The second group of the Narvik (1936 A (Mob) type) class was a repeat of the previous group. Now twin turrets were becoming available and only Z 31 was completed with the single gun mount forward. The second group consisted of seven ships, Z 31, Z 32, Z 33, Z 34, Z 37, Z 38, and Z 39.

By late 1942 Z 31 also received the twin turret on the forecastle. She was re-fitted in 1945 as a result of battle damage receiving additional 37mm and 20mm anti-aircraft mounts and was re~commissioned with a single 10.5cm anti-aircraft gun replacing the 15cm twin mount. When the Z 31 was handed over to the French Navy at the end of the war the 10cm mount was replaced with a single 15cm so in her main armament she returned to her original configuration. Other changes, as the French Marceau, included replacement of the four twin 37mm anti-aircraft mounts with twin 40mm Bofors mounts and adding a large radar aerial aft of the second fimnel replacing the searchlight platform. A pair of the single 37mm guns were also replaced with single 40mm Bofors.

Z 32 was sunk in 1944 so she only carried 2 twin 37mm mounts, two single 200 and the Flak-Vierling quad 2Omm aft. Z 33 and Z 34 were identical as built but both later received an additional quad 20mm "Vierling" mount in B position and a total of four twin 20mm and four 20mm single mounts. A search radar replaced the searchlight platform.

The last three boats, Z 37,38 and 39 were built by Germania Werft and were similar to the rest of the class. These are the intended subjects of the Skywave kit. All were completed with the twin 15cm twin turrets. All differed in their secondary armament arrangements. Z 37 had a single 37mm gun in B position, Z 38 had a quad 20mm, while Z 39 had two twin 37mm guns side by side as well as an additional quad 20mm mounted on a higher platform aft. Z 39 also had the single 15cm gun forward of the aft deckhouse left off and two twin 37mm gun mounts were mounted in its place. As can be seen, the Skywave kit is somewhat generic and regardless of which ship is chosen, will require some modification to be accurate. The basic shapes of hull and upperworks are accurate apart from the platform at the second funnel which must be cut back even for Z 37. Another problem with the kit is the extreme vertical taper of bridge and deck houses. Some taper is present in all models due to design need for releasing the parts from the molds but in the case of the Narvik, the effect is noticeable and needs to be worked on. The clunky triangular stairways under the bridge wings should be cut away and replaced with photo etched items. The kit needs a little work but is far superior to the Matchbox effort.

The third group of ships, (1936 B type) were originally intended to be similar to the preceding group but by the time they were to be built experience had shown the excess weight and stability problems of the design were becoming acute. The obvious need to add more radar and anti-aircraft guns further reduced seakeeping and stability. The rather drastic but simple solution was to revert to the single 12.7cm (4.7 in.) mounts last used on the Z 17. Five were mounted on the centerline making these new vessels very similar in silhouette to the older Maass type. Eight were originally planned but three were canceled and two were launched but not completed. Z 35,36 and 43 were completed by March 1944 and were regarded as quite successful. The reduced weight allowed greater freedom of design. Opportunity was taken to strengthen the hull, increase the weight of the machinery and to provide more fuel capacity. There was less hull loading allowing more anti-aircraft guns to be added with no risks to the ship's safety. Up to three quad 20 Vierling mounts and two twin 37 mounts were carried. In terms of potential performance these were perhaps the best German destroyer designs. Unfortunately for the Kriegsmarine they were too few and too late.

The fourth group of ships were to be a repeat of the third group with a new dual purpose 12.8mm twin mount. Three of these mounts were to be fitted in an arrangement suggesting a design development analogous to the USN Fletcher/Gearing progression. Only two hulls were laid down, (in 1943), and none were completed. Although additional designs were projected these were little more than pipe dreams. With existing units of the German surface fleet bottled up in their harbors under intermittent air attack the possibility of new destroyer construction became increasingly remote. The emphasis turned to the U-Boat as the only hope of gaining control of the sea.

1/700 Scale Drawings