Kriegsmarine Very early U-boat grouping. U-37, U-107

[Simon Orchard]

Just arrived today, this fantastic early U-boat grouping to a torpedo mekaniker who took part in World War Two's most successful U-boat patrol.

First off his U-boat badge award doc. Has anyone ever seen one this early??!!

The date of the award is the same day the U-37 (a type IXA) returned from her second war patrol having sunk 8 ships off Portugal, Ireland and Scotland.

After her third patrol he was awarded the EKII, another 8 ships had been sent to the bottom.

[Simon Orchard]

We move on to 1941 now, a promotion and a new boat. The type IXB U-107 under G?nter Hessler, D?nitz's son-in-law.

She left Lorient on the 29.3.41 making for West Africa, by the time she returned home on the 2.7.41 she had accounted for 14 ships for a total of 86,699grt making it the most successful U-boat patrol of the war.

Along with the docs came a handful of loose photos of which here are two. A photo album to the same man with 300 or so photos was sold about the same time on E-bay fetching well over 2000 euro.

[Paul R]

Simon,

Congratulations on a once in a lifetime find!

[gdlasalle]

Great find! The seller of the photoalbum on Ebay made a big point of saying he had the awards documents, but warned "to not even ask if they were for sale." He also said some of the photos were missing. Then I saw the docs and "loose" photos were for sale on WAF. Congrats on your documents, they're great. I just don't understand why someone would break up a U-boat man's photoalbum and documents. To make a little more money? Seems to me the items belong together and are woth more together. And this isn't sour grapes on my part...I couldn't afford the album.

[Marcus H]

Blimey Simon, that is early !!! I like to have a few doc's concerned with each award I have and prefer groupings of sorts if able to get them, this I'd buy in a blink !

Lovely.

Kr

Marcus

[Gordon Williamson]

First off his U-boat badge award doc. Has anyone ever seen one this early??!!

Fabulous set Simon. I've had loads of U-Boat badge award documents, but only ever had one prior to 1940.

Very rare indeed.

[Simon Orchard]

From what i understand the U-boat badge was instituted on the 13th Oct.1939 but does anyone know when the first awards were actually made?

Marcus

Usually NorwayFinland stuff is my area but when i saw this grouping i just fell in love with it because of the very early date of the u-boat award and the special history behind the boats he served on.

Edited September 5, 2006 by Simon Orchard

[Gordon Williamson]

Not too difficult to research. The badge was issued after two war cruises. Not that many U-Boats were actually operational at the outbreak of war so tracking the date of completion of the second war cruise of each of them would reveal which boats crews were technically the first to qualify.

I believe those who took part in the sinking of the Royal Oak on 14 October 1939 received the badge , when the first issues were made for "normal" service as opposed to one of dramatic actions like Scapa Flow could be worked out but some would have already qualified when the badge became available so probably the intitution date or immediately afterwards.

[Monsun]

Hello Simon,

congratulations for your U 37 - U 107 "Hans Hempel"-group!

Please look at my post "U-boat grouping U 37, U 508"

Here are also a early U-Boat badge award document belong to "Paul Wirtz", a member of U 34. The document was framed behind glass, so the sun had "lightend" the "D?nitz" signature.

On the 17th Oct 1939, U-34 left Wilhelmshaven under the command of Wilhelm Rollmann and returned to Wilhelmshaven on 12th Nov 1939 after more than three weeks on patrol. It was the second war patrol of U 34.

Wilhelm Rollmann hit five ships on this patrol, two of these ships were in convoy: One was from convoy HX-5A and one was from convoy OB-25.