smiler

Thanks Gordon, even though it looks a bit beat up it still retains great quality compared with my GWL badge.

It came to me via a well known auction site, accompanied with a very nice Frenca wristwatch stamped D.U.

In time honoured fashion,the story being that they were taken from an officer for a packet of tabs. Luckily for me the seller gave no indication of a U-Boat badge in his auction description. I have tried to get a clearer image of it.

Cheers Stephen.

Hi,

Would love to hear some thoughts on this one,a bit battered and bruised to say the least.It has very similar characteristics to the one in Gordon's book, hinge pin and repaired clip. The measurements are also bang on.

Cheers.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply, as you say it may well be a paper weight, keep sake type anniversary badge.

Cheers.

Hi,

I'm looking to find out any info on this one, there are no visible signs that it was worn as a badge.It came to me in an old cigar box with some other tinnies, armband and cufftitle, has anyone seen one before?

Cheers.

My father Hermann Körbel

Infantry Regiment no. 4, 11 Company

With his Iron Cross Second Class and my Iron Cross I got from my father (6 years old)

T. Körbel

Congratulations. You are now at the top of the slippery slope

Cheers Tom, any idea with that stamp?

Hiya,

Prompted by my recent visit to Ypres and the Somme I have added these items to my collection. I would really appreciate it if someone could translate the handwriting, my Fathers Iron Cross?

Stamped WM,I think?

Cheers.

Nice photos Stephen, please keep them coming if you have more.

Tony

No problem Tony, this is a good time of the year to field walk as the farmers are busy ploughing. I found this 18 pound shell and Mills grenade only feet apart.

Hill 60

Sanctuary Wood

Tyne Cot cemetery, resting place of just under 12,000 men.

<!--quoteo(post=156833:date=Mar 14 2007, 21:41 :name=douglynn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglynn @ Mar 14 2007, 21:41 ) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->wow the memories all came back of my trip to all the places did you know that all the german grave stones are all black??<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

There are a few different styles of German stone/cross in the area:

In Commonwealth cemetaries you'll find a very square white stone of the same marble as our own but with rough cut lettering under an impression of the Iron Cross

Some cemetaries have thin black metal crosses with a name on each side of each cross-arm - they're about half inch thick and perfectly in line vertically, horizontally and diagonally (the only exceptions being small round rough stones between the ranks for the Jewish soldiers)

The majority of stones however are laid on the ground rather than upright and there were quite a few mass graves in the area too

Langemark Cemetery, as you say very different from the Commonwealth cemeteries.

Hi,

Just thought I would post an update to this thread, last week I visited our Tommy's final resting place at the Hooge Crater Cemetery. With my brother and old man we left a little reminder of him, an altogether very humbling experience mixed with a sense of great pride.

Stephen.

Very nice Peter, have you looked for the serial number yet?

Cheers Stephen.

Hiya,

Here are a couple of bedraggled souvenirs that will look better framed.

Cheers Stephen.

[

Can anyone ID this ship, Cheers Stephen.

Hello,

It would be much appreciated if anyone could take a look at this photo of a young Hans Brunsbach who was a machinist aboard U-331. If anyone has any crew photos and can spot him on them I would be most grateful if they could post them or maybe PM me .

Many Thanks Stephen.

How about this windswept flag from U-47 sent by Prien with the following note, "Dear Little Lieselotte, Enclosed are what's left of the promised flag of our steel baby, the 'U 47'. Fly it well! All the best, Your G?nther". Sold recently for 6900 euros!!

Cheers Stephen.

Thanks for the comments, glad to say that the badge has been withdrawn from the sale.

Cheers Stephen.

Hi,

Great find, an amazing srory and some really good pictures.

Cheers stephen.

Thanks lads, it has an estimated price attatched at ?500-700

Thanks Paul, like you I am also novice when it comes to a badge like this. One thing that I would expect to see with something as scarce as this would be some provenance, this the seller does not have.

Cheers stephen.

Hello,

Any opinions on this DKiG would be much appericiated, maker Klein.

As you can see it has been engraved and awarded to OBLT R MEYER 07.02.45 U-1055.

Thanks Stephen.

Hi Stephen,

Don't like the look of it. The chinstrap is definitely not one of the normal KM types and the edge binding to the peak looks suspiciously like plastic. Note also the bead of black plastic/pvc type material between the sweatband and cap body, typical of postwar caps.

Most likely an early Bundesmarine piece.

The "story" that goes with it might even be true. TThe maker is in Cuxhaven which was a main base port for Minesweepers including in the postwar years ( but no longer). If the guy had been in minesweepers when the war ended he may have continued to serve, as many did, for several years after the war on mine clearing operations under British supervision ( in the GMSA - German Minesweeping Administration) and then on into the Bundesmarine, but the cap itself is, I'm fairly sure, not wartime.

Gordon, thanks for your opinion.

Cheers Stephen.

Hi Gordon,

Please could you give me an opinion on this one,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=015

Cheers stephen.

Hello,

Thought this may be of interest

, it is a framed and what seems to be a post war sevice document made out to a former Obersteurmann Heinrich Muller. It also contains a photo of him and his Naval Cap Eagle, it is signed by KL Otto Stoeffler of U-475 on which Heinrich served aboard between July 1943- April 45. As you can see Heinrich served on another Front-Uboot between Oct 41-Dec 42, as yet I have been unable to find which boat this is. All my efforts to find out this missing information have so far been unsuccessful, the most recent being a letter to the U-Boat archive I received a nice reply from Jak p. Mallman Showell who I later called and spoke to him about it.

The photo is not the best but it looks as if he is cleaning oil from his body, and I am not sure if that is a feather on the top of his back. Maybe a Neptune ceremony? Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers Stephen.

Thanks Gordon, i can definitely see that some kind of glue has been applied to it. I am leaning towards it being pre-war as it came with some other personal items.

cheers.

This at least looks good. Postwar Bundesmarine caps normally have cardboard stiffeners.

The material on this cap is similar to that used as stiffeners on many original Kriegsmarine officers peaked caps, though its normally white rather than black . Its a type of buckram material impregnated with some sort of glue to stiffen it.

I haven't encountered this on any postwar caps yet. Maybe Michel can comment.

Thanks for the reply Gordon, i have enclosed a scan of the stiffener which as you can see is quite brittle which has split a little at the front and back. As to what it is made from i am not sure, maybe you can tell from the pic.

cheers.

Thanks Eduardo, so do you think that these would have come from the first batch issued by zeiss or was there an earlier model.

cheers.