„U-2336“ – the German submarine

The ever-increasing losses of German Kriegsmarine submarines in World War II forced German designers to look for new solutions, that could tip the scales of war success in the German side. One of the most far-reaching projects was the creation of a true submarine of the XXI type, equipped with the latest equipment, a large capacity battery and an incredibly high underwater speed. These were supposed to be ships for ocean warfare. Much smaller Type XXIII submarines were constructed for coastal waters combat. Construction of these small, but formidable and innovative ships was scheduled to begin in mid-1943. They were to be built not only in Germany, but also throughout Europe: Toulon, Genoa, Nikolaev. But the construction of the first ship U-2321 started only on 31.05.1944. Ultimately, it was possible to build 63 ships of this type, 11 of which were lost in combat. Another 30 were almost finished by the end of the war. After the war, 18 Type XXIII ships were sunk during Operation “Deadlight”. Two were handed over as spoils of war to Great Britain, one to the USSR. The keel of “U-2336” was laid on 27.07.1944 at the Hamburg shipyard "Deutche Werft" and it was launched on 10 September of the same year. It entered service on 30 September 1944 and after mandatory training was included in the 64 U-boat flotilla, based in Norway. Under the command of Captain Emil Klusmejer, it sailed to Norway on April 18, 1945. On the way, it stopped at Friederikshaven, Denmark, and on April 23, it arrived in Kristiansand, where it conducted tests of the quiet-running thruster. On 1 May 1945, “U-2336” departed for patrol in British waters in the Firth of Forth area. On May 7, just after 23:00, two ships were sunk: the Norwegian "Snealand" and the British "Avondale". Together with the Norwegian trawler NYMS.32, sunk by “U-1023” on the same day, they were the last ships, sunk in World War II in the European theater of operations. “U-2336” return from her voyage until 14 May, calling at the port of Kiel in route. In May 1945 the ship was handed over to the victorious Allies and transferred to Wilhelmshaven, from where it sailed on 05.21 and stay in Lisahalle 6 days later. Sunk during Operation “Deadlight”.

A small, well-designed submarine model (rare from this publisher) with an underwater section for modelers of all experience. It can be glued by advanced beginners and modelers with little experience, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague.