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Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
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Originally Posted by Barkhorn1x
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Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
I'd say yes, the German torpedo problems were every bit as bad as the Americans'.
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But their response to them was way better. |
Not really, and that was my point. They didn't solve the depth-keeping problems until mid-1941, so it took more than a year; and they didn't have magnetic pistols from 1940 until early 1943. The went through many of the same arguments, including the design people saying it wasn't their fault and the torpedoes simply couldn't have those problems.
I'll have the book with me tomorrow and will give some direct quotes. |
The devil is in the details. :p You are right - for the most part*** - and I stand corrected.
From this page:
http://uboat.net/history/torpedo_crisis.htm
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A commission was set up in mid-April to investigate the case thoroughly. The commission came out with a comprehensive report in late July, which placed a considerable blame on the Torpedo Department. The TD, it was found, had supplied the boats with the new magnetic firing pistol with four-blade propellers before it had undergone the necessary trials. Consequently, the personnel of the Torpedo Experimental Institute responsible for that SNAFU were court-martialed and sentenced to prison terms. Although the negligence of the Institute had been established, it was not until February 1942 that the U-Bootwaffe got to the heart of the matter.
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...and:
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In December 1942, well into the war, a new, improved magnetic pistol was introduced which also functioned on contact. It proved very efficient. Until then, writes Dönitz, "the effectiveness of our torpedoes was no greater than it had been during the First World War" (94).
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So - the problem was identified and fixed over a period of approx. 28 months - figuring from the start of the war.
And the US torp. problem existed till about August of '43 - or 21 months from the start of the war for the US.
***I do offer one caveat however - and that is fact that the US Navy higherarchy knew that both the Germans and the English had withdrawn their magnetic pistols due to operational issues. This should have been a signal for thorough field testing - especially in light of the dismal results achieved on so many patrols with the Mark XIV. Alas, hubris whispered in senior US Admiral ears that these issues just could not be happening to "our" superior pistols.
