Fast attack and escort craft

Torpedo Boats

Eight classes and projects trace German torpedo-boat development from the interwar Raubvogel boats to the projected ocean-going designs of 1944.

8 classes and projects

Origins and development

From Type 1923 to 1944

German torpedo boats began as compact, balanced surface combatants before the designs of the mid-1930s concentrated on the classic massed torpedo attack. Wartime experience instead demanded escort, minelaying, patrol and training work, leading the later Flottentorpedoboote back toward the capabilities of small destroyers.

Profile for Torpedoboot 1923

Torpedo boat development

Torpedoboot 1923

6 ships
The six Type 1923 boats were the first torpedo boats built in Germany after the First World War. Known as the Raubvogel class, they combined torpedoes with useful gun armament in a compact design.Explore class and ships →
Profile for Torpedoboot 1924

Torpedo boat development

Torpedoboot 1924

6 ships
The six Type 1924 boats formed the Raubtier class and refined the preceding Type 1923. They served extensively as escorts, minelayers and patrol craft during the Second World War.Explore class and ships →
Profile for Torpedoboot 1935

Torpedo boat development

Torpedoboot 1935

12 ships
The twelve Type 1935 boats were designed primarily for torpedo attacks. Their limited gun armament made them less adaptable when wartime service increasingly demanded escort and anti-aircraft work.Explore class and ships →
Profile for Torpedoboot 1937

Torpedo boat development

Torpedoboot 1937

9 ships
The nine Type 1937 boats were a modest improvement on the Type 1935. Built around the same specialized torpedo-attack concept, they were employed in escort, minelaying and coastal operations.Explore class and ships →
Profile for Flottentorpedoboot 1939

Torpedo boat development

Flottentorpedoboot 1939

15 ships
The fifteen Type 1939 Flottentorpedoboote were larger, more balanced vessels comparable to destroyer escorts. Their stronger artillery and greater endurance made them valuable for escort, minelaying and fleet support.Explore class and ships →
Profile for Flottentorpedoboot 1940

Torpedo boat development

Flottentorpedoboot 1940

Project
The Type 1940 project adapted Dutch designs captured after the occupation of the Netherlands. None of the planned boats was completed.Explore project →
Profile for Flottentorpedoboot 1941

Torpedo boat development

Flottentorpedoboot 1941

Project
The Type 1941 was planned as the successor to the Type 1939 Flottentorpedoboot. Wartime disruption prevented the class from progressing to completed ships.Explore project →
Profile for Flottentorpedoboot 1944

Torpedo boat development

Flottentorpedoboot 1944

Project
The Type 1944 project proposed an ocean-going torpedo boat with the endurance and armament needed for escort work. It remained a wartime design study.Explore project →