BREMSE was authorized as a replacement for the old gunnery training ship DRACHE of 1908 vintage. First requirements were for a ship that could serve as a scout for the fleet, or as a flotilla leader for the MOWE class torpedo boats. For this reason the design should have torpedo armament and the capability of carrying a float plane. Such a ship would have violated the provisions of the Naval treaties, these plans were therefore abandoned. Nevertheless, the new gunnery training ship was going to be a multi-purpose vessel. She would be capable of operating as a mine ship, and was powered by a diesel plant to test this for future application in the "PANZER-SCHIFF A" (pocket battleship DEUTSCHLAND).

References state that the light AA armament of BREMSE was 2 - 2cm and up to 4 - 3.7cm, but no photo can be found to confirm this. The only plan I have found shows 22cm mounts beside the after deck house.

Before the war, BREMSE served in her primary role as a gunnery training ship. In the summer of 1939 she was also "acting" as the Australian cruiser SYDNEY in a movie, called "Der Letzte Appell", (The Last Muster), about the famous German WW I cruiser/raider EMDEN. For this purpose she received two dummy funnels between her own stacks, and the "B" position, (amidships), 5" mount was temporarily removed.

When WWII broke out, BREMSE escorted the mine vessels TANENBURG and HANSESTADT DANZIG and operated as a commerce raider in the Baltic Sea before resuming her role as a training ship. During the Norwegian campaign of April, 1940, (Operation Weserubung), she went with Task Group III to capture Bergen. In this operation BREMSE was hit twice by a shore battery. After repairs, she was employed on escort duties in the Baltic Sea and again in Norwegian waters. On November 1, 1940 BREMSE suffered an accident, being rammed by the steamer DONAU, and had to be docked for repairs until Nov 25, 1940. On December 2, 1940 she ran aground in Faa-Fjord which meant further dockyard time, until June 1941. On July 30, 1941, Bremse came under attack by 20 Fairey Albacores and 9 Fulmars from the British carrier HMS VICTORIOUS but was able to beat off the attack without suffering any damage. While engaged in escorting the transports TRAUTENFELS and BARCELONA on September 6, 1941, she was caught by surprise by the British cruisers NIGERIA and AURORA while off the North Cape at the entrance to Mageroy Fjord. Thanks to her brilliant ship handling and her gallant fight against heavy odds, the transports were able to escape, but the BREMSE was shot to pieces and sank with most of her crew.

For most of her career BREMSE was painted in the standard Kriegsmarine medium gray hull, light gray upper works, 50/51 camouflage pattern. There is however, one photo of her in Norway showing a very unusual camouflage pattern. The hull was still in medium gray but the bow, stern, and upper works were painted in a dark gray. She also carried the black and white stripes that were usually carried only in the Baltic. Very odd, but this scheme may have worked well in the dark Norwegian fjords.

The drawings are to 1/700 scale and show the alterations to convert the Doc-Modell kit into the first appearance of BREMSE, or in her "acting role" as the HMAS SYDNEY. Also shown is the Norwegian camouflage pattern, presumed to be identical on both sides. Note that the ships boats were carried at all times, only omitted from the drawings for the sake of clarity.

1/700 Scale Drawings

Bremse as she appeared just after commissioning	Bremse dressed up for her movie role as HMAS Sydney	Bremse camouflage pattern of 1941

This article originally appeared in Plastic Ship Modeler 1995/4 and is reprinted here with the permission of the author and editor.