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Biber

101k Blyatnov  2.0 years ago

The Biber (German for "beaver") was a German midget submarine of the Second World War. Armed with two externally mounted 53-centimetre (21 in) torpedoes or mines, they were intended to attack coastal shipping. They were the smallest submarines in the Kriegsmarine.

The Biber was hastily developed to help meet the threat of an Allied invasion of Europe. This resulted in basic technical flaws that, combined with the inadequate training of their operators, meant they never posed a real threat to Allied shipping, despite 324 submarines being delivered. One of the class's few successes was the sinking of the cargo ship Alan A. Dale.Several survive in museums, including one in operational condition.

General Characteristics

  • Created On Android
  • Wingspan 19.2ft (5.8m)
  • Length 29.8ft (9.1m)
  • Height 38.8ft (11.8m)
  • Empty Weight 25,286lbs (11,469kg)
  • Loaded Weight 27,709lbs (12,568kg)

Performance

  • Wing Loading 605.7lbs/ft2 (2,957.4kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 45.7ft2 (4.3m2)
  • Drag Points 2522384

Parts

  • Number of Parts 79
  • Control Surfaces 1
  • Performance Cost 368