![]() ![]() There were a large range of micro and midget sub projects in Germany, everything from the Neger (a manned torpedo, carrying an unmanned torpedo under it) and its derivatives to the Molch, Biber, Hecht and finally Seehund (true midget submarines). And, like so many others, the vast quantities of designs trialled and produced didn’t quite add up to results that bore out the effort expended. Midget craft, though, were a particular obsession, it seems. From the giant Type XXI ocean-going killers to their little “brown water brothers” the Type XXIII, German submarine interests covered quite the range of machines. Given Germany’s lead in U-Boat technology and employment, it’s no surprise that the High Command was keen to evolve that capability in all directions. One of the things that the German Navy was big on was midget subs. The Kriegsmarine (Navy) had their share of hang-ups, too… It’s not fair, though, to just throw the prize for “Most Obsessive Service” to the RLM and Luftwaffe without considering the other German ministries and armed forces. I mean, who else wanted their strategic bombers to dive-bomb? Ever see a B-29 or B-17 dive-bomb? There’s a reason for that. As for dive bombing, it was the operational version of Frank’s Red Hot – the RLM put that S#!t on EVERYTHING. Even after the pedestrian (at best) performance of the Bf-110 in the Battle of Britain, the RLM continued to advocate for newer, better Zerstoerer craft, including those using mixed and jet propulsion. ![]() Perfect examples of this are the RLM’s fixation on the “Zerstoerer” (heavy fighter) class of aircraft and dive-bombing. However, they also tended to get obsessed with key military ideas or concepts, usually taking them too far or holding them too dear to be useful in the long term. This went far beyond political ideas, and I don’t want to spiral down that road anyway. Wartime Germany, replete with political infighting and empire building that would make a Caesar blush, had a tendency to be fixated on, and obsessed with, numerous ideas. Obsessions are powerful things, and generally, they tend to lead to negative, or at least suboptimal, outcomes for the person, people or organization obsessed. ![]()
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