LS 1 and LS 2 suffered such poor engine performance that they are poor examples for judging the concept. The problem challenges a simple reputation for uniformly superior German mechanical engineering. Compact high-output engines were also required by fighters and bombers, and the aviation industry received priority over a tiny naval production run. LS 3 and LS 4 became more credible only after receiving the machinery intended for the design. The episode shows that a clever small-craft concept depends on industrial allocation and reliable components as much as on ideal engineering.
Chapter · 28:43-31:14
LS-boat engine failures reveal German industrial priorities
The earliest German LS boats struggled because the compact high-performance engines they needed competed directly with aircraft production.