| 翻訳と辞書 |
G7e torpedo
The G7e or more appropriately the G7e/T2, G7e/T3, and G7e/T4 Falke torpedoes were, with the exception of the T4 model, the standard torpedoes for Germany during World War II. All of the G7e models shared standardized dimensions for all German torpedoes designed for use by U-boats during World War II, they measured 53.3 cm (21 inches) in diameter, 7.16 m in length, and carried a ''Schießwolle 36'' (a mixture of explosives) warhead of 280 kg. All were powered by 100 hp (75 kW) electric motors and lead-acid batteries which needed constant maintenance to maintain their reliability. Additionally, the batteries of these torpedoes needed to be preheated to a temperature of 30 °C (85 °F) to operate with maximum speed and range, though generally this was a non-issue as U-boats had the element of surprise and often had the advantage of firing the first shot.
==G7e/T2==
The T2 model of the G7e was in service with German U-boat fleets from the first day of World War II. In stark contrast with the G7a steam-driven torpedo, the T2 left no visible stream of bubbles to alert ships that they were under attack, and was virtually silent; however, these were the T2's only advantages over the G7a torpedo. In all other respects, the T2 was barely functional and performed abysmally when compared to the G7a. Its range was much less than the G7a's at only 3000 m, and it ran much slower at .
Poor range and speed were not the T2's only problems. Both of its detonators were very flawed. The magnetic influence mechanism, designed to allow the torpedo to run under the keel of a ship and detonate, breaking the ship's back, was completely inconsistent; often a T2 would detonate prematurely, or not at all. In the first engagement between a U-boat and a capital ship in the war, accurately fired three magnetically fused T3s at , all of which detonated prematurely without effect and exposed her position to the British force, which promptly sank her. This led the BdU to order that all G7e/T2 torpedoes be fired only for contact detonation. However, the contact pistol of the T2 was miserably flawed as well; the British battleship HMS ''Nelson'' managed to narrowly survive almost certain destruction when three perfectly targeted, impact-fused T2s from struck simultaneously on her keel and broke themselves without detonating. Captain Wilhelm Zahn of U-56 was so depressed by the evident futility of his efforts that he needed to be briefly relieved of duty by Admiral Karl Dönitz in order to compose himself, while the civilian Naval Ordnance Corps, responsible for torpedo development and maintenance, continued to insist the U-boat captains were somehow at fault. Estimates of the failure rate of T2 torpedoes for one reason or another range between 20% and 40%, a staggeringly negligent figure considering the centrality of the torpedo to the U-boat's effectiveness, the criticality of the U-boats to the Battle of the Atlantic, and the requirement of winning the commerce war at sea in order to have any hope of defeating Britain in a prolonged war. Because of the complicated politics of the powerful German military-industrial establishment (exacerbated by the internecine conflicts so common to Hitler's Germany), no one was ever held accountable or punished for these failures.
Nevertheless, the German Navy, after many recriminations and counter-recriminations along with much prodding by German U-boat Command (BdU), eventually admitted and (grudgingly) invested resources into correcting the T2's flaws. Gradually it was improved, and by the end of the Norwegian Campaign problems with the contact exploder and depth-keeping gear had been mostly solved, with significant strides made in improving the magnetic proximity feature. At the same time, the T2's range was increased from 3000 m to 5000 m and eventually 7500 m. By that time, however, the T2 was already being phased out of production.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
■ウィキペディアで「G7e torpedo」の詳細全文を読む
スポンサード リンク
| 翻訳と辞書 : 翻訳のためのインターネットリソース |
Copyright(C) kotoba.ne.jp 1997-2016. All Rights Reserved.
|
|