Erik Krogh

Minesweeper plaque. It is 21 cm tall. Here is a photo from my collection with the U-Schule plaque mounted on the conningtower of a training boat.

Thanks for posting your interesting plaques. Here's a leather "plaque" for the 4-Raumbootesflottille. I got the "plaque" along with the KM man's sidecap with the metal traditions badge still pinned on it.

Thanks for the information on the traditions design for U-3003/U-3013! Here is a U-653 plaque I obtained from Funkmeister Kupfermann's estate.

Hi IJSBeer, Interesting pin you have there. Not sure if it can be tied back to a U-170 crew member, but possible. As I'm sure you know, it is very difficult to authenticate crew badges unless they come with significant provenance. Some U-boats used commercially-available symbols (e.g. Olympic rings used by U-394, 407, 426...) and militaria dealers often charge premium prices for such olympic pins claiming them as U-boat traditions badges even though there is no evidence that these were used on a boat. The "ski bunny" motif similar to your pin and used by U-170 was available commercially: I have posted an image in the form of a charm. The U-170 traditions badge I posted came from Detlev Niemann with his guarantee of authenticity. I also have another GoA for Niemann for 2 U-170 crew badges. I do not own the shield, but I did purchase the 10 U-Flotille pin from the owner of the shield. These are posted here. You should also refer to page 79 of Gordon Williamson's book "Torpedo los!" for another version of the ski bunny from Michel's amazing collection.

Great emblem, Andreas! I have a wooden plaque of this same logo from Funkmeister Kupfermann's estate. Best Regards, Erik

Reverse of Traditions badge for the 24th U-Flotilla and U-748.

Traditions badge for the 24th U-Flotilla and U-748 (ex Italian S5). Just picked this up at the SOS in Louisville KY over the weekend. No provenance except for the story: the seller is an old-time collector from Chicago who used to hang around with Hans Goebler (U-505). Purportedly this badge came from one of Hans' friends. Not much to go on, but the construction looks reasonably period so I took a chance.

I just looked at this tunic at the SOS, and I believe it to be period. Best, Erik

... and the destroyer awards!

Chris, Wonderful that your wife's grandfather's awards are still in the family. Thanks for posting the Narviks, the wound badges, and the documents. Best Regards, Erik

Hi John, It's difficult to see much detail from the picture that you've posted. I don't much like the stand up collar - it is different from the standard KM collar which featured five rows of reinforcing stitching. The ends of the collar also appear sharp as opposed to the typical rounded edges. It would be great if you could get better photos to analyze. Best Regards, Erik

Don, That is a great photo that you have! Nice to see this badge in wear in a period photo. Thanks for posting. Best Regards, Erik

Reverse of my badge.

Hello Peter, Well, you've picked a tough one to confirm as pre-45. There does not appear to be a consensus regarding the specific characteristics of a Third Reich original, as the same design was used post-45 in the Bundesmarine. The conventional wisdom on these is to let the badge's finish guide your originality opinion. Since both of the badges that you have posted appear to have a vintage look, you could probably choose either of them. In this case, originality is in the eye of the beholder. For what it's worth, here is a scan of my badge, which resembles the second type that you have posted. Erik

Gordon, Fantastic doc grouping for Hans Ellerbrock! Thanks for posting. Best Regards, Erik