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Scale Plastic Model Kits

The Sinking Of The Battleship Tirpitz

Commissioned in 1941, the German Navy's mighty 42,900 ton Tirpitz posed a grave threat to Allied shipping. Sister ship to the more famous Bismarck, the Tirpitz carried a main armament of eight 15 inch guns. She spent her war career in Norwegian waters where she was a constant danger to Allied convoys bound for Russia.
The Tirpitz was first bombed by the Royal Air Force in January 1941 while she was being completed in the Wilhelmshaven dry docks. In April, 1942 the Tirpitz was attacked repeatedly by Halifaxes and Lancasters but no bombs found their target.
The Royal Navy even tried attacking the Tirpitz on a number of occasions with miniature submarines and carrier based aircraft. These attacks were somewhat successful but little effect on the battleship's double layer of armor plate could be expected.
Finally British inventor, Sir Barnes Wallis, built a special bomb for the job. Wallis had previously developed the bouncing bomb used in the now famous "Dambusters Raid". In 1944 he devised the "Tall boy", a 12,030 pound weapon capable of piercing the Tirpitz's armor plating.
On September 11, 1944, 38 Lancasters of 9 and 617 Squadrons set out to fly to an airfield in Northern Russia which was to be used as a base for an attack on the battleship. The Tirpitz was anchored deep in the Kaa Fjord in Northern Norway. With mountains screening the Lancasters' approach from enemy radar, the Tirpitz was caught by surprise. One Tallboy smashed through the Tirpitz's forecastle and burst deep in her hull. The shock caused by the explosion damaged the ship's engines.
The Germans decided that it was not practical to make Tirpitz fully seaworthy again and so she was moved to Tromso, further south in Norway, but only for use as a semi-static, heavy artillery battery. The British were not aware of the extent of the damage and the Tirpitz was attacked again on October 29th 1944 . 37 Lancasters were dispatched from Scotland. With the installation of extra fuel tanks, the Tirpitz could now be reached directly from Britain, although it required a 2,250 mile operation.
The final attack took place on November 12th 1944. 30 Lancasters from 9th and 617th Squadron again took off from Scotland. The weather was clear as Wing Commander Willie Tait led the bombers on a wide detour, approaching the Tirpitz from the land. There was no smokescreen as the Lancasters passed over the last mountain and the fjord with the Tirpitz came into view. The battleship began to sparkle with flashes from stem to stern as the anti-aircraft fire rose to 14,000 feet. The bombs were released and the crews waited thirty long agonizingseconds for the results. A great yellow flash burst on the foredeck and the Tirpitz was seen to tremble as it was hit by at least two Tallboys. It then suffered a tremendous explosion as the ammunition stores magazine went up. She capsized and approximately 1000 of her crew were killed. Only one Lancaster was severely damaged by flak. It landed safely in Sweden.
With the sinking of the Tirpitz, Hitler lost the last influential ship of his surface battle fleet and marked the end of Germany's naval war in northern waters.

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Plastic Kits

#180-144-1 Tamiya Tirpitz
Dimensions: length:30-1/2" scale:1/350 US$90.00 on Special US$74.95

165-630-3 TIRPITZ 1/800 US$13.95


#000-000-0 Lancaster bomber 1/72 US$29.95






#000-000-0 Halifax bomber 1/72 US$20.95

Gold Medal Photo Etched Super Detail Sets

Railing sets
#178-818-6 Railing set for 1/350 scale Tirpitz

* Railing in several styles including pre-shaped sections for upswept bow.
* Vertical and inclined ladders,
* aircraft catapult, funnel cap and uptake grilles,
* crane details,
* boat details,
* seaplane struts and propellers,
* watertight doors,
* bulkhead details,
* hangar doors,
* FuMo 23 radars,
* bridge wing rails and supports,
* yardarm footrails.
our web price US$50.95



#178-811-2 Railing set for 1/400 -1/450 scale WWII German Battle ship
Photo etched metal railings, veritcal ladders, companion ways (railings & stairways),  crane details, lifeboat rigging & life preservers. Mfg. US$54.00 our web price US$48.95

#178-776-6 Railing set for 1/700 scale WWII German Battle ship
Photo etched metal railings, veritcal ladders, companion ways (railings & stairways),  etc.
Mfg. US$14.50

Officers & Crew sets
#178-820-1 Crew sets for 1/350 scale ships
One hundred crewmen: Officers, sailors & signalmen set in various poses, climbing ladders, pointing, waving, gestulating & saluting. US$9.95

#178-788-1 Crew sets for 1/570 to 1/700 scale ships
One hundred crewmen: Officers, sailors & signalmen set in various poses, climbing ladders, pointing, waving, gestulating & saluting. US$7.95


Metal Anchor Chain
PH4413 Blackened metal anchor chain for 1/350 scale US$3.95
PH4403 Brass anchor chain for 1/350 scale US$3.95
PH4410 Blackened metal anchor chain for 1/700 scale US$4.75
PH4400 Brass anchor chain for 1/700 scale US$4.25

International flag set
#180-504-5 These flags are printed so that they appear to be blowing in the wind. Flags of several countries such as the Unitied States, Britain, Japan's rising sun, nazi Germany etc. This set includes flags in both 1/700 and 1/350 scale. US$9.95


#180-601-1 3X Plastic Glues set
Contains three different types of glues. The first is for general assembly. The second is for gluing small plastic parts when you do not want any of the glue to show. This glue is also used for fusing long seams. The third is for gluing the photo etched parts together and to your model. US$9.95

Paint sets
Please pick the paints for me. $2.30 per bottle(Acrylic paints)

Books
#000-000-0 Book ??? US$0.00


#000-000-0 Book ??? US$0.00

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This page was last updated: Feb 20th 2007.