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| The Real Thing |
Neger was a
German torpedo-carrying craft generally described as a
human torpedo which
could not submerge, but was difficult to see during night operations. The
vessel was used by the
Kriegsmarine between
1943 and 1945. The name was taken from the constructor of the manned torpedo,
Richard Mohr (
Mohr is German for Moor (= North African native), and
Neger the
German word for
"negro").
Richard Mohr designed a craft based on th
e G7e torpedo. The
Neger sported a spartan cockpit covered by a perspex dome where the warhead would have been. It had sufficient positive buoyancy to run awash while supporting a second
G7e, with warhead, slung below. The vessel had a range of
48 nautical miles at 4 knots and displaced 2.7 tons. The pilot navigated via a wrist compass and air was provided through a
Dräger self-contained breathing device. The pilot aimed his weapon by lining up an aiming spike on the nose with a graduated scale on the dome. Subsequently, a second aiming spike was added closer to the dome. It, however, made little difference as water washing over the dome made visibility extremely poor. A simple lever in the cockpit irreversibly started the
torpedo and released it.
Though not designed as a suicide weapon, the
Neger would frequently become one when the
torpedo started running but failed to release, and carried the craft and its pilot toward the target.
About 200 vessels of this type were manufactured in 1944. The first
Neger vessels entered service in
March 1944. However, the
Neger turned out to be very hazardous for its crew, and up to
80% of the crews were killed. In return one cruiser, one destroyer, and three
Catherine Class BAMS minesweepers were sunk in
1944 with the weapon. The first
Negers entered service on
March 1944 and the first mission took place on the night of
April 20 and 21 1944. Thirty
Negers were launched against
Allied ships berthed in
Anzio.
Only 17 of them managed to deploy, with the other
13 capsizing upon reaching the water. Three failed to return and up until then, the
Allies had no knowledge of this new unusual weapon. None had made any successful attacks. -
Wikipedia
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| A Really Bad Place To Be... |
O Neger era um
submarino torpedeiro alemão, com apenas
um tripulante, geralmente descrito como um
"torpedo-humano", que não submergia, mas era
difícil de ser detectado em missões noturnas. Ele foi usado pela
Marinha Alemã entre os anos de
1943 e 1945. O seu nome foi tirado do construtor do torpedo tripulado,
Richard Mohr (Mohr é o alemão para Moor = Nativo Norte-Africano), e
neger é a palavra
alemã para
Negro.
Richard Mohr desenhou este submarino baseando-se no torpedo
G7e, com uma ogiva, ou seja, o
torpedo com carga explosiva,
fixado abaixo do mini-submarino. Este mini tinha um
alcance de 48 milhas náuticas à 4 nós e tinha um deslocamento de 2,7 toneladas. O piloto se
guiava por uma bússola de pulso e o ar vinha de um
"Drager", uma espécie de
respirador autônomo rudimentar. A
mira do piloto era feita através de
marcas pré-definidas pintadas no domo. Isso pouco ajudava, pois a
visibilidade era péssima, com a água turva batendo na cúpula por todos os lados, além disso,
qualquer movimento brusco na pequena cabine,
ativava o torpedo, não sendo possível abortar o lançamento. Apesar de
não ter sido feito para ataques suicídas, muitas vezes o
torpedo não se desconectava do submarino, levando ambos, mais o infeliz piloto, de encontro ao alvo.
Cerca de 200 Negers foram construídos em 1944. Ele acabou tornando-se
um dos mais mortais equipamentos de guerra, mas infelizmente, para a própria Marinha Alemã, já que mais de
80% de seus tripulantes morreram à bordo de um desses modelos. como prova de sua ineficácia, apenas um
Cruzador, um Destróier e três navios caça-minas dos aliados foram afundados pelo
Neger em todo o ano de
1944. O projeto acabou sendo abandonado.
Link: German.Human.Torpedo.Neger.by.Renova.Model.Download.Page
Link: German.Human.Torpedo.Neger.by.Renova.Model.Gallery.Page
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