Gordon Williamson

Otto Kretschmer

Wilhelm Rollmann

Jost Metzler

As an adjunct to Michel's thread on wartime signed photos, here is another similar theme. These cards were produced by the shipyards to honour commanders who had served on boats built by their firm.

This series was produced by Krupp-Germaniawerft and has the signature of the officer printed on it usually - but not always- in white.

Fritz Frauemheim

Fascinating piece of film on youtube showing K-Verband men in training, using a Sprengboot. Simple concept - pack a fast speedboat with explosives, aim it at the target and jump overboard at the last moment !

Note thier headgear is the Luftwaffe Fallschirmj?ger helmet !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OtZa4W4RlE...ted&search=

This is an F&BL badge (L/56 type). This firm used several types of pin fitting, including both needle pin and wide pin.

Hollow backs of this type are absolutely authentic wartime pieces. Original hollow backs also exist of the Zimmermann/Mayer/Schickle type.

Suggestions that all hollow backs are postwar fakes is utter nonsense.

Fortunately however, it is nylon which will melt if heated, and has a totally wrong weave style.

However if the maker of the first type fake shown corrected the letter "s" like the newer one, it would have been a very hard one to tell.

This new copy however, has the letter "s" corrected to the proper style.

This German made copy is very well done, in good silk and celleon, doesn't melt if burned, correct weave style BUT has the wrong style of letter "s" in "see"

Most people will be aware of the fake KM ribbons that abound on E-Bay, like Bismarck, Tirpitz and all the others. You don't see fake U-Boat ribbons so often but they are out there.

Here is a genuine wire woven Emsmann ribbon, a rare beast and very hard to get hold of.

The miniatures even came with their own purpose built case

Especially when you consider how tiny it is. Here it is with a full size Steinhauer RK of the KVK.

And here it is. The first image was a bit of a tease, just to show how incredibly detailed the Steinhauer mini RK is.

David,

I'd forgotten I'd even posted this.

No, nothing re-worked about it. It is a Knight's Cross and 100% original wartime piece.

I'll dig out the full set of photos of the thing and post them later today.

Very nice badge Chris, but a Mayer piece, not Zimmermann.

Correct FPNr for the Befehlshaber der Sicherung der Ostsee is M20759

Always harder to tell Souval badges without a hands-on inspection, but I would be reasonably comfortable with this as a good example of the angular form marked badge.

Glad you like it Martin. The down side of working with a US publisher and living in the UK is that I don't expect to see the book myself until into the New Year. All I have seen so far is black & white photocopies of the draft pages !

Note the 800 mark is on the lower arm.

There are still some nice early 57s out there. This one came in the original very early 57 case with nice equally early postwar ribbon (non-glow)

And one with a Christmas message "from the trenches"

Here is one that is particularly appropriate for this time of year

Looks OK. 5 U-Flotille was a training flotilla where newly commissioned boats were prepared for front line service.

Can't read the sailor's name clearly from this image. Have you tried checking it against any of the crew list databases ?

I suspect there could have been a considerable gap between the introduction of the Pr?sidialkanzlei numbering system, and making its use in marking awards mandatory.

Just as one example, the Steinhauer KVK1 without Swords is easy enough to find in superb early quality silver plated tombak, but with the "4" PK mark. So there is at least some circumstantial evidence pointing to the use of PK marks earlier than 1944.