M 1943 type Minensucher

[invisible officer]

A fourth Minensucher for my Kriegsmarine escort force. This time a scratch built Minensuchboot 1943, the last class built in WW II.
In 1942 a new Amtsentwurf was made for an enlarged Minensucher 1940. 5,5 meter longer.
Construction was in segments of 3 – 5 tons, built by 11 shipbuilders. The segments came by rail to the two shipbuilders that did the assembly. Neptun at Rostock and Schichau at Königsberg. The class got the numbers M 601-1050 (601- Rostock, 801 – Königsberg.

The timeline was 4 weeks assembly of the segments into 7 sections, 1 week assembling the sections. 2 weeks for fitting out and 1 week for trials. The vessels being on slides, and moving forward to launching place. 8 weeks for a vessel.
But following war damage it took 6 months and more, segments not arriving in time. The first Minensucher was ready in November 1944.

Arms: 2 x 10,5 cm, 2 x 3,7 cm, 8 x 2 cm, 1 Föhn rocket launcher. M 1943 had rails for 24 mines (M 1940 none)

The concept was variable, with small conversions it could serve in four prepared roles:

With complete minesweeping gear as Minensucher.
With reduced minesweeping gear but depth charges increased to 147 as U-Jäger / submarine hunter.
With minesweeping gear and two 53,3 cm torpedo tubes as training vessel (Torpedoschießboot).
With just one 37 mm and only 4 20 mm AA but a depot for 16 training torpedoes
(Torpedofangboot)

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[invisible officer]

2ndMinensuchf Flottille went to Ostsee and got 606-609. 611 (not finished),805,806 (not finished)
12th Minensuchflottille in Ostsee got 601-05, 612,801-804

M 601 / 11.44 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 602 / 12.44 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 603 / 12.44 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 604 / 1.45 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 605 / 2. 45 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 606 / 3.45 1945 US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 607 / 3.45 1945 US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 608 / 3.45 1945 US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 609 / 3.45 1945 British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 610 / finished for US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 611 / finished for US, serving with German crew in GM/SA, 56 Labor service, 196 M 206 Bundesmarine
M 612 / 4.45 , British, serving with German crew in GM/SA

M 801 / 12.44 1945 US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 802 / 1.45, 2. Minensuchflottille, Sunk 3.4.35 at Kiel by USAF
M 803 / 1.45, 1945 US, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 804 / 1.45, 11.3.345 sunk at Kiel-Mönkeberg by USAF
M 805 / 1.45, 11.3.345 sunk at Kiel-Heikendorf by USAF
M 806 / finished for British, serving with German crew in GM/SA
M 807 / finished for Soviets
M 808 / finished for Soviets

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[invisible officer]

A sad story is related with M 612. In April 45 it served with 12. MS Flottille. Admiral Dönitz had arranged with RN that the Kriegsmarine could continue in rescuing civilians from the East, even post capitulation. 5th May M 612 went to sea to help. 8.30 a mutiny started. The officers are taken prisoner by force, the leader Maschinenmaat Glasmacher set course to Flensburg.
On the way a passing Schnellboot smelled the rat. More boats came and prepared the torpedoes. The mutineers surrendered, a prise crew brought it to Alsensund.
20 mutineers stood trial the same day. 11 got sentenced to death and 4 to prison. 5 are found not guilty. Short before midnight the 11 got shot.
In DDR navy three landing boats got named for M 612 mutineers. Both RN and post war German courts found the execution to be in accordance with the law. A DDR movie (Rottenknechte) from 1970 shows a version that is not close to the facts. Naturally in Communist DDR view there was no need to rescue women and children from Soviet forces ……..

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[invisible officer]

I did my model with torpedo tubes. Just for fun, the tubes had not been intended for front use. The boats serving at the front in 45 had none. But pics show that some had the opening at the side.
M 1940 Torpedoschießboote had no tubes in fighting flottilas, some English books state them on front boats in error.

The group photo of all four shows the obvious problem, the Warlord M 1935 is not 1/300. It should be longer than the two other classes but the model is even shorter than the 1940. Well, using them in the back…..

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[elcee]

I don’t think the lentgh difference is visible ingame, the ships will rarely be close enough. I measured the model and its 21.3cm Waterline = 63.9m, so its about 2m to short. It’s slightly longer than the M1940 though.

Was the Föhn rocket launcher ever used with any success? (Success might be the wrong word, how effective were those launchers?)

[invisible officer]

I came to the same, using my grandpas scale ruler. (Bridge building engineer, that tool is great) Hmm, the M 35 was 68,4 in construction WL and the M 38 Sub Version even 71 m.
So a bit more than 2m short.
The wrong bridge form is much worse than the length. As I wrote, using them in the back……

All official German sources agree, Föhn never downed a plane but made many pilots think twice. Breaking up many attacks.

Lothar Frädrich tell the story of a Föhn Chance hit to a RN vessel in a melee in his Seekrieg im Ärmelkanal (about VP Flottille 15) But there are some bugs in his book.
He was a nice guy but no historian. So details …..(I often met him at Berlin ship collectors meetings) So a ?
(He even shows MTB 385 as an example for Fairmile D. Oooops And an Armstrong Withworth Whitley as B-25 Mitchell. )
Well, he was 70 in time of writing.

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