Ju 88A-4
with German ground personnel and torpedo carts In its concept of naval warfare, the Luftwaffe relied heavily on bomber aircraft. However, over time, the need for aircraft with torpedo weapons, which allowed to effectively carry out missions to destroy naval targets, became obvious. As of 1941, the German Air Force already had five torpedo squadrons, each of which had 12 aircraft on a regular basis. Since the beginning of 1942, the Ju-88 front-line bombers of the A-4 modification, which had good maneuverability and quite powerful defensive weapons, were converted into torpedo boats.
The standard strike weapons of these aircraft were F5b torpedoes. The weight of the combat part of such torpedoes reached 250 kg, and the flight range - up to 6000 meters (at a speed of 24 knots). In addition to "free hunting" for single ships, torpedo boats were also used against large, well-protected convoys, squadrons of battleships, and landing forces.
Luftwaffe torpedo boats could be based at airfields in Italy, southern France or northern Norway. Torpedo carrier training centers, one of which was located in Grosseto, Italy, were created to train the flight crew and practice the tactics of using torpedo carriers.
