The G7e or more appropriately the G7e/T2, G7e/T3, and G7e/T4 Falke torpedos were, with the exception of the T4 model, the standard torpedos for Germany during WWII. All of the G7e models shared standardized dimensions for all German torpedos designed for use by U-Boats during WWII, they measured 53cm (21in) in diameter, 7.16m in length, and carried a warhead of 280kg. All were powered by 100hp electric motors and lead-acid batteries which needed constant maintenance to maintain their reliability. Additionally, the batteries of these torpedos needed to be preheated to a temperature of 30C (86F) to operate with maximum speed and range, generally this was a nonissue as U-Boats had the element of surprise and often had the advantage of firing the first shot. A modern torpedo, historically called a self-propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Four double-A batteries In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. ...

G7e/T2

The T2 model of the G7e was in service with German U-Boat fleets from the first day of WWII. In stark contrast with the G7a steam driven torpedo, the T2 left no visible stream of bubbles to alert ships they were under attack, and was virtually silent. However, these were the T2's only advantages over the G7a torpedo. The T2 in all other respects preformed abysmally when compared to the G7a. Its range was much shorter than the G7a's at only 3000m, and it ran much slower at 30kts. The G7a or G7a/T1 torpedo was the standard issue torpedo for Germany during the early years of WWII. The torpedo was of standard German specifications for all U-Boat torpedos of the war at 54cm (21in) in diameter, 7. ...

Poor range and speed were not the T2's only problems. Both of its exploders were terribly 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 totally inconsistent; often a T2 would detonate prematurely, or not at all. This lead the BdU to order all G7e/T2 torpedos be fired only for contact detonation. However, the contact pistol of the T2 often did not work, either. The depth-keeping equipment of the T2 often failed as well, leading T2s to miss their targets by running too deeply under a target. Estimates of the failure rate of T2 torpedos for one reason or another range between 20% and 40%. The abbreviation BDU may refer to: Battle dress uniform, United States combat uniforms. ...

However, the German Navy, after much prodding by German Sub Command (BdU), poured resources into correcting the T2's flaws. Gradually, it improved, and by the end of the Norwegian Campaign problems with the contact exploder and depth-keeping gear had been solved, as well as significant strides made in improving the magnetic proximity feature. At the same time, the T2's range was increased from 3000m to 5000m and eventually 7500m. By that time, however, the T2 was already being phased out of production. The abbreviation BDU may refer to: Battle dress uniform, United States combat uniforms. ...

G7e/T3

Improvements in the design of the G7e/T2 lead directly into the production of the next model of electric torpedo for Germany's U-Boat fleet. Introduced in 1942, the T3 represented a vast improvement over the early war technology of the T2. The faulty firing mechanisms of the T2 were scrapped in favor of the newly developed equipment made in response to the poor performance of the T2.

The T3 had an endurance up to 5000m and its electric engine developed 30kts of speed. With the combined performance characteristics of the T3 and the improved firing triggers, the G7a steam torpedo was totally superseded and rarely used through the remainder of the war. Using the T3's perfected proximity fuse, U-Boat captains could effectively run torpedos under the keel of a ship and break the back of their targets with a single torpedo, increasing the overall effectiveness of the U-Boat fleet. The T3 could be fitted with both the FAT and LUT pattern running systems for convoy attacks.

Though many opportunities had been missed due to the defectiveness of the T2 torpedo, with the new T3 U-Boats became deadlier, stealthier, and more survivable than they had ever been.

G7e/T4 "Falke"

The T4 Model was the adjunct of the earlier T3 model in nearly every way. However, this was no ordinary straight running "dumb" torpedo, but the world's first acoustic homing torpedo. It ran at 20kts for 7500m and was introduced in March of 1943.

In early 1933, Germany started development and testing of acoustic homing mechanisms for torpedos. From the outset of submarine warfare, it had been a dream to be able to aim and fire torpedos without the aid of a periscope. First, because the periscope gives away the location of a submarine, and second, because a hull-penetrating periscope greatly weakens a submarine's pressure hull and limits the depths to which it can dive. U-Boats also had to come to very shallow depths to use their periscopes, generally about 15m, leaving them greatly exposed to bombing, depth charging, and even gunfire.

With the invention of Falke, U-Boats could remain more deeply submerged and fire at convoys with nothing to give away their position but the noise of their screws. As rather than aiming with a periscope, the torpedo could be roughly aimed at a sound contact as detected by a U-Boat's hydrophones, and the homing mechanism could be trusted to find the target without the need for precise aiming.

Falke worked much like a normal straight running torpedo for the first 400m of its run, whence its acoustic sensors became active and searched for a target. The sensitive sound sensing equipment in the Falke required the torpedo be as quite as possible, hence it ran at only 20kts; in addition, the firing U-Boat was forced to stop its motors. The Falke was set to lock on to merchant targets however, so the Falke's slow speed was not a great hindrance.

Falke is only recorded to have been fired in anger from three U-Boats, U-603, U-758, and U-221. Though attacks with Falke where regarded as successful, resulting in the sinking of several merchants, and the performance of the torpedo satisfactory, Falke was rapidly phased out of service. It was replaced by the G7s/T5 "Zaunkönig" (referred to by the Allies as GNAT, for German Naval Acoustical Torpedo) which was faster, and better able to lock onto the sound of fast moving warships as well as merchant traffic.

Though its service was brief, Falke was a proof of concept for the acoustic homing torpedo. It was also a year ahead of Allied technology in the same field. In fact, it would not be until the capture of U-505 and her G7s/T5 "Zaunkönig" torpedoes the Allies would manage to perfect their own acoustic torpedo. Aside from the Enigma machine, the G7s/T5 was arguably the most valuable asset aboard U-505 as it would help the development of the sub killing FIDO torpedo that would sink 68 U-Boats. Unterseeboot 505 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine, captured by the United States Navy in 1944, and presently a museum ship in Chicago, Illinois. ...