Martin W

Komet P.1

I was lucky enough to pick up this very rare book yesterday.It is basically a photo essay of the cruise of the HSK Komet.It is nicely printed and contains dozens of images of the voyage. It is a lot more scarce than the Atlanis book and did not go into printing for the public,as the Atlantis book did,later. It was specifically printed for crewmember and their families. I know of only three other other of these books in collections. Regards,Martin.

What really interests me about this badge is the reverse.The hinge block has been "cut" short on the left side.This is a feature i have never seen on a Schwerin badge before,and the hinge block appears to be of standard Schwerin stock. So,a first for me.Nevertheless an original badge,IMO. Has anyone noticed this type of "cut" on other Schwerin badges? Regards,Martin.

Here are a set of pictures that was sent to me by a member at GCA. We have what appears to be a perfectly good Schwerin Fleet badge,and from the obverse a really nice looking one,at that. Martin.

As a collector of photographs myself,i really enjoyed looking at this set.My focus is purely Kriegsmarine,but this is a great set of photo's from the Luftschutz. Thanks,Martin.

Reverse.

After a closer study of the photograph the badge appears to be of the unmarked tombak type i am posting below.You will notice from the close up of the badge that the wings of the eagle do not touch the outer circle of the badge,as is seen on most other BB badges.Because of this unusual feature,some beleive that this type of badge is a fake,although i have always beleived this one to be original? Regards,Martin.

Thanks Rick, much appreciated.I knew i should have kept my "Uniforms and Traditions" of the the Heer books. Many thanks,Martin.

Detail of award.

I just received this photo and i admit that it a very unusual photo of the Blockade badge in wear.The recipient is wearing a Heer uniform,so IMO a very odd combination of uniform and award? Can anyone identify the insignia on the sleeve? Regards,Martin.

Excellent work Norm. I have never noticed a zinc Minesweeper that i could attribute to Juncker,before.Your posting here seems to confirm that they may well have produced the badge in zinc. Well done. Martin.

I do agree with you Gordon.I have always considered this type of Minesweeper badge a Juncker product. Having said that,i would like to say a big thank you to Norm for the work and effort he has put in in providing the visual evidence above. A great reference for the future,i think. Thanks again Norm, Martin.

Hi Jack, i agree the photo's could be better,but from what i see,i am not too happy with this one.The detail looks weak and i think it is probably a postwar copy. All of the original FLL CA badges i have seen have a very distinctive die characteristic. It is is the form of a small cicular indentation,found at the bottom of the gun housing.It can be see quite clearly on the picture below. It appears to be there on your badge but very weak in detail,suggesting to me it is a cast copy? Regards,Martin.

Yep,definately not remembered.Thanks for jogging my memory Gordon.I guess i am getting a bad case of premature senility. Regards,Martin.

Hi Gordon, do you have an example of the needle pin variant? I do not recall seeing one before. Thanks,Martin.

IMO,a good zinc badge by Funcke & Brunninghaus. Regards,Martin.

Hi Chris, any chance of you being able to post the photo's here? Regards,Martin.

Daniel, thank you for your input,much appreciated. Gordon, from what i know so far,the ribbon bar came from part of a grouping from the family.Unfortunately,the group was split up. I will be getting more detailed information in the next few days,i hope. Regards,Martin.

Well,i think i know what i want for Christmas. Thanks Gordon. Regards,Martin. Well,maybe not for Christmas.Amazon says it is not available until Feb.2010?

Thanks Gordon, the ribbon bar belonged to Ulrich Brocksien,the Commander of the ill-fated second cruise of the Hilfskreuzer Komet.He went down with his ship on 14 Oct.1942 in the English Channel. Regards,Martin.

I was wondering if amy one could help me in identifiying the ribboons on this bar.I can identify a few myself,EK1,HC,Long service,Sudetenland and Memel.I am not sure of the others? Any help will be much appreciated. Regards,Martin.

Hi Stuart, Thanks for the photo's.Sorry but i have to agree with Gordon here.Your Destroyer badge is definately a post-war copy. Regards,Martin.

Hi Gordon, very interesting information and thanks for that.I noticed that the photo was dated February 1945,Flensburg/Murwick.I wonder if this individual was taken from Destroyer duty to the defense of the Northern Ports,hence the grey uniform? Regards,Martin.

Thanks for the translation Gordon. I also find it unusual to see the Destroyer badge on the grey uniform?I guess i have always associated the uniform with the Coastal Artillery. Regards,Martin.

The reverse of the photo.A translation of the writing would be much appreciated. Many thanks,Martin.