How effective were homing torpedoes across the Second World War as a whole?
Short answerThey were threatening but too late and too limited in deployment to dominate, while defenders were already developing countermeasures.
NotesThe follow-up answer separates weapon quality from strategic effect. Homing torpedoes were a serious new capability, but limited numbers and practical deployment problems kept them from dominating wartime anti-submarine operations. An earlier introduction or longer conflict would have made them a much larger threat. The panel also stresses that decoys and other countermeasures emerge against new guidance systems, making effectiveness a continuing contest rather than a permanent one-sided advantage.