Kriegsfischkutter ‘WWII German Patrol and Minesweeper Ship’

Kriegsfischkutter ‘WWII German Patrol and Minesweeper Ship’

During World War II, the German armed forces occupied a huge part of the European mainland. This included the coast from northern Norway to the coast of the Peloponnese and the Black Sea coast in the occupied USSR. This entire coast had to be guarded and defended. The capacity of German patrol vessels, including the captured ones, was not enough for this task. Therefore, based on the requirements of the OKM, the Kriegsfischkutter patrol boat, abbreviated as KFK, was developed. Because the need for these ships was enormous, large-scale production began in both German shipyards and shipyards in occupied Europe. 42 shipyards in seven countries were involved. It was the largest naval project of the Third Reich. Over 1,000 ships were ordered, and 612 were delivered by the end of the war. KFKs were assigned to many Marinegruppenkommando along the entire European coast. Within these commands, they were assigned to the relevant flotillas. They were first deployed in 1943 and fought intensively on all European seas until the end of the war. 554 ships out of a total of 612 built were used in combat and 135 of them were sunk in combat. A large number of KFKs were captured at the end of the war and were used at least briefly in many military navies. After the war, KFKs were also used in Germany during the dangerous mine clearance of the Baltic and North Sea.

The plastic model of this ship consists of a total of ten sprues of plastic parts. One of them is made of clear plastic. Decals and instructions are provided for one German KFK. The hull of the kit is 32 cm long and 9 cm wide.