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I will also add my old research material and a lot of photo copies from the U-95 and O-25. Also photo copies of the POW camp where Martin Bitterberg was imprisoned. Also two copies from newspapers regarding Martin Bitterberg.

Greetings to you all.

Due to circumstances i stopped collecting many years ago and sold most of my collection. But in the hope i would find the inspiration again i always kept this lot. 

However now ten years later there is still no inspiration and i decided to depart from my last possession, the Martin Bitterberg lot.

But after been away for all these years i have no idea what the right price would be to ask, so i am looking for some guidance in what would be a fair price to ask. Hope you gentlemen can give me some advice. 

I've made some photographs of the entire lot. Your opinions please.

First all of the original material regarding Martin Bitterberg, including his jacket he had on when U-95 was torpedoed by the Dutch submarine O-21.

* Note: The officer of the watch badge and chronograph are not from the estate of Martin Bitterberg. The badge is repaired on the back. The chronograph is wartime period but no markings. The button on that picture was found in the pocket of the jacket. The newspaper article on the picture with the armband was also found in the pocket of the jacket.

Next some original photograps of the victims of the U-95.

Some original photograps of the O-21, including two books (apparently first print. Written in Dutch) with the memoires of two of the sailors from the O-21. Also a Weyer's taschenbuch from the Kriegsmarine for ship recognition.

Also a newspaper article regarding the O-21.

Thank you Joe.

I hope to visit the dutch royal navy submarine service museum soon. Maybe i can make a deal with one of the employees there regarding photos of the O21. Actually, most of the O21 stuff i have comes from a retired tour guide from a dutch navy museum.

Adrian.

Alsoo added, a photograph of Martin Bitterberg and his wife. Picture was taken in 1947, after his return from the Canadian POW-camp.

Recently added to the collection, a photograph of Martin Bitterberg during his service in the postwar Bundesmarine. Picture was taken in 1957 during the visit of a german count.

Happy new year to all!!!

Recently added to the collection, a photograph of the Bitterberg family. Picture was taken in 1941 aftert the baptism of Martin Bitterbergs son Klaus.

And this one is also added, a photograph of the Taranger, a Norwegian motor merchant of 4,873 tons. According to Uboat.net:

The Taranger (Master Sverre Solberg) had been escorted by British aircraft after leaving Liverpool, which attacked an U-boat contact on 30 April at about 8°W. U-95 spotted the unescorted ship in AL 3178 at 06.20 hours on 2 May and began to chase her, but course changes and the high speed of the ship prevented any attacks until a torpedo was fired at 02.08 hours on 3 May, but it became a surface-runner. At 02.45 hours, the U-boat attempted to stop the vessel with MG fire about 150 miles southwest of Reykjavik, but the ship (armed with two Hotchkiss MG) tried to escape zigzagging at full speed and sent emergency messages so the Germans opened fire with the deck gun after 10 minutes and scored 16 hits with 21 rounds. After the first hits, the engines were stopped and the crew began to abandon ship while the shelling continued from the starboard side. The port lifeboat got clear, but before the starboard boat could be launched the master was killed and three crew members were wounded. The U-boat went to the other side and fired at torpedo at 03.12 hours which again became a surface-runner and a dud. At 03.16 hours, the stern torpedo was fired that hit underneath the bridge and the ship broke in two and sank after being hit by a second coup de grâce at 03.25 hours. Alerted by her radio calls, HMS Echo (H 23) (LtCdr C.H.deB. Newby, RN) was sent out, but after a fruitless search for 8 hours she headed for Iceland. Both lifeboats set sail for Iceland, but the starboard boat lagged behind. The next day, its occupants spotted the convoy OB-320, were picked up by HMS Begonia (K 66) (Lt T.A.R. Muir, RNR) and landed at Reykjavik on 10 May. On 5 May, the seriously injured first engineer had been transferred to HMS Wolverine (D 78) (LtCdr J.M. Rowland, RN) which had a doctor on board. In the morning on 5 May, the 17 men in the port boat saw land and were shortly thereafter rescued by the Icelandic motor fishing vessel Sigurfari (MB 95) (Skipper Bersør Guojønsson) about 46 miles from the coast. The vessel took the lifeboat in tow for Akranesi from where they were taken by passenger vessel to Reykjavik on 6 May.

And a photograph of a few crewmembers of Temple Moat.

Also added, a photograph of the Temple Moat, a British steam merchant of 4,427 tons. According to Uboat.net:

At 01.45 hours on 24 Feb, 1941, Temple Moat (Master Thomas Ludlow MBE), dispersed from convoy OB-288, was hit by one torpedo from U-95 and sank fast by the bow south of Iceland. The master, 39 crew members and two gunners were lost.

Added to the collection, a photograph of the Cape Nelson. The Cape Nelson was a 3,807 tons British Steam merchant. According to Uboat.net:

At 00.46 hours on 24 Feb, 1941, the Cape Nelson (Master Kenneth Malcolm Mackenzie), dispersed from convoy OB-288, was hit by a torpedo from U-95 and sank by the bow within 7 minutes southwest of Iceland. The master and three crew members were lost. 34 crew members were picked up by the British merchant Harberton and landed at Halifax on 4 March.

They look rather nice. Can you tell me what scale these are?

Hello!

First very nice thread.Is there any Marker Labels inside this leather Jacket.

All the best

Morten.

Sadly there are no maker marks left in the jacket. It only contains his name and rank. When i got the jacket, i went through the pockets and couldn't find any markers in and around those either. I did find however an old German newspaper article and a spare button.

Regarding displaying it, i am currently working on a new way of displaying this lot. Only problem is if i have enough space in my war room. It will be a long term project, but that is also one of the nice things about this hobby / addiction. It keeps you busy for ages (only one having problems with that is the gf).

This thing is starting to turn into a nightmare for me. I see indeed the points you mentioned and after comparing it to a version with swords, i should have known of the bands. I will do some research on Floch-fakes and see if i can find one like this.

Thank you very much for pointing these things out.

Thank you. That is at least a positive opinion for me. I also think it is okay.

Some more opinions would be appreciated.

A lot bigger then i expected. Was looking forward to see this book.

This KVK1 without swords has been in my collection for a few years now, but recently a fellow collector said it could be a fake (but he didn't say why). I don't know anything about KVK's and hope someone here can confirm if it indeed is a fake.

That's it for now. Hope you guys enjoyed.

And on the left (the man with the beard) is Johannes van Dulm, commander of the 0-21.

Wartime photograph of the crew of the O-21.

Two books. The first are the memoires of Johannes van Dulm (Onder de bloedvlag van de O21). In this he describes the attack on U-95. The second is the book of one of the crewmembers of the O-21, Wijnand Claes (De kat met 9 levens) and he also describes the attack on U-95.

An article about the O-21.

Now some stuff from the O-21 side. First a photograph of the O-21.

And another.

A "frachtbrief" with Bitterbergs name on it.

Two small photographs of the U-9.