German soft skin in Norway

[modelglue]

Hello all,

 

I am contemplating a diorama of a Norwegian Fjord and a U-boat resupply point. I would like to include some vehicles on the shore/dock and wondered what colour they would be painted. I am thinking the three tone yellow/red/green?

 

Is this even really a scene that would take place? I have very limited knowledge of U-boat operations, and even less of logistics.

[modelglue]

No thoughts? 

[Richard E]

I'll offer an uneducated guess that Panzer/German Grey would be a more suitable colour, perhaps with some commandeered or civilian vehicles to provide some variety.

[Black Knight]

A few U boats were tasked with helping to defend Tirpitz, so they would have needed some supplies, food and fresh water at least.

What time period do you want your dio set?

Early on in the war the vehicles would have been grey, or impressed civilian trucks, late on in the war the vehicles would have been plain yellow

[modelglue]

Thanks for the replies! I am thinking any time after 1940, when Norway was invaded would be great. I initially thought grey would have been my only option but I am glad to hear that the yellow option is also viable. I suppose now that I write this that the tricolour scheme (application in field over yellow) would also be possible. 

 

I really like the idea of civvy trucks present in the dio, and presents an opportunity to add even more colours.

 

Thanks again for the help friends!

[Graham Boak]

Given the environment, I'd suggest the dark grey and possibly additional white, dependent upon season.  There'd be no great incentive to repaint the trucks that arrived in Norway after the invasion and stayed there for several years.  Replacements would be in the dark yellow but would stand out so I'd expect local repainting.  I rather doubt that the late tricolour scheme would have reached Norway, at least in any numbers, but other colours were seen in use even in the early days with green and brown camouflage options being possibilities.  Perhaps a Norwegian member could help?

[modelglue]

Good rationale @Graham Boak, maybe if your suggestion draws out any Anorak with experience in Germany's Norwegian occupation we may see some evidence of what you are saying. Grey under locally applied camo sounds nice, as does yellow with depot grey applied over it.

[Kingsman]

Some U-boat pens were built in Norway, but I imagine that before that they may have operated from unprotected harbours.  I presume you mean one of the Revell 1/72 U-boat kits?  Strangely, one of my work colleagues has a similar idea to yours but he's doing one inside a pen in a glass case he's building-in under his stairs.  I imagine you've done your research on useful products.  There are a few U-boat crew figures about, like the ones from CMK.  I'm sure Revell announced a crew set too.  Luftwaffe ground crew and railway civilian workers would work equally well as dockside figures.  There are also some sets of tank crew figures which might work.  Ace do some potentially useful soft-skins, like the Renault AHN truck.  Look on hobby.dn.ua.  Lots of useful dockside stuff in the model railway domain.

[modelglue]

Wonderful advice. Thank you @Das Abteilung. Yes, the VIIc. I have seen one on FB recently which ignited the need for a diorama. Maybe a Seehund and S-boot will be incorporated. I am going to look up your ACE suggestion now.

[Kingsman]

Thanks.  It just so happens that I was looking out for useful stuff for my colleague while I was surfing for stuff for myself.  The Ukrainian store I gave you the URL for stocks pretty much the entire Ace range.  Ace do a lot of potentially useful stuff, as I said.  Don't forget that the Germans recycled a lot of captured French and British kit, especially in "backwater" theatres like Norway, so don't overlook the usefulness of some of those (there's a whole book on captured British trucks in Wehrmacht service).  I've used that store a lot and found them reliable: they sell a lot of East European stuff you don't see elsewhere.  Check the prices in alternative currencies, you might save a bit.  I'm about to save £30 on an order with a Polish shop by paying in Zloty rather than Euros or Dollars!

 

I don't do braille scale myself but I believe there are several kits of the ubiquitous Blitz truck, Kubelwagens, etc.  A Flak emplacement on the quayside or building roof might be good: there are several Flak kits from 20-88mm.  The only real Schnellboot choice is the Airfix kit, a pre-war / early war design.  Can be made nice.  Seehund and the other minisubs would be too late for a U-boat operating from an open harbour, and I don't know if any made it to Norway as they didn't have the range to operate from there.  Revell do a Seehund (available in ICM boxing) and Mikromir do some German minisubs (not sure of scales). Hobby.dn.ua have those too.  If you're looking on the Hobby.dn site, look for useful figures in the Zvezda, Zebrano and Orion brands.

 

Scenery wise, model railway stuff is your best bet.  All the continental-style stuff will be HO/1:87: too small.  But there's a lot in OO and industrial buildings can look a lot alike.  Look at Dapol.  They do some buildings, a dockside crane and some lineside figures.  There's a whole world of other products.  If you have a decent model railway shop in the vicinity, go have a look.

 

The best bet for CMK products is their own shop, http://www.cmkkits.com/en/.  They do some nice dockside scenery, but pricey.

 

As for the original question, Panzergrau was ubiquitous until 1943 when the switch to Mittelsand came.  Norway was invaded early and almost certainly not reinforced after 1943: N Africa was lost and the tide in the East turning.  With no fighting there no kit needed to be replaced.  So I agree with the comment above that Panzergrau or civilian colours are almost certain.  Kriegsmarine vehicles are unlikely ever to have been painted with the early war brown camouflage.

[JackG]

http://uboat.net/flotillas/bases/norway.html

 

Only two Norwegian bases had U-boat pens constructed, but other existing ports were also used.  Not necessarily stationing actual flotillas, but as supply/support  points.

 

regards,

Jack

 

 

[Kingsman]

Just seen a documentary on TV about u-boats.  Pictures of invasion of Norway with Germans using what were clearly impressed civilian trucks still in gloss finish.  One had a low-side open body improvised to a high-side body with what looked like sheets of timber or maybe planks lashed to it, inside.  Couldn't tell the make.  Thinking further on truck possibilities, don't forget that some Russian trucks and cars like the Gaz AA were licensed or copied from Ford & look essentially the same as their originals (not the AAA - that was uniquely Russian).

[modelglue]

Thanks friends for the excellent replies, I'll try to get some more information about the pens and equipment. Awesome references too, I'm very happy I asked!

[Black Knight]

A case for some trucks to be in the yellow; After Tirpitz was damaged the repair company came to Norway to do the work. They brought with them not only men to do the work but also a whole supply network.

[Graham Boak]

Which suggests that you could model the prewar-type metal cab lorries in the grey and lorries with the later wooden Einsatz cabs in the yellow.

[Chillidragon]

I recall seeing a photo of an old Krupp Proetze somewhere on the net with its rear body replaced with a flat bed in what appeared to be natural coloured (surely varnished or oiled?) wood, in Norway.  The cab area looked Panzergrau to me; I doubt if the owner would have bothered to repaint it.  Sorry I can't provide an addrress, but try various search engines; sometimes something other than Google brings different results...

[Modelholic]

Revell do 1/72 E-boats of a later design to the Airfix offering

http://www.kingkit.co.uk/plastic-model-kit-revell-1-72-05002-s-100-e-boat-&-flak-38-11691.html

 

 A model fishing boat might add something if you could find something suitable.

 

Or even a German flying boat!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Revell-Model-Kit-04383-1-72-Scale-Blohm-and-Voss-Flying-Boat-/311602403121

 

Tom