The Torpedoboot Ausland ("foreign torpedo boats") were small destroyers or large torpedo boats captured by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Kriegsmarine. They were assigned a number beginning with TA.
Ex-French ships
Former French s, under construction in France. None were completed for the Germans. (ex Le Fier): Scuttled while incomplete August 1944 (ex L'Agile): Scuttled while incomplete August 1944 (ex L'Alsacien): Broken up 1944 (ex L'Entreprenant): Broken up 1944 (ex Le Farouche): Scuttled while incomplete August 1944 (ex Le Corse): Scuttled while incomplete August 1944
Former French La Melpomène-class torpedo boats taken over in April 1943
(ex Bombarde) sunk by air raid 23 August 1944 in the Tyrrhenian Sea
(ex La Pomone) heavily damaged by off Lindos on 23 September 1943, later scuttled at Rhodes (ex L'Iphigénie) sunk by Italian MAS boats at Piombino on 11 September 1943 (ex Baliste) not used by the Germans because of poor material condition (ex La Bayonnaise) not used by the Germans because of poor material condition
Ex-Norwegian ships
Former Royal Norwegian Navy s, (also referred to as "Improved Sleipnir destroyers) captured during the German invasion of Norway in 1940, while still under construction and yet to be named. Taken over and designated ZN (Zerstörer Norwegen) 4 & 5, they were reclassified as torpedo boats in 1941. (ex-ZN-4): Launched but not completed due to sabotage by the Norwegian resistance movement (ex-ZN-5): Launched but not completed
Four other vessels, (of the Sleipner-class torpedo boats/destroyers) were also taken over, but were named for past German gunboats and not included in the TA class. One more ex-Norwegian small destroyer, Troll, was also captured and served in the Kriegsmarine as torpedo boat for a brief time before being converted to a distillation vessel to provide steam, retaining her Norwegian name. The conversion was due to her obsolete nature.