KM MZ-01 (TGB-1940)

Back to Germanic States Navy page:


The Mehzweckboot was the answer to the need for small strong escorts for the huge length of coastline the Germanic States had appropriated by the end of 1940. Norway in the north to Spain in the south. All of the small coastal vessels traversing those waters needed escorts to guard them from the depredations of marauding aircraft and warships. The Mehzweckboot (Torpedo Gunboat - TGB) had a fully dual purpose armament with the dreaded 88mm/L56 guns as the main armament, twin 37mm Bofors and 20mm cannons as the light anti-aircraft armament.

The TGB's were used everywhere and were most effective in the Mediterranean and English Channel areas where they were used as battering rams to break through a convoys screen of escorts allowing the E-boats to thunder through and massacre the convoy being attacked. They were not fast, making only 30 knots to the E-boats 40-45 knots, but it was their ability to absorb punishment and keep going that made them so useful in a strike role. A hit from an 88 shell usually sent the English coastal escorts out of the fight.

For an excellent 3D model of the MZ-1 in its real life configuration for 1943: - https://gamemodels3d.com/games/warthunder/vehicles/mz-1
 

Back to Germanic States Navy page: