Kriegsmarine Schwerer Kreuzer Tokio

Kriegsmarine Schwerer Kreuzer Tokio

Hasegawa
1/700

Kriegsmarine Schwerer Kreuzer Tokio, April 1944

Manufacturer: Hasegawa

Scale: 1/700

Additional parts: parts from spare part box, PE figures

Model build: Jan - Apr 2022

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The other Battle at the North Cape

The salty spray stung Captain Matsuo’s face as he peered through the thick fog veiling the Norwegian coast. April 1943. It had been nearly four years since the Myoko, now christened Tokio, had limped into Kiel harbor, a crippled giant. The once-proud Japanese cruiser, now under the Kriegsmarine flag, had undergone a dramatic transformation. Gone were the chrysanthemum ensigns, replaced by the Iron Cross. Matsuo, his heart heavy with a complex mix of duty and longing, gripped the railing tighter.

The engine thrummed beneath his feet, a reassuring counterpoint to the ever-present creak of the ship. It was a marvel of German engineering that the Tokio was even operational. Parts cannibalized from wrecks, scavenged stockpiles, and recreated from scratch – the ship was a testament to German desperation and Japanese ambition.

The radio crackled to life. Orders from Admiral Krancke. The British were spotted near the North Cape. The mission – cripple their supply lines and disrupt their Arctic convoys. Matsuo’s pulse quickened. This was his chance to prove the Tokio’s worth, to repay the Germans for their hospitality, a hospitality born of necessity.

The fog began to lift, revealing a breathtaking expanse of snow-capped mountains and a leaden sky. Matsuo barked commands, his voice echoing across the steel deck. The crew, a mix of seasoned Germans and stoic Japanese, moved with practiced efficiency. In the distance, wisps of smoke signaled the presence of enemy ships.

Adrenaline surged through Matsuo as the German battleship Tirpitz lumbered into view, its massive guns bristling like hungry predators. Together, the two ships sliced through the icy water, a formidable force. The British, a cruiser and a pair of destroyers, were no match. The ensuing battle was a whirlwind of fire and fury. Shells rained down, seawater churned, and the acrid tang of cordite filled the air.

Matsuo, his gaze fixed on the lead British cruiser, the Sheffield, directed his crew. The Tokio’s guns roared, a thunderous symphony of destruction. A direct hit sent plumes of smoke billowing from the Sheffield’s deck. The British ship faltered, its return fire erratic.

By the time the fog rolled in again, obscuring the battle, the British were in retreat, the heavily damaged Sheffield limping away. The Tokio, though unscathed, bore the scars of battle – a testament to its resilience and the unwavering spirit of its crew.

As Matsuo surveyed the scene, a pang of loneliness pierced his heart. Victory tasted like ash in his mouth. He yearned for the sun-drenched waters of his homeland, a homeland now embroiled in a war that stretched across the vast Pacific. The Tokio, a symbol of misplaced pride and unintended consequences, was a long way from home, forever a stranger in these foreign waters.

The Cruiser That Never Returned – The Chronicle of IJN Myoko / KM Tokio

An Alternative Naval History

When the Imperial Japanese Navy dispatched the heavy cruiser Myoko on a goodwill world cruise in the summer of 1939, few imagined the voyage would become one of the most unusual naval odysseys of the 20th century. Intended as a projection of Japanese naval prestige, the ship left Yokosuka with great ceremony, crossed the vast Pacific with stops at Hawaii and San Diego, transited the Panama Canal, and proceeded along the American east coast before crossing the Atlantic for her European leg.

A Breakdown in Kiel

By mid-August Myoko steamed proudly into Kiel, Germany’s principal naval port, where thousands lined the shore to see the visiting cruiser. But only moments before reaching harbor, disaster struck: a catastrophic failure in the main propulsion system crippled the ship. She had to be ignominiously towed into the Deutsche Werke shipyard.

Initial assessments suggested repairs would be lengthy and complicated, replacement components would have to be shipped from Japan. Then came 1 September 1939, and with it the outbreak of the Second World War.

A Ship Stranded by Global Events

Japan, still neutral at that stage, declined to expose its valuable cruiser by sending it through increasingly dangerous waters. Even within the Reich, Myoko fell down the priority lists; German naval yards were overwhelmed with their own wartime needs. Work proceeded fitfully and by the time the engines were finally operable again—more than two years later—the world had changed dramatically. The parts Japan intended to send never arrived; German technicians reverse-engineered replacements.

On 4 December 1941, Myoko made her first tentative sea trial in the Baltic. Before she could return to Japan, news arrived of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From that day, German waters were no longer a sanctuary from Allied attention, and the return journey to the Pacific was deemed impossible.

A Historic Transfer

Negotiations between Berlin and Tokyo began immediately. The Germans offered advanced submarine and aircraft technologies in exchange for the stranded cruiser. In early 1942, a remarkable agreement was reached: Myoko would be transferred to the Kriegsmarine.

Renamed KM Tokio, a symbolic gesture respecting her origins, the cruiser was refitted with German radar systems, updated fire-control equipment, and new secondary guns. A mixed Japanese–German auxiliary crew assisted during the final modifications. By March 1942, Tokio was ready for duty.

Service in Northern Waters

In late April she sailed north to join the formidable but increasingly embattled German surface fleet in Norway. For over two years, Tokio operated from the fjords alongside Tirpitz, Admiral Hipper, and Lützow. Her contributions were notable:

Battle of the Barents Sea (Dec 1942): Tokio severely damaged HMS Sheffield in the confused Arctic melee.
Operation Sizilien (Sept 1943): Provided bombardment support during the German attack on Spitzbergen.
Numerous attempts to intercept Arctic convoys, many thwarted by weather or Allied escort carriers.

By late 1944, after the destruction of Tirpitz, Germany’s northern fleet collapsed as a strategic threat. Tokio withdrew to the Baltic—one of the last major surface units still afloat.

Final Fate in the Baltic

In early 1945, while supporting evacuations from East Prussia, Tokio was stalked and struck by two torpedoes fired by the Soviet submarine S-13, the same boat that sank the Wilhelm Gustloff. Badly holed but kept afloat through emergency measures, the cruiser limped toward Kiel. She was deliberately run aground in the Heikendorf Bight to prevent sinking.

After the war, the hulk was declared a constructive total loss. Salvage crews dismantled what remained between 1947 and 1949, ending one of the most unusual voyages ever undertaken by a warship.

The model shows the ship during its time in Norway in April 1943.

This is a 1/700 scale Hasegawa kit of the IJN Myoko, slightly modified with parts of the spare part box.
Replaced are the secondary guns (now German 10,5 cm), German range finders and AA-rangefinders ("Wackeltöpfe"), additional flashlights, new boats and a new crane.

The model was painted with Revell Aqua Color in a typical Kriegsmarine Norway camo. Antennas are made from fishing line and additional PE figures were used.

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