Omaha daily bee., 1918-02-04
GERMANS LACK
ToRPEDoES;;Po
QUALITY USED
Factories Unable to Furnish
Enough to Keep U-Boats
Busy; U. s. Destroyers
Good Dodgers.
By Associated Press.)

Base of American Flotilla in Brit
ish Waters, Feb. 3.-Shortage of tor
!pedoes is one of the most serious
facts with which the directors of the
German U-boat war are now faced. 1t
is we'll known and admitted fact
that German factories are at present
absolutely unable to turn out first.
class torpedoes in anywhere near suf-
icient quantities for the needs of the
submarines. In fact, the underwater
craft are being turned out faster than
the torpedoes with the result that re-
course has been had to various ex-
pedients to keep the submarines sup
piled with their chief weapon.
Germany's feet of U-boats must
carry thousands of torpedoes. Thou
sands more must always be ready in
reserve. In fact the reserve supply
should be larger today than year
ago to allow for the more frequent
calls made upon it. The Augmented
destroyer patrol is responsible for
this They have made the submarines
use up more torpedoes and have
caused them to return to their base
more frequently for reloading.
Torpedo Rations.
Eight may be said to be the aver
age number of torpedoes carried in
one submarine. The number ranges
from four to Il, according to the type
of submarine. The U-53 which raided
shipping off the Atlantic coast of the
United States carried 10. More re-
cent types load as many as II. Mine
layers can accommodate two, four
and six, depending on their SAFE
In connection with this shortage is
the interesting fact that all .U-boat
commanders, now are strictly rat
ioned" as far as their supply Of
torpodoes is concerned, and are not
permitted to waste torpodocs on long
chance shots" except under circum-
stances which they muse explain in
detail as justifying the expenditure of
the precious underwater missiles.
Must be at Close Range.
Recently the German factories have
been turning out smaller torpedo
which is less accurately tested, but
which may be used with fair degree
of certainty at close range. OF late
very few German torpedos has proved
effective unless at fairly close range
and it has become unusual for u
boat commander to- make any at
tempt at merchant ship unless he
can get within 500 to 800 yards.
The Germans are now using two
types of torpedoes. They may be
described as short-charge and full
! charge torpedoes. The short-charge
is the one used mostly against mer.
chant shipping and is fired at 500 tc
900 yards. The full charge, which las
probably twice the destructive force
and is better made. is reserved for
men-of-war. 1t is fired at a greater
distance and is used less frequently
than the cheaper torpedo.
u. S. Destroyers Alert.
But the comparative immunity oi
the American destroyers from tor
pedo attack-despite the loss of the
Jacob Jones and the slight disable
>nent of the Cassin--is noteworthy il
this connection. The Germans hate
the American destroyers as one OF
their worst enemies in their most
fertile field of action and there is
scarcely an American destroyer but
has had one or more German tor
pedoes fired at it, yet only twice have
the torpedoes found their mark.
The Americans and the British
with whom they are cooper ating Sc
successfully in this game oi hunting
"tin-fish", attribute their immunity
to the mobility of the destroyer The
alertness of the American naval men
coupled with their we'll known keen
ness xor offensive tactics against the
submarine have been responsible for
their slight losses. Sharp lookouts
and skillfull maneuvering enable
them to cheat the Germans so often