Tirpitz - German Battleship - 1/350

Tirpitz German Battleship

1/350 scale plastic model kit of the german Battleship Tirpitz.

About the model:
- 1/350 scale plastic model assembly kit
- Length: 717mm
- Beam: 103mm
- Total parts: ca. 390
- One peice hull

Historical Background:
In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, Germany was prohlbited from building warships displacing more than 10,000 tons. However, England agreed in 1935 to allow Germany to construct up to a total of 183,750 tons of battleships. Having already used up 82,000 tons on a pocket battleship and two battle cruisers, Germany decided to build two battleships of 35,000 ton displacement each (the limit set by the London Treaty for individual battleships).
The first of these was laid down on July 1, 1936 and became the famous Bismarck. The second keel was laid on October 24, 1936, and was christened Tirpitz at her launching on April 1, 1939. During her outfitting at Wilhelmshaven in the latter half of 1940, the British launched numerous air raids against Tirpitz, but failed entirely to damage her. She was commissioned on February 25, 1941, and entered active duty in late September 1941 with the Baltic Fleet. Tirpitz was intended to accompany the battleship Admiral Scheer to the Atlantic in November. But after the loss of Bismarck, this plan was calied off and Tirpitz was transferred to Norway in January 1942 for Operations against the Arctic supply convoys to Russia, Tirpitz had a rather limited role in these Operations, and spent most of her time as the target of repeated British air raids. Tirpitz took part in raids against the convoys PQ~12 and PQ-17 on June 3 and July 5, 1942, however the Germans were forced to break off both offensives due to the threat of Allied submarine and air attacks. On September 8, 1943, Tirpitz shelied Allied fortifications as part of an Invasion force of Spitsbergen Island; the only time she fired her main guns in combat. On September 22, white in the Alta Fjord, she was attacked and seriously damaged by underwater mines placed by two British midget submarines. Tirpitz was not again available for Service until March 1944. On April 3, 1944, Tirpitz suffered 14 bomb hits from British aircraft flown from the carriers Furious, Victorious, Emperor, Searcher, Pursuer and Fencer, and was again seriously damaged. A second attack on July 17 was thwarted due to the timely use of smoke screen. Between August 22 and 29, she was repeatedly attacked by carrier aircraft and again sustained damaging hits. On September 15, 1944, the British used 4.5 ton bombs for the first time, and rendered Tirpitz unseaworthy. She was moved to Tromso on October 15, into shallow water, to be used as a floating battery. Repeated attacks on October 29 were repulsed, but her luck ran out on November 12, 1944 when she was attacked by 32 British bombers carrying 5.5 ton bombs. Suffering mortal damage from three direct hits, Tirpitz capsized with a loss of 1,204 seamen. Between 1948-1957, Tirpitz was broken up for scrap by a German-Norwegian Company at the Site of her sinking; an inglorious end to a former queen. Based on her operational history, one might judge that the Tirpitz was not very successfui in accomplishing her intended mission, but this is not a fair appraisal. By lurking in a Norwegian fjord, she posed a constant threat to the
British home fleet, and for nearly three years forced the British Royal Navy to retain modern battleships and aircraft carriers in northern waters, forces that could have been put to better use elsewhere in the war. Attempts by the British to entice the Tirpitz out of her lair proved unsuccessful, and between January 1942 and November 1944 they subjected her to 15 attacks by more than 700 British aircraft, which amounted to an incredible total of manpower and war material. The latent threat of the Tirprtz, a thorn in the side of the allies, was not eradicated until November 12,1944 when the 32 Lancaster bombers brought an end to this remarkable episode of the war.