World War II German "E-Boat" Kit, by Airfix. From 1975 comes this SUPER RARE original and classic model kit of the famous Schnellboot that terrorized the coastal Atlantic in the early days of the war. This hard-to-find kit is the ORIGINAL ISSUE, MINT CONDITION, UNBUILT, PARTS STILL BAGGED AND TREED. Operating in coastal waters, the Kriegsmarine Schnellboote or S-boats (called E-Boats - Enemy boats - by the Allied), were a very effective WWII weapon. They took over the roles of the torpedoboats after those ships were used for destroyers. These fast attack boats were used in almost all theaters of war -the Baltic Seas, the Mediterranean or the Black Sea - but their main operational area was the British Channel where they laid mines and attacked coastal convoys, especially during the night. S-boats also escorted capital ships giving them anti-aircraft and anti-submarine support. During the German occupation of Norway two S-boat flotillas escorted the capital ships and transported troops. Although Allied air and naval power destroyed virtually the entire German High Seas Fleet, the smaller and auxiliary vessels of the Kriegsmarine continued to patrol and serve until the last hours of WWII. Their operational record was quite successful. The S-boats sank over 40 warships (including 12 destroyers) and well over 100 merchant vessels, while damaging 14 other warships (including two cruisers) and 15 merchant ships. At the outbreak of World War II, only 18 S-boats were in service, but between 1940 and 1945 about 230 of these boats were build. Although there were several classes of those ships, all had the same basic design and most of them were built at one single shipyard, Lurssen in Vegesack, which continued to build successful fast attack crafts after the war. Several boats were used by other navies after the war, with two of them added to the newly formed Bundesmarine in 1957. A great kit...add it to your fleet today! Only one in stock.