world press first started talking about German torpedo boats at the end of May 1940 during the nine-day evacuation of the British expeditionary forces from Dunkirk. Newspapers and telegraph agencies around the world vied with each other to publish information transmitted from Germany. May 22, 1940: “German torpedo boats sank an enemy auxiliary cruiser in the English Channel”. May 26, 1940: “At Ostend, German torpedo boats sank an English destroyer. At Gelder, German torpedo boats sank an enemy submarine.".
June 3, 1940. “The British Naval Ministry reports that 222 English warships and 665 small vessels took part in the operation at Dunkirk. Despite the actions of enemy submarines and torpedo boats, the losses of the allied fleet were relatively insignificant. In addition to the three destroyers "Grafton", "Grenade" and "Wakeful" that were lost in May, the destroyers "Basilix", "Kate" and "Havant" were also sunk. Of the total number of 170 small warships, 24″ were lost.
20 years after these events, the English historian D. Devine, having analyzed the military situation based on documents from the forces opposing in Dunkirk, found that the Allied losses were very large. During the evacuation of 338,226 people, the English fleet alone lost 226 of 693 ships, including 6 destroyers, a patrol ship, 5 minesweepers and about 200 small ships and boats. Approximately the same number of ships and vessels were seriously damaged. It turned out, however, that the participation of German torpedo boats, and indeed all German naval forces, in the battles against the Anglo-French fleet at Dunkirk was much less significant than could be imagined based on press reports.
Indeed, in May 1940, events on the land front in Northern France, Holland and Belgium developed so rapidly that the entry of German troops to the English Channel and the encirclement of the British expeditionary forces at Dunkirk took the German admirals by surprise. At that moment, there were no ships in the German naval bases that could seriously interfere with the supply of the encircled British troops, and then their successful evacuation.
German torpedo boat S-204
The main burden in the Dunkirk operation fell on German aviation, which not only bombed and torpedoed Allied ships and vessels at the piers and at sea, but even took upon itself the laying of minefields. Only on May 21, two flotillas of German torpedo boats, transferred from Norway, appeared in the southern part of the North Sea...
To evacuate troops from Dunkirk, the British developed three routes across the English Channel - central, western and eastern. From May 28, British and French ships began to use the latter route, the extreme point of which, the Quintwistle Buoy, was located just an hour from Ostend, where German torpedo boats transferred from Norway were based. On May 29 at 00.45, when the destroyer Wakeful with troops on board rounded the buoy, observers noticed the tracks of two torpedoes. One of them missed, but the other hit right in the middle of the body. The destroyer broke in half, both halves, becoming vertical, sank to the bottom within about 15 minutes. The destroyer Grafton and the minesweeper Lydd, traveling along with the Wakeful, launched boats that began to pick up the drowning people. Half an hour later they were joined by the drifter Nautilus and the pilot vessel Comfort. At this time, a German boat, unnoticed in the darkness, fired torpedoes at the Grafton, and when the destroyer began to sink, the Comfort and Nautilus, frightened by the explosions, began to move away from the scene at full speed. Mistaking them for enemy boats leaving after an attack, the Lydd and the sinking Grafton opened fire on the Comfort. This cannonade was put to an end by another enemy torpedo, which literally blew the Comfort to pieces along with the crew and people rescued from the Wakeful.
Results of the Schnellbots' actions
Armament
Torpedo boats were armed mainly with machine guns and automatic cannons, of course not counting torpedoes. By September 1939, the artillery armament of the boats consisted of one 20-mm Rheinmetall S/30 machine gun in the L/30 mount installed on the stern platform, and two portable 7.92-mm MG 34 machine guns. On large boats, starting with S -38, a second gun appeared in the hatch turret on the forecastle. The S-30 series boats received a forecastle gun only at the end of 1941. Subsequently, due to the limited size and already low speed, the armament of boats of this subtype was not modernized. The relatively low rate of fire and reliability of 20-millimeter bullets caused frequent complaints from sailors, as a result of which in 1941-1942 they were replaced on most boats with the more advanced model C/38.
Increasing frequency of skirmishes with British gun boats (MGB) forced drastic measures to strengthen the armament of torpedo boats. The standard naval 37-mm semi-automatic cannon S/30 was not suitable for this purpose due to its too low rate of fire (about 40 rounds per minute). The only alternative was the Swedish 40mm Bofors machine guns. By October 1942, three boats each in the 1st, 2nd and 4th flotillas and two each in the 5th and 6th flotillas received one Bofors with 2000 rounds of ammunition instead of 20mm on the poop. A total of 14 “schnellbots” were rearmed: S-29, S-39, S-42, S-44 - S-46, S-51, S-81 - S-83, S-98, S-99, S-112, S-117. The low rate of fire and the lack of armor-piercing shells forced the Kriegsmarine command to refrain from wider distribution of Bofors on boats.
The Germans simply did not have any other weapons suitable for installation on torpedo boats. The promising 50-mm Flak 41 cannon weighed more than 3 tons; a special boat version of the 30-mm MK-103 aircraft cannon was still under development. Therefore, boat commanders often had to improvise. As a result, the aft firing point was most often equipped with a twin 20-mm machine gun, occasionally (for example, on the S-65) replaced by a quad. Additionally, a firing point was equipped behind the wheelhouse, where a single-barreled or coaxial 20 mm machine gun, a coaxial or triple 15 mm MG-151/15 machine gun could be placed. There is evidence of the use of 20-mm MG FF aircraft cannons on Schnellbots in improvised installations. The number of rifle-caliber machine guns could reach eight. At the beginning of 1944, 30-mm machine guns finally entered service (mainly on new boats, starting with the S-170), and twin C/38s were installed behind the wheelhouse on almost all surviving boats. At the end of 1944, the aft point began to be equipped with a single-barrel 37 mm (modified army Flak 36 or its naval analogue M42) or 40 mm cannon. The planned re-equipment of all installations on the forecastle with the 30-mm MK-103 gun was only partially carried out. The twin 30-mm mount was never developed; instead, the new boats received two single-gun mounts with the MK-103 or older types of guns.
In 1944, some of the boats were armed with an 86-mm RAG M42 multiple launch rocket system for firing anti-aircraft missiles (ammunition - 30 fragmentation and 60 flares). All “schnellboats” were equipped with two stern bomb releasers with an ammunition load of six WBF depth charges (weight - 139 kg). In addition to their main - anti-submarine - function, bombs played the role of a means of defense against pursuers - for this they were dropped into the wake. Equally important was the presence of canisters with a smoke-generating agent (Nebelkannen) - initially two, later their number reached eight, and French-made ones were used along with German ones. The operating time of one canister is 20 minutes.
Unlike depth charges, mines were not part of the standard armament of boats, although experiments in their use began before the war. The first combat minelaying took place on the night of July 11, 1940 in British waters. Subsequently, mine weapons were widely used by torpedo boats, and by the end of the war they even took first place in terms of effectiveness.
Torpedoes
Torpedoes of the 40s. were even more advanced than the pre-war ones. During the war years, the speed of steam-gas torpedoes reached 50-55 knots; and their range increased to 15-20 km. At the same time, the destructive effect of torpedo weapons increased, which now carried an extremely powerful explosive charge (by the end of the war, up to 500-600 kg of TNT equivalent). To equip torpedoes, along with TNT, they began to use substances with a stronger susceptibility to detonation: tetryl, hexogen and others. Finally, the number of travel modes has increased: many wartime torpedoes had three range and speed modes; the Italians even managed to create six-mode samples. The increase in speed and range occurred while maintaining the same caliber. Therefore, simply increasing the fuel supply and the capacity of the steel tank for the oxidizer (compressed air) did not solve the problem. The dimensions of the underwater projectile have already reached their reasonable limit. For example, a 609-mm torpedo with a length of 8.2–8.5 m and a weight of 2.2 tons appeared in service with the British fleet. Developers of torpedo weapons had to use more energy-intensive fuel or more efficient oxidizers. Thus, in the Japanese torpedo Type “93” (Known as the “Long Lance.” The most powerful torpedoes of the Second World War) pure oxygen was used instead of air as an oxidizer, and in experimental German samples, hydrogen peroxide was used. Wartime torpedoes had new combat capabilities. For example, the Soviet torpedo of the 1939 model was equipped with a MO-3 gyroscopic device, which allowed smooth setting of the course angle (up to 90° to the left or right). They were especially popular among torpedo boat crews. The fact is that the MO-3 gyroscope provided a new method of shooting - “fan”. If earlier an attack was completed after the launch of one torpedo (or torpedoes were fired one after another after a certain period of time), then with the advent of the MO-3 salvo firing became possible. At the same time, several torpedoes were sent to the target simultaneously, with a small dissolution angle (about 1°). Of course, shooting with a fan gave the best results. The Germans equipped some of their torpedoes with maneuvering devices, with the help of which a self-propelled mine could overtake a ship if it tried to evade a direct torpedo strike. German torpedoes with a winding trajectory turned out to be especially good for attacking ships in convoys that sailed in a special anti-submarine zigzag. In addition to those discussed, there was another way to increase the likelihood of hitting a target: installing an acoustic homing system on a torpedo. In 1943, German submarines received the T-V torpedo with the world's first passive ASN system, which did not react to the own noise of a self-propelled mine. The T-V was designed to hit targets moving at speeds of up to 18 knots. The vast majority of combat and transport ships of the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition fell into this category, because the economic speed never exceeded the specified value.
Torpedoes on deck
True, developing a means of protection against ASN turned out to be much easier and faster than this system itself. Already in 1944, the British adopted the “foxer” - a device towed by a ship that distracted a torpedo. The “bait” for her was the acoustic field of the “foxer,” more intense than the noise of the ship’s propellers. But the British joy for their “foxers” did not last long - only until the appearance of the German remote-controlled torpedoes “Lerche” with a wire-based course correction system.
While the steam-gas torpedo continued to be improved, the first electric torpedoes were already being developed in Germany. Unlike steam-gas ones, they did not leave traces in the form of a trail of bubbles on the water. However, in terms of speed (no more than 30 knots) and range, they were noticeably inferior to steam-gas torpedoes. Therefore, they were not used on boats during the war - only on submarines. In total, during the Second World War, torpedoes from surface ships, submarines and torpedo bombers destroyed 369 warships, including 3 battleships, 20 aircraft carriers, 27 cruisers, more than a hundred escort and destroyers. Quite a lot if you compare the losses of the fleets with their numbers, and too little if you consider that the total ammunition consumption exceeded 30 thousand torpedoes (an average of 82 torpedoes per sunken warship)
Despite the fact that Germany used torpedo boats quite successfully in the First World War, new realities required serious modifications. One of the main problems that German engineers puzzled over was how to launch these damn torpedoes at high speed so that, firstly, they did not detonate, and secondly, they hit the target. The first method, which later became a standard, was BOW Launch - launching from a torpedo tube located on the ship's forecastle. The torpedo's bow is forward and the boat is moving towards the target. Logical. The second method is to launch from the stern, heading towards the target, with the torpedo's bow facing the direction of the ship. The method required a sharp turn to starboard or port in order to avoid catching its own torpedoes. The third method is to launch from the stern, heading away from the target, with the torpedo's bow directed against the ship's progress. The method required a 180-degree turn upon entering the torpedo range and launching torpedoes towards the target, followed by a quick escape so as not to get hit. Used mainly on very small schnellboats.
The Schnellbots used G7a torpedoes.
G7a torpedo. German Maritime Museum in Wilhelmshaven
Operating principle The torpedo was propelled by its own engine and maintained a given course using an autonomous guidance system. An important source of operation for the torpedo systems was a compressed air tank, which occupied about half the space inside the 7-meter steel body. When a torpedo was launched, its passage through the torpedo tube activated a special switch, and compressed air from the reservoir was supplied through a small pipe and pressure regulator to the combustion chamber. Passing through additional tubes, the compressed air turned on other mechanical systems of the torpedo. Inside the combustion chamber, a mixture of compressed air and fuel from an adjacent reservoir was ignited by an impact igniter similar to a spark plug. Hot gases from fuel combustion converted the cooled water finely sprayed in the chamber into a steam-gas mixture that powered the torpedo's four-cylinder engine. The engine rotated two hollow drive shafts inserted into one another, driving the torpedo's two propellers. The propellers rotated in opposite directions to prevent the torpedo from rotating around its longitudinal axis and keeping it from going astray. The movement of the torpedo along the desired course was ensured using a gyroscope, the rotor of which was also rotated by compressed air at a speed corresponding to three specified speeds of the torpedo of 30, 40 and 44 knots. Sensitive to any deviation from a given course, the gyroscope turned on a small motor (servomotor), which changed the position of the corresponding rudders. The depth sensor and its servomotor kept the torpedo moving at the required depth by acting on the dive rudders. The warhead on the first G7a torpedoes had a relatively simple contact detonator. To protect the boat from a possible premature explosion of a torpedo, the detonator had an ingenious mechanism - a small screw, rotated by an oncoming flow of water, brought the detonator into the firing position no earlier than the torpedo moved away from the boat at a distance of up to 30 meters. The torpedo had the following technical characteristics:
Length - 7186 mm. Case diameter - 533 mm. Weight - 1528 kg. Speed - there were 3 speed modes - 30, 40 and 44 knots. Cruising range - 12,500 m at 30 knots, 7,500 m at 40 knots, 5,500 m at 44 knots. The weight of the combat charging compartment is 280 kg. Fuze - KHB Pi1 or KHB Pi1 8.43-8.44. Fuse type - contact-non-contact
Torpedo boat flotillas:
- 1st flotilla (1. Schnellbootflottille). Created in the Baltic, in 1939 it participated in the Polish campaign, in 1940 in Operation Weserubung (as part of the Bergen battle group). In 1940 she was transferred to the West, and in 1941 - back to the Baltic, to the shores of Finland. In 1942-44 she operated as part of the German Navy in the Black Sea, and in 1944 she was redeployed to the Baltic. On Sept. 1939 The flotilla included TK S-18 – S-23. Floating bases: Tsingtau and Romania.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Kurt Sturm (3.1938-11.1939); Lieutenant Commander Heinz Birnbacher (11.1939-8.1942); captain 3rd rank Georg Christiansen (8. 1942-8.1943); captain 3rd rank Hermann Büchting (5.1943-5.1945).
- 2nd flotilla (2. Schnellbootflottille). Created on the North Sea. On Sept. 1939 The flotilla included TK S-10 – S-17. In 1940 she took part in Operation Weserübung (as part of the Christiansand battle group). In 1940 she was transferred to the southern part of the North Sea and the English Channel. Since 1941 it operated in the Baltic, off the coast of Finland. In 1942-45 in the southern North Sea and English Channel. Floating base "Tanga" (Tanga).
Commanders: Captain 3rd Rank Rudolf Petersen (8.1938-10.1941); captain 3rd rank Klaus Feldt (10.1941-2. 1944); captain 3rd rank Hermann Opdenhoff (2.1944-3.1945); Lieutenant Commander Hugo Wendler (3.1945-5.1945).
- 3rd flotilla (3. schnellbootflottille). Created on May 15, 1940, it operated off the coast of the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1941 she was transferred to Vindava (Eastern Baltic), and at the end of the same year to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1943 it was included in the 1st division of torpedo boats.
Commander: Captain 3rd Rank Friedrich Kemnade (5.1940-7.1943).
- 4th flotilla (4. Schnellbootflottille). Created on October 1, 1940, it operated in the North Sea and the English Channel. Since 1944 in the Belgian canal zone (with headquarters in Rotterdam).
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Nils Baethge (10.1940-3.1943); captain 3rd rank Werner Lützow (3.1943-10.1943); Lieutenant Commander Kauseman (10.1943-11.1943); captain 3rd rank Kurt Fimmen (11.1943-5.1945).
- 5th flotilla (5. Schnellbootflottille). Created on July 15, 1941 for operations in Finnish waters. In 1941-44 it operated in the English Channel, and in 1944 it was transferred to Helsinki and Revel. In 1944–45 - in Swinemünde, it operated mainly in the Baltic, but some of the boats were involved in operations in the English Channel.
Commanders: Captain 3rd Rank Bernd Klug (7.1941-6.1944); Lieutenant Commander Kurt Johannsen (6.1944); Lieutenant Commander Hermann Holzapfel (7.1944-5.1945).
- 6th flotilla (6. Schnellbootflottille). Created on 03/01/1941 under the command of the Nordsee naval station. It operated in the North Sea and in the English Channel area. In 1942 she was briefly transferred to the shores of Norway, and then returned to her previous location. In 1944 it operated in Finnish waters, and then again in the West.
Commanders: Captain 3rd Rank Albrecht Obermayer (3.1941-7.1944); Lieutenant Commander Jens Matzen (7.1944-5.1945).
- 7th flotilla (7. Schnellbootflottille). Created on October 1, 1941 in Swinemünde, but until April. 1942 was at the stage of formation, and the boats that were part of it were subordinate to the command of the 5th flotilla. Since Apr. 1942 was stationed in the Baltic, and then in November. 1942 transported along European rivers to the Mediterranean Sea.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Bernd Klug (10.1941-5.1942); captain 3rd rank Hans Trummer (6.1942-5.1945).
- 8th flotilla (8. Schnellbootflottille). Created on November 1, 1941 in northern Norway in the area of Kola Bay, it was intended for action against Allied ships in the area adjacent to Murmansk. 10.7. 1942 disbanded. Recreated on December 1, 1942 to protect the Norwegian coast. In 1943 she was transferred to the North Sea and the English Channel, and in 1945 to the Baltic.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Georg Stuhr Christiansen (11.1941-7.1942); captain 3rd rank Felix Tsymalkovsky (12. 1942 – 5.1945).
- 9th flotilla (9. Schnellbootflottille). Created on April 1, 1943 in the North Sea, it operated in the English Channel area.
Commander: Captain 3rd Rank Baron Goetz von Mirbach (4.1943-5.1945).
- 10th flotilla (10. Schnellbootflottille). Created in March 1944, it operated in the North Sea and the English Channel.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Karl Müller (3.1944-9.1944); Lieutenant Commander Dietrich Bludau (9.1944-5.1945).
- 11th flotilla (11. Schnellbootflottille). Created on May 20, 1943 in Feodosia (Crimea) from Italian anti-submarine boats located here. It consisted of 2 groups - chief lieutenants Wülfing (boats MAS-567, MAS-568, MAS-570, MAS-574) and Shai (MAS-566, MAS-569, MAS-575). In Aug. – Oct. 1943 boats were transferred to the Romanian Navy. On October 10, 1943, the flotilla was disbanded. It was re-established in May 1944 in Sassnitz, and in June 1944 it was transferred to the English Channel and subordinated to the commander of the 5th Flotilla. For the 3rd time, the flotilla was created in September. 1944. Finally disbanded in April. 1945.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Hans Jürgen Meyer (5.1943-10.1943); Lieutenant Commander Baron Nikolai von Stempel (9.1944-4.1945).
- 21st flotilla (21. Schnellbootflottille). Created Sept. 1943 in Eckernfjord. At the beginning of 1944 she was transferred to the Aegean Sea. Disbanded Oct. 1944.
The flotilla included torpedo boats LS-6, LS-7, LS-8, LS-9, LS-10, LS-11.
Commanders: Captain-Lieutenant Siegfried Wupperman (9.1943-2.1944); Lieutenant Commander Ludwig Graser (3.1944-10.1944).
- 22nd flotilla (22. Schnellbootflottille). Created on Dec. 1943 in Suhrendorf. In May 1944, she was transferred from Friedrichshafen to the Mediterranean Sea, based in the Adriatic, but did not take part in combat operations. Disbanded Oct. 1944, boats transferred to Fiume, used to form the Croatian Navy.
The flotilla included torpedo boats KS-17, KS-18, KS-20, KS-21, KS-23, KS-24, KS-31, KS-32.
Commanders: Captain-Lieutenant Siegfried Wupperman (12.1943-2.1944); Lieutenant Commander Friedrich Hüsig (2.1944-10.1944).
- 24th flotilla (24. Schnellbootflottille). Created on November 1, 1943 in Piraeus from Italian torpedo boats captured by German troops after the surrender of Italy. Operated in the Aegean and Adriatic seas. On 10/13/1944 it was disbanded, and the remaining boats formed the 3rd group of the 3rd torpedo boat flotilla.
The flotilla included: Italian anti-submarine boats MAS-525, MAS-549, MAS-551, MAS-522, MAS-553, MAS-554, Yugoslav boats S-601 (formerly Velebit), S-602 (Dinara "), S-603 ("Triglav"), S-604 ("Rudnik"), S-60 ("Orien"), Italian torpedo boats S-621, S-622, S-623, S-624, S -625, S-626, S-627, S-628, S-629, S-630.
Commander: Lieutenant Commander Hans Jürgen Meyer (11.1943-10.1944).
- Training flotilla (Schnellboot-Schulflottille). Created in July 1942 in Swinemünde. 11/1/1943 transformed into a training division.
Commander: Captain 3rd Rank Hermann Opdenhoff (8.1942-10.1943).
- Training division (Schnellbootlehrdivision). Formed on November 1, 1943 on the basis of a training flotilla. Units of the division were stationed in Swinemünde and then in Svendborg (Denmark). Consisted of 2 departments from 3 training flotillas (see below).
Division commanders: Captain 2nd Rank Hermann Opdenhoff (11.1943-2.1944); Lieutenant Commander Klaus Feldt (2.1944-5.1945).
- 1st training flotilla (1. Schnellboot-Schulflottille). Created 1.11.1943. In addition to training boats, the flotilla included the floating base Adolf Lüderitz. Stationed in Norway and the Eastern Baltic.
Commander: Lieutenant Commander Friedrich Wilhelm Wilke (11.1943-5.1945).
- 2nd training flotilla (2. schnellboot-schulflottille). Created in Apr. 1944. In addition to training boats, the flotilla included the floating base Tsingtau. Stationed in Norway and the Eastern Baltic.
Commander: Lieutenant Commander Hans Helmut Klose (4.1944-5.1945).
- 3rd training flotilla (3. schnellboot-schulflottille). Created in June 1944. In addition to training boats, the flotilla included the floating base "Carl Peters". It was stationed in the Baltic, on the coast of Courland.
Commanders: Lieutenant Commander Klaus Dietrich Sims (6.1944-12.1944), Lieutenant Commander Hans Detlefsen (12.1944-5.1945).
Breastplate for torpedo boats:
Established on May 30, 1941. The badge was awarded to officers and sailors of the navy who served on torpedo and fast boats. The award was made for participation in at least 12 operations against enemy ships, demonstrated courage, high professionalism, or injury received during combat operations. The badge was awarded throughout the Second World War. In total, about 1,900 awards were made. The first option was approved in May 1941. The second - in the second half of January 1943 (since the first version showed an outdated model torpedo boat). A sign was also made, inlaid with 9 diamonds. There are 8 known cases of presentation of the latter version of the award. All of them were awarded to the commanders of fast boats who had previously received such awards as the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
This badge was worn on the left side immediately below the Iron Cross 1st Class or similar award.
Afterword
Thus, despite certain shortcomings, in general, German torpedo boats not only met the requirements, but were rightfully considered one of the best representatives of their class during the Second World War. In the war, torpedo boats sank enemy ships with a total displacement of almost 1,000,000 tons. Their weapons were mines and torpedoes. Schnellbots sank 109 transports (with a total displacement of 232,809 tons), as well as 11 destroyers, 22 trawlers, a submarine, 12 landing ships and a number of ships of other classes. (Note: Figures vary from source to source.) 220 boats, comprising seven flotillas, took part in the fighting. 149 (Other source 112) torpedo boats were sunk by the enemy or their crews. “Naval aces” - this is what German torpedo boats were called for the images of aces on tactical symbols. They acted bravely, without recklessness or making senseless sacrifices. British historian Peter Smith, known for his research into warfare in the English Channel and the southern North Sea, wrote about the schnellbots that
"by the end of the war they remained the only force not to submit to British supremacy at sea."
The last weeks of the war, torpedo boats took part in the organized evacuation, which was the main task of the fleet at that time. It involved bringing refugees home. The torpedo boat could carry up to 110 passengers in one voyage. In the last days of the war, boats saved about 15,000 people on the Baltic Sea. Their last task was not destruction, but saving human lives.
Surrender to British troops, Portsmouth 1945
The post-war life of the Schnellbots was very short. They were divided approximately equally between the victorious powers. The vast majority of the 32 Schnellboats that Britain received were scrapped or sunk in the North Sea within two years of the end of the war. Prudent Americans put 26 of their boats up for sale and even managed to benefit from this by “fusing” them with the fleets of Norway and Denmark. The "schnellboats" (29 units) received by the USSR as reparations were not in service with the Navy for very long - the lack of spare parts affected them, and the hulls themselves were badly worn out; 12 of them ended up in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, where they served until February 1948. The rest moved to the North, where 8 boats were decommissioned without being in service for even a year. It was possible to extend the life of the others until June 1952 by using mechanisms from the excluded Schnellbots. The thrifty Danes extended the exploitation of their trophies until 1966. They bought some of the boats from Norway; in total there were 19 of them in the Danish fleet. There are only two Schnellboats left in the German fleet - the former S-116 and S-130. They were used as experimental vessels and were scrapped by 1965. Not a single German torpedo boat from the Second World War has survived to this day. The only exhibits associated with the Schnellbots were two MB-501 diesel engines removed from the S-116 and located at the Technical Museum in Munich. But they also died in a fire in April 1983.
A slight disturbance at sea alternately hides and then reveals a small object in the distance. The drizzle settles in sticky drops on the eyepieces, and dark waves noisily beat against the body. Cloudy weather spoils the visibility of an already gloomy evening.
“Whale,” he thought, or rather hoped.
This was the last thought of the young sailor; the explosion deafened the gloomy silence. The destroyer was torn in half, both halves, tilting vertically towards the sky, sank to the bottom, as if stretching out their hands to the sky and begging for help. Finally, the ship disappeared under the water, finding eternal peace.
Lowering his binoculars, the captain gives the order to return. And the small, squat ship quickly leaves the scene of the past tragedy...
Early series torpedo boat
Night attack of "schnellbots"
Torpedo boat "Schnellbot". Bullet marks are visible
Schnellbot torpedo tube
Sources
- https://wiki.warthunder.ru/index.php?title=Schnellboot_der_Kriegsmarine_-_Small_warriors_of_the_big_war
- http://hochgebirgs.ru/threads/Battle-flotillas-schnellbots-Kriegsmarine.358/
- Torpedo or something! History of small torpedo ships. - Mn.: Harvest, 1999
- Wikipedia
A torpedo boat is a small combat ship designed to destroy enemy warships and transport vessels with torpedoes. Widely used during World War II. By the beginning of the war, torpedo boats were poorly represented in the main fleets of Western naval powers, but with the beginning of the war, the construction of boats increased sharply. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR had 269 torpedo boats. Over the course of the war, more than 30 torpedo boats were built, and 166 were received from the Allies.
The project of the first planing Soviet torpedo boat was developed in 1927 by a team of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) under the leadership of A.N. Tupolev, later an outstanding aircraft designer. The first experimental boat "ANT-3" ("Firstborn"), built in Moscow, was tested in Sevastopol. The boat had a displacement of 8.91 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1200 hp. s., speed 54 knots. Maximum length: 17.33 m, width 3.33 m, draft 0.9 m, Armament: 450 mm torpedo, 2 machine guns, 2 mines.
Comparing the Firstborn with one of the captured SMVs, we found out that the English boat was inferior to ours in both speed and maneuverability. On July 16, 1927, the experimental boat was enlisted in the naval forces on the Black Sea. “Taking into account that this glider is an experimental design,” the acceptance certificate stated, “the commission believes that TsAGI has completed the task assigned to it in full and the glider, regardless of some shortcomings of a naval nature, is subject to acceptance into the Naval Forces of the Red Army...” Work on improving torpedo boats at TsAGI continued, and in September 1928 the serial boat ANT-4 (Tupolev) was launched. Until 1932, our fleet received dozens of such boats, called "Sh-4". The first formations of torpedo boats soon appeared in the Baltic, Black Sea and Far East.
But "Sh-4" was still far from ideal. And in 1928, the fleet ordered another torpedo boat from TsAGI, named G-5 at the institute. It was a new ship at that time - in its stern there were trenches for powerful 533-mm torpedoes, and during sea trials it reached an unprecedented speed - 58 knots with full ammunition and 65.3 knots without load. Naval sailors considered it the best of the existing torpedo boats both in terms of armament and technical properties.
Torpedo boat "G-5" type
The lead boat of the new type "GANT-5" or "G5" (planing No. 5) was tested in December 1933. This boat with a metal hull was the best in the world, both in terms of armament and technical properties. It was recommended for mass production and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it became the main type of torpedo boats of the Soviet Navy. The serial "G-5", produced in 1935, had a displacement of 14.5 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1700 hp. s., speed 50 knots. Maximum length 19.1 m, width 3.4 m, draft 1.2 m. Armament: two 533 mm torpedoes, 2 machine guns, 4 mines. It was produced for 10 years until 1944 in various modifications. In total, more than 200 units were built.
"G-5" underwent baptism of fire in Spain and in the Great Patriotic War. In all seas, they not only launched dashing torpedo attacks, but also laid minefields, hunted for enemy submarines, landed troops, guarded ships and convoys, trawled fairways, bombarding German bottom proximity mines with depth charges. Particularly difficult and sometimes unusual tasks were carried out by Black Sea boats during the Great Patriotic War. They had to escort... trains running along the Caucasian coast. They fired torpedoes at... the coastal fortifications of Novorossiysk. And finally, they fired missiles at fascist ships and... airfields.
However, the low seaworthiness of boats, especially the Sh-4 type, was no secret to anyone. With the slightest disturbance, they were filled with water, which easily splashed into the very low pilothouse, open at the top. The release of torpedoes was guaranteed in seas of no more than 1 point, and boats could simply remain at sea in seas of no more than 3 points. Due to their low seaworthiness, the Sh-4 and G-5 only in very rare cases achieved their designed range, which depended not so much on the fuel supply as on the weather.
This and a number of other shortcomings were largely due to the “aviation” origin of the boats. The designer based the project on a seaplane float. Instead of an upper deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5" had a steeply curved convex surface. While ensuring the strength of the body, it at the same time created a lot of inconvenience in maintenance. It was difficult to stay on it even when the boat was motionless. If it was in full swing, absolutely everything that fell on it was dumped.
This turned out to be a very big disadvantage during combat operations: the paratroopers had to be placed in the chutes of torpedo tubes - there was nowhere else to place them. Due to the lack of a flat deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5", despite relatively large reserves of buoyancy, were practically unable to transport serious cargo. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, torpedo boats "D-3" and "SM-3" were developed - long-range torpedo boats. "D-3" had a wooden hull; according to its design, the torpedo boat "SM-3" with a steel hull was produced.
Torpedo boat "D-3"
Boats of the "D-3" type were produced in the USSR at two factories: in Leningrad and Sosnovka, Kirov region. By the beginning of the war, the Northern Fleet had only two boats of this type. In August 1941, five more boats were received from the plant in Leningrad. All of them were brought together into a separate detachment, which operated until 1943, until other D-3s began to enter the fleet, as well as Allied boats under Lend-Lease. The D-3 boats compared favorably with their predecessors, the G-5 torpedo boats, although in terms of combat capabilities they successfully complemented each other.
"D-3" had improved seaworthiness and could operate at a greater distance from the base than the boats of the "G-5" project. Torpedo boats of this type had a total displacement of 32.1 tons, a maximum length of 21.6 m (length between perpendiculars - 21.0 m), a maximum width of 3.9 on deck and 3.7 m along the bilge. The structural draft was 0. 8 m. The D-3 body was made of wood. The speed depended on the power of the engines used. GAM-34 750 l. With. allowed the boats to develop a speed of up to 32 knots, GAM-34VS 850 hp. With. or GAM-34F 1050 l. With. - up to 37 knots, Packards with a power of 1200 hp. With. - 48 knots. The cruising range at full speed reached 320-350 miles, and at eight knots - 550 miles.
On experimental boats and serial "D-3" for the first time, side-drop torpedo tubes were installed. Their advantage was that they made it possible to fire a salvo from a stop, while boats of the G-5 type had to reach a speed of at least 18 knots - otherwise they would not have time to turn away from the fired torpedo.
The torpedoes were fired from the boat's bridge by igniting a galvanic ignition cartridge. The salvo was duplicated by the torpedoist using two ignition cartridges installed in the torpedo tube. "D-3" were armed with two 533-mm torpedoes of the 1939 model; the mass of each was 1800 kg (TNT charge - 320 kg), the range at a speed of 51 knots was 21 cables (about 4 thousand m). The D-3's small arms consisted of two DShK machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber. True, during the war, the boats were equipped with a 20-mm Oerlikon automatic cannon, a coaxial 12.7 mm Colt-Browning machine gun, and some other types of machine guns. The boat's hull was 40 mm thick. In this case, the bottom was three-layer, and the side and deck were two-layer. The outer layer was larch, and the inner layer was pine. The sheathing was fastened with copper nails at the rate of five per square decimeter.
The D-3 hull was divided into five waterproof compartments by four bulkheads. In the first compartment there are 10-3 sp. there was a forepeak, in the second (3-7 ships) there was a four-seater cockpit. The galley and boiler enclosure are between the 7th and 9th frames, the radio cabin is between the 9th and 11th. Boats of the "D-3" type were equipped with improved navigation equipment compared to what was on the "G-5". The D-3 deck made it possible to take on board a landing group, and it was also possible to move on it during a campaign, which was impossible on the G-5. The living conditions of the crew, consisting of 8-10 people, made it possible for the boat to operate for a long time away from its main base. Heating of the vital compartments of the D-3 was also provided.
Komsomolets-class torpedo boat
"D-3" and "SM-3" were not the only torpedo boats developed in our country on the eve of the war. In those same years, a group of designers designed a small torpedo boat of the Komsomolets type, which, almost no different from the G-5 in displacement, had more advanced tube torpedo tubes and carried more powerful anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons. These boats were built with voluntary contributions from Soviet people, and therefore some of them, in addition to numbers, received names: “Tyumen Worker”, “Tyumen Komsomolets”, “Tyumen Pioneer”.
The Komsomolets type torpedo boat, manufactured in 1944, had a duralumin hull. The hull is divided by waterproof bulkheads into five compartments (space 20-25 cm). A hollow keel beam is laid along the entire length of the hull, performing the function of a keel. To reduce pitching, side keels are installed on the underwater part of the hull. Two aircraft engines are installed in the hull one after the other, while the length of the left propeller shaft was 12.2 m, and the right one - 10 m. The torpedo tubes, unlike previous types of boats, are tubular, not trough. The maximum seaworthiness of the torpedo bomber was 4 points. The total displacement is 23 tons, the total power of two gasoline engines is 2400 hp. s., speed 48 knots. Maximum length 18.7 m, width 3.4 m, average recess 1 m. Reservation: 7 mm bulletproof armor on the wheelhouse. Armament: two tube torpedo tubes, four 12.7 mm machine guns, six large depth charges, smoke equipment. Unlike other domestically built boats, the Komsomolets had an armored (7 mm thick sheet) deckhouse. The crew consisted of 7 people.
These torpedo bombers demonstrated their high combat qualities to the greatest extent in the spring of 1945, when units of the Red Army were already completing the defeat of Hitler’s troops, advancing towards Berlin with heavy fighting. From the sea, Soviet ground forces covered the ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, and the entire burden of hostilities in the waters of the southern Baltic fell on the shoulders of the crews of submarines, naval aviation and torpedo boats. Trying to somehow delay their inevitable end and preserve ports for the evacuation of retreating troops as long as possible, the Nazis made feverish attempts to sharply increase the number of search, strike and patrol groups of boats. These urgent measures to some extent aggravated the situation in the Baltic, and then four Komsomolets, which became part of the 3rd division of torpedo boats, were transferred to help the existing forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.
These were the last days of the Great Patriotic War, the last victorious attacks of torpedo boats. The war will end, and the Komsomol members, covered in military glory, will forever be frozen on pedestals as a symbol of courage - as an example for descendants, as an edification for enemies.
Of the torpedo boats, the most widely produced ones were short-range boats of the type G-5. They entered the fleet from 1933 to 1944. With a displacement of about 18 tons, the boat had two 53-cm torpedoes in trough-type devices and could reach a speed of over 50 knots. The first boats of the G-5 type were created by aviation specialists (chief designer A. N. Tupolev), and this left its mark on their design. They were equipped with aircraft engines, had duralumin profiles, a complex hull shape, including on the surface, and other features.
Torpedo boat "Vosper"
A total of 329 G-5 type boats were built, 76 of them during the war. This boat was replaced, but within its dimensions, by a series of Komsomolets type boats with improved seaworthiness and increased cruising range. The new boats had two 45-cm torpedo tubes, four heavy machine guns and were more technologically advanced for shipyards. Initially, they were equipped with American Packard engines, and after the war they began to install high-speed domestic M-50 diesel engines. The so-called wave control boats (without a crew), controlled by radio from an MBR-2 seaplane, turned out to be poorly protected from enemy aircraft during the war. Therefore, they were used as ordinary torpedo boats, that is, they sailed with personnel.
First USSR torpedo boats— , long-range type D-3 entered the fleets in 1941. They were built in a wooden hull with uneven contours and a developed deadrise. The boats were armed with 53-cm open-type torpedo tubes. The displacement of the D-3 boats was twice that of the alloy G-5, which ensured better seaworthiness and an increased cruising range. Still, by the standards of world shipbuilding, torpedo boats D-3 were more of an intermediate type than long-range boats. But at the beginning of the war there were only a few such boats in the Soviet fleet, and the Northern Fleet consisted of only two torpedo boats. Only with the outbreak of hostilities were dozens of boats transferred to this fleet. Domestic torpedo boats accounted for approximately 11% of all torpedoes expended. The coastal zone did not have sufficient attack targets for short-range torpedo boats. At the same time, these boats sailed relatively often, but were often used for other purposes (landing troops, etc.).
If the fleets had more long-range boats, they could be used off the enemy’s coast. The receipt by the Northern Fleet of 47 imported boats of the Vosper and Higins type in 1944 significantly increased the combat capabilities of the torpedo boat brigade. Their combat activities became more effective.
In the book “War at sea in Eastern European waters in 1941-1945.” (Munich, 1958) German historian J. Meister writes: “Russian boats attacked during the day as well as at night. Often they waited for German caravans, hiding behind rocks in small bays. Russian torpedo boats were an ever-growing threat to German convoys."
Since 1943, G-5 type boats with M-8-M rocket launchers have been used. The Black Sea Fleet included such boats. A detachment of boats under the command of I.P. Shengur systematically attacked enemy airfields, ports, fortifications, and in September 1943 participated in the landing of troops in the Anapa area, in the area of Blagoveshchenskaya station and at Lake Solenoye.
Submarine kings in a sea of jacks of hearts
Kovalev, E. A.: M., ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2006
The book continues the chronicle of the birth and development of scuba diving in Russia, published under the title “Knights of the Deep”. The chronological framework of the narrative covers the period from the end of 1917 to June 1941. The material is based on information selected from the funds of the Russian State Administration of the Navy, Central Naval Academy, Central Military Base, as well as from newspaper and magazine articles. The first three parts of the book characterize the times of the Civil War, the restoration of the country's scuba diving and its further development. It tells about attempts to establish a new naval doctrine, the construction of new types of submarines, and the training of submariners in the conditions of an impending war. The fourth part of the book contains brief biographical information about the first Soviet submarine commanders. Even a superficial acquaintance with the information presented will allow the reader to understand why in 1941 the country was not ready, including for war at sea. The reader will find the necessary information in the Appendix.
Upper Paleolithic reconstructions
Reconstructions of Upper Paleolithic daily life
From 50,000 to 10,000 years before present. Last Ice Age. Realm of Cro-Magnons and other early Homo sapiens sapiens: anatomically and more or less behaviorally modern humans. Consciousness, speech, art positively exist. It is very much debatable if Homo species other than Homo sapiens sapiens ever possessed them. Major world population is early Homo sapiens sapiens, but also some other species of Homo, more characteristic for previous epochs, Neanderthals and possibly even some subspecies of Homo erectus, coexisted for much of the period. Humans begin to populate Australia and Americas. First decisive evidence of spears used as projectile weapons. Invention of a tool to throw them faster and farther: spear-thrower. Bow seems to be invented only near the transition from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic. Control of fire, fire making including, is widespread. Pleistocene megafauna: iconic mammoths and woolly rhinoceros. Many of mammals common enough today exist in much larger forms: giant beavers, giant polar bears, giant kangaroos, giant deers, giant condors. Some in "cave" forms, like cave bears, cave lions, cave hyenas.
The pirates of Panama or The buccaneers of America
John Esquemeling: New York, Frederick A. Stokes company publishers, 1914
A true account of the famous adventures and daring deeds of Sir Henry Morgan and other notorious freebooters of the Spanish main by John Esquemeling, one of the buccaneers who was present at those tragedies. Contents
Diagnosing dictators
Carl Gustav Jung: Diagnosing dictators: Analytical psychology: past and present / K. G. Jung, E. Samuels, V. Odaynik, J. Hubback. Comp. V.V. Zelensky, A.M. Rutkevich. M.: Martis, 1995
October 1938 Memorably intelligent and tireless, H. R. Knickerbocker was one of America's finest foreign correspondents. Born in Texas in 1899; in 1923 in Munich, where he studied psychiatry, during Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch he switched to journalism; subsequently, most of his career was connected with Berlin. But he also published materials on the Soviet Union (Pulitzer Prize 1931), the Italo-Ethiopian War, the Spanish Civil War, the Sino-Japanese War, the annexation of Austria, and the Munich Agreement. He reported on the Battle of Britain and the War in the Pacific: he died in a plane crash in Bombay in 1949. Knickerbocker visited Jung in Küsnacht in October 1938, having come directly from Prague, where he had witnessed the collapse of Czechoslovakia. This interview, one of Jung's longest, was published in the Hearst International-Cosmopolitan of January 1939 and, in slightly modified form, was included in Knickerbocker's book Tomorrow is Hitler? (1941). This publication is based on an article from Kosmopolitan, from which any other material other than questions and answers has been excluded. The same issue of the magazine featured a biographical sketch of Jung written by Elizabeth Shapley Sergent. These articles from Cosmopolitan made Jung a household name in the United States. Knickerbocker: What would happen if Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were all locked up and given a loaf of bread and a jug of water for a week? Will someone get everything or will they split the bread and water? Jung: I doubt they will share.
Memoirs of a Caucasian officer
Tornau F.F.: Moscow, Friendship of Peoples, 1996
Tornau Fedor Fedorovich (1810-1890) - baron, colonel of the General Staff. A representative of a family that originated from Pomerania and dates back to the half of the 15th century, he studied at the Noble boarding school at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, after which he entered military service and participated in the war of 1828 against the Turks, in the “Polish campaign” of 1831, in the battles in the Caucasus and etc. For two years, Tornau was captured by the Kabardians. From 1856 (to 1873) he served as a Russian military agent in Vienna and was a member of the military-scientific committee. Tornau is also known as the author of a number of memoirs ("Memoirs of a Caucasian Officer", "Memoirs of the 1829 Campaign in European Turkey", "From Vienna to Carlsbad", etc.). Information about Tornau is available in the "Encyclopedic Dictionary" of F. Brockhaus and I. Efron (vol. 33-a, 1901, p. 639), in the magazine "Russian Antiquity" (1890, book seven), in the book "Review" by D. Yazykov life and works of Russian writers and writers" (issue 10, M., 1907, p. 76). This version of the memoirs of F.F. Tornau is a magazine version, very truncated. As for the book in its entirety, the first edition is F. F. Tornau’s “Memoirs of a Caucasian Officer.” - M., 1865; last - F.F. Tornau. Memoirs of a Caucasian officer. - M.: AIRO-XX, 2000 (368 pp.).
A little bit of Finland
Kuprin, A.I. January 1908
On one side of the carriage a red, hummocky, snowy swamp stretches endlessly, on the other there is a low, dense pine forest, and so on for more than half a day. Outside Beloostrov it is already difficult to understand Russian. By noon the train passes along bare granite masses, and we are in Helsingfors. So close to St. Petersburg, and now - a real European city. From the station we go out onto a wide square, the size of half the Champs of Mars. To the left is a massive gray granite building that looks a bit like a Gothic church. This is a new Finnish theater. To the right is the strictly maintained national Atheneum. We are located in the very heart of the city. We go uphill along Michelsgatan. Since the street is narrow, and the houses on it are four or five stories high, it seems a little dark, but nevertheless it makes an elegant and respectable impression. Most of the buildings are Art Nouveau, but with a Gothic touch. House facades without cornices or ornaments; The windows are located asymmetrically; they are often framed on all four sides with a smooth stone plinth, as if inserted into a stone passe-partout. At the corners of the building there are semicircular towers, above them, as well as above the attic windows, there are pointed roofs. In front of the main entrance there is a loggia, something like a deep cave of dark granite, with massive doors decorated with red copper, and with electric lanterns, an ancient, medieval form, in the form of boxes of wavy bubble glass. The street crowd is cultured and knows the right side well. The asphalt sidewalks are wide, the city people are slender, modestly dapper and helpfully polite, the cab drivers wear blue coats with white metal buttons, there is no shouting or fuss, no peddlers or beggars. It's nice to see children in this crowd.
Cueva de las Manos
Cueva de las Manos. Some time between 11,000 and 7,500 BC.
The Cueva de las Manos in Patagonia (Argentina), a cave or a series of caves, is best known for its assemblage of cave art executed between 11,000 and 7,500 BC. The name of “Cueva de las Manos” stands for “Cave of Hands” in Spanish. It comes from its most famous images - numerous paintings of hands, left ones predominantly. The images of hands are negative painted or stencilled. There are also depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), rheas, still commonly found in the region, geometric shapes, zigzag patterns, representations of the sun and hunting scenes like naturalistic portrayals of a variety of hunting techniques, including the use of bolas.
Letter to N.V. Gogol, July 15, 1847
Belinsky V.G. / N.V. Gogol in Russian criticism: Sat. Art. - M.: State. published artist lit. - 1953. - P. 243-252.
You are only partly right in seeing an angry person in my article: this epithet is too weak and gentle to express the state into which reading your book brought me. But you are not at all right in attributing this to your really not entirely flattering reviews of the admirers of your talent. No, there was a more important reason. The offended feeling of pride can still be endured, and I would have the sense to remain silent about this subject if the whole point was only about it; but one cannot bear the insulted feeling of truth, human dignity; one cannot remain silent when, under the cover of religion and the protection of the whip, lies and immorality are preached as truth and virtue. Yes, I loved you with all the passion with which a person, vitally connected with his country, can love its hope, honor, glory, one of its great leaders on the path of consciousness, development, progress. And you had a good reason to leave your calm state of mind, even for a minute, having lost the right to such love. I say this not because I consider my love to be the reward of great talent, but because, in this regard, I represent not one, but many persons, of which neither you nor I have seen the largest number and who, in turn, We've never seen you either. I am not able to give you the slightest idea of the indignation that your book aroused in all noble hearts, nor of the cry of wild joy that all your enemies - both literary ones (the Chichikovs, Nozdryovs, Mayors, etc.) issued from afar, when it appeared. . etc.), and non-literary ones whose names you know.
The voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin, 1839
Preface I have stated in the preface to the first Edition of this work, and in the Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle, that it was in consequence of a wish expressed by Captain Fitz Roy, of having some scientific person on board, accompanied by an offer from him of giving up part of his own accommodations, that I volunteered my services, which received, through the kindness of the hydrographer, Captain Beaufort, the sanction of the Lords of the Admiralty. As I feel that the opportunities which I enjoyed of studying the Natural History of the different countries we visited, have been wholly due to Captain Fitz Roy, I hope I may here be permitted to repeat my expression of gratitude to him; and to add that, during the five years we were together, I received from him the most cordial friendship and steady assistance. Both to Captain Fitz Roy and to all the Officers of the Beagle I shall ever feel most grateful for the undeviating kindness with which I was treated during our long voyage. This volume contains, in the form of a Journal, a history of our voyage, and a sketch of those observations in Natural History and Geology, which I think will possess some interest for the general reader. I have in this edition largely condensed and corrected some parts, and have added a little to others, in order to render the volume more fitted for popular reading; but I trust that naturalists will remember, that they must refer for details to the larger publications which comprise the scientific results of the Expedition.
Constitution (Basic Law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Adopted at the extraordinary seventh session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the ninth convocation on October 7, 1977
The Great October Socialist Revolution, carried out by the workers and peasants of Russia under the leadership of the Communist Party led by V.I. Lenin, overthrew the power of capitalists and landowners, broke the shackles of oppression, established the dictatorship of the proletariat and created the Soviet state - a new type of state, the main weapon for defending revolutionary gains , building socialism and communism. The world-historical turn of humanity from capitalism to socialism began. Having won the civil war and repelled imperialist intervention, the Soviet government carried out profound socio-economic transformations and put an end to the exploitation of man by man, class antagonism and national enmity. The unification of the Soviet republics into the USSR increased the strength and capabilities of the peoples of the country in building socialism. Public ownership of the means of production and true democracy for the working masses were established. For the first time in human history, a socialist society was created. A striking manifestation of the power of socialism was the unfading feat of the Soviet people and their Armed Forces, which won a historic victory in the Great Patriotic War. This victory strengthened the authority and international position of the USSR and opened up new favorable opportunities for the growth of the forces of socialism, national liberation, democracy and peace throughout the world. Continuing their creative activities, the working people of the Soviet Union ensured the rapid and comprehensive development of the country and the improvement of the socialist system. The alliance of the working class, the collective farm peasantry and the people's intelligentsia, and the friendship of the nations and nationalities of the USSR were strengthened.
Through the hell of the Russian revolution. Memoirs of a midshipman. 1914–1919
Nikolai Reden: Through the hell of the Russian revolution. Memoirs of a midshipman. 1914-1919
The most interesting memories of a man with a very extraordinary fate. One simple listing of the main events of Nicholas Reden’s youth and youth is impressive: the beginning of the Great War and the “escape” from the gymnasium to the front, the February Revolution, Petrograd in 1917, the Bolshevik coup, participation in a secret officer organization, arrest and escape, illegal crossing to Finland , arrival in Estonia and participation in battles as part of the North-Western Army. Nikolai Reden remains with the army until the tragic end of the campaign against Petrograd, then the internment of the army in Estonia, sailing to Denmark on the "Whaler", meetings with the Dowager Empress and finally emigration to the United States. There, a new, American stage of his life begins for Nikolai. Nikolai Reden had to go through incredible trials, see the life of the bearish corners of Russia, get to know the prison and appreciate the beauty of will. When the revolution broke out, the young midshipman found himself in a hostile environment in his country. He crossed the border into Finland and fought as part of the White Army in Estonia. After defeating the Whites with a group of young naval officers on a stolen ship, he made the transition to Copenhagen. More than once the young man had to be on the verge of life and death. Fate protected Reden; after going through many trials, he managed to find a new homeland and not forget that he belonged to the people of a country with a tragic but great history.
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