Manufacturer: 3DPrint, own model
Scale: 1/700
Additional parts: from spare part box
Model build: Feb - Mar 2019
Kriegsmarine Zerstörer ZE-Class
3D print, own model
1/700
1/700
North Sea Action
The North Sea churned beneath the steel hull of the "Werner Glienke," a destroyer of the ZE-class, christened after a fallen officer at Narvik. April 1943. The crisp air held a tang of salt and the distant boom of thunder, a fitting soundtrack for the ever-present tension. Captain Kessler gripped the bridge railing, his gaze fixed on the horizon where a smudge of smoke betrayed a British convoy.
"ZE-5 to Flagship," Kessler's voice crackled over the intercom. "Enemy spotted, bearing 1-7-2, estimated ten merchant vessels escorted by two light cruisers."
A tense silence followed, then, "Excellent work, ZE-5. Engage at your discretion. Remember, prioritize sinking the freighters. We need to disrupt their supply lines."
Kessler slammed his fist on the console. Discretion wasn't exactly a luxury afforded to a ZE-class destroyer. While boasting the firepower of a classic German destroyer – five 15cm guns – their construction was rushed, plagued with quality issues. Kessler knew the "Glienke" wouldn't hold up against a prolonged cruiser battle.
"Battle stations!" His command echoed through the ship, followed by the metallic clang of hatches slamming shut and the clatter of boots on steel decks. The crew moved with practiced efficiency, a well-oiled machine fueled by years of war.
The "Glienke" surged forward, engines straining as she accelerated towards the enemy. Kessler watched as the British cruisers detached from the convoy, their sleek forms turning to face them. The air crackled with nervous energy as both sides opened fire.
Shells erupted around the "Glienke," spraying plumes of water skyward. Kessler gritted his teeth, steering the ship in a weaving dance to avoid the deadly rain of steel. The "Glienke" responded, her main guns coughing fire, sending blasts towards the British ships.
One of the merchant ships erupted in flames, a satisfying sight amidst the chaos. But the victory was short-lived. A deafening boom rocked the "Glienke" as a British shell tore through the superstructure. Alarms blared, red lights flickered on the control panel.
"Damage report!" Kessler bellowed, bracing himself against the violent shudder of the ship.
"Forward torpedo launcher disabled, Captain! Engine room reports a breach!" The frantic voice of the communications officer cut through the cacophony.
Kessler cursed. They were crippled. A sitting duck. But surrender wasn't an option. He had a crew depending on him, a mission to complete.
"Prepare torpedo launch from aft launchers! Target the leading cruiser!" He barked the order, a desperate gamble.
The crew fought with superhuman effort, adrenaline masking the sting of sweat and fear. Moments stretched into an eternity as the remaining torpedoes hurtled towards the British cruiser. A tense silence followed, then, a deafening explosion far off. The British ship shuddered, smoke billowing from a gaping wound in its side.
Despite the damage, the remaining cruiser pressed the attack, raining fire on the "Glienke." Kessler knew it was only a matter of time. Just as despair threatened to consume him, a booming voice crackled over the intercom.
"ZE-5, this is Scharnhorst! We see your situation. We're engaging the enemy. Hold on!"
A wave of relief washed over Kessler. The arrival of the mighty battleship was a beacon of hope in the storm. He rallied his crew, urging them to hold out just a little longer.
Minutes turned into an agonizing battle. But then, the tide began to turn. The combined firepower of the "Scharnhorst" and the remaining German destroyers forced the remaining British cruiser to retreat, leaving the crippled "Glienke" battered but afloat.
The storm raged on as the "Glienke" limped back to port, escorted by a jubilant flotilla of German ships. Despite the damage, the "Werner Glienke" had done her duty. The sacrifice of the ZE-class destroyers, their flaws overshadowed by the courage of their crews, would continue to shape the battles of the North Sea.
During the invasion of Norway in April 1940, the Kriegsmarine lost half of its operational destroyers (10 ships) during the battle at Narvik. While new destroyers were already under production, a quick solution for a replacement of the lost ships was required.
Under the leadership of Marinebaurat Drucker, a simplified destroyer design was made, the so called "Zerstörer-Einfach" (destroyer simple), which was based in simple to produce spare parts that should be build in segments at smaller shipyards and then completed at the main contractor.
The ZE ships were about the same size as other German destroyers, and with an armament of 5 x 15cm guns plus two quadruple torpedo launchers, their offensive power was similar to classic German destroyers.
The total orders were 32 ships and production started as early as September 1940 on various shipyards at the coast and even on inland facilities that formerly only produce river ships.
The final assembly line was at Papenburgs Meyer Werft, a shipyard that was not heavily involved in construction programs for the Kriegsmarine so far. From there, the completed ships were transferred to the North sea via the Ems river.
The first ship got completed in October of 1941, from then a steady flow of ships began to enter the Kriegsmarine util the end of 1943 with one ship every 3-4 weeks.
Named after sailors and officers lost during the battle of Narvik, the destroyers of the ZE class were valuable ships for the Kriegsmarine, operating in Norwegian Waters, the Baltic Sea and the British Channel.
However, the rushed and simplified production caused several quality problems of those ships and among the Kriegsmarine sailors, those ships were not the most liked.
During wartime, 13 ships got lost, most of them in late 1944 and early 1945. The remaining ships were divided between France, Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union and most of them were scrapped after initial inspections.
Of the 5 ships taken over by the Soviet Uniton, 3 were later given to the Bulgarian Navy which operated the ships until the end of the 1950s.
The model shows the fifth ship of the series, the destroyer "Werner Glienke (ZE-5)" in April 1943
This 1/700 scale model was 3D printed based on a 3D model I made in the early 1990s for a computer game called "Flight Sim Toolkit" where you could build your own flight simulations. And which was pretty bad...
A few years later, I converted the model into the Raytracer Povray where I made a few images and animations from it, which are very very basic in today's standards.
Luckily I was able to take the 3D model and load it in a 3D printer slicer program where I printed it with an Anycubic Mega-S, PLA+, Layer height 0.1 mm. A few parts of the model could not be printed, so I had to add some details made from plastic sheets.
Additionally, guns, masts, boats and other smaller parts were taken form the spare part box. Finally the model was enhanced with PE crew and railing. The model was painted with Revell Aqua Colour.
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