Marder (submarine)

Marder on display at the Bundeswehr Military History Museum
General characteristics
Length:	8.3 m (27 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam:	0.533 m (21 in)
Propulsion:	AEG-AV 76 Eto, 12 metric horsepower (8.8 kW; 12 shp)
Speed:	3.2–4.2 kn (5.9–7.8 km/h; 3.7–4.8 mph)
Test depth:	40 m (130 ft)
Complement:	1
Armament:	1 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo

The Marder was a German miniature submarine developed from the Neger.^[1] The craft was 8.3 metres long and unlike the Neger included a flooding tank in the nose allowing it to dive.^[1] Another improvement was the dome through which the pilot viewed the outside world that also served as the craft’s entrance and exit was made openable from the inside.^[1] Maximum diving depth was about 25 metres.^[2]

The submarine’s first operations took place on the night of August 2, 1944, when Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine's Small Battle Units made their largest effort of the war. 58 human torpedoes^[3] of the Neger-type and 22 Linse vessels were launched against allied shipping off Normandy as part of a combined operation with Negers and explosive Linse boats.^[1] One Royal Navy destroyer escort, HMS Quorn (L66) was sunk by a human torpedo along with one mineweeper, the HMS Gairsay and one Landing Craft by the German motor-boats; at a cost of 41 Neger and 22 Linsen craft.^[3]

References

1. Paterson, Lawrence (2006). Weapons of Desperation German Frogmen and Midget Submarines of World war II. Chatham Publishing. pp. 49–51. ISBN 978-1-86176-279-5.
2. Kemp, Paul (1996). Underwater Warriors. Arms & Armour Press. pp. 186–188. ISBN 1-85409-228-6.
3. Brown p. 116

Bibliography

• Brown, David. Warship Losses of World War Two. Arms and Armour, London, Great Britain, 1990. ISBN 0-85368-802-8.
• Prenatt, Jamie (2014). Axis Midget Submarines : 1939-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781472801227.