1:700 Light cruiser Leipzig Germany 1939

The light cruiser Leipzig and her short combat career

Leipzig was the only ship of her type and differed from the older German light cruisers in the arrangement of her funnels and in her machinery. Nine 150 mm guns in three turrets were supplemented by antiaircraft armament and by the ability to carry a mine load. The machinery was among the most interesting features of the vessel: steam turbines drove the two outer shafts, while the center screw was driven by diesel engines for economical cruising.

In December 1939 the cruiser took a torpedo hit from a British submarine during an operation in the North Sea, and the damage to the hull was never repaired back to a combat-worthy state. After repairs she served as a training ship, lost part of her boilers and her speed fell to roughly twenty-four knots. In the autumn of 1944 the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen rammed her in the Baltic and cut the hull almost in two. The end came in July 1946, when the Allies sank the worn-out ship, loaded with chemical munitions, in the Skagerrak.

Building recommendation

The 1939 form is the most rewarding for the modeler, because the ship was still in her original configuration with clean outlines. With the gray finishes of German vessels it pays to set the shade of the sides apart from the deck and to bring out the edges of the superstructures with a dry brush. A hull set on a dark water surface looks better than on a bare base. The guard rails along the decks form a prominent line on light cruisers, so even thin thread or a photo-etched set will move the result noticeably forward. Before you come to the rails for the mines, it is worth comparing their layout with a period photograph, because it changed during her service.