A German small craft recorded as an E-boat was not necessarily a Schnellboot. R-boats were minesweepers rather than one uniform fast-attack class, and 424 were built compared with 195 Schnellboote, some of which had already been sold abroad. The family also varied greatly in size, from early 60-ton craft to 160-ton R-300 boats armed with torpedo tubes. Their numerical weight and changing silhouettes explain why combat reports and later histories can blur distinct German coastal types together.
Notable Point · 19:29-22:59
Why German R-boats were mistaken for Schnellboote
R-boats greatly outnumbered German Schnellboote and ranged from small minesweepers to much larger torpedo-carrying variants, complicating Allied identifications.