www.janelmer.com - 3D models and renders by Jan Elmer
www.janelmer.com - 3D models and renders by Jan Elmer

This is my November 2008 update. In my spare time I have been working on many exciting 3D scenes which I hope to share soon. In the meanwhile, here is my latest ship, the Deutschland Class pocket battleship - the Admiral Scheer in old Kiel. The background images of the city is a panorama I created from many old photographs. The new Kiel, rebuilt after the war, looks much different than before the war. Over 80% of the cities buildings were destroyed during the war.

The Admiral Scheer was built by Marine Werft in Wilhelmshaven. The ship was commissioned November 12, 1934. The Admiral Scheer is actually a 'heavy cruiser' along with a sister ships the Graf Spee and the Liitzow. In March 1945, the Scheer is ordered to Kiel for repairs (restore worn out barrels). During the last months of the war, the ship was used to support troops on the ground. On the way to Kiel, the Scheer transports over 200 wounded and 800 refugees at Pilau.

This is one of my favorite shots because the rear superstructure shown here was created from an actual photograph. This ship was modeled to be in medium to long shots (no close up's).

The Admiral Scheer operated in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans sinking 17 ships. In 1942 the Scheer served in Norwegian waters and then in 1943 in the Baltic region as part of a training squadron. In 1944 the Scheer supported the army in the Baltic.

FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE ADMIRAL SCHEER - Then and Now. On April 9, 1945, British RAF bombers attacked the Scheer while in the harbor basin between the Arsenal and Deutscher Werft AG. The ships main guns had been dismantled for an overhaul. The ship only had a skeleton crew on board during the attack. Months after the attack, the British had the basin filled in and the scheer was partially dismantled to hide any remains. BELOW - The blue buildings were there during the bombing of the Adrmiral Scheer in 1945. The blue building is still there today. The Red indicates the location of the Admiral Scheer then and now.

Deutsche Werft AG. The allies were interested in crippling the shipyards in Kiel with air raid attacks due the fact Kiel launched many U-Boats used to sink allied shipping during the war. The first attack was on 2 July 1940 with no great loss. During bombing attacks between 1941-1943 the shipyards at Kiel suffered severe damage but vital machine works were still operational. By the attack on 24 July 1944 came, the shipyard had sustained a deterioration of production. Finally with the bombings of April 1945, the shipyard and machine works had been reduced to rubble. The remaining wartime factories and facilities were dismantled by the British under the 'Treaty of Potsdam'. This was part of the issue of Kiel and much of Germany struggling with hunger and high-unemployment after the war. Many years later the shipyard has become successful again producing all kinds of modern craft.