Gordon Williamson

Hi Peter,

Yes you are correct, it is a very pale gold, looks like silver because of the bright scanner light.

Exactly so. Bear in mind these are early pieces, before the enforcement of strict quality controls.

Does the Cross have that slightly dimpled finish under the paint ? I have seen more one piece Schinkels than ordinary one piece EKs, so I would have far less suspicion over one of these. Can't see anything about this one that raises any immediate warning flags.

Very nice indeed. Love Japanese swords. Been toying with the idea of buying a Naval one but too dodgy at the moment with forthcoming legislation making them illegal up here.

No problem with your pin Bill, its perfectly legitimate wartime S&L "furniture" and is in fact exactly the type of pin they used on the War Merit Cross First Class.

Another naval "generic" with Swords.

Rick, any ideas on the signature (Kummetz ?)

Reverse

Sacred Treasure 3rd Class Obverse

Of course, sorry, I forgot about Brest!!!

OK, thanks Rick !

Did any body notice that the Spange on the EK2 ribbon, is a First Class !!!

Either one of the six possible imperial navy/Prussian army and the short list of deviceless Third Reich possibilities: RAD 4-12, Police 8, SS VT/TK 4-8 or most likely the double "Wehrmacht style" wear of RAD 12 and 4 which was quite common but I've never found an actual regulation allowing. Or the naughty man had an imperial XII and choose to "two Wehrmachts may be worn" improperly as an XII with an IX, which I have also seen.

But the presence of an EK Spange would make my prime suspect a former WW1 junior NCO or private (the W?rttemberg silver MMM for enlisted ranks) who was a Feldmeister type in the RAD (12 & 4 RADs) at the WW2 front, as so many of them were.

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Wouldn't any of the 3rd Reich awards have had the mini emblem on the ribbon though ?

Surviving "French" U-Boat Bunkers can be seen in Bordeaux, St. Nazaire, La Pallice and Lorient. There is also a surviving bunker at Trondheim which was still used by Norwegian subs after the war. Only Valentin still survives reasonably intact in Germany. Plenty of ruins of others to be seen though.

Work on building them went on around the clock despite the risk of attracting enemy air raids working under massive arc lights.

Rear entrance

These structures were HUGE. Its no surprise they decided it was easier to leave them alone rather than try to demolish them.

Another

This one probably torpedo/munitions storage

Most of these bases also have surviving smaller blockhouses and bunkers ( often torpedo storage bunkers).

The "business" end

More

More of the landward side

The main bunker. Youy get an idea of scale from the small car at bottom left.

The protected lock at La Pallice

And all thats left of it today.

Excellent set of pictures Gordon.? I assume the French ones are still there as well?

Do you know if any are open for the public to visit?

Cheers

Don

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Yes indeed, some are open to the public. I'm sure Michel will know about these.

I'm just about to post some images I got from ChrisB (Mr Bean) which you should find interesting.

First though, another German bunker, here is ElbeII during the war, very impressive.