by Christian Bruer
1/700 Task Group 21.14 northern Atlantic October 1943 (Tamiya/WSW)
USS Card CVE-11 (Tamiya)
USS Borie DD-215 (WSW)
This is a typical scene up to 1943 in the Atlantic campaign. To protect the convois from enemy U-boats the allies started using CVE`s in 1942. In 1943 Task Groups lasted with one CVE and between four and six destroyers or escort vessels started hunting the hunters. During the war the CVE-11 USS Card and her Task Group sank eleven German U-boats. The Card was awarded Presidential Unit Citations for operations during the war. Her sister ship CVE-21 USS Block Island was the only escort carrier to be lost in the Atlantic campaigne. The old four stacker DD-215 USS Borie was detached to Task Group 21.14 during the first months in the Atlantic campign. Until the new escort destroyers were available these old vessels had to fight against the U-boats. The Borie was lost in November 1943 when she attacked U-405. After ramming the U-boat the destroyer was so badly damaged that it wasn’t possible to take her to port. So Borie was sunk by her sister ships using artillery.
Both models are well done by Tamiya and WSW. The Card ist made of plastic, the Borie from Resin. Both models were updated with detail sets from Gold Medal Model. The paint job was done with an airbrush and Humbrol colours and acrylics. The weathering is made with water colours and highliting with the basic mixed with some white. The display is an picture frame with an styrofoam base. The styrofoam base was painted in different shades of blue. The water was made from transparent silicon, waves were build up wit a spoon and a spatula.
