Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    Very early U-boat grouping. U-37, U-107


    Recommended Posts

    Just arrived today, this fantastic early U-boat grouping to a torpedo mekaniker who took part in World War Two's most successful U-boat patrol.

    First off his U-boat badge award doc. Has anyone ever seen one this early??!!

    IPB Image

    The date of the award is the same day the U-37 (a type IXA) returned from her second war patrol having sunk 8 ships off Portugal, Ireland and Scotland.

    After her third patrol he was awarded the EKII, another 8 ships had been sent to the bottom.

    IPB Image

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    We move on to 1941 now, a promotion and a new boat. The type IXB U-107 under G?nter Hessler, D?nitz's son-in-law.

    She left Lorient on the 29.3.41 making for West Africa, by the time she returned home on the 2.7.41 she had accounted for 14 ships for a total of 86,699grt making it the most successful U-boat patrol of the war.

    IPB Image

    Along with the docs came a handful of loose photos of which here are two. A photo album to the same man with 300 or so photos was sold about the same time on E-bay fetching well over 2000 euro.

    IPB Image

    IPB Image

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Great find! The seller of the photoalbum on Ebay made a big point of saying he had the awards documents, but warned "to not even ask if they were for sale." He also said some of the photos were missing. Then I saw the docs and "loose" photos were for sale on WAF. Congrats on your documents, they're great. I just don't understand why someone would break up a U-boat man's photoalbum and documents. To make a little more money? Seems to me the items belong together and are woth more together. And this isn't sour grapes on my part...I couldn't afford the album.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    From what i understand the U-boat badge was instituted on the 13th Oct.1939 but does anyone know when the first awards were actually made?

    Marcus

    Usually NorwayFinland stuff is my area but when i saw this grouping i just fell in love with it because of the very early date of the u-boat award and the special history behind the boats he served on.

    Edited by Simon Orchard
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Not too difficult to research. The badge was issued after two war cruises. Not that many U-Boats were actually operational at the outbreak of war so tracking the date of completion of the second war cruise of each of them would reveal which boats crews were technically the first to qualify.

    I believe those who took part in the sinking of the Royal Oak on 14 October 1939 received the badge , when the first issues were made for "normal" service as opposed to one of dramatic actions like Scapa Flow could be worked out but some would have already qualified when the badge became available so probably the intitution date or immediately afterwards.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Hello Simon,

    congratulations for your U 37 - U 107 "Hans Hempel"-group! :beer:

    Please look at my post "U-boat grouping U 37, U 508" ;)

    Here are also a early U-Boat badge award document belong to "Paul Wirtz", a member of U 34. The document was framed behind glass, so the sun had "lightend" the "D?nitz" signature. :(

    On the 17th Oct 1939, U-34 left Wilhelmshaven under the command of Wilhelm Rollmann and returned to Wilhelmshaven on 12th Nov 1939 after more than three weeks on patrol. It was the second war patrol of U 34.

    Wilhelm Rollmann hit five ships on this patrol, two of these ships were in convoy: One was from convoy HX-5A and one was from convoy OB-25.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.