German G7e Torpedo 1940 (Work-in-Progress)

The German G7e electric torpedo was probably the widest used torpedo arming the U-boat fleet during WWI. The original designs for an electric torpedo date back to 1916, and a production version was due to enter service in early 1919, but the end of the Great War and terms of the Versailles Treaty prevented Germany from manufacturing torpedo until 1935. Electric torpedoes, although slower and having a shorter range than an air-heater design, were cheaper and easier to build. At the start of WWII, Germany was working on a large number of different designs and propulsion systems, including hydrogen peroxide, battery and enhanced oxygen torpedoes. The principal design was the G7a - a conventional 7m long ’whitehead’ air driven wet heater capable of 45 knots for a range of 5,000m, but this model was expensive to build and required highly skilled workers. The Electric version used used many of the same parts - gyro, depth control, warhead and pistol/exploder. However, it was only capable of 30 knots for a ra