U-boat Marder, a Kriegsmarine Midget Submarine


The Marder or “Pine Marten” was not designed as a mature Midget Submarine class like the Molch or the Seehund, but as a manned torpedo. This midget submarine was an advanced design based on the “Neger” submarine. Although the Marders had limited success, the pilots considered them as suicide vessels, often taking Pervitin, a powerful amphetamine before a mission.

Marder Midget Submarine with G7e torpedo
Marder Midget Submarine with G7e torpedo on display at the Bundeswehr Military History Museum Dresden – photo 2015
Marder mini submarine Waalhaven Rotterdam 1946
Marder mini submarine and G7e torpedo left in German Schnellboot bunker in the Waalhaven, Rotterdam in 1946. – photo courtesy NIMH
Marder mini submarine Waalhaven Rotterdam 1946
View of the nose of the Marder mini submarine left in German Schnellboot bunker in Waalhaven, Rotterdam in 1946. – photo courtesy NIMH

Specifications

It was a 5,5 ton vessel with a 360 degree view plexiglas cockpit and about 8 meters long and half a meter wide. While the Neger could not fully submerge, the Marder could reach a depth of 30 meters although it could not stay submerged for a long period. The Marder lacked a periscope, instead the pilot sat in front under the Plexiglas dome giving a view of its surroundings. The Marder had a compass inside the dome for navigation. The pilot wore a rubber suit and used an oxygen mask to avoid carbon dioxide poisoning.

Mader U-Boat plexiglas cockpit
Detail of the Marder Midget Submarine plexiglas cockpit – photo 2015
Marder submarine in Dresen Military History Musuem
The Marder Midget Submarine tail fin – photo 2015
Marder manned topedo
Marder manned topedo

Underneath the vessel one G7e torpedo was attached, after firing the torpedo the pilot could come back to port with the top compartment. Submerged it had a speed of almost 3 km/h, on the surface it could reach 3,5 km/h. It’s operational range was about 55 kilometers, due to its limited reach and diving depth it only saw action in the Mediterranean and the English Channel.

Marder Midget Submarine
Marder Midget Submarine
Marder sub in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr
Marder sub in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr

Operational history

The Marder entered service in 1944. It’s first action was on the night between 2 and 3 Augustus 1944, when a group of 58 mixed Neger and Marder manned torpedo’s of the Kriegsmarine attacked the invasion shipping at Coureulles-sur-Mer, France. The manned torpedo’s sank an Allied liberty ship, a mine sweeper and a destroyer and damaged a cruiser and transport ship during the attack. But the toll on the midget submarines was arguable, only 17 of the 58 returned to port.

Marder Mini Submarine
Marder Mini Submarine
Marder U-boat
Marder U-boat

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