35-002 GERMAN MINI SUBMARINE "MARDER"

Marder (German: marten) is a German miniature submarine, actually a live torpedo from the Second World War. The first vehicles of this type began entering service in 1944. Their displacement was 3.2 tons and the length reached 8.3 m. The maximum speed did not exceed 4 knots, and they were armed with a single 533 mm G7e torpedo. The construction of the Marder was based on another German live torpedo called the Neger. However, compared to the original, the immersion depth was increased to 30 meters and efforts were made to improve the controllability of the weapon. Basically, the gun consisted of two torpedoes, the upper one serving as the control compartment and the lower one serving as the "warhead". Marder torpedoes were used in combat in the Mediterranean and the English Channel, but they were not very successful due to the occurrence of technical defects, poor tactics of their use and effective counter measures used by the Allies.