The Kriegsmarine
The German Navy had to be rebuilt virtually from the ground up after the First World War. Forbidden to own capital ships and submarines, Germany nibbled away at first one clause of the Treaty of Versailles, then another, until a powerful force of destroyers and submarines existed.
At the outbreak of World War Two, relatively few capital ships were in commission, and no aircraft carriers. Had war come according to Hitler’s timetable, more battlecruisers and battleships, including some of extremely large size, and an aircraft carrier would have been available. There was never any prospect of matching Britain in terms of capital ship numbers, but the qualitative advantage of the proposed super-battleships might have made a considerable difference.
In any case, the Kriegsmarine was not a navy designed to tackle a major fleet head-on in fleet engagements. Instead, it was a commerce raiding force, a tactic that has always been the preferred course of weaker navies.
All miniatures below are from GHQ’s 1/2400 Micronauts.
The Graf Zeppelin - the only German Carrier of WW2 that was never finished - and two fictional Z ships.
Please note: All markings used, such as the swastikas, are displayed ONLY for historical accuracy and should not be considered as an attempt to glorify war or Nazism. The symbols do not signify or represent my own personal political opinion.
One of the most famous Battleships of all time: The Bismarck. After seeing the fantastic 3D renderings of Thomas Schmidt I decided to gave the model a bit of a re-paint. The Bismarck as seen on 5th May 1941:
Please note: All markings used, such as the swastikas, are displayed ONLY for historical accuracy and should not be considered as an attempt to glorify war or Nazism. The symbols do not signify or represent my own personal political opinion.
Prinz Eugen while recovering an observation aircraft in light sea.
Leichte Kreuzer Emden, Leipzig and Nuernberg:
German Destroyers Z1 - Z3 and some U-Boats:
|
