Calling all Kriegsmarine Schnell-Boot fans

[Felix C]

I have one. send me an email or pm.

[Sepp von Posorschitz]

Hello Felix C, thanks! You have a email.

[Sepp von Posorschitz]

Hello Felix C, you have a email

[veliko_pile]

Hello!

Happy holidays to all of you!

I was wondering what color was the G7a torpedo used in the Schnellboots? I saw the head painted with a dark steel color, another paint the head with a "copper" paint.

So what's the right choice of colors for the body/head/propeller?

Thanks, Sandro

[Mike Coleman still]

Two questions for Garth or David:

I am trying to build an accurate S-10 from the old Airfix kit which is really a scratch building "lite" project. I have two detail questions. I am trying to depict the boat before the war broke out so eagles on the sides and full mast.

Question 1: In looking at photos of these early boats from different angles it looks to me that the three signal lights on the mast were not lined up fore and aft but rather angled the starboard. Would you agree with that conclusion?

Question 2: At what point were the torpedo aiming computers with the detachable binoculars installed on the boats? There is one photo on the Prinz Eugen site that shows one that looks to be between the wheel house and the forward bulkhead. It is the photo of the sailor firing the water cooled machine gun on the bow in the armaments section. I have not noticed them in any other photos of the early boats.

In answer to the question above, I think torpedos were silver bodies with dark grey warheads.

I appreciate any help you all can give me. This is one of those projects I wish I had never started if you know what I mean.
Michael

[PTConsultingNHR]

They are two people who I believe could answer your questions better than me, Mike. One is Steve Wiper and the other is Chip Marshall. I wrote that book a good number of years ago and all of my research material has been either lost or misplaced. God ... has it been that long, almost ten years ago? WOW!

I cannot speak to the S-10 questions that you posed here. However, I am going to make a somewhat educated stab at the binocular question; I would tend to think that they would have been introduced with the later S-26, S-38 and S-38b class boats. I could be wrong sir, ... but that's my opinion (albeit only an 'educated' one).

As for the torpedo colors; I'd say ask John Snyder. And, I've been told by a couple of people that the torpedo bodies weren't silver in color - they were more bronze-ish in color with gray warheads.

Garth

[veliko_pile]

As for the torpedo colors; I'd say ask John Snyder. And, I've been told by a couple of people that the torpedo bodies weren't silver in color - they were more bronze-ish in color with gray warheads.

Garth

Thanks, John from the shipcamouflage.com?

[Garth]

Yes, and from WEM.

[veliko_pile]

asked John, but he doesn't know. So the question is still on...

[veliko_pile]

is it possible too put on the S-204 one row of depth changes and on the other side some mines? Or that configuration does not go together

[PTConsultingNHR]

That, I do not know Veliko, I'm sorry. But ... I've never seen a photo of a Schnellboot with a mixed bag of depth charges and mines ...

[Mike Coleman still]

Re: torpedo body color. The bronze color seen in color pics of torpedos is due the the liberal coating of thick grease put on the eels to assist in shipping and loading them. Bronze was an expensive metal to use for something that was to be blown up and it does not have the malleable qualities steel has. Steel is cheaper, lighter and stronger than bronze. And as the base materials for bronze and brass became more scarce in wartime Germany you saw steel being used for such things as props and shell casings towards the end.
Mike

[Kapit�n Dave]

I think the responses to my questions, below, may be of interest to SCHNELLBOOT S-100 aficionados:
I have some pictures of the Schnellboot Kalotte (armored bridge skull cap) all of which have a riveted construction. I was wondering:
1) was the Kalotte on the S-100 riveted or welded (I think my photos may be of a 38b, not an S-100), and
2) how accurate is the shape of the Kalotte on Revell's 1/72 S-100 Flak 38 Schnellboot?
Many thanks for responses,
David

[Mike W]

I've got a really quick (hopefully) question about S-boats.

I've got the Skywave 1/700 ones and would like to know the correct colours to paint them (save me spending ages finding out!). I've heard something about them being painted white but I'm not sure if that's true. Can someone please advise both hull and deck colours?

thanks
Mike

[veliko_pile]

I've got a really quick (hopefully) question about S-boats.

I've got the Skywave 1/700 ones and would like to know the correct colours to paint them (save me spending ages finding out!). I've heard something about them being painted white but I'm not sure if that's true. Can someone please advise both hull and deck colours?

thanks
Mike

The vertical sufraces are in color Schnellboot weiss (White), but it's not a pure white, it has some gray in it...so a very light gray color. The decks are a dark gray with some blue in it, called I think Blauschwarz 58/2.
Some Schnellboot had the undewater painted in a almost black color, very very dark gray. Some late war boats had an antifouling red color for the underwater hull, but there's some speculations about that...

[Mike W]

thanks for the quick answer. So I could use a light grey with a touch of white for the hull and for the decks, a dark grey with a touch of blue?

thanks
Mike

[Cliffy B]

Schnellboats wore what was called "Schnellbootweiss" or S-Boat White for short. It was an off white if I remember correctly.

[veliko_pile]

thanks for the quick answer. So I could use a light grey with a touch of white for the hull and for the decks, a dark grey with a touch of blue?

thanks
Mike

You can, after all it's a 1/700. I finished mine 2 days ago, 1/72 scale, for the white I've used Gunze H316+maybe 10-15% of H308. For the deck I've used H401 with some blue in it.

[Dakra]

Schnellbootweiss was a very light, nearly white, shade of gray. So I'd describe it more as white with a touch of gray, and not gray with a touch of white.

There's a color table in the new Schnellboot in Action book, with KM reference numbers and names, with English translations, cross referenced to modern FS colors. There's also a color photo of a mid war S 38 boat with dark red anti fouling below the waterline, 4 new color profiles and a color diagram of a G7a torpedo.

Regarding some of the earlier questions here, the RZA 3 binocular sight located on a pedistal forward of the wheelhouse was introduced in 1935 and replaced the monocular RZA 2, which was on the rear of the wheelhouse roof. More info is in the new Schnellboot book: a couple of the new photos show the RZA pedistal in the forward control position on prewar (S 7 class) boats, and among the new drawings is a detailed diagram of the RZA 5 mounted on the late-war Hagenuk SZS 1a computer. The text briefly explains how the RZA operated.

The prewar red/white signal lamps on the mast were indeed mounted at an angle to starboard, to prevent the mast from obscuring the lights when running in common line-astern formation.

HTH
Dave

[Mike Coleman still]

I got the Schnellboot in Action book from Squadron a few weeks ago. It is a great addition to my KM related library and certainly adds to the information already out there. Some of the new photos are stunning in their clarity and details presented. I have had to go back and redo some of the superstructure details on my S-10 model as a result of the information presented but I really don't mind as it is all based on correct, photo documented information. I have no connection to the author or publisher but I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in these craft. Well done.
Mike