"Zelezniakov" - the USSR monitor

Monitor "Zhelezniakov" was one of the first warships, built in the USSR, based on its own design, using its own materials and equipment. Its keel was laid on November 25, 1934, and launched on November 22, 1935. The new ship was classified as an artillery river monitor with reinforced deck and artillery turret armor. The ceremonial raising of the flag took place during the commemoration of the 19th October Revolution on November 6, 1936. The monitor was included in the composition of the Division of the Dnieper Warship Flotilla, whose base was in Kiev, and was initially used for training new river fleet personnel. On August 8, 1940, it was transferred to the Danube Warship Flotilla to reinforce its base in Izmail. He was there on June 22, 1941 and the beginning of the war caught him. In the first days of the war the ship caused a lot of damage to Hitler's Romanian allies. The military garrison and the Danube flotilla were not caught by surprise and seriously resisted until July 19, when the enemy, supported by German tanks, forced the defenders to retreat to the east. "Zhelezniakov" together with other ships of the flotilla destroyed Romanian ships with artillery fire, reinforcements of coastal artillery positions, attacked the attacking enemy. On July 22, he arrived in Nikolaev, which at that time was heavily bombarded by German aviation. While defending the city, the ship's crew fought with the enemy's artillery, destroyed the Hitlerite grouping positions. Soon, Nikolaev and Kherson were occupied by the enemy, the military flotilla was directed to Sevastopol, where it arrived on September 24. This voyage took place on the open sea, which was no easy task for a flat-bottomed ship, and during the entire voyage the ships were constantly attacked by German aircraft. On November 20, 1941, the Danube flotilla was disbanded, the damaged "Zhelezniakov" was transferred to the Azov flotilla, where, after necessary repairs, it joined the battles on the Don River in May 1942. During the battles for Rostov and the Kuban lowland, almost the entire Azov flotilla was destroyed. At the end of October 1942, "Zhelezniakov" found itself in Poti and looked like a ghost ship. No one believed, that such a ship could break through the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. The monitor was so badly damaged, that it no longer made sense to repair it and the ship was left to its fate. When the Red Army began to push the enemy out of the occupied territories, the need for new ships increased. At the beginning of 1943, it was decided to rebuild "Zhelezniakov". The work was completed on April 20, 1944 and the monitor ended the war as part of the Danube flotilla.

A well-designed and quite richly detailed model of a small river - sea warship, perfect for modelers of any experience, only less experienced ones are recommended to work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague and this should not be one of the first more complex models You make. From the publication a model of a ship of any period can be glued together, because the detailing of the armament is such, that it is possible to make any version of it from any period. Colors reserve are in stock.