Gordon Williamson

It's being published by Bender Publishing. http://www.bender-publishing.com/ Don't have an exact release date yet though.

Good original piece. Almost certainly Mayer.

Sadly, low res black and white photocopies don't make for good scans where docs are concerned, but we have some jaw-dropping document sets thanks to the unequalled Kay Max Brueggemann collection.

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The proofs are only in the form of black and white photocopies. The actual pages will be in full colour.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to all who gave help and support for my new book on KM awards. Wouldn't have been possible without the generous input from members here (particularly John, Martin and Jan Arne) and Skip over on GCA. Page proofs arrived today for checking so it should be going off to the printers very soon. John and Martin are currently helping out on proof-reading too. Here are some samples.

I'm afraid I'd have to agree with Tim and Don. There are a awful lot of repro solid silver WW1 U-Boat badges out there. Despite all having different detail, they usually carry the Walter Schott mark which so far has only been linked with one manufacturer. Here's another 800 silver copy. Very well made, better than the usual quality of copies but differing considerably in detail when compared with known original Walter Schott marked pieces.

Well, we don't know his exact rank as we can't see his sleeve rings but his visor cap seems to have the narrow braid of Leutnant-Kaleut. and I do have a match in the September 44 rank list. Kapitänleutnant Martin Stoewesand (promoted to that rank 1943) who is designated as a Funkoffizier. Signature definitely looks like Stoewesand to me. Could well be that Stoewesand was comissioned after the date of your list and promoted a couple of grades by 1943.

Joe, I'd say the name was Stoewesand.

Dan is correct. This is a fantasy protective watch case for a pocket watch. There are a lot of these going around. Nothing even remotely like this was ever produced for KM watches. I believe that like so many other such things, they are coming from Eastern Europe. They appear regularly on EBay.

Many thanks. Great info. This is the only illustration I could find in any of my references (not that I have much on the DDR). Do you know if the white band on the NCO cap is fixed, or like the officers white top - removeable ? So then, it looks like - early helmet with white painted band and "KD", later replaced by the removable white nylon cover with the DDR emblem, NCO cap with white band and officer cap with white cover, and the motorcycle sleeve patch. (Working on the basis that the white belt wasn't specifically KD if it was worn by other units for parade dress)

Can someone advise on the insignia worn by these troops. I have tucked away in the attic somewhere an NVA steel helmet which has a white band around it with a yellow diamond at the front with black letters KD which I believe is for "Kommandantendienst". I am aware also of the arm patcgh with the embroidered motorcycle with the letter "R" above which is also listed in a reference I have as being Kommandantendienst. Was this an MP badge, or only worn by those on motorcycles ? (What does the "R" stand for ?) Am I correct in thinking that the Waffenfarbe colour for MPs was the standard white ? I picked up a book on NVA uniforms in Berlin many years with coloured illustrations and which shows an MP with white Waffenfarbe. I know that like the Bundeswehr, the NVA went through many changes in its uniforms and insignia and wondered if there were any changes to the insignia worn by MPs ? Grateful for any advice/info.

Fabulous photo Martin ! Great combination of badges and I'd imagine pretty rare if not unique for someone to have served on Blockade Breakers, HSKs and Heavy Surface Units.

Very hard to say from these pics, much sharper shots would be needed to be sure,but they could well be OK. Problem is that high quality reproductions of collar Litzen have been made for the re-enactor market for some time now and can be bought either unmounted or machine sewn onto the dark green badgecloth backing like this. From these images though, they could be OK. The green is most likely to be the colour for Jäger/Gebirgsjäger. Panzergrenadiers adopted the green Waffenfarbe in 1942 by which time "Einheitskragenspiegeln" were being issued with the plain dark green stripe down the centre for all branches,and generally applied direct to the collar without the dark green cloth underlay.

Joe, I would say an absolute match. Ears in particular are almost as unique as fingerprints and these two match to a "tee". Quite apart from which, as you said at the start, there would be a tiny number of guys who "fit the bill" in terms of rank, previous service on HSK, then U-Boats, with the same additional other decorations, AND won the DKiG. Interesting to see how much the guy has aged. appearance wise, in the months between the two photos being taken, but life on a "Frontboot" in the late stages of the war would do that to a man.

Here is the photo I have of him on file, obviously from a later period. Pretty sure it is the same guy - distinctive wavy hair, the shape of his ear and the shape of his top lip. The top of his Hilfskreuzer badge is just visible. Note the ribbons he wears on the bar below the U-Boat Clasp (- EK2, Long Service and "Flower Wars") match the full size awards worn on the other photo. Interestingly, there was another guy named Lender, this time Willi Lender, who served on "Atlantis" but he never won the DK. Wonder if they were related in any way.

I have a photo of him on file. Obermaschinist Philipp Lender of U-518, awarded DKiG 7.7.44. Also later awarded the U-Bootsfrontspange in Bronze. K.I.A. 22.4.45

I have a list of all the U-Boat DKiG winners. I have it sorted by U-Boat number rather than by name to make searching at the U-Boot Archiv easier but I am sure I can pull together the list by name. I have a considerable number of photos of identified U-Boat DKiG winners so will check and see if this guy is amongst them.

The Juncker marked example is closer to the Meybauer design shown here. Note the curved feature, which is angular on Schott marked badges.

Never actually owned a flawed Schott. Here are the last three that passed through my hands, all unflawed.