Erik Krogh

Pin reverse

Pin obverse

Here is a small grouping to a worker at the Deutsche Werke Kiel shipbuilding facility. The grouping consists of a lapel pin, the holder's ID card, and a "gift set" of photos given out at Christmas 1939. Here is the pin/ID card.

Morten and John,

Thanks! I'm increasingly drawn to collecting pieces that were "there". Working on building a U-Boat in my back yard... Does anyone have a spare pressure hull lying around?

Erik

Very nice items, i like all these kind of u-boat relics.

The dive alarm is wonderful, i remember to bid on it several month ago!!!

Regards

Ben

Thanks, Ben!

You have some pretty amazing U-Boat pieces in your collection. I particularly like the U-Boat folding table that you found in St Nazaire...

Best,

Erik

These crew badges tend to be almost automatically associated with the U-Boats but the truth is that they were also widely used amongst the smaller surface units. The larger units (battyleships, cruisers etc) were subjected to a higher level of discipline and uniformity and although badges with ships crests etc were made, they were not to be worn on the cap in the way that U-Boat crew badges were. The biggest part of the Kriegsmarine in terms of the number of ships and personnel was the Sicherungsverbände,(Minesweepers, R-Boats, Geleitboote etc) and many of them adopted Flotilla badges.

Sadly,there has been very little research done on these other badges. Hopefully one day someone might produce a reference work on thesed similar to Högel's work on the U-Boat emblems.

Gordon,

Great point regarding the widespread use of traditions badges by the KM surface fleet. Here is a shot of raumboot crew members sporting cap badges from a photo album in my collection. I agree that it would indeed be helpful to have a reference work on this subject.

Erik

Junghaus J30E clock.

Light switch found on U-Boats.

Thereby lies the problem with these crew badges. It is virtually impossible to prove originality and in most cases you end up having to go with "gut feeling". The Seahorse for example though, certainly has that look of real wear and age about it and, to me, certainly has nothing about it to suggest it is anything other than good.

To paraphrase Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, "authenticity is in the eye of the beholder". :cheers:

Hello Peter,

Here is my 9th Flottille desk ornament for reference. Not made as a Christmas gift, but looks period to me.

Best,

Erik

Jeannot,

If one can only possess three U-Boat badges, they should be the three that you have. Congrats on a very nice colection!

Best Regards,

Erik

The Seahorse Emblem from either U-1231 or U-97

Peter,

Both of your new pieces certainly have that "been there look". Any provenance?

Best,

Erik

Peter,

Here's a closeup of the U-93 traditions badge.

Cheers!

Erik

Gordon, Joe, and Kapten,

Thanks for the comments. I too find these artifacts fascinating. You don't see a lot of this on the market - the occasional engine telegraph... I wonder if there is much of an audience for a reference book. I would love to see one!

Best,

Erik

An interesting presentation of a U-93 tradition emblem. Sewn onto a full-size KM towel...

Descriptive plate attached to the torpedo loading rails for tubes 3/4. There are similar plates attached to the rails in U-995's bow torpedo room.

Dive alarm descriptive plate detail. You can see the KM acceptance swastika and "M" poking out from underneath the plate.

U-Boat dive alarm.

Detail of Zeiss mount's descriptive plate.

Mount for Zeiss optics. Does anyone know how this might be used on a U-Boat?

Large gauge with Adler-M stamp.

Reverse of gauge 2.

Detail of KM acceptance stamp on gauge 2.

Gauge 2 with small KM acceptance stamp above screw.

Gauge 1. An exact duplicate can be found in the stern torpedo room of U-995.