W7203 NEGER

The Neger is a German miniature submarine, actually a live torpedo from the Second World War. The first vehicles of this type began entering service in the first half of 1944. Their weight was 2.7 tons, their length was up to 7.6 m. Their maximum speed did not exceed a few knots, and they were armed with a single 533 mm G7e torpedo. The Neger was developed in March-April 1944 in the city of Eckernforde in northern Germany at a torpedo plant for the Kriegsmarine by engineer Richard Mohr. Basically, the gun consisted of two torpedoes, the upper one serving as the control compartment and the lower one serving as the "warhead". The first, not very successful, combat use of Neger torpedoes took place during the Allied landing at Anzio in April 1944. Neger torpedoes were also used in combat on the English Channel, during the Normandy landings, but their actions also did not bring any spectacular effects. One of their major successes was the serious damage to the Polish cruiser ORP Dragon. The Neger torpedoes had a number of disadvantages - first of all, the ventilation system worked terrible in them, besides, they were devoid of navigational devices, and above all, they worked most often on the surface, which greatly facilitated their tracking and destruction.