Stukas Of The Sea. German Motor Torpedo Boats in the World War II

High speed patrol boats, the smallest surface torpedo carriers, had already made an appearance in the First World War. "The Stuka dive bombers of the seas" was how the high speed German patrol boats of the Second World War came to be known. They were the most important offensive weapon amongst the warships deployed along the coastline. During the War approximately 200 boats were built in several versions. These were deployed in all the maritime theatres of war, especially in the Channel, but also in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, to which they had been transported by land.