Midget submarines were used to reconnoitre landing beaches, etc prior to the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and on D-Day itself XE20 and 23 acted as navigation beacons well inshore to guide the first assault wave in operations Juno and Sword. In the Far East, XE1-6 were used to cut submarine cables, sabotage telephone lines and sink Japanese Naval ships. At best, the secretive operations of midget submarines were hazardous, but many feats of skill and bravery were performed by their crews.
The design of X-craft midget submarine classes varied considerably, but for an indication of the details, the main particulars of the prototype (X3) and the X5 Class can be accessed via the Specifications link below.
