Gordon Williamson

Well, the new photos make it easier to determine and I'm afraid that both the full size and the mini are both 100% bad. Here is a shot of a genuine original. For one thing, note the position of the top of the mast relative to the chain surround on the original compared to the fake - on the real badge it is aligned with the centre of a link, on the fake at the joint between two links. There are many other small details that are close, but just not right - the bow waves are too large and heavy, the bow has a "double line", the anchor chain around the border is too large and heavy. Sorry, definitely bad.

Agreed, definitely a period original, but no manufacturer as yet identified for this type. Interesting to see an example of such a late war badge apparently period attached to a black leather jacket. Black was used to a very limited degree by U-Boat crews for this type of jacket and usually in the early part of the war. By the time this type of badge was produced, U-Boat crews were almost universally using the grey leather jackets.

Sorry, but this looks like a bad one. Quite close to the original but there are some subtle differences. Mostly the differences are clearer on the reverse but your photos are very blurred. Here is a comparison between good on the left and bad on the right. Note that on the reverse the top of the funnel and the bridge of the ship are flat on the genuine piece , and curved on the fake. Fake also has bigger lettering on the makers details. Yours looks to me like the bad one, but good sharp images would be better to be sure.

Hans Joachim Ernst with Luftwaffe Observer Badge and Luft Recce Flight Clasp with Anhanger.

Kapitänleutnant Jürgen Ebert with DK, Luftwaffe Observers Badge and Luftwaffe Bomber Flight Clasp.

Very, very nice portrait Dan !

Here's a nice group portrait with several awards shown - Flak Badge, U-Boat, Minesweeper, Para, Ground Combat, Wound Badge - and Golden HJ Badge.

Very interesting poster from the point of view of the characteristics used by the artists who designed these things (i.e. Japanese were usually portrayed with eye glasses.) They avoided the usual caricature "Nazi" with swastika bedecked uniform (even to the length of getting the correct sleeve rings for a Kapitänleutnant - the most common U-Boat commander rank, yet couldn't resist the "Prussian" monocle (no one with less than perect eyesight could be a U-Boat commander).

Well done Martin, a rare piece indeed. I have only even seen one in hand and that was several years ago. There was one sold on E-Bay two or three years back. Can't remember what it made but it was a sizeable sum.

Bob, Biggish, but not that huge. Quite small if you compare her with one of these shipyard models, but certainly enormous compared with the average plastic kit. Here she is overall, with an example of the Fleet War Badge propped against her for scale.

Looks like a good original. A slightly misformed hinge wouldn't be enough to confine this one to the "reject" bin at the factory. It's on the reverse and wouldn't be seen and in any case still fulfils its function perfectly well. First time I've seen one like this though.

Very interesting book. Zugwachabteilung 513 was formed under Wehrkreis VII which was based in Munich but interestingly was used for tasks in Wehrkries I, III, IX and X, so there is a link to the Streifendienst area in the book. Separate entities but working very closely together and Zugwachabteilung units often came under the direct command of the area Streifendienst commander.

Very interesting shot Martin. Probably a member of the Merchant Navy when he was awarded the badge and later drafted into the Army at a point when the Army needed manpower more than the Navy. Interesting variant of the badge too. Another example of those that are often put down as bad yet without any hard evidence just because its slightly different - but still has all the correct period fittings you'd expect on a good piece

Absolutely wonderful Vlad. Your collection has some truly awesome items !

I have had a quick look through my references for photos of torpedoes and on both E-Boat and U-Boats can only find photos of either 2 blade or 4 blade screws. The 4 blade screws were definitely later so its possible the six blade screws were very late war, but I can't find any period photos that clearly show a six blade screw.

Award document for the KVK earned by Haas and of course made out in his military rather than Police rank, as a member of Feldgendarmerie Trupp 296, serving on the Eastern Front. Quite apart from the interest in his being one of the rirst MPs, it is also interesting that he came from a Police Admin post, as the bulk of those transferred in to the Feldgendarmerie came from the Motorisierte Gendarmerie.

The clue lies in his ID Disc number. The Feldgendarmerie was only formed as a permanent branch on mobilisation in 1939. Prior to this, when large scale troop movements were required ( such as during the Anschluss and in the occupation of the Sudetenland), civilian Policemen were sent to the Army on detached duty to act as MPs on a temporary basis. They wore Police uniform but with the yellow on green Feld=Gendarmerie armband. Hass was one of these and earned his "Flower Wars" Medals as a MP with the army, making him one of the very first members of the Feldgendarmerie. On the outbreak of war, Haas then served with the Feldgendarmerie through to 1944. According to his own postwar statement, he served as a Feldgendarm from 1937 to 1944.

The awards page , showing also the Police 8 Yr LS Medal and the KVK2 and KVK1

So how does a member of staff of Police HQ in Pforzheim win these awards ? Here is his Police Soldbuch, issued in May 1943, still at Police Admin HQ in Pforzheim.

And the Sudeten Medal with "Prager Burg" Clasp.

He earns the "Anschluss" Medal

Dienstausweis for Willi Haas. As the Ausweis shows, Haas was a Wachtmeister of the staff of the Police Headquarters in Pforzheim.

Thanks for the kind comments guys. Difficult to say how many hours went into it as it was done over an extended period as the component parts were released. I guess in total somewhere around 300-400 hours over nearly three years When I pass on, it will probably end up in a rubbish skip. Lorenzo - the large swastikas were only carried when she was in training in the Baltic. They were painted over in grey before she set off on her combat voyage, at the same time they painted out the black/white angular bars on her hull and superstructure.

Looking down onto the main bridge/funnel area. Had to do these as area shots as she is so big (around 4 foot) that to get her all in one shot you have to be too far back to capture detail. All in all, quite a challenging job compare with the simple assembly of a plastic kit, but good fun.

Same area looking up from sea level