Italian Air Droped Torpedos

[Brady]

Does anyone off hand have any production figures for Italian Torps that were air dropped during the war, some sources suggest they were experiencing shortages of these while others don't even mention it ?

[Dili]

I don't think there was any lack of torpedoes due to production, they nevertheless had to take 50 torpedoes from a 300 German order because Regia Aeronautica started the war without torpedoes and torpedo bombers, so when they modified the S.79 to drop torpedoes, there wasn't any order for them. RA also got a Regia Marina order for 131 MAS torpedoes that with a slight modification were like aerial ones. 36 from these diverted order were received in January 1941.

Dropped air torpedoes from start to end of 1942. Don't think it includes training.

1940-35(2ºhalf year), 1941:56+124 (1 h.y.+2 h.y.) 1942(174+194)


Edit: i don't know if this number includes the circular torpedo Motobomba dropped in 1942.

[Felix C]

Any data on how many hit their targets in action?

[Dili]

I don't think more than 50 hits.

[Felix C]

An impressive number considering how few ships there were as targets.

[Dili]

Number is probably between 35 and 45

[gttf]

Hello, I have 37 hits in 1940-1943 and 1 during 1944 (ANR torpedo-bombers).
In detail:
1 battleship (Nelson)
1 Aircraft Carrier (Indomitable)
6 cruisers (Kent, Liverpool two times, Glasgow, Manchester, Phoebe)
4 destroyers (Fearless sunk, Bedouin sunk, Foresight sunk, Jackal)
9 minor warships and auxiliaries (6 sunk)
17 merchant vessels (15 sunk)

From a quite recent and detailed study of Francesco Mattesini

Hope this helps

Regards

Fabrizio

[Felix C]

Thanks. What is the title of the book?

[gttf]

the paper is "I successi degli aerosiluranti italiani e tedeschi in Mediterraneo nella 2^ Guerra Mondiale", in "Bollettino d'archivio" dell'Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare Italiana, march 2002 (not so recent, at the end...)

Fabrizio

[Dili]

Yeah not recent, Mattesini is at Aidmen forum posting about this and other things. Also publishes papers in Academia.edu.

[gttf]

You're right, I'm reading each post of Mr Mattesini on Aidmen and academia.edu: AFAIK, there are not so much differences, forthe topic in subject, w.r.t. the 2002 paper.
Of course, I could be wrong...
Regards

Fabrizio

[Brady]

courage alone, list all the ships they hit, but gives no info for torp production or distribution apart from suggesting that the Germans used some in theater, but I don't know of any torp drops in the med by the Germans

[Brady]

The real question is how many were produced (torpedo's) and did the amount that were available exceed operational needs, in other words did they not sortie with torps because they were lacking torps to fly with ?

The Z 1007 was torp capable, according to what I have read, but afik non were used operationally this way, was that due to a lack of torps ?

[Dili]

There were several torpedo drops by Germans in Med.

Z.1007/Z.506. No. In bomb bay drawings show there is a connection for an eventual torpedo, but in aircraft history i have never seen any references for even any test dropping a torpedo.
Anyway it was bigger then S.79 so an easier target, its engines were optimized from medium altitude not for low.
Besides S.79 was a nice maneuverable airplane for a bomber at low altitude(which meant that at >5000m was an unstable airplane).

[Brady]

There were several torpedo drops by Germans in Med.

Z.1007/Z.506. No. In bomb bay drawings show there is a connection for an eventual torpedo, but in aircraft history i have never seen any references for even any test dropping a torpedo.
Anyway it was bigger then S.79 so an easier target, its engines were optimized from medium altitude not for low.
Besides S.79 was a nice maneuverable airplane for a bomber at low altitude(which meant that at >5000m was an unstable airplane).

Z 1007, I went throught my coppy of :



And again there was no mention at all of the Torpedo capabality, it notes the motobomba, but thats an entirely diferent weapon, Several referances as you mention note its capacity to take two torpedos aloft, this passage from the referanced book above :



Coupled with a cursery look at the preformance stats for the planes (sm 79, z1007), lead me to beleave the reasion this plane was not used for torpedo work, at least not that either of us have been able to find proof of, is that the SM 79 was simply available early and had crews in operational units that were ready to be trained up for it, SM 79 units were converting to the Z 1007 that was a better Bomber over all, so using it in that role made more since, not that it cold not of made torpedo runs (He 111's did after all)

The z 1007 could also manage not quiet twice the bombload of the SM 79 (albet, for short range flights), this also sugests it could more easly manage two torps let alone one, and it was aprox. 19% bigger (by weight) 7 ft longer and aprox. 15 longer wing span