Scale reconstruction

U-869 Model

A five-foot scratch-built model of U-869, commissioned by Richard Kohler and constructed from original Type IXC-40 plans and historical photographs.

Commissioned in 1997 Built by Peter J. Papa Type IXC-40

The model

Built from plans, photographs, and the details of a late-war U-boat.

Richard Kohler commissioned the model in 1997 from master modeler Peter J. Papa.

Using actual Type IXC-40 construction plans, historical photographs of U-869, and photographs of her sister boats, Papa spent more than a year constructing the model from a wide variety of materials.

At five feet long, the model was built to reproduce U-869 in both scale and equipment, including her weathered paint scheme and late-war modifications such as the snorkel, quick-diving hull, dinghy canisters, and radar equipment.

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Continue in the archive

Explore the history and surviving record of U-869.

Historical photos

U-869 in 1944

Photographs from the boat’s commissioning, training, and wartime service period.

View photographs

Evidence archive

U-869 Artifacts

Explore objects recovered during the search that helped establish the wreck’s identity.

View artifacts

Boat history

History and Specifications

Follow U-869 from construction and training through departure on her first patrol.

Read the history