Recent uboat pictures

[greenman407]

VonHilde, when you publish your book, let me know, I want to purchase one.

[Von Hilde]

Soon Come sir. I think we are going to go E book for the first shot at it. Ive been told thats the way to go now days, altho I am eventually going to go paper when I can. Im working on a short story of the actual 571 as well. It was one of the more active boats that operated in the Florida straits and Gulf coast are during Polkinschlag summer of '42. One of the few VIICs that made the trip. It was the boat that operated and sank the ships closest to my house, was innitially the cause for the research. When I found out about the details I told a good friend the story. He happens to be a published author and a screene writer He wants to use the 571 and the sinking of the MV Umtata incident, which is full of dramatic facits. He says "The stuff them Holleywood dudes eat up" Umtata being torpedoed and sunk twice, and the only incident of an unarmed tug attacking a submarine, and of course "Location-Location- Location" What I am looking for, is a ghost writer, who can sit down and listen and bang it out. I thought about Dragon or similar voic recognition, but I would rather have a nice lady with fast fingers. My wife doesnt type, and a fast lady with nice fingers, might not work out so good.

[greenman407]

[greenman407]

[Von Hilde]

Great close up detail on the jumper attachment to the tower on U-600. I am just getting started rigging my big type VII and that was one of the things that had me perplexed fo awhile. That Petty officer is holding a flower that his French "girlfriend" gave him before departure on patrol. They were leaving La Palace France on their 4th patrol. Thats the city of Bielefeld coat of arms, Krvt.Kap. Bernhard Zurmuhlen was skipper of the boat. He had just recieved the German Cross of Gold from Hitler, for actions on the patrol prior. The crew got a month off and had been given a big party the night before they left. (wine, women and song) The wine was commandeered, the women were hired locals, and the songs were German u boat songs. The daytime send offs with the bands and the girls and flowere were for the sucessful boats, mostly for propaganda Footage and pics.. Most boats departed Lorient at night with no hoopla. The 600 went down with all hands 500 miles west of Portugal on her 6th patrol, Nov 24 1943.

[greenman407]

Thanks, I really like the history you bring to these pictures Von Hilde!

[celticwarrior]

Here's an type IX with a type XXI tower!! :biggrin: Just a little oddity I found.

[Von Hilde]

Actually it is a type IX tower with an experimental forward mounted standard 2cm zwieling, with a turret that they were putting on the XXIs. As you can see the tower is open and the obs periscope is in the center console on the type IX. The XXIs are covered, and have telescoping periscopes and schnorkle aft. The twin guns on the elektraboats were 4.2cm. and 3.0cm. They tried several different guns in the turret,the 2.0cm were the steadiest. This is somebodys model but you get the ideanot many were equipped with the guns and most that initially had them were removed, since they wernt going to stay surfaced and fight aircraft. . The armored turret idea was from the initial 1940 design. By 1943 ASW had jummped leaps and bounds and no boats stayed on the surface for very long anymore. U boats had radar by then as well, and as soon as they got a blip they had to dive.notice the two seperate cockpits on either side, aft of the front turret on the type XXIs

[Von Hilde]

U 2008 before and after

U 3008 at Williamshaven in May 1945 at the surrender, with the forward turret
2 years later when it was the USS U3008 and re vamped tower

[greenman407]

[Von Hilde]

The type XIV "Milchkau" next to Topp's U47 is one that I think would be a nice one to build in 1/72. Basiclly a IX D hull thats been shortened to 220ft similar size of a type VII. There were only 10 built and none survived the war. They had an extra fat balast to haul 432 tons of fuel. Diesel is close to 7 lbs per gal. but lighter than water, so the volume is actually lighter when full of fuel, as opposed to when the fuel is replaced by water as it is dispersed. No torpedo tubes, but carried 4 spares to resupply boats. Usually twin 37mm flak and a single mount 20mm flak only armorment. Had a large refrigeration storage unit for food and a special added bakery to make bread for the re supply of the patrol boats. The crew was about 47 enlisted and 6 officers. Also, I might point out one small detail on Topp"s boat, that modelers overlook is, the crews access hatch forward is covered by a removeable wood grate deck. Just about all the other type VIIs have no cover, bare hatch is exposed. The splash shield that is half way up the tower does not extend all the way aft, to the wintergarden deck. It stops just forward of the tower running lights. I have yet to see a model of the U 47 with these details. Something to think about if your a detail nut building a Robbe monsta.

[Von Hilde]

I was going thru your screene shots of the 571 movie and noticed the detail of the repoduction of the boat was close in most aspects, which shows there was quite a bit of research done. However, the placement of the periscopes the "Sky"or observation scope is in the aft housing on the movie boat and the Attack scope is forward. I wonder how something that obvious got by the set director or tech advisor. And of course the size of the bridge area is not really noticible unless you compare the movie shot with an actual tower with the same ammount of people. If I were to make a movie I would use one of the existing museum boats and green screene backgrounds or CG rather than use colstly replicas. Of course I realise that there may be only one person in 10,000 that even tell what an authentic u boat looks like. ...or cares either, for that matter

[greenman407]

The boat seemed a little small to me. Seems like I heard that it was not full size for some reason.

[greenman407]

[Von Hilde]

after the filming of 571 in Malta, the large mock up was shipped back to so. cal. where it sat on a backlot for a couple years. It was sold without the bow section and tower and abandoned on a trailer along the coast highway, in Origon or Washington somewhere. It was labled "Mystery u boat" found on highway. in some pictures that I stumbled across. To my understanding the bow section was an actual bow section of an old "S"boat and has been used for a prop in underwater torpedo shots in several movies. Most likely the reason they kept it. The mock up was fiberglass and wood over some large oil drums and alot of styrofoam.