Any advantage to using air torpedoes?
 

Since electric torpedoes are available from the outset, I have always used them as they are invisible.

Aside from the longer range and faster speed, is there any destructive advantage of the air torpedoes?

I always try and shoot from inside 2000 m, so the range is no advantage to me.

I tend to keep gas/steam eels in the rear tube 'til the falke's appear, I have more success hitting chasing ASW vessels with them at full speed.

I think it's speed vs. stealth with air and electric torpedoes.

With faster air torp target vessel's course and speed changes have less effect on scoring a hit. But in calm seas during day time air torp leaves very visible wake.

I usually have two of kind in my front tubes and tend to shoot electrics during day. But personally I prefer air torps; more reliable they say.

I too run a mixed bag when it comes to torpidos. The range and speed of the steem torpidos comes in handy at times. Even with the bubble trail they can be quite useful during the day. At ranges under 1km the speed can render most evasive manuvers useless and if you shoot them at extreem ranges even at slow speeds they generaly don't see them coming until it is too late. In my experiance it is the parascope that gives you away more so than torpido trails more often than not.

If you use the steem torpidos only at night, or dawn and dusk I have found are equaly as advantagious, the trail is of little conciquence. In the end I like to keep a handful of every type of torpidos I can get my hands on. Some strait runers, both electric and steem, for direct engagments, some patern runers for convoy and task force runs and even some acoustic seekers if I have the room. You never know what situation you are going to run into out there so it is best to have a tools that can fit every situation.

The steam torpedoes were actualy more reliable, and a better overall torpedo.
There biggest drawback was that they were not as highly mass-producable as the electrics.
(Officialy, BDU wanted them reserved for night attacks when possible).

Only steam torpedoes can be carried externaly.

If you are driving a VII(A) or IX(A), the stern tubes are external, and must be loaded with G7As (Steam). These external tubes are not reloadable.

From 1940 on my normal loadout is.
Everything in the stern is Steam.
Tubes 1, 2, 4: Electric.
Tube 3: Steam.
The Bow Reloads copy what's in the tubes, plus one each Steam, and Electric.
(I don't carry externals).

I prefer steam over electric. Only because I have more selection options for speed and when you've got to try and time hits its best to have more options.

With Falkirion on the steam eels. I do like them a lot for the speed factor, and if I play my cards right I can see fair success in using them during daylight hours. They are much more effective at night or very poor visibility, though.

I force the electrics on myself, but like you, I have a strong preference for steam.
It raises the challenge and realism a-bit for me. Trying to save "the good stuff" (steam) for the right job can realy keep things interesting.

Most of the time my attacks are in bad weather during the day, or bad weather/good weather at night. I'm so stealthy that I penetrate convoy screens with ease (My current career is late 1940) so firing off steam eels is better for me in that situation.

But for high value targets I'll put out the electrics first followed for by my steams. My rear tubes are dedicated steam tubes though, saved my ass when I attacked close in to an island and nailed the DD stalking me.

Aye, electric eels are good to have in the rear.

Let them close in and send one under their bow at the last minute.

Their speed!
Even late war i prefer good old reliable compressed air torps, fired from anything under 1000m at 45kts the target has little chance to avoid them.

I think Flackmonky said it perfectly. The steam torpidos are perfect for short ranged high speed engagements, day or night. Though if you survive long enuf to get the type three electric torpidos the need for a long range high speed torpido falls off a bit.

I think it all comes down to the old hammer analogy: When all you have is a hammer all your problems begin to look like nails. I say bring a hammer for every kind of nail you think you might come in contact withl; after all they wouldn't have made so many kinds of torpidos if there wasn't a need for each of them. Say what you will about the Germans but they are effeciant when it comes to design engenering.

I tend to shoot from 1000 meters or less (500 is best) so I set them for fast, and the target usually doesn't have time to react.

So steam is an advantage for me too.

I'm not sure if the high failure rate of the T2 is modeled in game, but from my experience so far I trust the T1 more.

As far as accuracy goes, the visibility of the wake is offset by the higher speed at most ranges against all but the most nimble targets... and for bagging destroyers trying to kill me I need a functioning magnetic pistol. The wake also helps the learning experience - I see exactly how I messed up (100% realism).

Early in the war, I like 1 electric torpedo in bow tube number 2, with one more as a reload for the times when I absolutely need stealth. In a type Type IX, 1 stern tube will also carry one.
Once the T3 is available, I only use steam torpedos for external reloads.

it's a bit off, but as it was mentioned before:
what are the differences from TII to TIII?
when upgrading in-game there aren't many useful informations about that issue?!