Dan Banks wrote:
German Warships 1815-1945 volume I, by Eric Groner, has a detailed description and drawings for the Deutschland class ships that might be helpful. He states SH was fitted with 10ea 15cm/45qf in casemates, 4ea. 3.7cm AA guns, 4ea 8.8cm/45 qf, and 4ea 2cm AA, some in multiples? This was 1937-1940.
Thank You for posting that reference Dan and thanks for your interest in this subject.
I believe Groener to be right on the weapons for 1939-1940 as you posted. I do have a reference to his specifics on the ship but I did not take it at face value. I am still trying to get more exact dates for the many changes to the ship.
Currently working my way thru a Book/PDF called Reichsmarine-Kriegsmarine 1919 thru 1945. My copy is in Polish. Talk about a tough read...(I do not read Polish). I'm expecting to get a book on Schlesien by Wolfgang Müller - Broschürreihe zur deutschen Geschichte-Nr.17.-Kadettenschulschiff "Schlesien" - Wrackbergung (Brochure series on German history - No. 17. - Cadet training ship Schlesien). I had German in HS. That's 50 years ago so I will be having another tough time. I also have a CD coming with digitized personal photos from a crewman on Schleswig-Holstein.
Those 3.7cm gun locations are tough to pin down for anytime in 1939. I have been reviewing my photo collection to see if I mistook a 3.7cm for 2.0cm guns. The barrels were very different so I was pretty sure I had it right. So far I've located some references for 4-2.0cm single barrel c/30 and possibly 2-2.0cm four barrel c/30 gun locations but no proof on the 3.7cm locations yet. The available pictures are not good enough to spot them. I did come across a reference of ammo expended that first day of September 1939. It listed 600 rounds of 2.0cm fired but no rounds of 37mm listed. I found that reference from a site called "Ilaststandonzombieisland" . It was based on data from the ships deck logs. Similar data was also used by another researcher at
http://brushesandbayonets.blogspot.com/ ... latte.html Photo's of the Schlesien do depict an AA gun on a mount at the forward end of the boat deck and that could be 3.7cm. Maybe Schleswig-Holstein had one there too but on the boat deck itself. (The two ships differ on their superstructure in this location.)
I was overjoyed when Trumpeter released the 1935 model. That's why I got enthused to follow-up on some details of the actual ship.
So far I am finding that Trumpeter probably got things wrong. I am becoming convinced this 1935 version should have the 2 semi-circular housings or sponsons (Swallows nests") on each side of the Bow, 10-15cm guns, not 17cm, in hull casemates and 2 upper-deck 15cm casemate guns in the forward superstructure as well as the Casemate-mounted torpedo tubes at the Bow and stern.
The Swallows nests, upper-deck 15cm and all torpedo tubes did get removed but sources seem to agree on early 1936 for the removal on the Schleswig-Holstein. Probably removed in 1934 for Schlesien. (EDIT: Maybe this is where Trumpeter got confused, using dates for Schlesien's guns instead of S-H.)
Perhaps Trumpeter picked 1935 because that is when the new Kriegsmarine under the nazi regime started.
I have no idea what research they did for the model kit.
Several sources list either incorrect or a wide range of dates for changes to Schleswig-Holstein. This would have contributed to errors in the Kit design for the 1935 time frame too.
Also, Trumpeter may have mistakenly used the dates for the Schlesien for changes since he was converted to a training ship in 1934 vs Schleswig-Holstein in 1936!
Trumpeter could have picked 1939 and just added some 2.0cm c/30 guns. I think that would have been much closer to the 1939 Schleswig-Holstein.
I am planning to post some specifics on my thoughts for the 1935 and late 1939 versions of the ship. Too often I find a new source or photo that contradicts an existing one. It's all fun though.
Anyone want to try for a 1944/45 version with camouflage?
Nino