Kriegsmarine Monitor "Thor", May 1938

nönöbär · May 05, 2018, 03:21:48 AM

Kriegsmarine Monitor "Thor", May 1938

The Ship:

In the mid 1930s, the Kriegsmarine requested for several monitors to assist landing operations. With Poland and France seen as the most possible enemies at that time, those ships should have operated either in the Baltic Sea or at the French coast of the channel.

While several studies and plans for monitors were developed, only a single ship, the "Thor" was completed until the outbreak of WW2. Two sister ships were still under construction at that time, but they were scrapped in the shipyard.

Equipped with a 11" triple turret and a single 5,9" gun, the ship also was equipped with multiple AA guns, from 4" to 2 cm. Construction of this ship would allow to replace the 11" turret with a 15" double turret (as planned on the Gneisenau) if required.

Commissioned in April of 1938, the ship was battle ready at the start of WW2 and saw its first operations during the Invasion of Poland where it assisted ground troops.
Although it was also used during the Invasion of Norway, the ship was soon returned to the Baltic Sea and mainly used as a training ship until mid 1944.
With the Soviet offensive, the Thor supported German ground troops together with the other remaining capital warships. Completely used up, the ship surrendered in Kiel in May 1945 and was scrapped in the following years.

The model shows the Thor shortly after being commissioned in May 1938.

The Model:

The model is a 1/700 scale resin kit by Bird Models. This manufacturer produces a lot of German What-If ships and aircraft and was the first bigger resin kit i made. The kit came with resinn parts and metal gun barrels and masts. Quality was partly good, partly mediocre as some of the resin parts were not really usable and had to be replaced by normal plastic ones (like boats and some of the AA). Additional parts of the pare part box were use to pimp the model a bit. I also used some PE railings and crew members.
Everything is pained with Revell Aqua Color.

zenrat · May 05, 2018, 05:00:13 AM

Very good.

PR19_Kit · May 05, 2018, 07:40:19 AM

Nicely done, and so realistic only a real ship-nut would know it's a Whiff.

I find monitors fascinating, a very single minded sort of ship and usually with WILDLY OTT main batteries!

Rheged · May 05, 2018, 10:58:13 AM

Most impressive and totally believable.

NARSES2 · May 06, 2018, 06:13:59 AM

I really do like that

She's got the look of a mini pocket battleship about her and that stern looks as though it could be used to house and launch a seaplane spotter ?

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 05, 2018, 07:40:19 AM

I find monitors fascinating, a very single minded sort of ship and usually with WILDLY OTT main batteries!

I to find them fascinating and the fact that they came in all shapes and sizes, some seemingly being built specifically to "fit" a geographical area. Like the Tigres/Euphrates ships of WWI.

Recently read a bit about those used in WWII recently, including at D Day, HMS Erebus

Dizzyfugu · May 06, 2018, 06:38:40 AM

Very nice and impressive build!

PR19_Kit · May 06, 2018, 12:09:25 PM

Quote from: NARSES2 on May 06, 2018, 06:13:59 AM

I to find them fascinating and the fact that they came in all shapes and sizes, some seemingly being built specifically to "fit" a geographical area. Like the Tigres/Euphrates ships of WWI.

Recently read a bit about those used in WWII recently, including at D Day, HMS Erebus

One of my model boating friends built a 1/72 model of the Erebus, and the most remarkable dimension is its HEIGHT! That turret just dominates the whole model.

IIRC the Erebus' guns ended up aboard the Vanguard.

buzzbomb · May 06, 2018, 07:47:23 PM

Finished the Trumpeter HMS Roberts recently so have a thing for Monitors.
Like the look of this a lot

NARSES2 · May 07, 2018, 06:15:44 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 06, 2018, 12:09:25 PM

One of my model boating friends built a 1/72 model of the Erebus, and the most remarkable dimension is its HEIGHT! That turret just dominates the whole model.

IIRC the Erebus' guns ended up aboard the Vanguard.

Yup the turret does stand out a bit !

Her guns are an odd one. I've not read anything definitive on the Vanguard point, but one thing I read suggested only one of her guns ended up on the Vanguard ? Odd

PR19_Kit · May 07, 2018, 07:21:44 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on May 07, 2018, 06:15:44 AM

Yup the turret does stand out a bit !

Her guns are an odd one. I've not read anything definitive on the Vanguard point, but one thing I read suggested only one of her guns ended up on the Vanguard ? Odd

Didn't she suffer a charge explosion in one gun's breech during the Normandy landings? Or was that the Roberts?

NARSES2 · May 08, 2018, 06:28:54 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 07, 2018, 07:21:44 AM
Quote from: NARSES2 on May 07, 2018, 06:15:44 AM

Yup the turret does stand out a bit !

Her guns are an odd one. I've not read anything definitive on the Vanguard point, but one thing I read suggested only one of her guns ended up on the Vanguard ? Odd

Didn't she suffer a charge explosion in one gun's breech during the Normandy landings? Or was that the Roberts?

I'm not sure Kit. Both ships suffered damage during the Normandy operations and Robert's was on her way out East when the War ended. One of her guns is outside the Imperial War Museum.

Roberts was quite a late build for a monitor, used recycled guns as did Erebus, and she had a very busy War