KLEINKAMPFBÄNDE BIBER "GERMAN MIDGET SUBMARINE"

Biber (German: beaver) is the name of a class of German miniature submarines from the Second World War. Units of this type were built in 1944. The Biber-type unit was 9 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, with a displacement of 6.5 tons, and could reach a maximum underwater speed of 6.5 knots. It was armed with two 533 mm G7e torpedoes or sea mines. The Biber class ships were built at the shipyard Lübecker Flenderwerken in Lübeck, and their origin is closely related to the extraction and exploration of the British Welman-class ship by the Germans. Based on this captured unit, in March 1944, the first, still prototype, Biber ship was developed, and in May of the same year - after the necessary tests and trials - mass production started. The units were dedicated to fighting enemy coastal shipping and for this reason they had a rather limited range and sea bravery. Also, the immersion depth - 20 meters - was not stunning. The unit also had other disadvantages: attacks had to be made from short distances due to very poor visibility from inside the ship, and the crew consisted of only one person, which led to a very quick fatigue of the crew. It is estimated that approximately 330 Biber units were built.