Udet Boje (German Rescue buoy, 1949-1941)

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

One of the things I especially like about paper modelling (and Google!) is that a new model will often inspire an internet search - which then makes the model in question even more interesting.
A few days ago I came across https://saba-modellbau.jimdo.com/
They offer a model of a German WWII rescue buoy, developed after an idea of Luftwaffe General Udet. During the Blitzkrieg large numbers of German planes were forced down over the English Channel. The idea was that survivors might be able to swim to one of these buoys, inside which they would find food, water and dry clothes. They would raise a flag, so that either a Dornier seaplane or a small 'Schnellboot' (fast boat) would be able to spot them and pick them up. Although nearly 100 were built and anchored in the Channel between the English and French coasts, no one was ever rescued this way. Quite a few lost their anchors and ended up on various beaches. The one in the picture finished on the Dutch beach near Castricum (north of Amsterdam). Another one ended up on the island of Terschelling where it gradually disappeared into the sand. In March 2016 the remains became visible again.

[Raja Ahsani]

Impressively good idea, but i guess those downed aircrew would rather stay on their dinghy rather than venturing out trying to find this thing, while 100 were built the english channel is still quite vast, it might be quite a long way swimming. however, i wonder if any allied crew found one of this thing.

[jagolden01]

Thanks for finding and sharing. I find this idea fascinating!

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Haven't done any cutting and glueing for a while - so now: little steps for little feet. Just happened to have a glass fiber rod of the right diameter to insert in the mast. Stupidly turned the deck 180 degrees - a little yellow paint will solve that later.
Scale is 1/33 - the top of the mast is ca. 20 cms.

[kwarts]

During the war, the Royal Air Force and Air Ministry put a buoy like this to good use in the (propaganda) movie "One of our aircraft is missing".

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

I found about a second wartime movie with the Udet Buoy in it: 'We dive at Dawn'.
Have made some progress - the railings and stanchions are more work than the buoy itself. I have little or no experience building ships, so I am looking forward to having a go at the rigging - using the elastic EZline.

[SCEtoAUX]

Interesting subject matter for a paper model.

I saw an old British WW2 movie in which a submarine was on its way to Norway to blow up a fuel dump. On the way there the crew captured some Germans manning a weather buoy.
One of the scenes that stuck with me is inside the submarine when the Germans were made to change out of their uniforms. A crewman was holding up shirts one of which was a football jersey and he told one of the Germans it would have to be Sheffield Wednesday for him.

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

That was indeed the movie 'We dive at Dawn'.