We’ve a trio of new releases for Cruel Seas, the German U-Boat VIIc, the Convoy Freighter and a crippled Merchant Tanker. Let’s dive in!
German U-Boat VIIc
The Type VII formed the backbone of Germany’s mighty U-boat fleet throughout the Second World War, sinking vast quantities of Allied shipping but suffering horrific casualties in return. They were the most widely-produced submarines in history. 703 were built, of which only one (U-995) survives today.
The fate of most was a watery grave at the hands of Allied escorts and aircraft or scuttling at the hands of the Royal Navy during Operation Deadlight in the winter of 1945/46.
Of the Type VIIs, the VIIc was the most numerous. With 568 produced from 1940 to 1945, it was an effective (if somewhat cramped and uncomfortable) craft, with a range of around 8500 nautical miles and a maximum speed of just under 18 knots surfaced and about 7 and a half knots submerged. Well-armed from the outset with 4 bow torpedo tubes and a single stern, as well as an 8.8cm deck gun and (later in the war) various smaller anti-aircraft weapons, the Type VIIC sent Allied shipping to the bottom in vast numbers before Allied air superiority over the Bay of Biscay and advances in anti-submarine warfare began to turn the tide.
In Cruel Seas
Our dynamic new model depicts a Type VIIC boat bursting through the waves as it surfaces at high speed, perhaps for a night-time torpedo attack, or to engage targets with its deck gun. It can also be used to represent the earlier Type VIIB, made famous by Gunther Prien’s U-47 sinking the battleship Royal Oak at anchor in Scapa Flow – a blatant and daring challenge to the might of the Royal Navy.
Follow Prien’s example and send the mightiest Allied warships to the seabed, try to match Kretschmer’s tonnage record in U-99, or recreate U-96’s harrowing 1941 patrol, as immortalised (and sensationalised) by the film Das Boot. The time has come to unleash the U-Boot-Waffe!
Contains 1 resin & metal vessel, supplied unassembled & unpainted
Convoy Freighter
All nations relied on the successful shipment of goods, whether those goods be munitions or simply food and clothing. Such vessels would band together in convoys for mutual protection, often accompanied by escorts. Most freighters were practically defenceless against attacking warships but the presence of an accompanying warship was enough to ward off most would-be attackers of convoys. A great number of the convoy battles of World War 2 took place in the Atlantic Ocean, where wolfpacks of German U-Boats lay in wait beneath the waves.
Upon the US entry into the war, the US Navy opted not to use the convoy system, ignoring British advice. This decision was soon reversed, as this period soon saw a brief resurgence to the success of the German wolfpacks. A lone tanker was easy prey to a U-boat.
Suitable for Navies of all nations.
Contains 1 resin & metal vessel, supplied unassembled & unpainted
Broken Tanker
Tasked with the ferry of supplies such as food, fuel, steel, clothing to munitions and weaponry. Many nations were heavily reliant on such ships completing the journey and securing their goods. As a result, this made them obvious targets for the nimble torpedo boats.
This one has met a rather unfortunate end, perhaps at the hands of a blockading enemy sub? This model immerses you in the narrative of a Cruel Seas game or could be used as an objective in a specific scenario.
Contains 1 resin & metal vessel, supplied unassembled & unpainted
Cruel Seas
Begin your Cruel Seas MTB action with the Starter Set Strike Fast, Strike Hard!
Conor Trainer
Tom Mecredy