36523 U BOOT TYPE XXI ENG INST

German submarine U-2511 (type XXI)

Technical specification

Displacement:

Dimensions:

Speed:

Rangę:

Armament:

surfaced:    1621 t,

submerged :    1819t

length:    76.7

width:    6.6

submersion:    6.3 m

surfaced :    15.6 knots

submerged :    17.2 knots

Crew:

Depth:

11150 Mm

6WT 533, 4x20 mm (2x110

57

132m (max. 200 m)

The flrst vessel of this kind was constructed in May 1944 (U-2501). Thls prototype as well as the five following did not join the service due to the many shortcomings and were used in research work to enhance the performance of such vessels. (XXI version). Shortly before the end of the war, in March 1945, the U-2511 was included into the service. The vessel was commanded by Cpt. A. Schnee. Several of the other vessels were undergoing crew training. At that time, the German U-boots weren’t as successful as in 1940-1942. The feats of such submarines like Gunter Prien [U-47], Otto Kretschmer [U-99] or Joachim Schepke [U-100) were long gone. U-boot packs were attacking weakly defended convoys of the allied forces, sinking hundreds of ships with minimal loss. The situation changed dramatically in 1943, when the alliants improved the convoy escort and created special units searching and destroying the U-boots. Radar and the depth-charge launchers [Hedgehog] became part of the standard eąuipment. The crews were better trained and the tactics of flghting U-boots improved. The air forces were also engaged in the process of fighting the U-boots. In such circumstances, it was impossible for the Germans to be successful and the losses were increasing dramatically. The new vessels were much morę advanced in terms of fighting capabilities from the previous types. They could submerge faster and deeper exceeding 200m that is beyond the rangę of the allied hydro-locating devices. Improved underwater speed and the use of various kind of engineering devices as well as a new shape of the hull and the conning tower were signs of a totally new submarine generation. The commanding officers, who successfully struggled with maintenance problems during the patrols, were the ones who observed the advantages of these vessels. However, their time was drawing to a close. After the war, the majority of the submarines were destroyed but some were seized by British, French, Russians and Americans with the view to testing. The version XXI was the model vessel powered by conventional motors that was to be manufactured long after the war had ended.

*This model is labour consuming. Follow all the symbols strictly: truncation, bevelling, - must be performed properly (smoothing with dense sandpaper), so that all the elements of the hull were in a linę. (Bird's eye view). Cut all the elements of the skeleton along the linę and the remaining elements (the coning tower and the covering) are to be cut out on the outer side of the lines.

Suggestions

•    All the lines to be folded cut slightly on the reverse side.

•    Glue the parts Al. II, III and frames W1 -12 onto 2mm thick cardboard.

• Glue parts BI. II, III, A2, 3, 4, 5, CI, II, III, DP and L onto 1,5 mm thick cardboard.

• Glue parts El. II. III, IV. V; Al. 6. 7. FI. II. III: 3f. 45c; GI. II. III; 35a, b. c, d. e. f. g. h, onto 1 mm thick cardboard.

•    Glue onto a bristolboard part 44a,

All the channels as well as parts 12a, 31, 33, 34. paint with black paint

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