Victory at Sea Kriegsmarine fleet

Victory at Sea: Kriegsmarine fleet

The Kriegsmarine had to be practically rebuilt after the First World War. Since Germany was forbidden to own capital ships and submarines, it initially nibbled at one clause of the Treaty of Versailles, then another, until a powerful naval unit existed.

At the outbreak of World War II, relatively few ships and no aircraft carriers were in service. There was never any prospect of matching Britain in terms of the number of ships, but the qualitative advantage of the proposed super-battleships could have made a considerable difference. In any case, the Kriegsmarine was not a navy designed to fight a large fleet in direct combat. Instead, it was a commerce raiding force.

German capital ships were built according to principles proven in World War I; internal compartmentalization and damage control measures made them very difficult to sink, while their efficient power plants ensured good top speed, which is essential for a raider. Combined with excellent fire control - including radar - and large guns that could use it, these ships were extremely powerful weapons.

It has been said that Hitler never really understood naval warfare; be that as it may, the Kriegsmarine suffered from a lack of financial resources and material, as well as from the internal politics of the Nazi leadership. Among its greatest detractors was Hermann Göring, who was constantly complicit in resources flowing to his air force to the detriment of the navy. Large warship projects suffered from constant interruptions and starts as resources were allocated and then reallocated to other projects.

Finally, as the war turned against Germany, Hitler abandoned his navy, relocating guns originally intended for ships to the coastal fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. The Kriegsmarine continued to fight with dwindling resources. U-boats and destroyers remained a threat to Allied shipping until the end of the war.

The contents:
- Scharnhorst-class battleship - Scharnhorst 1939
- Admiral Hipper-class cruiser - Blücher 1940
- Admiral Hipper-class cruiser - Prinz Eugen 1940
- Admiral Hipper cruiser - Admiral Hipper 1939
- Königsberg-class cruiser - Köln 1941
- Königsberg-class cruiser - Königsberg 1940
- Destroyer Class 1936A x3
- Dive Bomber Aircraft - Junker Ju-87 Stuka Flight x4
- Ship cards and damage sliders
- Assembly instructions

Ships are in Warlord Resin and come unassembled and unpainted.