Trumpeter 05907 German Type XXIII U-Boat Project type

The Type XXIII U-boats were German coastal submarines whose serial production began in 1944. The Type XXIII units were 34.6 meters long, 4 meters wide, and had a displacement of only 258 tons. The Type XXIII U-boats had a maximum surface speed of 9.7 knots on the surface and a maximum underwater speed of 12.5 knots. The main armament of the Type XXIII units were two 533 mm torpedo tubes located in the bow. The units did not have any additional weapons.

The Type XXIII U-boats were designed to complement the much larger Type XXI ships and were intended for coastal operations and limited areas of the Baltic and North Sea. However, they had a hydrodynamically refined hull and a kiosk, which provided them with high underwater speed, powerful batteries and high-power electric motors. The Type XXIII was also adapted to modular production. The first units of this type were launched in April 1944, but were not ready for operation until January 1945. In total, only six ships of this type entered the line. They played a minor role in World War II, but did manage to sink 6 or 7 British merchant ships.