Kriegsmarine Ceremony

[robmac]

I recently acquired a photo album that belonged to a survivor of Hilfskreuzer Pinguin. I am hoping to contextualize some of the photos which are of a ceremony. If anyone can help with ANY info please let me know.    

[GreyC]

Hi,

interesting photos. The last photos shows navy personnel in front of Schloss Sanssouci in Potsdam. The photos with the officers seem to have been taken inside the Reichskanzlei (Marmoorsaal?). Among some navy officers there is a Kontre-Admiral and a SS Oberführer (in the army it would rank between Oberst and Generalmajor, no army equivalent, though) present.

He might wear a Baltenkreuz which means he served with a Freikorps in the Baltic in 1918/19. I suspect the lower rank officers might have been presented with an EK I on this occasion.

GreyC

Edited January 25, 2017 by GreyC

[robmac]

Thanks GreyC for the information. Exactly what I was hoping for. I can only guess that the Hilfskreuzer Pinguin survivor whose album these come from was one of the people receiving the EK I and that this was probably prior to 1940 and not after the 1941 sinking of Hilfskreuzer Pinguin. I could not understand the presence of the SS Oberführer  at a naval event but I imagine that this was a common ceremonial task.

Thanks so much!

Edited January 27, 2017 by robmac
spelling

[GreyC]

Hi,

I wouldn´t be to sure about the notion the photos were taken before the loss of the Pinguin. There is a photo showing a fresh wreath. It may well have been for the comrades kia. Don´t forget that there must have been members of the Pinguin still in German service after the sinking of the Pinguin because they were part of the prize crews that navigated some of the captured ships home and so escaped the demise of their ship.

GreyC

[Martin W]

My guess is that we are seeing some of the Pinguin's prize officers here also.

There were a lot,especially those that made it back to Bordeaux on the 11 captured Norwegian Whalers,plus other prize ships,before the sinking of the Pinguin by HMS Cornwall.

This is a photo I have of Ludolf Petersen,who was a prize officer on the Admiral Scheer and then transferred to the Pinguin.

He made it back to Bordeaux on one of the Norwegian Whalers and later became the 1st Officer on the HK Stier.

Regards,Martin.