Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Summer 2010 Wolves Without Teeth: The German Torpedo Crisis in World War Two David Habersham Wright Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Recommended Citation Wright, David Habersham, "Wolves Without Teeth: The German Torpedo Crisis in World War Two" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 599. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/599 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. WOLVES WITHOUT TEETH: THE GERMAN TORPEDO CRISIS IN WORLD WAR TWO by David Habersham Wright (Under the Direction of Charles Thomas) Abstract The “Torpedo Crisis,” or “Torpedokrise” as referred to by the Germans, is the name given to the period of the first few years during the Second World War during which time the German U-boat arm experienced catastrophic technical malfunctions with their torpedoes. These malfunctions robbed the Germans of tremendous success during the most critical period of the Second World War – the opening years during which Allied anti-submarine measures were at their poorest and German prospects for success concomitantly at their greatest. By the time the Germans finally succeeded in removing all of these problems and realized the true potential of the torpedo envisioned during the prewar years, Allied anti- submarine warfare tactics and especially technology had advanced to such a degree that it could not be overcome despite the best efforts of the U-bootwaffe.